*Hope you enjoy this story!    As usual all characters belong to Hiro Mashima, creator of the fairy tail anime series.  Remember not to copy the story  though as it is plain rude and I did work hard on the original plot for it.  With that said, Happy Reading! Sincerely, Summer Cheng

     Natsu and Gray are at the beach as usual.  The two have jobs for the summer as life guards.  Both boys wonder what all things will happen as a result!  Little do they know how much their lives will change for the better!  Little do they know how it will impact their future.

      Lucy and Juvia are on vacation at the beach. The two spread out their beach towels on the sand once they find a spot which is just right for them.  It is a place where their less sun dunes and very little issues with the wind too.   Now they put out the beach umbrella which spreads out over both their towels.  Then, the two friends remove their cover up tops and lather on sunscreen.

     Natsu sees the girl with blonde hair and brown eyes glance his way.  He blushes immediately as he thinks she is rather cute.  He  wonders if she will have any interest in him.  He laughs a bit to himself.  Imagine him smitten with some girl he has yet to meet.

    Gray notices the other girl the one with the midnight blue hair and blue azure (blue) eyes. He finds his face turn red when he thinks about how cute she is to him.  He wonders if she is available or if she has a boyfriend already.  He chuckles a bit to himself.  Imagine him smitten with some girl he has yet to meet.

   It seems the boys both have something in common behind just their jobs, and being best friends.  They both have a crush already and on the first day on the job!  Wow, talk about a huge coincidence, huh! 

    Lucy laughs when she sees the boy with pink hair and black eyes glance her way.  She thinks he seems like a strange sort of fellow.  She also can not help, but notice his friend looks in Juvia's  direction.  Hmm, she thinks, this day just got better!  It seems I have a crush already and by the looks of it Juvia just might have one as well.

   Juvia smiles when the boy with the jet black hair, and dark blue eyes winks at her.  She thinks he is a bit of a flirt.  She has to admit though he is a rather dashing fellow though.  She laughs when she realizes she might even like him.  This is so unlike her to have interest in someone so soon, especially when it comes to someone she has not spoken to yet.

     "Come on Juvia!  Lets go for a swim!"  Lucy says.

     "Yeah, okay!"  Juvia says.  

  Lucy remarks,  " How about we have a race to the ocean?  Last one in has to ask the boy of their choice out!"  

   Juvia rolls her eyes in embarrassment at the very thought of asking a boy out.  She decides she might as agree to the race though.  Why let Lucy think she is a chicken when it comes to such matters.

 "Fine, then I agree to this only if you are not afraid to loose!" Juvia brags.

     "Haha, we will just see about that Juvia!  On the count of three!  One, two, three,go!"  Lucy calls out.

     Juvia and Lucy race.  In the end Lucy still won!  

       Juvia blushes when she realizes this means she has to ask out the stranger with the dark hair.   Talk about an awkward punishment for being the one to reach the water's  edge a few seconds slower than Lucy.  Just for that she thinks, I will have to come up with the perfect pay back!

      Juvia swims for the moment.  She might as well since she is in the ocean after all.

        Gray  thinks this is such  a drag. There is does not seem to be a thing to do on a hot day like today at all.  No one seems to need to need any help.  He turns to Natsu and says,  "I do not know about you, buddy, but I think I will go for a swim!"

       "Okay, sounds good!  It is a bit of a scorcher today!   Goodness it must be like what 98 degrees outside, or something. "  Natsu remarks.

       Natsu runs towards the water without another word.  He bumps into the blonde chick and sees her blush.  He smiles and helps her back up. "S-sorry, Miss!  I  did not mean to knock you down, are you alright?" Natsu ask.

      "Yes, sir!  Thank you so much!"  Lucy says. She thinks, wow he has such nice eyes. She blushes and turns away from him.

     "Would you look at that over there?   Can you believe my friend?"  Gray ask Juvia.

  "What do you mean?"  Juvia ask as she splashes water on him.

    "I mean that my pal Natsu plows into your pal and she accepts his apology just like that as if it does not bother her one bit."  Gray remarks.

   "Yes, well Lucy is just that sort of girl."  Juvia says.

     "Oh, well then, what are you like then?"  Gray ask.

      "What?"  Juvia ask as she raises and eyebrow in surprise.

      "You hear me, girl!  What are you like?"  Gray ask again.

      "Oh, I am uh, the k-kind to l-loose at a r-race t-towards the o-ocean."  Juvia says.

       "Really, that is too bad!  You are cute!"  Gray says.  He turns red when he sees her smile more.

         "Me, c-cute?   No, that is more of Lucy's  thing.  I am just a simple g-girl."  Juvia replies.

        "Well then, does this simple one have a name?"  Gray teases her just a bit.

         "Yes, I am Juvia Lockser and you are young man?"  Juvia answers.

       "I am Gray Fillibuster, but you can call me Gray."  Gray answers.

        "It is nice to m-meet y-you G-Gray."  Juvia says.  Suddenly, she feels nervous around this hot guy.  She has no idea how she will follow through with the whole thing. She stares into his eyes.  Wow, she thinks, I could lost in those easily!  She blushes more.

         "You are cuter when you blush for me! I  like it!"  Gray grins big.  He can not help, but tease her as he likes her already.

         "I d-do not k-know.  Anyway, w-want to g-go o-out sometime?"  Juvia blurts out before she can loose her nerve to do so.  She still thinks the whole thing peculiar to ask out a boy instead of the other way around.

      "Wait, did you just ask me out?"  Gray's  jaw drops as it just dawns on him what she just told him.

      "Y-Yes because it is my p-punishment for being the last one in the water and Lucy was the one who says it was the deal."  Juvia says.  She finds herself more prone to stutter around him than she thought possible.

