Song: Best friend
Artist: Jason Chen
"Oh hand me that one!" A little ten year old Natsu said happily to her friend Erik, who sat on a high branch in a fruit tree.
"This one?" He grabbed an apple from a branch and pulled on it.
"Yeah it's all red!" The little pink haired girl bounced up and down happily.
Erik tugged again and again. "It won't come off!"
"Are you weak? Can't get an apple out of a tree?" The little girl teased. Erik pouted down at his friend and used both hands to grab it, he gave a mighty tug and yanked the apple off its twig-branch.
"Erik!" Natsu shouted and took a jump back to avoid the falling boy as he tilted off of his branch and collided with the ground, face first.
At first he didn't move, but after a moment he got on his hands and knees. Natsu rushed to him and crouched. "You okay?!"
He looked up at her and she screamed in fright. Two adults quickly came out of the building at that. A red haired man with facial hair and onyx eyes, and a purplish haired man with tan skin and green eyes. "Natsu?! What happened?!" The red head asked.
"Dad! Erik fell from the tree he's bleeding!"
The purple haired man rushed over and crouched next to his son. "Erik look at me." He said briskly.
The child brought his head up to how a bloody nose and mouth, blood covered his chin and quivering lips.
"Oh Jesus..." The man muttered. "How many times have I told you to stay out of the tree..."
"It... It hurts papa..." Erik hiccuped. His voice sounding nasally. His purple eyes were brimming with tears. The older man picked his son up and looked to Igneel.
"Sorry about this... Better take him to the doctor..."
"I recommend the dentist too..." Igneel pointed to Erik's mouth while he did that. Natsu bent down and picked a tooth up off the ground.
"Oh.. Erik here!" She held it out to him and he carefully took it. "For the tooth fairy Kay?"
He nodded his head before burying it into his dads shoulder, smearing blood all over it. The man sighed. "See ya later Igneel..."
"Bye Vemon." The red head waved goodbye and waited till they were gone before looking down at his daughter. "What was Erik doing in that tree, I have told you kids time and time again to stay out of it."
"I know but... He was getting me an apple..." She knelt down and picked it up, brushing the dirt off its shiny surface.
"You could have asked one of us to get it for you, look at what happened to Erik... There's a reason we tell you not to climb the trees."
"Yes dad..." Natsu pouted.
Igneel sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Natsu listen..." She glanced to him curiously. "Erik and his family are moving..."
"What?!" The fiery girl shouted in shock, a heart broken expression on her face. "Their moving?! Why? Where? He can't go-he's my best friend! He's my only friend!" She herself looked ready to burst into tears.
"Their moving to magnolia..." Igneel said sadly.
"That's a whole other state!"
"Yes baby. It is."
Natsu looked down at her apple sadly. "Will he be coming back?"
"I don't think so... They leave tomorrow."
"I have school..."
"Yes... You won't be able to say goodbye..."
The little girl burst into tears, her father bent down and picked her up and took her away into the house where dinner was waiting for them.
Natsu sighed as she stared out her car window. Her dad was driving her to a brand new school in a new town they just moved too because of business reasons. Her fathers company had moved her and her family half way across the continent of Fiore because of this out of place town needing new realtors, so her dad was chosen to go. She didn't complain about it much. She didn't have any friends back in Cedar so she was more than happy to get son fresh air and new scenery.
"Don't be discouraged cause because your the new kid." Ingeel told her as he pulled into the schools drop off area.
"I won't dad, jeez you know me, I can take care of myself." Natsu said with an eye roll as she got out of the car and slung her bag over her shoulder.
"Be good, don't break anything and I love you!" Her dad called through the window.
"Love you too dad!" The pinkette called before hurrying into the school building. As she passed through the office and out into courtyard she got to see all kinds of kids. From seniors to freshman. She herself was a sophomore here.
"Hey look new meat!" Someone suddenly called. A few eyes turned to her but she walked by. A red head stepped in her way as she made her way into the main class building.
"Hello!" The girl said smiling down at her.
"Hi?" Natsu replied.
The red head held a hand out. "My name is Erza Scarlet. I'm a senior here."
"Oh, I'm Natsu, Natsu Dragneel." She shook Erza's hand.
"I don't recognize your face." Erza's own face got close to hers curiously. "Are you knew here?"
Natsu leaned back. "Ah yes... I just moved yesterday..."
