Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail (if I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfictions)

Also, I don't know who owns/created the awesome picture of music note lightning, but if any of you guys know, please tell me and I'll credit them immediately.

Enjoy the story!

Part I

"Here you go." Artemis handed a broad-shouldered blond man a drink. "Might want to stay a while, my friend's supposed to sing soon." He grunted, taking a swig from the mug.

"Arty, could you help me for a sec?" Lyla was heaving a speaker over to the stage. "Some bozo decided to move the speaker for whatever reason. I gotta move it back, but, ya know…"

"You weakling," Artemis chortled, helping her friend move the large object.

"Thanks," Lyla said, moving on to the next task. Artemis wasn't sure if Lyla was being sarcastic or not.

Who moved all my stuff? Lyla thought, irritated. She grabbed the stand and mike (a cheap lacrima, cheesily named lacrimike) and dragged them over to the stage, plugging in the mike to the magic outlet and setting up the stand swiftly. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a flash of blond. Him again?

He actually didn't often come to the bar, but when he did, she had a chore of keeping the area calm. Drunk men don't know when to stop. Heck, they don't know when to stop when sober.

"Testing, one two three. Testing," Lyla spoke into the lacrimike, tapping it lightly. Artemis was working the sound, making sure everything ran smoothly, as per usual. A few people looked up, confused, while the regulars merely glanced her way before returning to their conversation, drink, or both. The lacrimike seemed to be working correctly, thank god.

"Okay, folks. Tonight I'll be singing with or without my guitar, any requests?" She popped open the guitar case in case she needed it.

"How 'bout that one about the girl?" A man shouted out. Lyla rolled her eyes, stepping up to the lacrimike again.

"Let's do something a little less generic, and… well, perverted," She laughed, a few of the more sober clients chuckling slightly as well.

"What about the one about the moon?" A woman with chestnut hair called out.

"Yeah, that one's good," Someone else agreed loudly.

"Okay, then I'll be singing Sacrificial Love," She grabbed her guitar and ran her fingers over the strings, strumming a few chords to make sure it was in tune. Turning her face slightly to the left of the lacrimike, away from where her voice would get picked up, she whispered, "Lasaigarriak melodia, soothing melody." Magic rushed through her body, and if anyone was paying any attention, they would have noticed the symbol of magic appear on the ground at her feet. She strummed the start of the song on her guitar. The notes filtered through the drinkers' ears, the magic soothing their thoughts and calming their tempers, should they appear.

"Once upon a crazy night, the moon whispered to me," She started, the notes falling from her lips easily. "I heard its kind voice loud and clear, telling me its story. The poor old moon had lived in pain, many years before. Dark and unknown, she was unfortunately poor.

"But then the shining light of the great big sun shone bright, stopping her from crying, each and every night. They longed to be together, every single day, but if the sun and moon were together, we wouldn't be here today.

"Oh, what a sacrificial love. With the sun and the moon trapped in their lovely cages above. Oh, what a sacrificial love. The sun dies every night for his one and only love." She continued the chorus beautifully, noticing the content looks on the faces of the clients. Good, she thought. Hopefully there won't be any incidents.

The song drew to an end with some clapping here and there. It was pretty late, so Lyla sang two more songs, one with her guitar and one without, before plopping down at the bar.

"It was an oddly easy night," She commented to Artemis, who was cleaning some mugs and glasses.

"Why oddly?"

"Huh?"

"Why was it oddly easy, not just easy?" Artemis rolled her eyes slightly, especially after Lyla coughed out "Nit-picky."

"Err, I dunno." Lyla glanced at the big man two stools down, who was still silently taking in his drink. Artemis followed her friend's gaze before smirking knowingly.

"You know, Lyla, when was the last time you had a boyfriend?" She slyly shifted slightly in the man's direction.

"Oh heavens, not this again," Lyla groaned. "At least get me a drink before I have to listen to your romantic rambling."

