Hello everyone! A new story, yay! It's based on Earth, modern times. Characters will probably be ooc, so I'm sorry for that xc. But, characters are aged differently here. So, no worries. Anyways, I'll let ya guys read now c: Hope Ya Enjoy!~


Chapter 1-The Cafe

A young man dressed in a casual outfit that consisted of plain black jeans and a buttoned down shirt covered by a somewhat sweater, walked down the sidewalk of New York City, his best friend by his side. The casually dressed man, by the name of Gray Fullbuster, looked over to his best friend with messy pink hair and large onyx colored eyes.

"Where are we going exactly, Natsu?" Asked Gray, his stormy colored eyes scanning over his friend. Natsu turned to look to Gray, a smirk pasted on his face. "Just wait and see!" Natsu chuckled almost evilly. The young adults continued to walk down the sidewalks of New York City, the large buildings and crowds of people hypnotizing anyone. They dragged people into the beauty of the large city. The stores consisting of beautiful clothing. The restaurants holding the best chefs.

The city itself was a painting on a canvas.

"A Café...?" Gray stared up at the brown sign. He looked slowly over at Natsu, a tick mark growing on his forehead. "You drag me out of my bed thinking you were gonna take me somewhere awesome; like...like a job interview." Gray growled.

His best friend laughed, opening the glass door that entered into the small café. "Well," Natsu started, looking back at his dark blue haired friend. "I didn't want to meet this girl all by myself..." Natsu blushed heavily, scratching his neck sheepishly after being glared by Gray.

Natsu, who wore simple ripped jeans and a graphic tee, sat down near an open booth, Gray sitting across from him. Gray looked around the nearly empty café. For being in the summer of course it was empty. Everyone wanted to leave the city and go to beautiful places like Florida or Hawaii or any place that pretty much had a beach or beautiful towns to visit.

"So, who is this girl?" Gray asked his friend. Natsu shushed him quickly as a blonde haired waitress with beautiful brown eyes walked up to the table; giving the two young men a flashing smile.

"Hello, Natsu," She giggled at the young, link haired man. "and his friend. I'm Lucy, I'll be your waitress for today!" She once again flashed the two young men a warm, welcoming smile. "What would you like to drink?"

"H...hey, Luce!" Natsu gleamed. He looks over at the confused Gray and then looked back up at the waitress. "I'll like a Fiery Orange Smoothie," Natsu answered the blonde headed waitress. Lucy nods at him and writes it down on her little pad, looking at Gray next.

"And you, sir?"

"Um, I'll like a uh," Gray looked down at his menu, scanning it quickly. "Coffee. Black, please." Gray gave her his short and quick answer, watching her leave.

"What the fuck, Natsu." Gray whispered angrily at his friend. "I thought you meant like..." Gray was lost for words. He truly didn't know what Natsu meant, but he sure in hell was surprised that Natsu was even interested in a girl. Let alone someone beautiful. Gray sighs in defeat and puts his chin on his palm. "How did you even meet her in the first place?"

Natsu smiled largely at this. "I was here with Sting and Rogue, helping them with some of the party ideas that's going to happen in a few days." Gray nodded at Natsu to continue. "And, well, Lucy was our waitress. And we ended up talking a bit more when Sting and Rogue left. And then that's when I figured out I was in love with her..." Natsu dreamily stated.

Gray, taken back, stared confusingly at his best friend. "Natsu, what the fuck?" Gray cursed yet again. "In love? Ha!" He mocked, not caring about the people who turned and glared at him for his loudness. "You don't know what love is, Natsu. You just met her a few days ago..? There's no way. Maybe like, but not love." Gray shook his head, his messy hair shaking too.

Natsu glared at his friend, wishing he could burn Grays perfect off his little head. "I know i do, Gray. I just know it." Gray shrugged at Natsu and watched as Lucy came back with a tray of their drinks and a pourer full of black coffee. She put down the tray and gave them their drinks.

"Are you guys ready to order?" Lucy asked. Natsu smiled largely at Lucy, starting to talk about how he wasn't going to order food. Which ended up becoming a conversation about him having a bizarre dream which then lead to Lucy telling him her own bizarre dream about a young boy being raised by a dragon. While all this nonsense talk was happening, Gray looked beyond the two and at the tables and empty seats of the Café.

