Tales of Another Past Chapter 1, a fairy tail fanfic

Tales of Another Past

By Faralyne

Chapter 1: Tales of a Transfer Student

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. You're lucky too. But, unfortunately, that's none of my business.

Summary: Natsu Dragneel didn't understand why, but it felt as if he knew these people from another time—another life. And, according to the fairy in his dreams, there was only one surefire way to find out. He had to reunite all of his alleged friends from the past. But, of course, this task would be next to impossible.

Specifics: Natsu x Gray. Natray. Alternate Universe (somewhat). Possible Loke x Lucy. One-sided Juvia x Gray. Possible one-sided Natsu x Lucy. Rated M.

A/N: I finally somehow figured out this story onto a laptop. TAP will probably be a slow building story, but I'm not sure how slow yet (maybe 18-35 chapters?). If any of you read Through the Eyes of the Observer, please excuse my very slow updates! Also, I will be recommending songs and/or quotes (I like quotes) that go with each chapter. I'm going to stop rambling now.

Days Since Natsu's Transfer: 0

"Déjà vu is the mind's way of letting you know that you are in the right place at the right time." –Unknown

Gray was picking at that stupid scratch on the bar counter again. He always sat in the same spot when he was bored, Natsu noted, picking at that scratch in the wood with his nail in long, slow drags. Natsu could never figure out why he did it. Mira wasn't fond of the wear and tear in her bar top, and Gray was only making it worse. Did he want her to cry? Gray's other hand cradled his head, spiky black hair with a dark blue tint spilling against pale skin and revealing more of his slender neck. His entire body reeked boredom.

Natsu grinned. Mischief danced through his obsidian eyes as he rose from his table and tiptoed over to the unsuspecting ice mage. Lucy was giving him a weird look—she had been talking about something girly, and Natsu couldn't wrap his mind around the concept—since the pinkette abruptly ignored her. She only shook her head when she realized what he was doing.

"Boys," his keen ears heard the celestial wizard mutter under her breath.

Engulfing a single tanned hand in brilliant flames, Natsu snuck up behind the ice mage. He set the bottom of Gray's wooden chair on fire, slapping his other hand over his mouth threatening to laugh and sneaking away a few steps. He waited and watched. It took Gray a moment before his shouldered straightened up, head lifting slowly and confused, and he sniffed the air. He looked down.

"What the fuck?!"

The ice mage was a mess of floundering limbs as he sprung off the burning chair and tripped onto the floor. Oh, but he wasn't done. Before he could even fathom his confusion and embarrassment, the flickers of little flames were licking his pants, and he was flailing around again. Gray pulled his pants off and threw them to the ground, stomping on them.

Natsu couldn't control his laughter anymore. His hand cradling his mouth was shaking along with the rest of his body, rough snorts and slightly muffled bawls of laughter seeping through. His legs gave out, and he was rolling on the floor.

The guild was watching; they were always watching when Natsu and Gray were within five feet of each other. Cana was laughing too—and then choking on her beer. Levy was shaking her head, slipping into the seat across from Lucy. Macao and Wakaba snickered; Natsu and Gray were a source of amusement any day.

Gray was towering over the pinkette in no time, a vicious glare shooting from his cobalt eyes. Natsu smirked up at him, bouncing to his feet and crossing his arms. "What's the matter, Ice Princess? Can't stand the heat?"

Gray's droopy eye twitched. "No, Sulfur Breath, I can't stand you," he retorted. "I can take your flimsy heat…" Natsu only blinked, and it instantly felt as if the room temperature dropped fifty degrees. Veins of ice pulsed out from the ice mage's feet, surrounding only Natsu. Violent shivers ran down his back, and Natsu tightened his arms crossing his chest, his knees buckling in a bit.

"You're the one who can't take the cold." It was Gray's turn to smirk.

The pinkette growled. Hot steam oozed from his skin, sparks flying off his clenched fists. "You're puny ice doesn't bother me. Fire will always beat ice," Natsu argued.

"In your dreams, Shitty Flame!"

"Then let me send you to them, Popsicle!"

Lucy exhaled heavily from her seat, mumbling something to Levy. Startling the celestial mage, Loke opened his gate, kneeling next to his princess and taking her hand. "Fear not, my lady. I will protect you from those bickering idiots."

"Loke, what did I tell you about appearing out of nowhere! You nearly give me a heart attack every time."

"At least he'll protect you from flying fire and ice. I still haven't recovered from their last brawl," Levy admitted, rubbing her shoulder.