"One Carpenter, coming up." Artemis started making the drink, but she wasn't going to let the vocally-gifted girl off the hook.

"He's kinda quiet, you should make sure he's okay," Artemis gestured to the man with her head. The bar was emptying, but he showed no signs of moving.

"No."

"You're no fun." Artemis slid the drink in front of the light-haired girl while jutting out her bottom lip.

"Well, if you're so worried, then why don't you talk to him?" Lyla shot back, bringing the drink to her lips. She wasn't a heavy drinker, in fact, she was a bit of a lightweight. She was also a minor, at the age of seventeen, but nobody could tell with her taller frame and mature face.

"Fine. Oi, blondie!" Art called out. Lyla went rigid, sitting ramrod straight. She didn't think Artemis would actually do it! "My friend said she has the hots for you but is too embarrassed to say so," Artemis' lips stretched into a smirk. Lyla's eyes flew wide open and her cheeks grew hot.

"What?" His deep voice reached her ears, and she subconsciously sighed.

"My friend thinks you're hot," Artemis said bluntly. Lyla let her head fall onto the counter with a slight bang, groaning in embarrassment.

"Does she now?" She heard him shift in his seat, and she turned her head so her cheek lay on the counter. He was turned towards the singer with a smirk on his face. Lyla's face grew bright red. Again.

"I did not!" She protested. Her cheek was still smushed against the countertop, a sight the man seemed to find amusing.

"Aw, she's getting all embarrassed," Artemis cooed. Lyla shot her friend a death glare, shifting so her chin was on the counter and she was staring up at the girl.

The man started speaking with an amused tone, causing the two girls to turn back towards him, Lyla, still laying on the counter. "You gonna stay on the counter all night?" Lyla shot upright, her face resuming the red tomato look she had been having most of the conversation.

"Singers have a natural connection to counters, didn't ya know?" Artemis teased, cleaning a few mugs. She was laying it on thick, so thick, Lyla was sure this was some sort of revenge for something.

"You know what?" Lyla threw up her hands in exasperation. "I'm going up." She grabbed her purse and started stalking away.

"You sure you don't want blondie here to join you?" Artemis had a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Lay off!" Lyla called over her shoulder.

"Hey, I never did get your name?" The man's voice reached her ears and she paused at the door, hand on the doorknob.

"It's Lyla," She responded, turning the knob slightly. "And yours?" She turned her head towards the bar, staring at the blond man. I wonder where he got that scar?

"Laxus," His mouth grew into a small grin. Artemis watched the whole exchange with a mysterious smirk on her face that disappeared only when her best friend vanished behind the door.

"Hey wait! You can't leave me with cleanup!" She shouted after her traitorous friend. "OI!" Laxus laughed slightly as the redhead grumbled something under her breath about betrayal and a new friend. She glanced at Laxus. "I don't suppose you-" She barely got to the end of her sentence before Laxus stood up. "I'm out."

The door shut with the bell still tinkling mockingly, and Artemis was left alone in the silent bar.

"I will get you for that!" Artemis glared at her so-called friend. "I had to clean everything up!"

"Well, you deserved a metaphorical slap, Arty. People don't just lie about their friends to strangers!" Lyla was stretched out on their couch, munching on chips and watching the lacrima tele. The current news story was about Fairy Tail, yet again. This time, however, it was good things, as it went over the Fantasia parade. It brushed on the random fights that had broken out beforehand among the mages belonging to the guild, and the strange floating bulbs filled with a single lightning bolt each, but the story was mostly about the amazing parade.

"Well, I hope you at least cooked dinner," She grumbled, taking off her shoes.

"I thought we agreed to call it Brinner," Lyla commented, throwing another chip in her mouth.

"Brupper," Artemis corrected, opening one of their cabinets. "And?"

"It's in the oven." Lyla's gaze was glued to the screen, narrowing her eyes. That was the master of Fairy Tail, right? He was awfully short.

"Spaghetti?" Artemis turned to her friend. "Really?"

