Lucy sighed contentedly. Students shuffled around her, exuberantly seeking out old friends or meandering up the steps to the front of Magnolia High. The front patio of the school, lined with well-kept foliage and comfortable wooden benches, was bustling with the excitement of the new school year. A hint of anxiety clenched at her throat, but as she gazed up at the majestic statue before her she was able to shove it away. She glowed as she read the banner strung between the two large wings of the stone mascot:

Welcome to Magnolia High School

Home of the Dragons

Let's make it a good year!

She was here. At a real school! Not that her previous educational program hadn't been, but it lacked the most important thing any school should have: a theatre department. Private academies like those she had attended her whole life rarely fostered anything as rowdy as a theatre program. Konzern Academy had some great things, she'd admit – they were top-notch when it came to academics, and they were the only secondary school in the whole of Fiore to boast a fully-fledged Astronomy program – but the school lacked something incredibly important. Some called it heart. Some called it imagination. And Lucy called it a theatre department.

Lucy flipped out her smartphone and turned on the internal camera, checking to make sure her ponytail was still sitting just right. She smiled giddily, jogging in place momentarily whilst trying (and failing) to contain a squeal. She had intended to come the previous school year when she turned sixteen and could legally move out and away from her father, but it took more work and more saving to build up the funds to afford it than she could do as a fifteen-year-old. After turning sixteen she was able to find work and saved every penny of her tiny, part-time paychecks until she could afford a few months rent somewhere in Magnolia City. Her father certainly wasn't happy about her working jobs behind his back, and she could only imagine how much less happy he was the morning he discovered she wasn't on the estate anymore, but at least he hadn't come interfering as of yet.

Anxiety gripped her throat again. She hadn't heard anything from him – no calls, no texts, and no limos to drag her back to the estate. It was somewhat concerning. But, determined to enjoy herself, she swallowed down the knot in her throat and rushed past the dragon monument into the building.

The main lobby was cool and bright, despite the massive number of people scattered about in clumps. The variety in tastes and personalities was quite apparent from a single glance. There were no uniforms. She had hated the dress code at Konzern Academy. It left no room for individualization, and even though she looked fantastic in her school shirt, she wanted to wear cute clothes intentionally rather than by obligation. Like she could do here. Like she was currently doing. She had specially picked this outfit. She wore a nicely fitted light yellow blouse hanging loose over a thigh-length black skirt to really accentuate her petite structure. Around her ponytail was tied a large black bow, and she had splurged a bit to pick out some cheap black jewelry just for today. She was so excited about being herself that she even took the time to lace her black boots with yellow laces to complete the look. Seeing all the other variety in the room made her feel right at home as she was dressed, and she liked it.

It's so different, she thought, weaving between groups. It still feels like high school, but there's so much more energy. She snuck her way between a group of darkly clad metalheads and a group of bubbly freshmen to the main office.

"Excuse me?" she said, drawing the attention of the secretary.

"Ah, Lucy!" the woman replied, "I assume you're here about your schedule adjustments?"

Lucy smiled and nodded.

"Well, I have good news and bad news," the woman continued, "We were able to transfer all of your credits from Konzern Academy, so you are right on track for graduation."

"Yes!" Lucy exclaimed, pumping her fist. That was the first step to the theatre department: not having to take extra classes to make up for non-transferrable credits.

"However," she interjected, " while we were able to replace one of your make-up classes with the Japanese course you requested, we can't immediately add you to the Theatre course."

Lucy's heart sank, but before she could ask why the woman smiled brightly and a flicker of hope returned.

"Because the upper-level drama courses are audition only, we can't override this and enroll you from the office. But if you take this sheet and have Director Dreyar sign here-" she pointed, "and here-" pointing again, "we can fit it perfectly into the gap in your schedule."

Lucy couldn't believe how smoothly this was working out. Taking the form, she paused and asked, "He can just sign this without me auditioning?"

"Oh sure honey," the woman responded, "From what I understand, you don't need to audition to be a part of the crew or the pit orchestra, but the system has them all lumped under one class that requires director approval. If you still want to perform you can set up an audition for next semester, but I can tell you're itching to sink your teeth into this business." She winked at Lucy, triggering all sorts of excited bubbles in her stomach. Lucy was used to getting special attention from people because of her family name, but it had always felt cold and obligatory. This secretary – despite Lucy not knowing her name – had gone above and beyond, and not for any reason but a love for the students at the school. That warmness was a nice change from the superficial motions she had grown accustomed to.

"Thank you sooooo much!" she squealed.

"My pleasure, hon!" she chimed, "Oh, and Lucy…"

"Yes ma'am?"