"Gihihi, if you let those bumblin' idiots push ya' around all the time, well, no wonder ever'one thinks ya' weak," a voice snickered behind the petite, blue-haired girl. Levy nearly jumped when Gajeel patted her head teasingly.

"Gajeel!"

He fell into the seat next to her, "If ya' really need someone protectin' ya', I guess ya' glad I'm here now." Though she clearly didn't like the idea of Gajeel protecting her, the splay of red on her puffed-out cheeks was contradicting. Gajeel smirked.

The moment was short-lived since Gray nearly squashed her, smashing into Gajeel's outstretched arms from Natsu's fiery punch. He quickly pushed himself up, chilled air seeping from his fist at the pinkette's smug laugh.

"That's playing dirty, Flame Brain!"

"Like you didn't use my muffler against me last time!"

"You fell for it, idiot!"

"Well, who's—"

"Enough!" a booming voice commanded, muffled the two backbiting ones. Natsu and Gray quickly recoiled from each other, their magic dispelling from their hands. The pinkette was quick to wrap his arm around Gray's bare shoulders, giving off the impression of best friends. He knew who it was before he even saw the redhead.

"Hi Erza," Gray greeted meekly. "We weren't fighting. Just expressing our opinions… loudly…"

"Aye!"

"Natsu turned into Happy again!" the pinkette heard someone chuckle.

Natsu pulled Gray closer with every step the Titania took towards the pair. He could even feel the ice mage's rapidly beating heart through his vest. It was eerily quiet, except for the clinking of fresh armor. And the cackling fire spreading from the burnt chair. Oops. He gulped. They weren't going to get out of this one unscathed. The pinkette made a mental note to take their fights outside of the guild next time…

— BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! —

Natsu blinked awake, his eyelids settling half-lidded as he stared at his white ceiling. He was sprawled out on the beige carpet with his foot caught in his red bed sheets. His alarm clock blared from the wooden nightstand.

Not again. It happened. Those weird dreams. Strangely familiar, nostalgic dreams with bizarre people and an even more bizarre world.

He couldn't remember when they started, but dreams of guilds and magic frequented his subconscious. People he had never met before… in his dreams, they were his best friends—his family. And every dream felt so real. The fire magic that surrounded his fists, the laughter, the heartwarming feelings he felt whenever he was surrounded by these strangers. Everything felt so real, it made his heart squeeze painfully as if he had lost a part of him. Natsu was filled with guilt every time his eyes fluttered open after such dreams.

It took the tanned teenager a minute to gather his bearings and realize he was in his bedroom, fallen onto the floor from his wild slumber. Lurching up slowly, he smacked a hand over his alarm clock and scratched at his lower back.

Something furry brushed against his back, and Natsu smiled, pulling the blue cat into his arms. Happy always greeted him when he woke up. They used to sleep together, but maybe it was Natsu's horrible sleeping positions that pushed the curious cat away. "Morning, Happy," the pinkette greeted, petting the small cat until he purred in delight. "All right, bud. I got to get ready for school."

Natsu scooted Happy to the floor and stood up on shaky legs, roughly pulling his foot out of the tangle of sheets. The apartment was quiet, but it was always quiet. It was only the two of them after all. Natsu's father, Igneel, worked overseas for as long as the teen could remember, and Natsu's mother—well, she just wasn't in the picture. Igneel rented this single apartment for Natsu so he wouldn't have to move around every few months because of his father's high-maintenance job. He frowned.

It was also his father's fault he was a new transfer student to some prissy rich-kid private school. Tenrou Island Private High School. What a mouthful. Natsu could never understand how in the world his father was on good terms with the principal, but apparently he made a phone call and got the pinkette in on a scholarship fund. Good for colleges, he said in a quickly scribbled letter.

His frown deepened as he pulled out the clean, crisp school uniform that was mailed along with the letter. It was composed of a dark blue blazer with a weird insignia over the left pectoral, white button-down shirt with a black silk tie, and nice grey slacks. There also was a dark blue sweater vest for the spring weather. Natsu felt the weight of the corners of his lips tugging to the floor even more. How else was he supposed to feel? His father—whom he hadn't spoken to in what seemed like forever—suddenly uprooted him from his comfortable public school life and dumped him in a sea of spoiled brats and daddy's money. Igneel didn't even warn him, nor ask for his thoughts on the transfer. Natsu's heart squeezed uncomfortably. He missed his father.

After begrudgingly getting ready, Natsu pulled out one his refrigerated pre-made breakfast boxes and lunches. Even Zeref knew he couldn't cook to save his life, relying on convenience store meals and TV dinners. It wasn't the least bit healthy, but somehow his body got used to it after all these years. Plus, they were cheap, and his monthly allowance wasn't something he could spend frivolously.

