I am a NaLu fan all the way! And, there WILL be NaLu! Just, not with this Natsu… It's hard to explain… Just know that even though this one is in NaLi, there will be… To be totally honest (Oh Shit), I have no clue. But, there will be NaLu! Just gimmi a sec! Kinda! Oh dear… But, there will be NaLu! *Reviewing makes the world go 'round!*

Part One: 001

Healthy.

"No! Stop! What are you doing? Please! Please… Plea…"

Blood coated the cracking walls, and dripped slowly onto the cold stone street. A lone figure laughed – or was it growled? - with menace, biting his coated blade with short sharp fangs. Strands of hair fell from his hood, covering one of his yellow-ringed eyes. Sick amusement flickered in the one that was still revealed, mocking and cynical.

Sparing one final glance towards the mangled mess that he had created, – short and female, with long, mousy brown hair – he promptly gave it a sharp kick, sending it sprawling across the soaked pavement. If the sudden intake of breath wasn't enough to remind him that she still lived, the following pained cry certainly was. He marched over and pinned her to the wall, grinning widely as she cried in fear. His mouth moved closer and closer to her neck, his glowing eyes fixated upon the throbbing pulse that hid there. His smile soon became so wide that it almost split his face, and his teeth clamped down.

He was no vampire – there was no longing for blood. No immortality, or extended life for him. Only the joys. The joys… Of death.

~oOQOo~

"Aah!" He woke to a loud scream, and winced. Sitting up, he promptly wished that he had not. His head throbbed painfully, so much so that he wished he had not decided to wake to begin with.

"Aaaahhhh!"

There it was again. So it hadn't just been his imagination. Sighing and clutching a hand to his temple, he swung his legs from underneath him, and felt around for purchase in the darkened room. Clambering slowly to his feet, he let a small smile grace his lips when he found that his eyes had become accustomed to the previously crushing gloom.

Feeling around for his jacket, he made his way out of the room, cursing whoever it was that disturbed his slumber. Slamming open the door, he slammed a hand over his eyes to shield himself from the bright lights. Peering out, he clearly made out the form of a small cat, who was kneeled over and clutching a shoe, weeping. He shakily made his way over, quickly realising his mistake. What he had first thought to be a shoe turned out to be, in fact, a large fish. Thousands of small white maggots swarmed it, their teeming bodies replacing most of the torn white flesh. It was missing a large portion of its heart and stomach.

Blood oozed out from all angles, staining the brown wooden countertop. One eye stared out unseeingly, its black depths cold and devoid of anything. The other, however, was missing, with eyen more teeming forms spilling out. The suffocating odour of rotting meat filled the room, and he clutched a hand to his mouth, gagging and sweating. Looking away from the crawling mass in horror, he glared at the small cat. It was crying and staring at the deformed creature, but the look that it gave was one of utter sadness, not of horror.

"What are you doing?" He asked sharply, either not noticing or not caring how distraught the shaking animal looked.

"I wan- I want- I… I… Ahhhh!" The cat gave up any attempts of communication, and started wailing again. "I… I… I…" shaking his head, he moved on passed the cat. Nobody, not even Guildarts could make him go near that monstrocity. Shuffling on to the kitchen after knocking his still aching head the low-hanging ceiling, he rummaged in the musty yellow cabinets for a while before pulling out two healing pills. He gratefully gulped them down, remembering how he had begged Wendy to make them for him.

One tablet alone contained enough healing magic to cure flesh wounds and heal broken bones. The second was just a precaution. Sweeping his light pink hair from his eyes, he reversed backwards a couple of paces so that he could see his friend. Noticing how Happy was still stuck in his depression, he bounced up to him – feeling much better – and yelled in his ear,

"Get up and get movin'! We've got demons to destroy!"

"Wha-? Hey, whatta' you doing?" Natsu had moved from his place behind the counter, and was packing his and Happy's belongings into a dull green pack. The cat scratched his nose with a dusky blue paw, and watched in fascination as his partner packed. Two bottles of chilli sauce, a razor, three pillows, the hammock and four hairbrushes had been removed from their places and haphazardly thrown into the large sack before he registered what was happening.

"Nya… Natsu, watcha doing?" The pinkette ignored him, enjoying dismantling a table too much to realise that he was being talked to. The blue cat had to yell before he got any reaction, and when he did, it was not one that he had been hoping for.

"NATSU! What. Are. You. Doing?!" He screamed.

"Packin'." Came the nonchalant response. Grumbling under his breath, the small cat spun around and began to march off. With his tale held high, he planned to force his friend to answer. However, before he could be shredded, an explanation ensued. "We're moving into the guild for a couple'a days. Zeref and his lackeys are attacking again, and it's risky to stay separated. I wanted to stay here – if they came to me I could bash their faces in faster! But Lis wouldn't le'me. Damn it…"

And now he understood. His nose twitching in amusement, he perched himself on the lampshade until the pinkette had finished. Natsu swung the pack onto his shoulder, sneezing when dust flew from under it. Swearing softly, he clambered precariously to his bare feet, and marched out of the door. Snorting in barely concealed laughter when the pack knocked him over and into the doorframe, the bluette followed his ungraceful counterpart. "This stupid thing! What's the point, anyway? If they attack, I'll still get to fight!" The annoyed teenager stormed out of the hut, now yelling at the air.

"Look on the bright side, Natsu. You'll get to see Lucy again. And, if that doesn't interest you, Lisanna will be there…" He trailed off suggestively. The dragonslayer went bright red, and even more so when the exceed flew around his head, singing "You liiiiike her! You liiiiike her!"

"Is it that obvious?" He mumbled, uncharacteristically shy.

"Yup! Everyone sees it! Even Lucy's rooting for it! Especially after you kissed her last night!"

"Okay, I- I WHAT?! I- I- I kissed her? And I don't remember? Oh man, oh man. The hell?! Mira's gonna kill me. I'm going to die! I can't die yet! Som much to live for! I Got-"

"It was a joke."

"Oh… Oops." The pinkette groaned, imagining the teasing that his blonde teammate would give him is he ever admitted his feelings for his childhood friend. He began dragging his feet, unwilling to reach the guild is everyone was going to be like this. It didn't help that Happy was still singing, "You liiiiike her! You liiiiike her!" in the background. Exhaling, he turned back to lookback at the place he called home, now silhouetted by the rising sun.

"Why do I even bother?"