"New to town! That's wonderful! What made you move?"
"My dads work."
"Erza, are you bothering this girl." Natsu glanced over and blushed vibrantly as she noticed a dark haired shirtless boy coming over with a blonde.
"Of course not Gray!" Erza boomed. "I'm making a new friend! Natsu these are my other friends, Lucy and Gray."
"Hi there." Lucy waved.
"Sup."
"Uh. Hi..." Natsu sheepishly waved back. "Your uh... Shirt..."
Gray shrugged. "Yeah it's a bad habit."
"Habit... Right..."
"Would you like us to show you around the school?" Lucy asked nicely.
Erza jumped in excitedly. "Oh! And after school we can show you around the town! There's lots to see!"
"We just met the girl Erza and your already asking her to hang with you? Isn't that a little fast?" Gray asked putting his hands in his pockets.
"Nonsense!" The red head said excitedly while banging on her big chest. "She's new to town and I want to show her all it has to offer!"
Natsu sweat dropped. "Ah thanks, I guess I'll-"
"It's settled!" Erza clamped a hand on her shoulder, almost knocking the poor girl down. "You will meet us at the school entrance at the end of the day and we will show you the town!"
"Th-thanks?" Natsu said hesitantly. Thankfully the bell rang then, saving The pinkette from the red heads clutches. The group broke apart and headed to their respective classes. Natsu of course stopped by the office first and grabbed her schedule before leaving to her first period, US History class.
She opened the door and walked inside to be met with a book, it fell from up above and hit her hard on the top of the head. The kids in the class cringed.
"Uh oh..." A blue haired girl said.
"Wrong person..." A white haired boy said.
Natsu slowly reached up and pulled the book from the top of her head.
A blonde kid with a Mohawk and sunglasses was laughing. "Even if it was the wrong person still worth it..."
A girl hit him in the arm. "Shut it Racer! This is your fault..."
Natsu suddenly chucked the book straight at "Racer". It bounced off his jaw and he fell out of his chair. All the kids in the class started laughing.
"I like the new girl!" A brown haired girl slurred.
Natsu huffed. "What was the point of that, seriously..."
"It was meant for the teacher..." A white haired girl said giggling.
"I'm no teacher." Natsu snapped. The door opened up behind her and a hand tapped her shoulder. She glanced behind her. "Hm?"
A boy was standing there, wearing black shirt, a white and purple jacket and red cargo pants on. He had his back sung over his shoulder. "Mind if I come in? You are kind of in the way."
Natsu blinked at him. And he stared back. He had tan skin and dark red hair, His eyes were a vibrant purple that made Natsu feel nostalgic.
"Cobra! What's the hold up you staring longingly into the new girls eyes?" A silver haired girl in a feather outfit called with a laugh.
Cobra blushed lightly and looked over Natsu's head. "How about you shut it Angel!" He looked back to Natsu. "Mind if I come in now?"
Natsu side stepped him, she just stared at his face as he walked buy and took a seat by Racer, who was pulling himself into his chair, and Angel.
"You gonna sit?" The white haired girl asked.
"Oh... Yeah..." Natsu moved to an empty seat next to her and sat down. The girl leaned in.
"Was that love at first sight I saw in your eyes?" She asked teasingly.
"W-what?!" Natsu hissed. The girl laughed.
"I'm teasing I'm teasing, my name is Mirajane by the way."
"Natsu..."
"Why were you staring at the boy so lovingly?" She got a mischievous look in her eyes.
"Was I doing that...?" Natsu asked blushing.
"That's what it looked like." MiraJane smiled.
"He looked familiar is all..."
"Do you know him?"
Natsu shrugged. She glanced back to the boy who was, surprise surprise, looking at her too. Everything about him brought a feeling of happiness and comfort to her. She felt so nostalgic around him... Even though they just met. Was it love at first sight.
The teacher walked in then. A man in a coat with a pipe in his mouth.
"Alright kids settle down its time for class. Open up your books to page 414 were going to go over..."
His words got drowned out as Natsu watched the boy and he watched her. For a while it felt like it was just them...
"And this is the mall!" Erza said waving her arms dramatically. Natsu gawked at the two story building in front of her, she had malls back in her old town but none were even half the size of this one.
"Oi Erza." Gray called to her. "I'm starving, can we actually go inside and get something to eat?"
"You had lunch at school!" Lucy said hitting his arm.