After giving Happy one last loving pet, Natsu rushed on his raging red bike to the school. He'd never seen it before—his old, much better school was in the opposite direction. The cold air whipping past him chilled his cheeks, reddening them and prickling his nose. Even though winter was coming to an end, its cold claws were still deeply sunk into Fiore County. The trees were bare and shaking off the cold, the ground peeking up against the last of the snow. A few wrong turns here and there (and consulting a random person where the damn school was), Natsu stopped in front of… the hell?

Two rows of hibernating trees lined a perfectly smooth dirt road, leading to the vast staircase of the largest school building Natsu had ever seen. And there was an identical one sitting behind it, a little off to the right. Is this really a high school? The old brick buildings were about five stories high, stretching sideways like football stadiums. They left a prestigious atmosphere hanging in the air the longer he stared from his bike. Natsu shuddered. He didn't belong here.

Natsu was suddenly hyperaware of the whispering and imprudent stares around him. Aware of the pompous brats stepping out of their butler-driven rich cars and the fact that he was the only one riding a bike—let alone one he pawned off of a guy who owed him one.

"A transfer student? This late in the school year?"

"It's pretty early in the semester though."

"Scholarship obviously. He's riding a bike. Pfft."

"Poor thing. I bet he's never even seen a $1,000 bill."

The pinkette's eye twitched uncontrollably, and he glared at the wandering eyes. He would have said something too, but a lady popped up in front of him. She was wearing an ironed business suit with a pencil skirt and double-breasted jacket. Her brown hair was done up in a purposely messy bun, her skin tanned just a bit. She pushed her hot pink, cateye eyeglasses up and flashed a professionally warming smile.

"You must be Mr. Dragneel, I suppose?" She bowed. Her voice wasn't irritatingly high or annoying, but there was a slight lisp to her 's'. "I am the head secretary, Ms. Renald, but you may call me, Lauren. Welcome to Tenrou Island Private High School; though I believe all the students call it Tenrou High. I've been trying to keep up with the 'cool lingo' lately." She smiled a bit more naturally as if she cracked a joke. Natsu blinked. Maybe she did?

As if the cogs finally started spinning in his head, Natsu swung his leg around his bike and kicked out the stand. He hurried over to Lauren with his hand outstretched. "Yeah, hi. I'm Natsu—but you already knew that," he corrected, an awkward half-smile on his face. Lauren kept her smile, shaking his hand once before clasping hers behind her back.

"That's okay. It's perfectly normal to be nervous on your first day. I am here to give you a small tour of the school and send you off to your first class. The teacher has been notified of your arrival and tardiness," she explained before her hand motioned to a fancy bike rack off to the side. It didn't look like it was ever used. "If you like, you can lock up your bike over there, and we can start the tour. Of course, you will see the principal for a quick meeting at the end."

Holy shit. This school was huge. And expensively built. Classrooms were equipped with state-of-the-art technology and mint condition school desks, chairs, and whiteboards and/or chalkboards. Natsu guessed he wouldn't find curse words and crude drawings on them, no gum and other crap stuck under the desks. Healthy vending machines were around every other corner along with too many different types of recycling bins. Natsu couldn't believe the detail either. The hallway walls and ceilings were painted sky blue with realistic white clouds. They were lined with trophies, certificates, and medals of different activities and academic achievements; however, there were also specially cased displays of important school history. Just enough for the school to look dignifying instead of showing off. Each classroom had their own plaque for the teacher and which classes were taught in the room. Helpful signs hung from the ceiling to direct any lost students.

"This building, McAllen, is mainly for upperclassmen—juniors and seniors—while the one behind it, Snyder, is mainly for underclassmen—freshmen and sophomores. This division may be broken by underclassmen taking advanced classes or upperclassmen needing remedial classes. Mr. Dragneel, you are a junior, correct?" Lauren asked as they walked down one of the halls in McAllen, heading towards the elevator. He nodded, a bit distractedly. It was a lot to take in. He was still having trouble remembering he was going to be attending this private school.

Natsu stared outside the impossibly clear glass window. It showcased the expanse of land behind the building where a large greenhouse stood alongside several beds of flowers, plants, and vegetation. A couple of students in white lab coats were scribbling on sheeted clipboards, conversing to themselves. The pinkette didn't realize Ms. Renald stopped at the window until he was trying not to slam into her.

"Ah, are you interested in agricultural, soil, or plant sciences? If I am remembering correctly, this group of students is working on combatting a common plant disease. They recently had a breakthrough and are submitting their results to the EPA," she explained, giving Natsu another smile. This one held a tinge of pride and adoration. "Every student has a talent or field of interest they get to explore in their independent studies. At Tenrou, we fervently encourage student research and creativity. I saw that your father didn't write down a talent for you, Mr. Dragneel."