"We've already spoken with your instructors. They've all agreed not to call out your last name when taking roll."

Lucy gasped. "That's really okay?"

"Perfectly okay. The faculty were very understanding of your wish to conceal that." She snickered and continued, "It's certainly more reasonable than when a student asked the whole faculty to call her Daphne instead of her real name in order to pull an April Fool's joke 7 months later." Lucy burst out laughing.

"Yes, it was quite the year," the secretary giggled, "but if we learned anything from that experience, it's that it would certainly help the faculty to fulfill your request if you gently reminded them before class for the first couple weeks.

"That's totally understandable," Lucy replied, smiling and nodding. "I'll be sure to do so."

"Alright, honey, if you need anything else we're always happy to help. Just get us that form back by Wednesday and you'll be all good to go."

Lucy smiled and left with a cheerful thank you. She returned to the lobby just in time to hear the intercom crackle.

"WELCOME BACK DRAGONS! I hope it's been a good summer break! We will now begin our Welcome Assembly! Please make your way to the auditorium! …and this assembly is mandatory for students and faculty!"

Lucy couldn't help but giggle at the announcement. A line like that would never have graced the halls of Konzern Academy. She liked it here already.

The auditorium finally began to settle down as the principal took the stage. Lucy had found a seat near the sound booth, scrunched between a burly white-haired senior and a particularly animated freshman girl. She had picked this seat hoping to take a good look at the sound and lights equipment, but the fact that every student in every seat had their bags left little room for looking around. As the principal began his remarks, she couldn't help but hear the whispered conversation of the freshman and her friends.

"Did you really meet him?"

"What was he like?"

"I can't even-!"

Who could they be talking about?

"I want to see him!"

"Maybe we can catch him outside after the assembly?!"

"I can't believe Salamander goes here!"

Lucy blinked.

"My sister was talking about his fire tricks at last year's talent show!"

"I hear he does special effects too!"

Lucy had heard that name. Where had she heard it?

"He's definitely the hottest guy in the drama club- get it? Hottest? Because he does fire tricks?"

"Ughhhhh don't make stupid puns Cass!"

There it was! The school's Instagram had tagged a Salamander in a lot of their posts about the drama club! She had seen it on occasion and wondered who in the world managed to get the username Salamander without attaching any extra symbols or numbers. She hadn't been following the school Instagram for long and she'd never bothered to watch any of the video posts – perhaps she would have to later. For now, though, this seemed to be a great stroke of luck. If he was part of the theatre department, he could probably introduce her to Director Dreyar. She could just follow those girls after the assembly when the lunch break started and they'd lead her right to a known member of the club she was after.

She smiled and leaned back in content – as much as she could lean back anyway. Trying to get comfortable in the cramped space was quite difficult. She directed her attention away from the chatty girls and back to the stage, where the assistant principal was now speaking about general rules and regulations.

"…and remember," the gruff man continued, "The dress code is in effect from the moment the doors are unlocked until the dismissal bell rings. If you're intending to wear something against the dress code to your extracurriculars, it had better be covered until then. Thespians, I'm looking at you."

Most of the upperclassmen laughed at the quip, and Lucy faintly heard "My armor didn't even show any skin! How was that against the dress code?!" from somewhere down near the stage.

She had definitely picked the right school. As the assembly continued there were many casual quips directed at a huge variety of different clubs and departments, and the relaxed interactions were completely different from the uptight attitude that permeated Konzern Academy. She was particularly surprised when the Student Body Officers introduced themselves and showed a video they had made specifically for the welcome assembly. The humor and lightheartedness here was refreshing, and as the meeting ended, she couldn't wait to start classes.

The squeal of the girls next to her when the lights came up called her attention back to her plans. She was going to follow them to Salamander, right? She squeezed out of her seat with her bag, following them down the row, down the stairs, and back out into the lobby. Their sudden, shrill screams let her know that they had found who they were looking for – or at least, a crowd of more freshmen surrounding who she hoped was the Salamander in question.

She maneuvered her way through the mob of underclassmen until she reached the front. Her eyes boggled.

The boy was tall, with dark blue hair and a chiseled jaw. The shape of his face was accented by his mild undercut hairstyle, which left him with delicious sideburns and windswept bangs. Lucy felt her heart quicken as his thin, dark eyebrows drew down and his lips curled up into a smirk. His navy blue blazer and white button-up emphasized his thin but attractive build, and his loose, maroon tie gave his dark eyes an added layer of depth. Forget the fire tricks, this guy was hot. He nonchalantly brushed his bangs to the side, revealing a blue tat above his eye that looked somewhat like two horseshoes stuck together. He's daring enough to put a tat right on his face? she thought excitedly. That would not have flown at Konzern.