"I just heated it up, stupid. Do something yourself if you want something gourmet." Lyla sat up, leaning towards the television. "Artemis-"

"What is so interesting on that lacrima?" She snorted as she saw Lyla's fast a mere foot from the screen.

"The master looks familiar," She said. The image switched to a water mage and an ice mage, sending the singer reeling backwards in surprise.

"Of course he does, he's the master of Fairy Tail, the most popular guild in Fiore! They're legendary for destroying things!" She cackled. "If I were a mage, that's where I'd go!"

"You sound like a witch, Arty." Lyla plopped back down on the couch, continuing to eat her chips.

"And you are a witch," She commented, sitting down on the other side of the couch with a bowl of spaghetti in hand.

"Mage," Lyla corrected instantly.

"Yeah, yeah," Artemis turned off the lacrima television, turning towards her couch potato of a friend. "Don't forget, you have first shift. You should probably get some sleep."

Lyla heaved a breath, lunging to her feet. Artemis called after her retreating figure: "Don't forget! Set your alarm for-"

"Yeah yeah, eight o'clock," Lyla yawned, staring at the clock that read 3:08 in big blue numbers. She collapsed into her bed after stripping and throwing on her pj's. She stared out the window at the glowing crescent moon before drifting off into a deep sleep.

The next day, Lyla was standing at the bar, trying not to fall asleep. This bar closed at three a.m. and opened at eight thirty a.m., an exhausting cycle for Artemis and Lyla. Fortunately and unfortunately, Charlie, the owner of the bar and the unofficial adoptive father of the two girls, had them working full time the first two days of the week. The next two work days they had free, then they had to work late shift on Friday and Saturday. The bar was closed on Sunday.

"Who comes into a bar at nine a.m.?" She grumbled, sipping a Carpenter to keep her awake. It failed. She was dreaming about her mother, who had left Lyla's life many years before…

"Oi!" She woke with a start to a prod on her shoulder. "Sleeping on the job will get you fired."

"He can't fire me," Lyla mumbled, pushing her hair back. Her eyes widened when she realized: she was sleeping on the job.

"Crap!" She bolted upright, eyes darting around frantically until they landed on the man in front of her. She slowly moved her head up, wincing when her eyes found the amused face of Laxus. "Uh, what would you like? I'm not as good as Artemis, heck, nobody is, but I can make a decent mix. And getting it from the tap isn't hard." She pressed her lips together to keep herself from speaking any more, painfully aware she was rambling.

"I'll just have water, thanks. I prefer not to get drunk this early in the morning," He slid easily into a stool. She rushed around, snatching the glass and filling it with the bar's filtered water. She placed it on the table, splashing a bit onto the counter, and slid it in front of him.

"What are you doing this early in the morning?" She asked, grabbing a rag to wash the counter. Again. She truthfully only did it so she didn't look like she was slacking off.

"Bored," He said simply, swishing the around in the glass.

"Ah." She moved to furthur down the counter, the silence making her feel awkward.

"Hey," Laxus suddenly spoke, turning his body towards hers in an odd deviation of character. Not that Lyla was an expert on his personality. "Did you actually call me hot last night?"

Did he seriously just ask that? Blood rushed to her face and she started stammering. "U-uh, no, I did-didn't."

He grinned at Lyla as she stumbled over her words. He thought it was kind of… endearing. "Oh, I wanted to tell you that I liked your singing." For some odd reason, he wanted to keep talking to this strange, blue-eyed singer.

"Thank you!" Lyla instantly brightened, moving closer to the blonde.

"When did you start?" He asked, taking a drink from the glass in front of him.

"The instant I could talk, I was singing. My uh… my mother sang a lot, and I just followed in her footsteps." Lyla's eyes brightened and she leaned against the counter, now directly across from Laxus.

"Huh. When did you start using magic with your voice?" He stared intently into her eyes and she shifted uncomfortably. He was more observant than she thought.