Natsu stared at the students a little longer before turning away, shoving his hands into his pants pockets. "Yeah, I doubt I can cure diseases, so no talents for me." The head secretary gestured to continue towards the elevator and Natsu followed. A sharp warning bell rang through the ceiling, and his shoulders tensed up. No. That didn't scare the shit out of me. But, why is it so loud? Natsu shook his head and tried to focus on Lauren's voice. A couple of students hurried passed them in attempt to reach their classes on time.

"… Don't be so hard on yourself, Mr. Dragneel. Research is not for everyone. Students can commit themselves to art, sports, anything, really. Even though we have advisors for finding talents, I don't mind lending an ear as well," Lauren said, pushing for the fifth floor once the elevator crept open. There was almost an awkward silence between them as she pulled out a tablet from her inside jacket pocket, scanning information on it.

"But, enough of that for now. I should tell you a little more about your classes. You will be taking basic junior-level courses based on your academic data from your previous school. Geometry, world history, English, physics, physical education, and a broadening horizons class, I believe. If these classes turn out to be too difficult, do not hesitate to make an appointment with your academic advisor to change into lower-level classes."

Natsu slowly cut his eye at the woman, furrowing his eyebrows. He wasn't sure if she just indirectly called him stupid, or if this school really was on a different level entirely. Damn rich kids. He snorted, clenching his hands into fists inside his pockets. And what was 'broadening horizons'? Don't tell me I'll be stuck in some prissy philosophy class, contemplating why the Earth is round or some shit. This is a real treat, Dad. He didn't mean to be so negative. Igneel probably gave an arm and leg to get him in here, even though he never asked his son's opinion. This was still so much to take in. And she probably thought he was a delinquent from a crummy school. It just—it wasn't fair. "Wow. Thanks, but no thanks, Miss. I'm not as dumb as you think. Can I meet the principal now and get this over with?"

Lauren's almond eyes widened, and she nearly dropped her tablet. Her mouth opened almost immediately to argue, but she ended up only gaping like a fish. She cleared her throat, pushing the glasses up and composing herself. "You misunderstand me, Mr. Dragneel. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but Tenrou High is a very demanding school. We only accept the top ten percent of applications. No public school, and even most private schools, come close to the level of difficulty and expectation we have. I was worried your transition would be hard, not because I think you are unintelligent, but because your public school may not have prepared you enough. I have high hopes you will excel passed this particular obstacle, but for now you must start out with basic-level classes. I apologize if my tone was inappropriate."

Oh. Natsu almost felt guilty. Even in her professional tone, she couldn't disguise her panic and urgency. He stared ahead when the elevator door opened and they stepped out. "Administration and Student Resources," the sign read. There were several doors and a few turning corridors, maybe even doors leading to more doors. An open waiting lounge sat on their immediate right, a large oak desk behind it. The head secretary mentioned that was where she was usually stationed. She led him to the door in the far side of the floor, the principal's office. She stopped walking somewhere around the middle of the hallway.

"Makarov—I mean, Principal Dreyar—I don't mean to sound so informal—is right through that door. He means to ease your transition a little and give a small talk about the school. I hope you can really find your purpose here at Tenrou. Again, my desk is always open, Mr. Dragneel," Ms. Renald spoke, giving one last small smile before bowing. "Please, do not hesitate to come by if you do not know how to reach your first class."

"Yeah, thanks, Lauren. Really. Thanks a lot. And I'm sorry about earlier," Natsu returned her smile. He hoped that sounded sincere enough to make up for earlier. The pinkette didn't mean to take out his frustrations on her—she was just doing her job. He could be classy too. Natsu waved before opening the somewhat heavy door.

The principal's office was larger than the hallway made it seem. It was spacious with a couple of stacked bookshelves and office cabinets and drawers lining the white walls. Bland. Slightly intimidating. A massive desk was pushed back in front of a leering window. A couple of chairs were placed in front of the desk. But, it felt like all this intimidation was wasted on the man sitting in the big rolling chair.

TINY!

If Natsu were a lesser man, maybe he would have comically fallen over, but he wasn't. He was just about done with this place.

The principal was an extremely short, elderly man. He had a growing bald spot on the top of his head with only the outer rims of his head containing white hair that stuck out in tuffs. He continued to stare at Natsu with black eyes from his high office chair.

