Could He Get Any Hotter?

                                    

                                          
                  
                          
Tides of Virtue – Chapter 16 (Fairy Tail Fan-Fiction)
                          


                          
         Drifting in the tranquil waters of the ocean in a large, wooden canoe, the gentle breeze blowing strands of brown hair all around her, Serenity couldn't feel more at home. Since water was her element as a Dragon Slayer, she loved to be around it, because it made her feel stronger like she could do anything, or beat anyone. Sitting in the canoe with her were Gray, Lucy, Juvia—former water-magic-using member of the Element 4—and Natsu, who was draped over the side of the boat looking like he was about to hurl. Erza and Happy were not with them, because they'd been taken captive by the guy that Serenity and Natsu had encountered, Wally Buchanan, and a few others that Gray, Juvia, and Lucy had also had their own encounters with. Serenity was calm despite the fact that two of her friends were missing, because she was certain they'd get them back. 
                          
        "So, Juvia!" Serenity began, attempting to strike-up a conversation with the mysterious blue-haired woman that had suddenly shown up, claiming that she'd tagged along with them, because she wanted to become a part of their guild. "You want to join Fairy Tail, do you?"
                          
        Sending her a skeptical look, Juvia responded cautiously. "Yes, more than anything."
                          
        Smiling at her encouragingly—afraid she may be a little shy, since the entire time that they'd been sitting next to each other in the canoe, she hadn't spoken a single word, instead she'd taken to gazing at Gray dreamily—Serenity sent her a suggestive wink. "Is it because you like Gray?"
                          
        Instantly, Juvia's cheeks flared with color and she began muttering something under her breath about—a love rival?
                          
        "He's single, you know?" Serenity pushed on. "Completely, utterly available for dating."
                          
        Eyes widening, Juvia looked at her hopefully. "Is Gray-sama, really?" she inquired, flashes of happiness dancing in her dark-blue eyes. "Juvia assumed he was taken by you."
                          
        Laughing, Serenity dipped her hand into the warm waters of the sea, and when she brought it back out, she had a small ball of water hovering above the palm of her hand. "No! Gray and I are merely friends!" she explained calmly, throwing the ball of water so that it hit Natsu square in the back of the head, causing him to groan louder than he'd already been as he leant further over the side of the boat, his eyes tired as he battle with his motion sickness. "I like that pink-haired weirdo over there!"
                          
        Features relaxing, Juvia looked like a great weight had just been removed from her shoulders. "Juvia sees. That's a strange coupling—water and fire."
                          
        Feeling accomplished, having broken through one of Juvia's tough layers, Serenity smiled brightly. "It's a smart coupling, if you ask me. Whenever he goes on one of his, 'Let's fight! I'm all fired up now!'s—" she imitated Natsu's actions as she said this "—I can easily douse his flames before he burns down a town."
                          
        A small smile lit up Juvia's usually serious features as she skillfully contained the laugh that had almost slipped past her lips. "That so? At the moment he doesn't look like much."
                          
        In any other scenario, Serenity would have been greatly offended, but since, at the current moment as the swaying and rocking of the canoe took its toll on poor motion sick Natsu, he really did appear to be incapable of dealing harm to even a fly, so she had to agree with Juvia. "You're right. We, Dragon Slayers, suffer from severe motion sickness on any form of transportation. I, however—"
                          
        "Aren't effected by water-transportation, because your element is water," Juvia finished for her.
                          
        Suddenly, an angry voice came from in front of them. "Why don't you two quit talking already!" It was Gray. "We're totally lost here, because you were supposed to be navigating, Serenity, since you're the only one here with a nose strong enough to pick up that guys scent, who isn't about to hurl over the side of the boat!" He gestured to Natsu.