10,000 Jewels

Ugh, my head! Damn it, that freaking hurt! Why did she have to hit me? Hothead started it! I rubbed what was probably a big bump on my head. Damn that Erza.

She always thought she was so big and powerful but I know I'm stronger than her! I just needed a chance. If Mira didn't start fighting her every time she saw Erza maybe I could actually challenge her to a fight.

Sure she beat me all those other times but I'm stronger now. All I would need to do is throw one little ice lance and she'd be done for.

"Damn that Erza!" I heard Natsu curse beside me. I spit out some dirt from when Erza slammed Natsu and me into the ground. "I'm going to beat her one day!"

I scoffed. Natsu glared at me. "You, beat Erza? In your dreams Flame Brain, I'm going to be the one to beat 'er!"

Natsu pushed his head against mine, trying to push me down. "You? Don't make me laugh, icy mint fresh! You couldn't freeze her if she was stuck in cement!" Stupid idiot, starting another fight just after Erza broke up the first one. Well, I'm not backing down!

"I could beat her easily! You couldn't burn her if-" We both backed away from each other. What was that? Then there was that rumbling noise again. I looked down, and I could see my stomach doing that rumbling it did whenever I was hungry.

Natsu burst into laughter. 'Idiotic little...' It wasn't my fault there were too many people at the store. It wasn't my fault the cashier freaking hated kids and refused to let me purchase the food. It wasn't my fault I got angry and ran out the store with the food without paying and their other employees chased and tackled me. Okay, maybe that last one was my fault but I had no other choice.

They took all the food - except for the piece of bread I hid up my shirt! Suckers!

I ran to the guild to eat my bread only to have Erza tell me to put on some clothes to which I looked down to see my shirt and pants were gone... along with my bread.

"Shut up, Flame Brain!" I ran away before he could say anything back.

"Stupid moron," I muttered for what was probably the millionth time. I was heading to my apartment to grab some money and buy some food - from a different store - when I heard a familiar voice.

"What do you mean you won't fix it?"

"I mean what I said before! You ain't got 'nuff money so I ain't fixing that sword, little girl!"

I turned around to see the local swords shop. I don't know what the owner must have been thinking setting his shop in a peaceful city like Magnolia. Even most of our mages in Fairy Tail don't use a sword. Idiot.

Inside the shop was Erza yelling at some guy who looked about in his thirties. "But I need the sword fixed before I leave!"

The man looked really annoyed and angry now. "Well then, you're gonna have ta ask someone else cause I ain't fixing it unless you pay up the full price!"

Figuring out she finally lost, Erza stormed out of the shop. Her anger was clearly visible in her face and her hands were balled up into fists. Holy crap did she look scary!

"Oi, Erza." I called. She turned around and glared at me.

"What is it, Gray?"

I cringed slightly. Did her voice and glare have to be so scary? I mentally shook my head. No, she wasn't scary! She didn't scare me! Glaring right back at her, I asked, "What were you talking to that man about?"

"My sword obviously. It's a sword shop, isn't it?"

It took all my self control to not try and fight her right there. Why was I trying not to fight her? I'm usually trying to get her to fight me.

"Your sword's broken? How?"

"Laxus," Erza growled, "he said little girls should not play with swords then broke it in half."

Laxus that bastard! Always thinking he was better than everyone else! I would have gone to find him and punch him, but I still needed to ask Erza some questions. "Why can't the guy in the shop fix your sword?"

"Because it costs 70,000 jewels to get my sword fixed and I only have 60,000."

70,000 jewels? It would cost 70,000 jewels to fix that piece of crap! As if she was reading my mind, which she probably was, Erza said, "The sword was made by a friend of the Master's. It is a very good sword and it would be expensive to repair it. Why are you asking all these questions, Gray?"

Honestly, I have no idea why I'm asking them either, but so she wouldn't think I was creepy, she already thought I was a pervert I didn't need her thinking I was a stalker too, I just said I was curious and walked away. I could hear her mumbling about what she was going to do about her job as I was walking away.

That's right, Erza was going on some special job where she would have to bodyguard some guy for a couple of months, but I guess she can't go if her sword is broken. Too bad for her, I could tell she was really excited about the job back at the guild even if she didn't show it. Laxus just had to go and be a jerk and break Erza's sword for no reason, didn't he?

Wait why should I care? It is Erza's problem, not mine. She was just going to have to find a way to get 10,000 jewels on her own before she left. Besides I'm sure she would kill anybody if they tried to pity her and give her money.

Ugh, why couldn't she just put her pride aside to accept some help? She obviously wanted to go on that job, so if anyone tried to give her money she should just accept it and not be such a stubborn baby about it! I mean, didn't I put aside my pride a few months ago when I went looking for her to fight but then told her I didn't want to fight her at that time because when I found her she was crying by herself.

Erza crying... If she felt lonely she should have told one of us, not go find a deserted place to cry! She didn't need to go hiding her tears from us! Stubborn girl.

If she didn't want help I wasn't going to give it to her, but I will do something else. With a plan in my head I ran down to the guild.

6 days later

I was running all over Magnolia trying to find that girl. Why was I even doing this? I don't know. 'Where are you Erza?'

I had been going on a bunch of jobs for the past five days to get her this, so the least she could do was be somewhere I know she would be at.

That's when something clicked in my head and I found myself running to where I first caught Erza crying.

My assumption was confirmed when I finally found her by that river near the small hill. She better not be crying again. She looked so helpless and cute when she was crying. Agh, did I just call Erza cute? I could feel my cheek's heating up.

Shaking my head, I walked down the small hill. "You better not be crying again."

Erza turned around a scowl on her face. "Shut up. Came for another fight?"

"No, I came here for something else." I threw the small, brown bag I was carrying with me at her. As expected, she caught it easily.

I could feel my heart thumping faster with each second she took to open and look in the bag. 'Stupid heart, what's wrong with you?' First I strip my clothes without meaning to now I'm yelling at my organs. I need to remember to ask Jii-san later if he knows any good doctors.

Erza's eyes widened when she finally looked in the bag. She glared at me. "What is this?"

"10,000 jewels, the exact amount of jewels you need left to fix your sword."

She stood up and marched up to me. Pushing the bag into my chest, she growled, "I don't need your pity." Stubborn girl.

"Che, like I would pity you. I want you to go on that job so that you get stronger, so when you get back our fight'll be all the more great. Especially," I began to smirk, "when I beat you."

I gently started pushing the bag back towards her. She seemed to be contemplating carefully about the jewels. She looked at the bag then me then the bag and so on.

I'm not sure how much time we stood there but it was long enough for me to watch the sun setting behind her.

Erza took the bag from my hand, gripping the bag hard. "You will never beat me, pervert."

"I am not a pervert!"

Then Erza did something I never expected her to do in a million years, she laughed. I couldn't believe my eyes. Erza the all serious no play Scarlet was laughing! The light from the sunset shimmered brightly - almost beautifully - in Erza's eyes as she laughed. Then before I knew it she was smiling. At me!

With my cheeks burning, which were probably blushing a lot, I smiled back.