"Oh you're too kind," he chuckled, some of the girls squealing and turning pink. He tossed his head, flipping his hair and looking directly at Lucy with a wink.

Lucy felt her breath catch and she turned away, blushing. He noticed me? she thought. Well, I guess I am the only junior in a crowd full of freshmen.

"Oi, Loke!" She felt someone push past her.

The boy was about her age, standing just a few inches taller than herself. He wore a thin but large red jacket and some well-loved black jeans. The jacket was zipped almost all the way, but the mustard-yellow hem of a shirt was still somewhat visible underneath. His sneakers were the same mustard yellow, and around his neck was wrapped a scaly-looking white scarf. He had a black and white backpack slung over his shoulder, his free hand shoved into his jacket pocket. His eyes were black and alert, his grin showing off fang-like canines, and his hair… now that was a surprise. His messy, spiky hair was a pleasant shade of sakura pink.

"Haven't seen you all summer! How was-" he cut off abruptly.

Salamander's smile wavered as he turned toward the newcomer.

"You're not Loke," the pinkette grumbled.

"No, but I'm sure that can't be the only reason you came over here," Salamander replied smoothly, "but unfortunately you'll have to wait in line just like the rest of these lovely ladies." Several girls gasped and cooed.

"What are you talking about?" the boy replied, eyes raising in genuine surprise.

Salamander sighed, "Well, I've never gone out with another guy before, but I'm open to trying new things."

The pinkette's eyebrows furrowed and his cheeks tinged red as he shouted, "I-I'm not gay! I was literally just looking for a friend." Lucy's sudden attraction to the preppy junior diminished when he smirked mockingly.

"Oh that's too bad," he sneered, "We could have had lots of fun. But I guess that means more for the ladies."

The boy grimaced, then retorted, "How are any of them supposed to have fun when you're wearing that freaky mask? Oh, whoops, I guess that's just your face."

Lucy suppressed a giggle, but the crowd of girls was filled with gasps of abhorrence. The dark-haired boy stuttered for a moment, glaring, before cooling off and continuing.

"Well, no matter your hesitance on exploring your true feelings, closet dweller, you're still invited to my back to school bash tonight," he smirked, "As are all of you beautiful ladies! I hope to see every one of you there!" Girls cooed and squealed as he turned away and waltzed down the hall. The pink-haired boy glowered for a second, then sighed, rubbing the back of his head. Then, realizing something, he looked right up at Lucy.

Lucy gave a start. She hadn't moved an inch and the crowd had dissipated, leaving just her and the pinkette, and she was looking right at him. Whoops. Way to make things awkward, Luce.

Snapping back to the present, she said, "Well he's kind of a jerk, isn't he?"

The boy's blank look vanished as he grinned, saying, "Kind of? More like definitely."

They laughed, the awkwardness vanishing.

"I'm Lucy," she said, smiling and holding out her hand.

"Natsu," he replied, shaking it in return. His voice had a rough quality to it, but not so much that "rough" was the right word. It wasn't as deep as Salamander's had been, but it had an element of depth that was pleasant to listen to. "You don't seem the type to get caught in one of those fangirl circles."

She laughed, "No, but I heard some girls in the auditorium talking about him and I was sort of curious. I'm brand new here, so…"

"Oh really?" he perked up. "Well, welcome to Magnolia!"

"Thanks!" she giggled, continuing, "It's lunch time now, right? Mind if I sit with you?"

He chuckled, "You're just asking because I'm the only person you've met, huh?"

Lucy's mouth hung open, a tinge of shock prickling across her face before she drew her eyebrows down in slight annoyance and said, "N-no! How rude, assuming something like that just because I'm new!"

He gave her a sarcastic look.

She gave an irritated scowl. "Okay, you're right, but I also thought you were kind of cool talking to that preppy jerk! You kind of snapped me out of the initial 'wow he's hot' moment so I could think straight, and that automatically makes you better than him." She turned away in a false huff. "Jeez, this is what I get for trying to be friendly?"

Natsu laughed out loud, running a hand through his spiked hair. "Well, I'm not new here, so you're not the only person I've met, and I'm still cool with joining me." He started off down the hall.

She smirked and followed after him. First friend! This day is working out pretty well!

The cafeteria was noisy and bright. High ceilings and large windows made it feel roomy and pleasant, despite the floor being overcrowded with circular tables. Lucky for Lucy, most of the students in the room had already gone through the lunch line, so it looked as though there wouldn't be much of a wait. She followed Natsu over to the stack of trays and slid into the line behind him.

