Author's note: Hello! This is my first fanfiction. I'm in a rut for the book I'm writing, so I thought I'd try something new. Please feel free to review, I'd love feedback! And if you'd like to see any ships or anything let me know. This is NaLu centric, fluff and angst stuff, with a plot to go along with it. This is a side project, and I won't necessarily be updating regularly. I do have the entire plot written out, and it should end up being six chapters and an epilogue (I may break up chapters I have planned out if I feel they get too lengthy). This first chapter is pretty short though. Enjoy!

It was very dark. A bland, but true fact. The dark was at times cold, but it seemed to be warm for the most part. The cold moments were most unpleasant.

Her stomach was lurching. It was difficult to breath with the substantial panic that swarmed around. It changed the air into a thick syrup that she had to choke down. Freezing fingers were touching a point at her neck. Voices overlapped loudly in her head, but not one of them was distinct. As the cold fingers wrapped her in cotton and poked her arm, a click sounded in her head.

Lucy? Can you hear me? Are you able to respond?

Lucy? Was somebody stuck inside of her? Someone was trying to get Lucy out? That didn't seem possible. Was she Lucy? The voices began to clear up.

"... she's conscious in there, but something's not right. My telepathy can't..."

"... rry! I should've caught her, I didn't realize there was a cliff! I'm so …"

Why did that man sound so sad? Why was everyone worried? Maybe there really was a person stuck inside of her. The mystery of these strangers was none of her concern though. She let her confusion slip away as the warmth of the darkness started surrounding her again. Who needed to pay attention to their story when they had interrupted her sleep? Wait, were they in her bedroom? It didn't matter. She was too exhausted, feeling like she had just run a marathon. Her head was beginning to ache as the voices started fading.

"... Gray, there was no … have known…"

"... still my fault … just like… "

"...t's important... is safe now… should inform Na - "

"... rate is dropping…. everyone out ..."

There was a shuffling noise, but then the voices were completely gone. She felt weak from the encounter, but she was so tired. Cobwebs started filling her mind. She just wanted to rest, and drifting off to sleep seemed more and more like a fantastic idea...

"Lucy!"

The anguished howl and a flicker of recognition caused her eyes to shoot open. It barely lasted a second, though. The darkness was gone, and the light was too much. She saw a flash of red and gray before she shut her eyes again. It was too late to realize her mistake, though. Fire encompassed her entire body, and she gasped as the pain took her.

"No! I'm sorry I wasn't there, Lucy, just hang in there! You're going to be fine, you have to be fine! Lucy - Erza, let me go!"

"I need to put her to sleep; the head injury will be too much for her to bare consciously."

"Don't let her die, Wendy! If you let her die, I'll - "

"Erza, please take him out of the infirmary."

"Come on, Natsu."

"No! Lucy! Lucy! Don't leave me, Lucy! Please! Gray, you ba-"

His voice was muffled by something. She was in too much pain to think of anything else at the moment.

But then suddenly, the burning was dulled. The darkness was back to it's usual warmth, and she exhaled in relief.

"Are you there… Lucy?"

The warm darkness was her favorite. A lot of the time, there was a concentrated heat in her hand, even in the cold. Even now. Something was making her eyes flash toxic reds and yellows, disturbing the pleasant cool she was in. It was irritating, and no matter how much she tried to wish it away, it stayed.

So, despite the cold, she opened her eyes. Warm sunlight drifted onto the bed she had been laying in, the perpetrator of her annoyance. She looked around the room curiously. It was obviously an infirmary, a number of beds surrounding hers , which was in the corner. Her eyes drifted along the walls until they came to rest at the man sitting beside her.

He appeared to be sleeping, head of pink hair hiding the majority of his face and sharp features. The heat in her hand was coming from him, both palms clamped around her delicate fingers. She didn't recognize who he was, but he seemed familiar. As if his name was on the tip of her tongue.

Her gaze didn't stay on him for long as she felt a dryness in her throat. Looking around, she saw no sign of water, no button to press and call a nurse. She huffed. Figures, it'd be her luck to get injured in a town that didn't have a halfway decent hospital (though she'd admit, the room was rather quaint).

