Chapter One

It was pouring down like a waterfall that day. Thankfully there wasn't a lot of wind that would blow rain into one's face. The concrete was full of puddles and rooftops had water dripping off them. Most normal people were inside. As a matter of fact, the streets were basically all empty. Not even busses were up and running. People's cars were parked and locked…Just empty. It was like a ghost town.

It was around four o' clock when there was a certain redheaded little girl running through those rainy empty streets. Heavy rain kept pounding down on her small little body as she forced one foot in front of the other. She was absolutely soaking wet with water dripping off her body.

Her body was shaking from the cool atmosphere and from having run so long. Her heart felt ready to just jump right out of her chest. She had to shake her head a few times to get the water out of her eyes, so she could see clearly. Even if the water was off her face, it was still hard to see properly, just because of all the heavy rain crashing down.

After turning a quick corner, she began slowing down, finding it too unbearable to move that fast anymore. Her arms felt numb and her legs and feet were stinging from the cold road water smacking against her bare skin when she moved. She'd let out shaky exhales to try and keep her composure as she slowed completely.

The child was just walking slowly through the streets now. The redhead felt herself stumble as she continued on. Any time she would try to take deep breaths to settle her heart down, she'd end up choking on the air.

She came to a slow stop, blinking her blue eyes once to try and clear her vision. That just seemed to make her vision worse. Clearing her throat she tried to move forward again, just to collapse on the cold, hard, wet ground.

An annoyed groan escaped his lips as he walked along the wet road. He felt like the day would never end, and he only had to work for half the day. The gloomy weather was what made it seem long, he had no doubt. Or it could be because he had to deal with that annoying Grey Fullbuster at work. That guy was always a bring-down.

But that was really the only good thing about work. He got to be with some of his friends there, while some of his others were still in college. School would probably be even more boring than what work was. Sure, work was a pain, but school was so tedious. Going through high school was just so long. With work at least, he could be in the same building with his friends. Well, some of his friends anyway.

This was the second day it was raining. However, it was much worse today than any other day. The sound of the drops of rain hitting his ebony umbrella was vibrating in his ears. It was annoying, to say the least. It was also annoying to be forced to walk into puddles, since that's all that the town was. It was one big puddle. Sometimes they were big, sometimes they were small.

It was just gross all around. He managed to stay warm, though. He had his warm scarf wrapped around his neck, and he wore a warm soft black hoody and black pants.

As he was walking along that gloomy street, he stopped for a moment and turned his head to the side. Natsu narrowed his black eyes. It was hard to see through all the thick rain, but he was sure he saw something there. There was something laying on the ground down the street.

Natsu turned completely and took a couple steps forward. He saw a trace of red and some green. He bit his lip. Taking some more steps forward, his eyes widened slightly. What he saw wasn't really what he expected, and the last thing he wanted. Running forward now, Natsu dropped to his knees, not caring that he got wet.

He dropped his umbrella and looked over this. It was just some small little girl, lying there soaking wet. In this kind of heavy gloomy weather, she shouldn't have been dressed like that. Wearing just a sleeveless green dress and sandals in the rain was a really cold way to dress. She could've at least have worn a jacket.

Pushing that to the side, he got to the real issue. "Hey! Come on, kid." The pinked hair man patted her back as a light way to wake her up. He looked up and started scanning the area. He was thinking of calling out to see if she had any parents or something nearby, but if that was the case, she wouldn't have been in that position.

She was just going to end up sick as hell if she stayed lying out there in the rain. Mavis only knows how long she's been there. Sighing, Natsu carefully lifted her up bridal style. He reached down and managed to snag his black umbrella.

"'Kay, you can just stay at my apartment for a while…"

Warmth and comfort was the first thing she felt. It was such a nice feeling. There was the light sound of what she assumed was rain, but it was quiet enough that she didn't care. The warmth was so comforting and soft, that she didn't want to wake up. The last thing she wanted was to wake up at that moment. It was all too perfect the way it was. It was so nice. Nice was an understatement, however. So amazing…

Then after thinking about it, she realized she had to wake up. Slowly she opened up her sapphire eyes. It was blurry at first, but it didn't take long for everything to clear. She felt her head warm as well, not just her little body. Sighing gently, her eyes scanned around.

Looking around she found herself in some kind of strange room. There was a nightstand on the left side of her bed, and on the right side, that was right next to her bed was a window. A closest was across her bed a couple feet away. There was a desk with a chair pushed in. The door was on the left wall and it was open. She definitely wasn't in any kind of place she expected to be in, ever.