"Hey, do me a favor?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Sure, what's up?" she replied, somewhat surprised.

"Those stingy lunch ladies don't let you take more than one of anything, even if you swear you'll eat it," he grumbled, "so would you mind getting one of everything and letting me have anything you don't want?"

Lucy blinked, then broke into giggles. "Sure, I can do that. It's the least I can do for breaking me out of the fangirl trance earlier."

He smiled and continued through the line. Because it was only the first day and the school schedule was all out of whack, the lunch ladies had just opted to order several hundred boxes of pepperoni pizza rather than offer multiple main dishes. Lucy didn't mind, as a single slice and a carton of milk would probably fill her up, but the way Natsu pestered the lunch ladies for an extra slice and attempted to swipe an extra thing of grapes made her pretty sure he wasn't happy with the idea. True to her word, though, she made sure to get a scoop of corn and a cup of peaches even though she had no intention of touching either.

"I don't see any of my friends around…" Natsu mumbled as they pulled away from the serving area, scanning the room. He looked over his shoulder at her. "I guess I'll just have to introduce you later. Want to sit outside?"

She gave him an enthusiastic nod and he returned a toothy grin. He led her through the tables away from where they had entered and pushed open the door, balancing his tray in one hand. It opened to a patio that stretched along the back side of the school, though the area near the door was somewhat sectioned off by decorative concrete planters and filled with round wire tables. Beyond the seating area, grass sloped down slightly from the patio to the fence marking off the athletic fields. So far, this was the only part of Magnolia High that reminded her of Konzern Academy. Both schools had remarkably fine landscaping.

Natsu led her past the concrete planters and plopped down at the top of the grassy slope. She did the same, still somewhat ogling at the extent the rear of the school had been decorated.

"Alright, what can I take?" he asked, shifting things around on his tray.

"Oh right!" Lucy said. She took a glance at her crowded tray. She unfolded her napkin and moved her slice of pizza on to it, picked up her milk carton, and then held out the tray to Natsu. "You can have the rest. This is all I want."

Natsu gave her a surprised look without reaching out for it.

"You sure?" he marveled.

"Oh yeah I don't eat much." She held out the tray, nodding to him.

He looked it over and took it. After a second, he pulled the school-made brownies off both her tray and his own, handing them back to her.

"Oh no I'm good," she laughed, "It's really okay."

"I know," he said, "but I'm not a fan of sweets anyway. Go on."

Figuring he would insist if she refused, she took them both and sat them in her lap with her pizza slice.

"So," he began, folding his pizza like a taco, "you're new right?"

She nodded, opening her milk carton. "Yeah, I just transferred from Konzern Academy."

"Tha' private shool wi' the astrology thingy?" he said, mouth full.

"That's the one," she said, giggling and taking a sip, "I was in the astrology program, actually, but the rest of the school… Kind of dead in terms of fun."

He nodded, shoving the rest of his pizza into his mouth.

"I actually came here because of the theatre program," she continued, "The only arts Konzern offers are classical training in music and whatnot, and as much as I respect people who play violin concertos, it's just a bit uptight for me. Not to mention the whole dress code thing where we all look like identical little aristocrats."

Natsu almost choked on the grape he had just popped into his mouth, snickering.

She smiled, taking a bite out of a brownie. "When I heard Magnolia's theatre department partnered with the professional theatre company in town I just had to come here. I guess I could have just auditioned for the theatre company without transferring schools and doing it on my own time, but there's no way I'd be good enough to get in just like that."

Natsu shook his head, swallowing the last peach in his fruit cup, "I bet you could've gotten in just fine."

She laughed as he violently shoved more food into his mouth. "Well, maybe, but that still would have left me with wearing those stupid uniforms every day."

He paused, cheeks full, then shrugged and nodded.

Lucy smiled and continued eating.

Natsu swallowed. "What do you think so far?"

"Oh I love it!" she bubbled. "There are so many interesting people, and it seems like there's always something fun going on."

Natsu laughed, mouth full of corn, "Bu' I though' I wash the only pershon you met!"

Lucy swallowed the last bite of her pizza, blushing. "Well yeah, but it's easy to see when everyone isn't wearing the same thing!"

"I guess that's true," Natsu replied, downing his milk carton in a single gulp.

Lucy blinked, just now taking in how much food the pinkette had shoved into his face. When they had come out here, both trays were overflowing with fruit cups and scoops of vegetables. Now, only minutes later, his tray was completely cleaned off, and he was almost done with Lucy's. She still had a brownie and most of her milk left.

"Whatcha starin' at?" Natsu shoved an apple slice into his mouth. "Ish there shomething on my jacket?"

