Okay... Well, I guess I'll have to explain myself first.

You see, I've been wanting to do a 30 kisses or 100 themes kind of thing for Natsu and Lucy for a while now. Fortunately or Unfortunately-- however you look at it-- Meirou Kitsune came out with her own 100 themes kind of thing for Natsu and Lucy too, called 'Controlled Chaos', I believe. Anyways, reading hers just got me off my butt to do my own. I'm not, in any way, taking her idea.

I'm pretty sure we have two different sets of 100 themes too.

Also, I don't belong to any LJ community.

Anyways, without further ado, I present to you... The Bet!

Title: The Bet

Authoress: Buni-San

Disclaimer: I Don't own Fairy Tail.

Theme: #4 Rivalry

Fandom: Fairy Tail

Pairing: Natsu Lucy

Rating: T

"It was all your fault and you know it, Pinky!"

"What'd you say, Streaker?!"

"You heard me you eternal flamer!"

"This was all your fault you frost bitten popsicle!"

"Don't you dare try to blame me! I'll kick your ass!"

"You wanna fight?!"

"Hell yeah, asshole!"

Mirajane felt a bead of sweat fall down the back of her head when the loud crashing noises and random flying pieces of broken furniture started to fly, as usual when Natsu and Gray started up with their bickering. The silver haired model turned her attention to the left when she heard a heavy sigh, and blinked when she saw Lucy lying miserably against the bar, clutching her drink in her hand as though it would fly off if she let go.

Before Mirajane could ask what happened, Erza broke the front doors down, covered almost head to toe in bandages and armor, making a beeline straight towards the squabbling mages. Even more screaming, crashes and broken furniture started to fly, before Erza threw the next-to-nude exhibitionist and the half-frozen fire mage against the counter of the bar, almost breaking it with their impact.

The blood thirsty titania had gave off such a presence of malice and loathing it was almost palpable.

"You two..." She snarled, grabbing the now terrified boys by their hair, lifted them up, and proceeded to shove their faces harshly against the surface of the bar. Lucy didn't even flinch, giving off another depressed sigh when her glass cracked. Erza ignored their yelps and cries of pain, and made sure to hold their faces down while sliding them closer towards Mirajane. "Apologize to her and the master for you're disgusting failure!" She ordered.

Instantly, the two started to beg and plead for forgiveness and mercy.

Mirajane blinked, turning her head towards Master Marcov, who looked equally perplexed.

"Don't you know?" Lucy drawled, staring at her glass. When the waitress and the elder shook their heads in the negative, the blond almost immediately burst into tears. "We failed our last mission!" She cried, burying her head in her arms, sobbing loudly.

The mummy-esque warrior lifted her half bandaged head, glaring down at the still sniveling boys under her fierce grip. "Lucy had been pressed for rent money, and asked us if we could help her out on a mission to get it paid. After all, when all of us pair together, we've never failed a mission-- until now!"

Natsu and Gray stopped their groveling, barley managing to turn their faces towards one another in Erza's grasp. "It was Gray's fault! If he hadn't frozen the whole lake--!"

"My fault?! You're the one who decided it would be funny to set the stupid boat on fire!"

Immediately, they began to struggle under Erza's grip, flailing their legs it attempt to kick one another. Erza felt one of them kick one of her many well dressed wounds, her hair almost seemed to float in the ominous aura of pure poison she let off.

The titania had finally had enough. "Be quiet!"

They instantly shut up.

Mirajane felt the need to change the subject as quickly as possible before the town hospital ended up being torn down by these three. She had a feeling a few bones were going to be broken soon if things kept up. "We have plenty of jobs right now... almost too many actually!" She tried, gesturing towards the request board, which indeed had flyers taped to the wall where room ran out on the actual designated area.

Lucy let out a loud sob. "But it's too late! I've already lost my apartment!"

Mirajane and Marcov looked positively shocked. "What?!" They demanded together.

Erza seemed to grind the words out, while grinding Natsu and Gray's heads into the counter even further. Every syllable leaving a new crack in the polished wood. "The rent was due last week. We've been gone for a month!"

Lucy let go of her arms, clutching onto an ever pleasant blue cat when he offered her his condolence. "Aye. We got back and her stuff was all sitting on the street." Lucy's crying only seemed to grow louder at the admission.

Mirajane and Marcov scrambled for a quick and hopefully easy solution. "How about you four just team up for another--"

"NO!!" They all shouted, for once agreeing on something.

"There's no way I'm ever working with this bastard again!" Gray cried, spitting cold saliva towards Natsu's forehead.

It evaporated in the breath of fire the dragon slayer shot out before it even hit. "Same goes for me! It'll be a cold day in Hell before that happens!"

Erza smashed their heads together, leaving them dizzy and half knocked out before backing off. "You don't have a choice in the matter! This is for Lucy, or were you two so busy being brats you forgot that?!"

Lucy seemed to quiet down at that, though still sniffing. "Erza... I-It's fine, I can--"

"No!" Marcov cut off, his pipe bouncing sharply in his mouth with the movement of his mouth.

Instantly he was met with a tense silence, followed shortly by guilty looks from the three strongest mages. They looked little more than children caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"We...We wanna help Lucy and all..." Gray started.

"But there's just no way you two will stop fighting long enough to even finish a mission!" Erza snapped, crossing her arms under her buxom chest.

