Welcome to my new fanfic. To be honest, this is the first time I've done a fanfic before, so please, go easy on me a little.

I do not and will not take credit for these characters. They're all original characters from Hiro Mashima and all rights belong to that person.

Lucy's POV

Nothing has changed, has it? What have I done but hurt you guys? Here I am, just getting protected again and again. Enough. Every time, it's always me being stupid and in the end, being the damned damsel in distress.

"Lucy…." Natsu, don't make this harder than it already is.

I'm not that bright girl you guys take me for. I may be smiling on the outside, but here I am struggling to keep up. I'm not as rational as Erza. I'm not as strong as Mirajane. I'm not as pretty as Lisanna….

Natsu, don't look at me like that.

"Lucy, why?" Natsu, I can't stay here like this.

Even if I am weak, I still have my pride. I may not show it, but I have some. If not, I would not be standing here today.

I'm leaving. I'm not going for good. I'm not that stupid. I just want to get stronger. I want to be more proud of myself. I want to change.

Goodbye, Natsu. Goodbye, everyone. I'll be back. Just trust me.
-

Third Person POV *several days back*

Like any other day, Natsu and Gray punch each other silly over something silly, but not that it's any surprise. Ice and fire don't usually mix.

"Say that again, ice princess." Natsu glares with a nerve popping off the corner of his ebony eyes, gathering a fire ball in his palm.

Gray slams his fist down into the table, creating a large crack in the wood. "Sure, flame brain. I. Am. Stronger. Than. You"

"I ain't going to take that from a stripper like you, pervert." Natsu counters, pointing to Gray, who unknowingly again stripped his clothes, leaving nothing but his boxers on.

Within seconds, the table goes flying, and the two mages fight again, destroying everything in their path.

From behind the bar, Mirajane cleans the glassware, listening to the battle.

As the brawl continues on, Lucy walks right into the guild and takes a seat. She takes in the fight, sighs, knowing that nothing ever changes between the two foolish mages.

"Mira, do you have any solo jobs for me to do? The rent's coming up soon." Lucy says, slumping onto the bar table with her head down.

"There is a job I think will work perfectly for you. The only issue is…." Lucy's curiosity is perked up by Mirajane's hesitation. Usually, Mirajane would just smile, give her the job and wish her luck, but hesitation? Lucy only hopes that she's not pulling her leg, trying to suggest something that isn't as true like the time when she said Natsu, Gray and Erza could be the strongest team in Fairy Tail.

Grabbing the notice flyer, Lucy stares at the job and its reward. 100,000 jewels? That would add a pretty penny to my pocket. Still, this is….. Lucy thought as she read the job description.

Suddenly, the guild doors open and Mirajane spreads a new smile on her face.

"Welcome back, Erza." The entire guild abruptly stops, shivering with a slight fear.

"I'm back. Is Master in?" Erza curtly says, pulling a large cart of boxed goods that only Erza knew about.

"No, unfortunately. He's at another meeting. He'll be back tomorrow, though." Mirajane replies.

"Gray, Natsu, you guys are getting along, right?" Erza glares, staring at the destruction of the guild.

"Y-yeah, w-we're getting along." Natsu stutters out, sweating out like mad. Within a heartbeat, Gray and Natsu stands with their arms on each other's back, laughing nervously.

Used to this scenario by now, Lucy stands up and walks out, still thinking about the job. Little did she know that she would regret this job soon.

So, guys, tell me what you think. Please do be gentle. I've never taken any form of writing classes, so this is a newbie to me. If you have any tips, let me know. I'd really appreciate it.

Warning: This is going to be a NaLu story. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to format it, but I will make the characters slightly OOC. Not competely, but a little. Also, thanks for reading. I kind of wrote this for my own amusement, but anyone is free to enjoy it.