She giggled and shook her head. "I just can't believe you ate so much." She took a bite from her brownie.

"Thish? Thish ish barely a meal." He swallowed. "But I ought to thank you. Even though I asked you to get extra, I wasn't expecting you to let me have that much." He grinned. "Gochisou sama deshita![1]"

Lucy's jaw dropped, and forgetting her mouth was full of brownie, said, "You shpeak Japaneshe?"

He started in confusion, then said, "Sukoshi hanaseru. Lucy-san mo?[2]"

"Watashi mo hanaseru yo![3]" she squealed.

Natsu's face lit up and his grin got even bigger. "Waaa sugeeei[4] are you in second year Japanese then?"

"I am!" she chimed.

"Yosh! Moete kita so![5]" Lucy was quite surprised at her luck. Not only had she made a friend on day one, but he also happened to be in one of her more difficult classes. Half the time when she met people on the first day of school they ended up not having a single period with her and they never spoke again. She was glad this wasn't the case with the quirky pinkette.

Just then, the bell rang, signaling the beginning of the rest of the day's activities. Natsu gave a little start, looked down at the remaining food on Lucy's tray, then looked up at her.

"Think I can finish?" he said with a grin.

"We've only got five minutes to get to class, don't we?" she replied, furrowing her brow in confusion.

"You're right," he said, grinning wider, "That's plenty of time!" Suddenly he was scooping food into his mouth at an even faster pace, occasionally dropping corn kernels into the grass. Lucy recoiled slightly. Less than a minute later he had cleaned the tray completely.

"Well, thanks again, Lucy," he hummed, getting to his feet with a stretch, "Guess I'll see you in Japanese?"

"Sounds like." She got to her feet and popped the last bite of brownie into her mouth.

"Alrighty," he said, holding out a hand, "Yoroshiku na.[6]"

"Kochira koso.[7]"

Despite thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere of Magnolia High, by her third class she started to miss the efficiency of Konzern Academy. The first day at Magnolia was broken into two segments, where the welcome assembly took up the first half of the morning, lunch was served, and then the students would visit each of their classes for only twenty minutes before going back home. In some ways it was helpful – it prevented the teachers from giving out any homework on day one and allowed new students to find their way around without as much stress, but it left almost no time to meet anyone in any of the classes. She had already been to her first five classes and hadn't been able to make friends with anyone but Natsu. It hadn't helped that she had gotten horribly lost a few times and ended up at all but her first class five minutes late.

While the lack of social interaction was disappointing, she had started to get a feel for what classes here would be like. Her first period math teacher seemed quite nice, despite his intimidatingly blocky features. He had given out a syllabus that had the words Money is important, but love is what fuels the world printed in bold underneath his contact email, which Lucy took to be a good sign. The Japanese professor was a little harsher, though, as even waving across the room to Natsu had the woman shooting her an annoyed look. Her history class seemed interesting – as long as she could get used to the teacher saying "actually" much too often – and Natsu was also in her gym class, so dealing with the, um, somewhat excitable coach couldn't be too bad. She was especially looking forward to her physics class with Prof. Clive, whose school year opener had been to karate chop a cinder block in half and explain how he did it with physics. She had no doubt her fifth period was going to be a blast.

Now she wandered down a hall in what she hoped was the direction of her English class. There were a few other students bustling about, but not enough to get in her way at any point. Perhaps it's this way? The classroom numbers are going up, so I must be headed to the right place. C'mon, Lucy, it's almost the end of the day, you've just got to find this one-

She cut herself off and came to a halt. Crap. It's almost the end of the day. I still need Director Dreyar's signature. But I guess it's only Monday and they needed it by Wednes-

"You need Director Dreyar's signature?"

Lucy whipped around toward the smooth voice. Salamander was leaning against the lockers not far away, staring at her through his windswept bangs.

Abruptly realizing she had been talking to herself, she sputtered, "Well, yeah, I'm trying to transfer into the theatre course."

Salamander pushed off the lockers and swaggered closer. "You know, I've been looking for you. After I saw you in that crowd this morning, I knew I had to personally invite you to my party tonight."

Lucy gulped, her heart quickening at his attractiveness despite his less than appealing attitude. "I'm not really a party person," she replied.

"Aw, just this once?" he coaxed, "I'm a member of the drama club. If you come, I'd be happy to introduce you to Director Dreyar tomorrow."

Lucy gave a start. She didn't have any idea what Director Dreyar looked like, nor did she know where his classroom was. Perhaps one party couldn't hurt? It wasn't like this Salamander guy set of any major red flags – not anything she couldn't handle anyway.