Gently pulling her hand out of the sleeping man's grasp, she rose to her feet. The door at the other end of the room seemed promising. There were no shoes for her, but she didn't care. She stumbled at first, having to use the beds to maintain her balance as she walked towards the door. The sound of chatting behind it made her nervous. Where was she? Was she in some kind of shared home? Why couldn't she remember? Before immediately heading out of the room, she walked around to get the feeling back in her toes. She didn't want to trip on her own feet in front of strangers and make a fool of herself. How long have I been here? How long have I been asleep?

When she trusted her walking skills again, she stepped through the door. It made an unfortunately loud creak as she closed it, effectively quieting the comforting murmuring she had heard not two seconds ago. The latch clicked loudly, accentuating the silence. The woman turned, feeling the entire room's gaze on her. The first thing she noticed was the wide variety of people. No two persons looked close to the same, and everybody was distinguishable at first glance. There was an incredibly large man with hair that looked like a scorpion. Next to him, a built, terrifying man with multiple face piercings was holding the hand of a much more delicate woman with blue hair and a huge smile on her face. This couldn't have been her family, right? Surely she would recognize her own father, after he…

After he...

... Wait, who was her father? Who was she?!

A loud call from a woman with deep brown, flowing hair interrupted the panic that started to seed itself into her mind, "Lucy's awake!"

The room erupted into cheers, people clinked their mugs together and drank, and someone loudly proclaimed, "How manly!"

Before she knew it, two people had made their way over to her, a redhead woman in armor and a shirtless man, an odd blue tattoo on his chest. The woman spoke first, her voice deep, "Lucy, I'm glad to see you awake, and without much sign of the fall. How are you feeling?" She was sudden wrapped in a bone crushing hug.

"...Lucy." She whispered. That was her name.

"Yeah, you had me worried for a second there," The man replied, despite her not answering the question. He put a hand on her shoulder, a fleeting look of guilt washing over his face, "Look, I'm sorry I didn't jump after you. I thought you were launched at level ground, with fresh snow. I didn't… I didn't realize it was a cliff."

As he turned his head in shame, Lucy (her own name seemed so foreign) spotted a woman with oddly curled blue hair glaring daggers at her. She flinched, but looked back at the man in front of her, "Uhh…" She didn't know what to say to this guilty stranger, "Listen, I don't… remember… are you… are we friends?"

The man tilted his head to the side curiously, "Yeah, Lucy, we've been friends pretty much since you got here. What's the matter? I know I kind of dropped the ball, but I didn't think you'd want to end our friendship over it."

She bit her lip, looking from the man, to the redhead, then to the floor. Cheers were still sounding behind them at her awakening, a sort of line forming to greet her as the crowd neared, "I don't… I can't remember anything… You said my name is Lucy?"

The woman took her turn to look thoroughly confused, but the man seemed to wash over with realization, "Oh, no. Your head…"

He moved to face the rest of the people behind them. Lucy turned to the redhead, intent on asking her where they were when something interrupted them.

"Lucy!" She turned, seeing the doors of the infirmary flying shut with as much force as they had been opened with. In front of them stood the man who she had woken up next to. The relief on his face was as clearer than crystal. Was this her brother? Or perhaps a cousin? He seemed more excited than everyone else.

"Lucy!" He called again, sparking a connection in her mind. She'd heard him say her name before.

She looked at him blankly, "Hello," He began taking steps towards her. Pushing out her hand to shake his, she took a deep breath, "What's your na-"

"Natsu, wait!"

Her words were cut off as the man pressed his lips against her own. He was soft and warm, rough hands placed on her cheeks. His joy was radiating from him like a bright beacon, making her feel uneasy. She was certain she would have relished in the feeling of the kiss, had she had the slightest inkling as to who he was.

She didn't break contact with him, but it came to his attention that she wasn't returning his gesture. He pulled away, hands retreating from her body. A wolfish grin adorned his face, and one of his hands scratched the back of his head, "S-sorry, Luce, I'm just so happy to see you awake."

Her face showed no emotion, making the man's smile falter, "You don't need to apologize, but… I'm sorry, who are you?"