Chapter 1: Lucky Catch

Hey guys! Blue here! This is my first fanfic, so please be easy on me!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.

Lucy was reclining in her armchair, reading a book that had been lying around, begging to be read. She was already halfway through the book, the climax of the story yet to be read. But she hadn't looked up in a while, and her head was killing her for that.

"I better get up and get some fresh air." She mumbled. "Or I won't be able to read through the main part."

She put her bookmark in the novel, and put it aside. Getting up, she opened the glass sliding door to enter the verandah. She leaned on the metal railway and surveyed the skyline her third floor apartment gave her.

Most of the buildings around her were houses, but there were some two storey apartments here and there. She had her pick and chose the highest one in the serene neighborhood. The tenants were of all varieties, from families to singles. Beneath her balcony was a basketball court, mostly deserted because few school kids ever came to play around there. They were now mostly obsessed with their video games.

But if that was true, Lucy thought, then who are the boys playing in the court?

Thanks to her good eyesight, she could see three boys playing basketball in the court. They were running around, one bouncing the ball around while the other two tried to take it from him. After a while of observation, Lucy got bored and decided to head in, until she notices that the guys have stopped playing, and one of them was smirking at her and aiming the ball directly at her.

Gray was getting bored of this. He expertly dodged both his friends as they tried to steal the ball from him. He was grateful they finally found a place to play in, but felt a little uncomfortable as well, since this was an upper-middle class neighborhood they were playing in.

Natsu kept making grunting noises every time he got closer, so Gray could easily avoid him. Lyon was doing better, but even he was no match for Gray. Gray stopped dribbling, earning a raised eyebrow from Lyon and a smirk from Natsu. Natsu immediately seized the ball, but he finally realized that Gray stopped on purpose.

"Natsu, you keep making sounds whenever you spot an opportunity to get the ball. That's why I can easily avoid you." Gray reprimanded.

Before Natsu can fight back, Lyon said, "Looks like we have a spectator" and discreetly pointing to a blonde girl from the apartment building next to the court. Both Gray and Natsu turned to look, and saw that she indeed was looking at them.

Gray held the ball up and started pointing it at the girl. Lyon and Natsu knew what he was trying to do and kept watching, in case he actually did it.

The girl was just about to head back, but then she resumed her position with an amused look on her face. Natsu started snickering loudly, and yelled at her. "You should turn back, you know? You could get hurt!"

The blonde looked unconvinced and shouted back. "No one can shoot a basketball all the way to the third floor! What are you guys thinking?"

"We're thinking why aren't you taking our advice and turn around!" Gray yelled, now the ball in perfect aim and was just waiting for a chance to follow through.

She just crossed her arms, with a determined look on her face. "Let's make a bet! If you manage to hit me with it, just as your intentions were, then you win. If you miss or I will be able to catch it, I win."

"And what if he wins?" Lyon asks.

"Then I owe each of you a favor. Same goes for if I win." She yells back.

"Then so it shall be." Gray said at a normal volume and got ready. He wasn't being arrogant when he said he could shoot that far really hard. He has done it before, for practice and other reasons as well. And so, he shot it. The tangerine basketball sailed through the air, and Gray watched as the girl put out her hands to grab the ball.

Lucy had braced herself for the impact, but put her hands out anyway; to make it look like that she was at least trying. As soon as the words had left her mouth, she regretted saying them and didn't find a way to take her word back. Just before the ball came at eye level, she turned her head away, subconsciously checking to see if the sliding doors would be broken. There was a loud sound, and Lucy felt her hands feel like they were on fire from the impact, but she covered it up and smirked down at the boys, sticking her tongue out too.

Two of the boys just gawked at her, and the one who shot the ball looked furious, running his hands through his jet black hair vigorously. His friends were now openly snickering, and the black haired boy shouted, "So, What do you want now?"

Lucy had quite honestly forgotten about the deal, and blinked twice before remembering. She said in a mocking voice. "If you want your ball back, you will have to come up here and bow down before me. Then, I will give it back."

The boy looked like he was begging her to not be serious about the condition, but Lucy neglected him. "So I expect to see you tomorrow!" and went back inside. She didn't close the sliding door and went to get herself a snack.

"How did she grab the ball!? She wasn't supposed to!" Gray yelled, particularly to himself, and kicked the ground angrily.

"I don't know about that, Gray, but pouting about it won't get you anywhere. Besides, we need that ball back. It was imported and a very high quality ball. We can't just give it to her." Lyon said, pointing out the obvious.

"Hey, look at the bright side!" said Natsu. "At least, we didn't ruin the court this time!"

"That's because we didn't get to play much!"Gray snapped at him, and then musses his hair again. An old habit. "I guess we can just wait. It's not like she is going to use it. She didn't seem like the type to play anything. She looked like somebody who would rather stay inside and read a book instead of being outside."

"It might work. We can just wait or ask her without you. She did ask you to bow down and not us." Natsu smirked again. "If she asks, we will just say that you are sick"

"I heard that!" A voice yells at them. All three of them simultaneously turn to see the girl now just outside the entrance, dressed casually in a tee, skirt and flip-flops and her hair tied into a messy bun.

"Did you hear everything?" Gray asked, inwardly panicking. Because if she did, we're going to have to think of some other plans. Those were good ideas too!

"Not really. But I heard what I needed to. Seriously, you guys are loud." She said. "Especially the pink haired guy."

"I do not have pink hair! It's Salmon!" Natsu angrily yells, but Gray and Lyon laugh. He really gets angry when someone tells him he has pink hair.

"It is pink! Anyway, I had gone in, but you guys are so loud that I had to come back out again."

"We aren't that loud." Lyon says, trying to justify themselves.

"You are." The girl shot back. "Now, can I ask exactly who you are?"

"Interested in us already?" Gray smirks at her and she predictably blushes, but she snaps out of it.

"No! I just need to know, since this is my court you're playing in."

All three of the boys felt their jaw drop. They had assumed that she wasn't the type to play sports. And now, here she was, claiming that she owned a basketball court.

"Don't look at me like that!" She says, feeling a bit flustered that they had now gone silent. "So…your names?"

Gray snaps out of his stupor and casually introduces everyone. "I'm Gray Fullbuster, the white haired guy is my brother Lyon and the pinky is Natsu Dragneel."

"What did you just call me?" Natsu growls, glaring pointedly at Gray.

"I said Pinky. Are you deaf now?" Gray smirks.

Ignoring the tension, Lyon asks. "And your name?"

"My name is Lucy Heartfilia. Pleasure to meet you." Lucy smiles at them.

Gray felt his face heat up slightly, but he ignored it. Lucy continues, "And you three are coming to my flat to bow down to me tomorrow."

Lyon and Natsu flinched. "Are you sure that it's all three of us or just Gray?" Lyon asks. Gray shot a death glare.

"Nope! It's all three of you or you want to climb up the stairs to reach here?" She asks tauntingly.

Lyon thinks about it but Natsu pipes in. "Sure! As long as we don't have to bow down and Gray does!"

Lucy was satisfied with it. "You got yourself a deal!" and she heads back in.

After waiting for her to get out of earshot, Gray glared at Natsu. "What did you do that for, idiot? Now we have to climb all the way up there and I will have to do bow down and beg her to give the damn ball back!"

"Well, at least we don't have to" Natsu points out. Lyon shrugs.

"Oh yeah! And Lyon, make sure you bring a camera while he does it. We surely don't want to miss this!" He rubs his hands in delight, as if deciding something sneaky.

"Shut the fuck up!" Gray yelled.

I really like these line-breakers. So... how did you like it? Please Review! XD