"Alright, but you've gotta do one other thing for me."

"Oh?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

She looked sheepishly down at her feet, and asked, "Where's room 213?"

Salamander blinked, then broke into chuckles. "Right up those stairs, down the first hall on the right, second or third door on your left."

"Thanks," she said, starting off.

"Wait, take this." He handed her a folded piece of paper. "You're going to need to know where the party is, won't you?"

She shoved it in her pocket, nodded with a polite smile, and took off up the stairs.

She got to her classroom with a few minutes to spare. Glancing around the room, she noticed Natsu at a desk towards the back, tilting his chair back on two legs with his arms behind his head.

"Oi, Luce!" he smiled, giving a slight wave. "Way to be on time this time!"

Lucy frowned at him, plopping into the adjacent desk. "Gym wasn't my fault. The room number was literally just 'the rec center' so you can't blame me for getting lost."

"What was different about this class then?" he teased.

"For your information," she replied matter-of-factly, "That preppy guy from this morning gave me directions."

"Yeah, right," he scoffed, "That guy is way too full of himself to be nice."

"He did though," she grinned, "and he personally invited me to his party."

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "You planning on going to that?"

"Yeah, I am," she chirped.

"Whatever," he said, shrugging.

The rest of that class was rather dull. Mr. Melon, their English professor, had perfected the art of using lots of pretty words and not saying much at all. Natsu drifted off to sleep minutes after the lecture started, and Lucy couldn't help but snicker at the dribble sneaking out the side of his mouth. When the bell rang fifteen minutes later, she didn't bother to nudge him awake – he could be late to his next class. It would be the perfect revenge for teasing her about getting lost.

She stepped out into the hall and pulled out her schedule. She scanned down to the bottom and found a blank. Oh, right, she thought, I haven't gotten Director Dreyar's signature yet. But there's only 20 minutes of class left, and I have no idea where to find him… She took a glance around the hall, tapping her finger on her chin. I guess I could just head home. Salamander said he'd introduce me to Director Dreyar tomorrow anyway.

She took a peek back into the classroom just in time to see Mr. Melon slam a textbook on Natsu's desk, shocking him awake. She giggled and left for home.

Lucy's heart pounded as she approached the door of the house. It was obvious to see the party was already well underway, as green and blue lights flashed behind the curtains and the deep thump of a subwoofer carried out to the street. Lucy was surprised none of the neighbors had called the police, honestly. Perhaps this was the norm around this part of town.

She tugged up on her sleeveless black dress and smoothed out the short skirt over her thighs, then raised a hand to knock. Before her fingers touched wood, it swung open.

"Ah, I've been waiting for you!" Salamander grinned. To Lucy's surprise, his gaze held steady on her face, despite her rather skimpy attire. "Come on in! Things just got started." He led her through the dimly lit entryway into the kitchen, grabbing two red solo cups off the counter.

"The name's Bora, by the way," he said, offering her a drink.

"Lucy," she said, eyeing the cup, "but I don't drink, thanks."

Bora chuckled. "It's not alcohol, just ginger ale. If you need to get drunk to have fun, you can't be a very interesting person." He shot her a clever smirk. "Besides, how do you think we throw wild parties in the middle of the neighborhood without getting arrested?"

A bit of a grin snuck onto her face. Maybe this guy isn't as bad as I thought. Still, accepting drinks from someone she hardly knew at a party with tons of people hardly seemed like a good idea.

"Do you mind if I poor my own?" she asked, leaning against the counter.

"Not at all," he said. He snatched a cup and a 2-liter off the kitchen island across from them and handed them to her, then taking a swig from his own glass.

She smiled, poured her cup a little over half full and took a drink. The carbonated soda bubbled across her tongue and down her throat, leaving the dark taste of cherry cola.

"So I heard you do fire tricks," Lucy commented to Bora.

"That I do," he replied suavely. "Special effects, too, but that's not as fun."

"Oh?" Lucy queried. "How so?"

"Well, both end up looking pretty cool…" He brushed his bangs to the side. "…but when I'm doing the tricks, the audience can see me do it."

Lucy bit her lip, heart rate picking up momentarily. "And that's more exciting?"

"Oh most definitely. Then I can see the excitement in the eyes of my fans." Leaning close, he breathed, "Almost like that look in your eyes right now."

Lucy jumped, blushing a tad. He was right, he was most definitely attractive, and she was most definitely not hiding that she thought so. She stammered, "I-I have no idea what you mean."

He grinned and pulled away. "I know you do, but if you want to play things slow tonight then I respect that." He tilted his head in the direction of the lights, and she followed after him. Maybe coming was a good idea after all.