"Yeah and that food sucks, you know it does!"
"I'm perfectly fine with eating again." Erza said smiling. "On me!"
The four of them walked into the mall, this particular entrance was right at the food court. Natsu instantly recognized just how many students from her new school were actually here.
"This is where everyone hangs out." Lucy said as she grabbed a chair and dragged it over to a table. "It's so close to school you can walk to it, so instead of taking a bus and going home kids come here."
"I see." Natsu looked around, Erza and Gray had walked off to get people food. She looked up to the second floor and saw other people looking down at her. A little kid waved and she waved back.
Suddenly a pair of hands covered up her eyes. "Hey!" Lucy said.
"Calm down, Heartfilia." A deep voice spoke. "I'm not gonna hurt her."
"Yeah right..."
"We're not bad people." A female voice said teasingly. "All the time anyway."
Natsu yanked the hands off her face and looked back to see people she didn't recognize. Lucy sighed. "Natsu, this is Gajeel and his girlfriend Levy."
The girl waved and Gajeel took Gray's seat, propping his feet on the table. "Sup newbie?"
Natsu glared at him. "I already don't like you."
"You just met me." Gajeel said smirking.
Someone behind him caught her attention and she peered around him, making the others do the same. It was Cobra, he was sitting at another table with Angel, Racer and another boy with purple and white hair.
Lucy and everyone followed her gaze. "Oh, hey look at that." Gajeel said smirking. "It's the group of misfits."
"Misfits?" Erza asked putting a ton of food down on the table. She sat down and Gray dragged over another chair.
Gajeel jerked a thumb backwards at the group sitting a ways behind them.
"Oh." Erza said with a face.
"What makes them misfits?" Natsu asked curiously.
"Their just a weird group of kids.." Gray said grabbing food.
"I hear they shop lift." Lucy whispered.
"I hear they killed someone." Levy muttered back to her and the two got into a heated conversation over the group. Natsu scrunched her eyebrows and looked back to the group of kids. They were laughing and talking with each other like any normal kids. Natsu notice a little scar on Cobras lip. She tilted her he'd curiously. Every time he smiled it became obvious it was there.
"Oh! Old man Vemon died!"
Natsu's head snapped to Gajeel. "WHAT." She said bluntly.
Everyone stared at her curiously. She stared at Gajeel. "Explain."
He sat up and leaned on the table to talk to her. "Our school had this teacher, Mr. Nimh, his full name was Vemon Nimh. He was," he jerked his head back to the group of misfits. "Cobra's old man. He was getting real sick last year and got hospitalized a few times. He finally kicked the bucket a few days ago."
"That's horrible!" Levy said smacking Gajeels arm.
"Why'd you hit me?! It's not like I killed him!"
Natsu stood up quickly, her chair Fallon backwards and hiring the floor. Any conversation was stopped and they all watched her curiously and confused.
"Natsu?" Erza asked.
The pinkette was staring intently at Cobra. The gears in her head slowly spinning, suddenly at the top of her lungs she screamed.
"ERIK!"
From her place she watched Cobra jump and spit whatever drink he had out of his mouth. He coughed a little, banging on his chest and looked around confused. His eyes landed on a very pissed off looking Natsu. His own eyes widened.
The female literally ran over the table, jumped down and took a run at him.
"Whoa WHOAH WHOAH NATSU-" the maroon haired man started but was tackled to the ground. His group of friends straw awestruck at the spectacle they just witnessed. Erza ad her own friends were looking and talking in confusion.
"Oh yeah," Gajeel chuckled. "She is crazy, and I like it." Levy hit him again.
Cobra was sprawled out on the ground groaning in pain seeing as he had a heavy weight sitting on his stomach. "O-ow..." He gasped out.
"You idiot!" Natsu banged on his chest making him cough. "You knew it was me the whole time didn't you?! You knew you knew!"
"Guh... Yes yes... Natsu I knew it was you... Hard to forget a hair color like yours..."
"You son of a bitch..." Natsu gasped. She was about to cry. "You... You son of a..." She raised her hand to hit him again but grabbed it so she wouldn't.
"Natsu calm down..." He said. She nodded her head, tears starting to brim.
"I...I've really missed you..." She stuttered out. "I didn't get to say goodbye to you I was so heartbroken when you left- you left me all alone!"
Cobra looked at her sympathetically. "It wasn't exactly my choice..."