     "In that case, yes!  I will be glad to go out with you, gorgeous Juvia!"  Gray says.  He giggles when she splashes him once more.  He thinks, just for that I will splash her back.  Sure enough he does just that and even more so.

   Meanwhile,  Natsu continues to look at Lucy in awe.  "I am Natsu Dragneel, so are you from around here, or?"  He ask.

       "Who me?  No, actually my best friend Juvia and I are from a place called Fairy Tail.  Perhaps you might have heard of it.  Anyway, we are here on a vacation."   Lucy tells him.

       "Wow, that is funny!  Gray and I are from Fairy Tail too.   I wonder how come I do not recall you being there!  Anyway, we are here for our summer work as the life guards."  Natsu says.

        "Cool, you must be good at from what I see!  I mean you certainly have the tan, the muscles and the abs for it!"  Lucy says.

          "Thanks, you still owe me your name though."  Natsu says.

          "I am Lucy, Lucy Heartfilia, and that over there with your friend, Gray is my bestie, Juvia."   Lucy says.

         "Ah, yes!  I can see that, but you know something really funny?"  Natsu says.

          "No, what?"  Lucy responds.

          "Gray has a crush on her!"  Natsu says and laughs as if the idea were absurd to him.

         "Oh, yeah well she has one on him! "  Lucy says.

         "You do not happen to have a  boyfriend, do you?"  Natsu says.

         "No, why you ask? "  Lucy replies.

          "It just I like you and well, I kinda was hoping you felt the same about me. It is okay, if you  do not."  Natsu says.

          "I have no boyfriend. I like you too!"  Lucy tells him.

          "Lucy will you be my girlfriend?"  Natsu ask.

         "Hmm, I do not know.  How do I know you are the proper boyfriend material?"  Lucy ask.

          "Proper boyfriend material! What on earth could you mean?"  Natsu ask her.

      "Ha, ha, you should have seen the look on your face!  It was only a tease."  Lucy laughs, then snorts a bit.

     "You snort, how adorable!"  Natsu teases her now.

      "S-snort, I do not snort!"  Lucy protest.

     "Yes, you do."  Natsu says.

     "Do not."  Lucy remarks.

          The two bicker about this so much that Gray and Juvia head their way, splash them with a huge kick of the water and blurt out,  "You two stop the argument!  You both cannot be right at the same time!  Besides, you sound like an old married couple!"

        "As if I would ever marry him!"  Lucy retorts.

        "Yeah, she will not even say if she will date me, yet!"  Natsu yells back.

     "Not our problem!  Now, come on Juvia!  How about we go out on our date, while we leave those two to sort it out between themselves?"  Gray says, as he grabs her hand.

      "Sure, lead the way, my darling!"  Juvia says.

     Gray blushes, but does as she says. The two go on a walk alone together. At some point they end up under a small bridge with no one nearby.  It is sure is a nice, quietly, cozy and romantic place.  Gray can tell Juvia wishes to tell him something further, so he smiles.

      "Gray, I know we just met and all, but I feel as if we are meant to be together!  Is that crazy?"  Juvia ask.

    "No, it is normal because otherwise, I am crazy too. You see I feel the same about you."  Gray says.  He is sure he has never felt this way before about anyone else, nor does he intend too. He sees Juvia lean in closer to him. He takes this as his chance to make her know how much he truly cares for her, as he leans in too, holds onto her waist gently with both hands, and kisses her across her smooth, and soft lips. 

     Juvia sighs as he kisses her. She thinks, wow his lips are so warm!  I could do this forever and still never satisfy my desire to be with him.  She decides maybe someday she will marry this boy, but until then she intends to be happy to be his girlfriend.

   Back with Nalu, who leaves the ocean soon after their friends abandon them for each other.  Natsu looks at Lucy and thinks, now why can she not give me a simple answer. He grabs her hand, when she does not protest he spins her around to face him, and mutters, "W-will you or will you not go out with me?  Please, tell me! I must know."

    Lucy blushes, thinks he is so close.  She looks at him closely and says,  "Sure, I will be glad to go out with you!  I mean we might as well give it a try, right?" 

     "Oh, thanks Lucy!"  Natsu says.  He hugs her.  Lucy is use to much affection, but hugs him back.  She lets go and says,  "Natsu, what do you think Gruvia is up to now?"  

         "Gruvia, on you mean Gray and Juvia, hmm, I think they are fine.  It seems they have gone off somewhere to enjoy one another's company."  Natsu says.

        "Oh, I do believe you are right!"  Lucy says.

      "Luce, where shall we go for our first date?"  Natsu ask.

     "How about we go on a walk and see where it leads us?"  Lucy suggest.

    "Sure, that sounds like a fair enough idea to me."  Natsu agrees. He grabs up their things and wraps Lucy's towel around her shoulders.

      "Thanks, but I could have gotten that you know."  Lucy says.

      "I know, but I could not let my girl hurt her back you know."  Natsu says.

      "Your girl?  I like the sound of that N-Natsu."  Lucy replies.

         Natsu and Lucy go on a walk as they  said as much.  They end up in a nice private area far from where Gray and Juvia are at the moment.  In fact, it has a nice view, a few cozy chairs and a bit of a arch over it.  They sit down in the gazebo and relax.  

     Natsu wraps an arm around Lucy.  Lucy lays her head down on his shoulder and falls asleep. Natsu looks at her and thinks, not bad for a first date, not bad indeed !  He snaps a picture of the sunset, then a few of the two of them together, so he can always remember this special moment for years to come.  Then, as she remains asleep, he leans over and kisses her slowly on her left cheek.  He hears her sigh in her sleep, but remains still so as not to wake her.

     the end...Nalu/Gruvia The Life guards and the Cute Girls  one-shot story by Summer Cheng