Natsu groaned as he rolled and stretched his shoulders. Somehow Coach Coco got it into her head that they should kick off the year with a double-length double-strength conditioning day, despite the fact cross country had started practices two weeks ago. He didn't mind working out and did so regularly on his own, but damn that coach had some intense drills.

It was now pretty late, and the only light left was the leftovers of a vanishing sunset. The street lights had already come on, and he was grateful for the help in finding his spot in the parking lot. Just as he was stepping off the curb onto the asphalt, he heard two female voices from behind him.

"Dangit, the party's probably started by now."

"I wish Coach hadn't decided to go nuts today, then we could have gone."

"Too late now, by the time I finished getting all dolled up there would hardly be a party left."

"It's too bad. I bet Salamander will do some of his fire tricks since he's the one hosting."

Natsu stopped dead in his tracks.

"I've heard so much about him just today." Peeking over his shoulder, he could see the girls were pretty small – likely freshmen. So they don't know.

"My sophomore friend said he's the best act at the talent show. I really wish we could have gone and seen him in person!"

Natsu turned around, and called, "Excuse me!"

The girls jumped a bit, not aware there was someone else out here.

"You guys were talking about a party?" he said, stepping forward. "Mind telling me where at?"

The smaller girl smiled. "No problem! I have the address right here." She pulled a folded, pink post-it out of her pocket and handed it to him.

"Thanks!" he said, flashing a grin. He started back towards the lot, then remembered something.

"Hey! By the way…"

"I never would have thought…"

Bora smirked, tossing his hair back. "Thought what?"

Lucy leaned back into the couch, taking a sip of her drink. "Thought that a guy dressed like that could be anything but shallow."

"A man has to have style," Bora replied, tugging on his maroon tie. "I could say the same about you."

It was true. Lucy was rather daring in showing as much cleavage as she did. She blushed lightly and heard him sigh in response. He leaned a little closer to her, dark eyes gazing into hers. She felt her heart flutter.

"You know, you're quite beautiful," he breathed. Lucy simply soaked in his gaze. He leaned a little closer, then looked down.

"Oh hey," he said, smiling a tad, "Your glass is almost empty. Let me get you a refill."

He took the cup from her smoothly and glided away into the kitchen. She let out a shaky breath, feeling her heart pound in her chest, cheeks heating up. The idea that he might be interested in her… it was exhilarating, even if it was shallow.

He returned, sitting down and passing her the newly filled plastic cup with a grin. She took it, blushing and taking a sip.

They talked for a few more minutes, exchanging flirty compliments and deep stares. Then Bora stood up, offering her a hand.

"Whatcha doing?" Lucy asked, warmth building in her chest.

"I wanna show you something," he said simply, "Out on the back porch."

She felt her heart hitch and she took his hand, following him out through some cabana-style French doors into the cool night air. The sky was clear and glittering with stars, but as he led her to the banister it was the pool he pointed to. She gasped to see the same night sky reflected perfectly on the surface.

"On clear nights like this," he whispered, "The pool and the sky are so beautiful. Like you."

She sighed, smiling at the compliment, dazedly watching a shooting star fly across the reflection in the pool.

Suddenly she started to wobble, leaning more onto the banister. "Bora, I'm a little tired…"

He smiled gently at her and led her by the hand back inside. Lucy's eyes started to droop and she was only vaguely aware that, rather than leading her back to the couch in the living room, he had pulled her into a dark bedroom.

She blinked, mumbling, "Bora, what…? We'll miss more of the party…"

Bora slid the door shut behind him and stepped up to her, only inches away. He slid one arm around her waist and brushed her cheek with his free hand.

"Don't worry, we'll have more fun in here," he hummed, nudging her backwards toward the bed.

Her eyes flashed open as widely as they would go. "B-Bora, what are you…?"

With a sudden ferocity he pushed her down, landing on top of her on the plush mattress. She tried to let out a yelp, but it was cut off when his lips were suddenly smashed against hers. She tried to wrench her face away, but her muscles didn't seem to respond half as well as they should have. Panic started to well up in her.

Trying to protest through his lips she pushed on his shoulders with as much strength as her arms would yield, though it wasn't much. Bora grabbed her hands, lifting them above her head and pinning them with his elbow. She whimpered as his other hand slid down her side roughly and approached the edge of her skirt. Her heart raced as she struggled under his weight. He lifted his lips from hers and moved his face to her neck. Lucy cried and attempted a shout, but it was like all the strength had left her. My drink… she thought weakly, He must have spiked it… when he got me a refill…

She tried digging her nails into his arm as she felt his sweaty hand inch up her thigh. Sobbing and kicking weakly she heard him breathe into her ear, "You must be enjoying this, huh?" She bit her lip and turned her head away.