He wondered why Natsu would need him there if it was obvious that he was perfectly able to be here by himself. He was able to talk to Lucy. Hell, Gray knew how sociable the pink headed idiot was. He wasn't able to understand why he needed him.

His eyes followed to the source of a ringing bell and a door opening, following a long,blue haired girl. His eyes widened and suddenly everything seemed lifeless and didn't matter. The light in the room shined on her as she walked to an empty table far from him, but not far enough that he couldn't see her beauty.

"-ray, Gray!" Gray awoke from his daze and looked at the confused Natsu. He then looked up at Lucy who was worriedly staring at him. "Do you want anything?" Natsu asked. Gray shook his head and Lucy and Natsu went back to chatting.

Gray looked back at the girl with long blue hair, his heart nearly shattering when he saw a young man sitting in front her, making her laugh and smile. He stared at the blue haired man with a glare, wondering why...

Wait.

'Why?' Gray thought. Why was he even upset? He didn't know the girl. She looked too young for him anyways. And it wasn't like he had time to worry about some girl. He had a job to look for, money to look for so he could pay rent. He didnt need his mind focused on a girl. And the last time he was dating his heart was crushed. His own brother had taken his girlfriend.

Gray, at the thought of this, clenched his jaw in anger.

"Excuse me." Gray was once again interrupted from his thinking and noticed pair of pure black suit pants in front of his eyes. He looked up at the obviously taller man, his blue hair and dark brown eyes reminding him of the man that was with the blue haired girl. Gray peaked over the man to notice the girl was still there, but not the man.

"Gray, you know him?" Natsu asked. Gray noticed Lucy was no longer here but actually serving another table. "No." Gray answered.

"You were staring-well, more like glaring, at me at my table. Do we know each other..? Do you have a problem with me?" The unknown man asked. Gray glared at the man again, shaking his head.

"No. You looked familiar from afar so i was squinting to see who you really were." Gray lied, not wanting to cause any trouble. Especially if it wasn't needed. The blue haired man nodded, giving the two males a gentle smile. "Sorry, for the miscommunication." The man said, turning to leave the two.

"What did you do?" Natsu asked.

"Nothing," Gray lied again. "Just dazed." Gray looked over at the table again that had the two blue headed people, staring at the girl. He had the urge to just grab her and hold her; to protect her and guide her through all the darkness the world consumed.

"Well," Gray looked over at Natsu. "Sting just texted me that the party is tomorrow. Are you gonna come?" Gray nodded. The twins, Sting and Rogue(who weren't identical.) knew Natsu since they were 5. Natsu and the twins were pretty much raised together. As Natsu's dad was always disappearing. So he often stayed with the twins family.

"Yea. Imma start heading out though. You should invite that Lucy chick." Gray smirked at his friend. Natsu laughed, shooing him away while agreeing. Gray walked out the café after drinking his cold coffee.

After leaving the café he headed back home, his bags under his indicating that the man barely had any sleep. Which was true of course. Suffering from insomnia was not a lot of fun. And he barely got any sleep. So he was literally heading home for no reason. He never understood why the pills never worked, why drinking warm tea that was meant for you to get sleepy didn't work either. After his mother and sister died from a car wreck, he was never able to sleep again. Especially not having any other family,besides a brother who wanted nothing to do with him, was nowhere

near. He didn't know where his father was, nor did he even know his name.

Gray was left alone and had no one. All besides Natsu, who he had met in Middle school. He was there for him through the blood and tears. And Gray, who would never admit this to Natsu, was grateful to have him as a friend. Even if he was idiotic at times and made pointless jokes.

Gray slowly stops walking amongst the crowd of people, looking up at the cheap and old crappy apartment that he called home. Did he really want to go home? Maybe walking around Manhattan is better than staying home doing nothing but trying to sleep. Maybe he could even go to get a haircut. Nah, too much work to do that.

Gray walks away from the building and continues to walk amongst the crowd, picking up his phone and dialing a number. He pressed the phone against his ear, listening to the ringing. Finally, the person on the other end picked up.

"Gray?" the person on the other end asked. "Yea, it's me, Erza." Gray answered back. "Do you know if that new club is open yet?"