Mirajane, along with the four upset mages and one cat, turned towards the Master when he only gave a sharp laugh. "So split up and do it! There are plenty missions to chose from!"

You could almost see the fire in Natsu's eyes as he jumped up, determinedly clenching a fist. "That's a great idea! I bet I could get all the money by myself before Gray or Erza could!" He laughed, earning himself frosty glares from the redhead and the ice alchemist.

"What was that?!" Gray snapped, quickly scrambling to his feet. "There's no way! I'd get ten missions done and enough money for Lucy to rent an apartment for a year before you managed to get a job done right even once!"

"Why don't you try backing that up, eh?! Streaker!"

"I will you little firefly! Just watch!" Gray growled. "I can have a hundred missions finished before you! Hands down!"

Natsu took a step back, steam jutting out of his nose as he pointed an indignant finger in his rivals face. "It's a challenge then! You and Erza against me and Lucy! The first team to successfully accomplish one hundred missions first and pays for a new apartment for Lucy, wins! The loser has to admit defeat and kiss the winner's feet!" He cried, puffing his chest out in confidence. Markov and Mirajane began to sweat.

All of them were so proud they'd up and die before having to do something so demeaning.

"What?! Why do I have to be teamed up with Erza?!" Gray demanded, fearing for his life when the particularly vicious ex-quip mage gave a feral grin.

"I like it! Me and Gray together... You'll have no chance!" She laughed, slapping Gray on the back and slamming him down into the ground with the hit.

Natsu gave a loud snort. "Yeah right! We'll have enough money by the time we're done to buy Lucy a house!"

Happy jumped up, excited by the idea. "Aye!"

Gray shot back up to his feet, shoving his face right into Natsu's. "Please! It'd take you a hundred missions just to get half--"

Natsu ground his forehead against his part-time best-friend, part-time mortal-enemy. His eyes narrowed and veins bulging in annoyance. "We start tomorrow!" They shouted together, spinning on their heals and storming away. Erza gave a cluck of her tongue before grunting and leaving the guild, her wounds needing to be checked by the doctors once again.

Natsu, steam still poring from his nose and ears, made sure to grab Lucy and Happy and sling the shocked blonde over his shoulder before taking off. "C'mon! You're coming with me!" He snapped, ignoring the cat calls he was getting by the other mages as he passed by.

Lucy's face was so red she thought it'd explode-- desperately trying to keep her short skirt from revealing anything. "W-Where the hell too?! Put me down already!" She shouted, biting down on her friend's shoulder, as her hands were occupied.

Natsu didn't even flinch. "Where else? To my apartment! We just got back this morning and you don't have anywhere else to go! Gray's a naked pervert, Erza's not home and Levi's out of town with Jet and Droy! Where else are you going to stay?!" He grouched, quickly turning a corner and heading in the opposite direction Lucy normally turned to go to her old apartment.

The stellar spirit mage looked almost horrified. "What?! You can't just-- What about-- Natsu I can't!"

He snorted, hardly convinced. "And why not?!"

Lucy gave a strangled scream, wracking her brain for a good excuse that'll leave her sleeping on the streets. After a long silence, the well-endowed blonde sighed impatiently and slumped against the pink headed fire mage. "I-It's improper!" She finally shot out, blushing horridly. She hadn't even been to his apartment before! Well... she hadn't been to anyone else's apartment before either, now that she thought about it.

"Ha! That's the best you can come up with? If that's the extent of your imagination I'm never gonna wanna read that book of yours." He grinned, almost dropping her when Lucy said 'to Hell' with modesty clocked him upside the head.

"You jerk! Let me go! I can walk on my own!" She growled, screaming when he did just that and dumped her on her butt. "Ow! What'd you do that for--?!"

"We're here!" Happy said as he ran past her and through the wooden door just as Natsu opened it.

Lucy blinked, staring up at the, oddly, not half-burnt down cave she had half-imagined he lived in. Instead, it was a pleasant surprise of being an apartment that looked even larger than her own had been. Stone brick walls, a nice sized window and a plant or two sitting in their sills... it looked almost... normal.

Not something she had expected.

"C'mon Lucy, you coming in or not?" He snapped, holding the door open and staring down at her with a devious grin. The blonde shot him a hot glare and quickly stood up-- flattening down her clothes and with her head held high, she took the first step in.

She almost fell over at what she saw.

Typical. It wasn't burnt, but it was still trashed.

Lucy's eye twitched, looking around at the piles of clothes, work-out equipment, random camping gear, empty cans of food and overall trash that littered what looked like every inch of floor there was. It just screamed fire hazard. Not something a guy like Natsu would want to keep. Slowly, her eyes traveled over a disgustingly tall pile of junk she assumed that in the past might have been a couch... or table of some sort. There was no way she was sleeping on that.

She felt a warm arm sling around her shoulder the same time Happy jumped up into her arms. "Make yourself at home, Lucy!" They cried together, grinning.

The ex-princess felt a shudder if dread wash over, before it was washed away with a smile and a sense of peace. She did have great friends... even if they were insane.

"Thanks guys..."

...And that's it for this chapter!

Bet you can't wait to see what happens next, hmmmmmm?

I need a beta for this story, if anyone is interested, please send me a PM!

If I spelled or got anything worng, please let me know so I can fix it ASAP!