"Well… I guess when I could use magic it was when I sang and it affected my surroundings," She mused, tapping a finger against her lips. "How about you?"

He stared at her blankly. "Excuse me?"

"When did you start using magic, stupid?" She rolled her eyes before clamping a hand over her mouth. "I-I mean, sir!" Her cheeks burned a brilliant red. Had I really just talked to him like I do with Artemis? She berated herself, backing up a few feet. He laughed, thinking of how much she reminded him of some of his former guildmates.

"When I was very young. I use electricity as magic," He explained to her. She nodded. She already knew his magic type from former encounters.

"I use music as magic. All music, not just my voice. That's why I always carry a harmonica with me." She lifted up the tiny instrument that was connected to her belt. "Although I've always wanted a SoundPod. Can you imagine? Taking music with you wherever you go." She stared dreamily in front of her, broken out of her trance when Laxus chuckled slightly. He was shocked at his own behavior; when was the last time he had laughed, if only a little? "What?"

"I have a SoundPod. Have since I was a teen," He said, grinning in his small way. It really was the only small thing about him, Lyla noted.

"Really?" She smiled. Maybe he wasn't as bad as he seemed, even though he had come close to bringing the place down on multiple occasions.

They continued to hit it off, talking animatedly -at least, Lyla was- about music and other topics that came up. Artemis came down later for her shift and found the two talking like old friends, much to her delight.

"Hey Arty!" Lyla called out.

"Sup, Ly? Lax?" She said back, grinning. Laxus raised an eyebrow at the nickname but said nothing. "Want something?" She called out, going to the back of the bar.

"I'm okay!" Lyla yelled while Laxus said "No."

"Pfft, who doesn't want alcohol in the morning?" Artemis spoke loud enough for the two in the front to hear.

"She'd get along with Cana," Laxus murmured while Lyla shouted back, "Art, you're a minor!"

"So're you, but that doesn't stop ya! And you're a prude!" She appeared with a bottle in hand, pouring it into a glass as she walked. "Besides, it's just a little."

"Do you two run this joint?" Laxus raised an eyebrow at the two eccentric girls. The two minors, for god's sake.

"Of course not." Lyla waved a hand in front of her face. "Oh, god, no," Artemis widened her eyes at the same time.

"The owner, Charlie, took us in as kids," Lyla explained. "We've worked here for more than five years."

"Lyla here is the reason it hasn't gone to shambles. She sings, calms the clients down, they all go home without destroyin' the place. Win win," Artemis said, hopping up on the counter. Lyla laughed.

"So that's why you don't have any magic power," Laxus mused. Artemis let out an offended noise while Lyla nudged her with her fist.

"Of course Lyla is the special little snowflake, her and her stupid dra-" Artemis started mutter before Lyla widened her eyes and shoved her hand against the redhead's mouth. Artemis let out a "Mmph!" before blushing slightly.

"Oops," She grinned sheepishly. Lyla glared at her friend while Laxus watched the whole interaction with interest.

"Wait," He narrowed his eyes at Lyla. "Your magic reminds me of someone…" He trailed off, trying to pin-point who else had the same kind of magic. "Two people, actually…"

"Two?" Lyla squeaked. He has to be mistaken! Two others? I thought there was only one...!

Meanwhile Laxus was struggling with his memory, because for some reason, her magic felt an awful lot like…

Natsu's?

"Wait-" Laxus widened his eyes slightly. "Don't tell me that you're a… dragon slayer?!"

Bonjour. C'est moi.

(for those who don't take french: Hello. it's me.)

This is my first Fairy Tail fanfic, and it's been a chore to get this thing on here. I was thisclose to saying forget it and post it on Wattpad. Side note: oKaY I'm SORRY for making Lyla's name so close to Lucy's mother's, Layla! That was completely unintentional and ...

Nobody probably noticed and I just brought unneeded attention to myself.

Welp until next chappie (don't forget to review),

Leaf out!