Suddenly the door was thrown open and a burst of orange light splayed across the room as Bora was yanked off of her, falling against the wall with a thud. The orange light flickered as a figure shifted into the space between her and Bora. Groggily, she registered pink hair and a scaly white scarf.

"N-Natsu?" she stammered. He looked over his shoulder at her, but she couldn't see his expression in the shadow cast over his face.

Bora took the glance as an opportunity, launching off the wall at Natsu and attempting to land a left hook. Natsu managed to dodge most of the way, turning what would have been a dark bruise into a light graze on his cheek. Lucy saw him grab Bora's shoulders, barely able to make out what was going on in the dim light. She heard a nasty crunch of sheetrock and a loud grown before feeling a gentle but strong hand lifting her into a sitting position.

"Lucy, daijoubu ka?[8]" he panted.

"I-I think s-so…" she stammered, "He told m-me he c-could… g-get me in the d-drama c-course… H-he m-must have s-spiked my d-drink… I can't m-move…"

"I figured," he growled, "Some of the other girls looked pretty groggy. I already called the cops. I'll get you out of-" A hand fisted in Natsu's spikey hair, yanking him back.

"You BASTARD!" Bora roared, throwing Natsu to the floor, "I'll teach you to mess with the Salamander!"

Natsu took a few hits before catching Bora's wrist and landing a right hook of his own. Bora reeled back enough for Natsu to slip out from under him, clambering to his feet. As Bora struggled to stand, Natsu pulled a box from his pocket and flicked it open. A small flame licked out of the corner. A lighter? To Lucy's surprise, Natsu held the small flame to his palm, and his whole hand burst into flame.

She yelped, recoiling as the bright fist lit up the room. Bora's eyes bulged, and he snarled, "Just who are you?!"

Natsu gave him a smoldering glare, shadows dancing on his face.

"The guy behind the username you've been usurping."

Bora's shocked face was met with a flaming uppercut, and then he was out cold.

Natsu extinguished the flame on his fist before clamoring to where Lucy sat.

"Lucy," he breathed, looking her in the eyes, "Where do you live? I'll get you home."

"S-Sakura… Avenue…" she mumbled, blinking slowly, "231C… on the canal…"

"Okay, not far. Hey stay with me Luce," he replied, her head starting to droop, "Do you have your house key?"

He followed her lidded gaze towards the door, seeing a bag and a pair of heels tossed haphazardly next to the frame. He picked up the shoes and put them in the bag, glancing around for anything else in the room that might be hers before slinging it over his shoulder. He returned to the bed.

"I'm going to pick you up," he whispered as calmly as he could muster. Lucy simply stared at him, heavy eyes barely holding on to consciousness. He felt a slight flinch as he put an arm behind her back.

"You can trust me," he continued, hooking his elbow under her knees and beginning to rise. "I won't hurt you. Let's get you home."

He lifted her off the bed and swiftly made his way toward the front door, avoiding the scorched, unconscious teens he had left in his wake when he rushed inside. Several of the girls – all freshmen and sophomores, it seemed – were huddled together in the corner, crying. He had already told them the police were on their way, and that all they had to do was tell them what happened. He knew they wouldn't get in trouble – this was a dry party, after all, and the drugging was solely Bora and his cronies' faults. Those girls would be fine, but Natsu felt particularly responsible for this one.

She came to this party, he thought angrily, just to get into Fairy Tail? She could have just asked me. I should have paid more attention to her when she was talking about her plans during lunch – maybe this wouldn't have happened at all.

He reached his cerulean blue motorcycle and gingerly climbed into the seat, using the handlebars and his left arm to cradle Lucy securely in front of him. She was totally unconscious now. Her house wasn't far, though, and if he went slowly he ought to be able to get her there safely.

As he started his bike, he had the sudden impression that something was… off. He looked around, not noticing anything out of the ordinary. The only noticeable oddity was one of the street lights slightly flickering rather than holding a constant glow. The air was cool but not cold, just as it should be for a late August night, and the only scent in the air was freshly cut grass and a hint of the lighter fluid he still had on his fingers. But something felt weird. Almost reminiscent of the feeling of déjà vu, but not quite the same.

Just as suddenly as the feeling had surfaced, it was gone again. He shook his head lightly and drove away.

[1] Thanks for the meal!

[2] I can speak a little. Can you?

[3] I can speak it too!

[4] Whoa awesomeeee

[5] I'm all fired up!

[6] Pleased to meet you.

[7] Likewise.

[8] Are you okay?