"I know but... I still hated you for leaving..." She rubbed her eyes and got off of him, letting him stand up.
"I hated my own dad for it..." Cobra said sadly.
"I'm sorry about him..." Natsu muttered. "He was a cool guy..."
Cobra shrugged it off. "Still got mom..."
"Uhhh Cobra..." Angels voice came in. Both of them looked to the three teenagers waiting patiently for them. "Who's this..?"
"Oh... Angel, midnight, Racer, this is my childhood friend. Natsu Dragneel."
"Dragneel? You did just sold us a house." Midnight said smiling.
"Oh really?" She asked rubbing the last of the tears away. "Good to know he's doing his job."
"Why don't you sit with us?" Racer said pulling a chair out next to him. "You can tell us how wimpy Cobra was as a little brat."
"Oi!" Cobra snapped at him, throwing an empty soda can at him. He laughed and blocked it from hitting his head.
Natsu sat down and smiled. "We'll for starters that scar on his face was cause he fell out of a tree."
"Seriously?!" Angel laughed. Cobra blushed and hid his face. "He told us he got it in an accident when he fell out a window!"
"Yeah right!" Natsu laughed.
The group talked for a while till natsu had to go back home. She told Erza and the others about her friend Erik and they understood her over exaggerated reaction.
"I'd do the something." Erza declared.
"Please don't... ever..." Gray said patting her shoulder.
It was getting late and Cobra was walking her home.
"So why do they call you Cobra?" Natsu asked, they had been talking about all kinds of stuff, trying to catch up on their six years apart.
"Oh well, when we were little- shortly after I settled in around here- we decided we needed "code names" for our group."
"And try called you Cobra."
"Cause of my thing for snakes." He shrugged. Racer is on the track team, Midnight sleeps in class and Angel is half narcissistic."
Natsu laughed. "Really, she doesn't seem it."
There was a silence after that. It was long but not awkward, it was actually very comfortable. Like they were just enjoying each others company.
"I never stopped thinking about you."
Natsu looked to him. "What?"
Cobra kept looking straight ahead. "After I left, you were always on my mind. Even now and before you arrived. I never stopped thinking about you."
Natsu blushed and started fiddling with her scarf. "Same goes for me..."
"Yeah right." Cobra scoffed. "If that really was the case you would have recognize me."
"We'll sorry!" She snapped playfully. Cobra suddenly grabbed her hand and try stopped walking.
"God you've gotten so beautiful." He whispered to her.
Natsu's face exploded in a red blush. She did not expect this at all and was almost tempted to shove him away and run.
"It won't mean much but I did have a crush in you forever ago." He held her hands. "And it's only grown sense I left... And now looking at you... All grown up..."
Natsu bit her tongue nervously. She ha to admit butterflies were thrashing about in her stomach it was almost painful but it was still a wonderful feeling.
"I want to catch up with you. But I don't think I can just be your 'best friend' anymore..." He said softly.
"Erik... Are you asking me out?"
"I am." He said bluntly. "I think I love you."
Natsu squeaked. "Ah well thats moving a little fast!" She stuttered out blushing madly. Her hands, now freed from Cobras grip, were wildly waving about. "I mean we just got together again after six years wouldn't it better if we just went out for lunch or something like that? And what would my dad think when tell him-"
"I want you to be my girlfriend." Cobra interjected her rambling. She jumped, her hands shooting to her scarf. "Please?"
Natsu chewed on her lip. She had so many feeling swirling inside her brain and her heart. All of them directed towards the boy standing in front of her. She swallowed and nodded her head. "Yeah sure... Okay..."
Cobra's face broke into a big grin and he embraced her. "Oh god Natsu, you have no idea how happy you've made me, I promise I'll treat you great! You'll be like a queen!"
Natsu hugged him back, burying her face into his chest. "And you'll be my...king."
Cobra suddenly leaned back a smile and mischievous expression replacing the love filled one he had before. "Oh Natsu imagine if we ever got married!"
"WHAT?!" Natsu shouted, even more embarrassed.
"You'd make the cutest house wife! You'd be so pretty in dresses and an apron or something-imagine our kids!"
"ERIK!"
"There would be three! A son and then two daughters he can protect! We'd have such a gray family, our life would be perfect!"
Natsu punched him hard in the stomach. "You are such an idiot Erik!" She wouldn't admit to him that that idea sounds absolutely perfect.
END