Hesitantly, she began speaking. "Hey…Hey, is anybody here?" Her voice was raspy and hoarse. It hurt, but it was better than knowing where she was, then not knowing at all.

Footsteps were heard a couple seconds after she spoke. She kept her eyes at the door. She let out a sigh of relief at what she saw. It wasn't anyone she saw before. It was just some pink haired man wearing a green t-shirt, scarf and baggy pants. Even if it was some stranger, it was better than someone she knew. As such, a smile grew on her face.

"Hey, I was wondering when you'd wake up." He spoke as he pulled out the chair from his desk. He turned it over, and sat at the side of the bed. He looked friendly enough and he had a smile on his face. "You okay, kiddo?"

Thinking about it for a moment, there was a little nod. "I think so, Mister. Thanks a lot…" Her smile grew at his kindness. Then she thought about it again. Abruptly, she sat up, causing the warm cloth on her forehead to drop. She hissed holding her head from the sudden rush. That was a rather stupid move. "How much time passed?"

"Hey, hey! Cool down, kid…" The twenty year old man stood up and lightly pushed her back down. "You just woke up, you know. You could be really sick, or something." He stated as he sat back down. "I guess I should tell you my name. I'm Natsu Dragneel."

The redhead sighed and nodded her head. Despite the pain in her head, she kept that smile on her face. "It's nice to meet you, Mister Dragneel. I'm Mika." Her voice was rushed when she spoke. "I have to go, though."

Sitting back up again, she rubbed her forehead. Natsu just looked at her in confusion. For someone who just woke up and could be really sick, she sure was acting strange. "I think you still need some rest…You need something to eat, Mika." The man pointed out with a sigh.

Mika shook her head. "I'll find a way to repay you later, Mister Dragneel." She lightly pulled the blanket off her. "I have to get back to work." The child began stumbling towards the door.

But she didn't get there as Natsu took light hold of her wrist. "Work can wait, kid. You can't work in a condition like this." He pulled her back to the bed and sat her down. "Besides, work is probably over by now. And you're kind of young to work…"

Hesitantly thinking about it, Mika gave a light nod of her head. With that same hesitation, she lay back down and pulled the warm covers back onto her. Natsu reached over and plopped that warm cloth back on her forehead. The friendliness this man was giving off made her feel safe. It really truly didn't matter if he was a stranger or not.

The last thing she remembered was that she had been running back to work, getting covered up in buckets of rain, and then collapsing somewhere. There was still that nervousness in her system, though. Hopefully her employers wouldn't be that angry with her when she got back.

Her thoughts were snapped out when she heard Natsu's voice. "I'll go get you some soup, okay?" It was more like a statement than a question. Mika just nodded her head. "…Do you want me to get you the phone to call work or whatever?"

"Please and thank you…"

After about an hour, everything that needed to be done was done. Mika had finished her phone call, Natsu got her the soup, she finished the soup, and everything was all done. It was around seven thirty by the time everything was done. It was really dark now, with the curtains closed, and the rain still pounding on the roof like pale stones.

She hadn't moved from Natsu's bed and stopped worrying about the consequences of her actions. She and Natsu hadn't been talking a lot. When they did speak to each other, it wasn't very deep and in depth.

"So, you were on your way back to work and you passed out?" Natsu asked as he leaned back in the wooden chair.

She looked over at him. "Yes. I guess I was running for too long?" Mika suggested with uncertainty in her voice. "I was out in the rain too long; I think that was the reason why I went down. Maybe because I was stressed-ish about heading back to work?"

"Why were you so stressed about that?" Natsu asked, tilting his head to the side, black eyes filled with confusion.

Mika looked back up to the ceiling, narrowing her eyes gently. "I'm not allowed to take breaks. But I went out for one. Though, it was more of an accident that I was gone that long."

Her working hours were a bit too strict for her liking. But she did what she had to do. It could've been worse. It wasn't as though she was stuck inside forever. Her job was all about outdoors. Well, her part of the job was. Everyone had different parts. She just happened to be lucky enough to get the outside jobs.

There had been times where she did try and ask for some breaks. But alas, she wasn't allowed any. Not yet, anyway. She had been trying to think of ways for a while to try and get at least a fifteen minute break. Things would happen eventually. Slowly but surely, as one might say.

Had she been more careful, she probably wouldn't even be working at that place. Alas, she made a vital mistake, and got herself wrapped up there. It could have been worse. It could have been painful or frightening. But it really wasn't so bad. Compared to other people who had been there before her, she was lucky.

"That's kind'a rough." The pink haired man pointed out, before he let out a little yawn. "You should be able to have a break or two, at your age. Well, actually, you shouldn't be working at your age at all…"

The redhead let out a light laugh at that. "I guess that may be right. But I'm fine. They give me a place to stay. So I'm pretty grateful. I just wish it wasn't as strict as it was."

Scratching the back of his head, Natsu's eyes averted away. "Where do you work, kid?"

The smiles she'd have on her face made it hard to believe she would work somewhere strict. There was a happy and friendly vibe coming off her the whole time. Sure, she seemed a little stressed when she woke up at first, but she still had a smile on her face. She'd let out an innocent laugh now and then. She just seemed a bit too innocent to be working somewhere bad.

Mika looked back to him. He still didn't look at her. The child shrugged her shoulders. "Nowhere important. I don't think you would know about it. I think it's a newer system?" Mika had uncertainty in her voice again. She had only been working there for six months. She wasn't sure how long things were up and running.

"Give me your best shot." Natsu finally looked back at her. "I've lived here for twenty years. I'm sure I'll know." He sighed.

She shook her head. It was just better for him not to know. "I'm not sure…But it really doesn't matter." Natsu narrowed his slanted eyes at her. "I'm fine, though! Really, it's not that big of a deal." The smile she had grew to prove she would be okay.

"I really don't think you should be working at your age. You should be with your parents." He pointed out as he stretched his arms. "It's not safe to be by yourself." It was just statement after statement. He really did like trying to make a point, didn't he?

Mika rubbed her eyes. "I don't have parents." She yawned lightly before she looked at Natsu. He had this shocked look on his face. She looked at him with confusion in her eyes. Then a lightbulb went off. "Oh! I mean, I have parents! I'm just not with them, that's all."

A sigh of, what seemed like relief, came from Natsu. "Geeze, you need to watch your words, kids." He rubbed his forehead. He looked back at her. It was clear that he wanted to press the matter, but he went against that. "Well, how about you just stay here for a while, and we'll figure something out in the morning. I'll try to talk your boss to get you out of work, or somethin'."

Not wanting to try and argue with Natsu about this work anymore, she just nodded her head. "Sure. I'm fine with that." The child agreed as she shifted. "So that means I can get some sleep now?"

She didn't really want to admit it out loud, of course. But she was feeling tired from the whole day. The whole ordeal with collapsing in the middle of a rainstorm, waking up in a friendly stranger's house, talking with him, eating with him, and just plain staying in his bed…It was an odd experience. It made her sleepier than she thought it would. That was probably just because of the weather disorienting her mindset.

Natsu simply nodded his head. "Mhmm. I'll see you in the morning, kid." He stood up and turned around, pushing his chair back into his desk. "If you need me, I'll be on the couch in the main room." With that all said, Natsu left the room, and closed the door behind him, leaving Mika to sleep.

When the door was closed, Mika shifted again and pulled the covers up a little more, making sure to get in as much warmth and comfort as possible. It had been so long since she'd talk to anyone so friendly. She wanted to make sure she memorized everything. Even if the time they spent together wasn't very long.

It certainly was a strange day…

The next morning around eight o' clock, Natsu got up off the couch. He yawned as he rubbed his sore back. He noted to himself that the next time he were to sleep on a couch, he'd bring a pillow and blanket with him. He rubbed his eyes as he began walking towards his room. There was still an hour before he had to get to work, so he could have some time with Mika to sort things out.

Opening the door to his room, Natsu said, "Hey kiddo. Time to wake up." Yawning once more, he opened his eyes and looked to the bed.

"Are you kidding me." Natsu scowled as he stared at it, his tone was filled with frustration. There was no one there. The bed was all neatly placed the way it should have been, and the cloth he used for her forehead was resting on the night stand. Even the curtains to the windows were open.

There was a note on the bed, so Natsu walked over and grabbed it, looking it over.

Thanks for everything, Mister Dragneel! I couldn't stay, but don't worry! I'll find a way to repay you later. ~Mika

Natsu groaned and crumbled up the paper. "God damn it, kid!"

Authors Note: Well, that was the first chapter of Natsu and Mika. I can honestly admit that I couldn't think of a better title for this story xD I'll probably change it later, when I think of something better. But for now "Natsu and Mika" it is. So, this chapter is kind of short, I know. But it's just the beginning chapter. The other chapters should be longer when the ball gets rolling. Angsty shit is to come, be aware. But, this is all for now. I'll do my best to update regularly? I'm not sure, but I'll do my best. I'm in the middle of working hours right now, so it's hard to do these two different things at one time. I shall manage though.

Until next time~

~Grangel