"Hmm, most people knock before entering the office," Principal Dreyar hummed. He was stroking his white mustache, twirling a piece in his wrinkled fingers. Speculating Natsu. He cracked a smile. "But, we don't accept most people! Come in, and take a seat! Let's talk!" The principal jumped onto the desk, skipping over papers that were probably important and plopping down on the edge.

"Okay?" Well, what was Natsu supposed to say? He strode over to the chairs, sitting and crossing his arms. "What's up, Principal Dreyar?"

Something in Principal Dreyar's eyes lit up. He grinned excitedly. Natsu kicked his legs out under the uncomfortable scrutiny, trying to look around the office. His eyes stopped on framed picture on the desk. The principal and a blonde kid were making funny faces; the principal with his arm loosely hung around the kid's shoulders.

"You really do remind me of your father, Natsu," he suddenly spoke up. Natsu snapped his eyes towards the old man. He waved his hand dismissively. "And call me Makarov, everyone does. Well, except Lauren. That woman's been uptight from the start. Anyways, I'm supposed to talk to you about school history and what we expect and blah, blah, blah. After years and years, it gets old. So! I'll be giving you the short version. Any questions beforehand? Nervous? Wondering what Lauren's measurements are?"

Natsu's jaw slid open. There was only one question blaring in his mind. How the hell did you become the principal of all this? Scratch that, how are you principal?! Natsu's old principal was a mean old man. He had it out for Natsu—for everyone. Ironic how he hated kids when he ran a school. He wasn't expecting much from this guy, but this was too much. Makarov laughed at the pinkette obviously scandalized face.

"Oh Zeref, don't take that last one too seriously! I'll start then. Mavis Vermillion and her team founded Tenrou in 1885. They had a vision to help students see their true talents and use them to take on the world. Really ambitious people. But, that's what led us to here! Now it's your turn to figure out why you have a scholarship and what you need to do with it," Makarov grinned. He picked up a folder and held it out to the pinkette.

"Don't worry, the answer's not as hard as you think! You just have to figure out who you really are on the inside. Ha, I'm so cryptic. Here's your student packet, schedule, and student planner. The packet's full of useful stuff from your independent studies to rules. And the planner's got school events and dates printed in it. Good luck, Natsu. Don't do dumb things and you'll be golden. Say hi to Igneel for me!"

Natsu nodded numbly, taking the thick folder. Makarov's words bumped around in his mind. He felt dizzy. His skin was too tight, as if it were trying to suffocate him. 'Figure out who you really are on the inside.' What's with this headache? That isn't even the worst part. "Yeah. See yah, Makarov." Did the old man think Igneel was living with Natsu? How else could he speak to his father? The man never picked up a phone, and good luck if you wanted him to write a letter. The words stung.

He successfully distracted himself with his student schedule, finding a late pass paper clipped to it. Okay, first class is geometry with Ms. Evergreen. Yawn. I'm finding a seat in the back and sleeping this damn headache off.

Finding the classroom had been harder than he thought. And Natsu didn't feel like asking Lauren after his elevator mishap. It can't be that hard to find a classroom. I blame this huge building. He stopped somewhere on the second floor. Apparently this floor was for math and science, but the room numbers were all over the place. One wrong turn, and he was looking a completely different set of numbers. Room 220G. I just want room 220G! The class had to be almost over. Natsu glanced at his phone to check the time. 8:32 AM, it read. His class ended in twenty-three minutes.

"Argh!" the pinkette groaned, pulling at his hair in frustration. His eyes flickered to a lone student turning down the hallway, her head down and staring at her hall pass. "You! Oi!" Natsu was shouting, jogging up to the startled girl. She had recoiled back; her head snapping up so fast, Natsu even winced. She stared at him in confusion and slight irritation. As if it was weird he was talking to her. She kept quiet.

"How do I get to 220G? I'm seriously lost here," he explained quickly, showing her his crumpled student schedule.

"Take the first left up ahead. It should be the classroom on the right," she replied almost immediately. The irritation and reluctance on her face deepened, and Natsu had to force a smile. What the hell is wrong with these prissy kids?

"Thanks."

The girl nodded and abruptly left without a word. Natsu stared after her for only a moment before stuffing his schedule in his backpack and hightailing it to class. He didn't even think as he padded over, slamming the door open in his hurried daze.

"I'm here!" Natsu nearly shouted, swallowing when he realized how loud his voice bounced off the walls. "I'm here." The teacher, Ms. Evergreen, visibly jumped and dropped the piece of chalk in her hands. She had a hand over her heart and whatever math she was spewing died on her agape lips. She quickly composed herself.

"Mr. Dragneel, I assume?" There was a snarl to her voice, dipped in a rich feisty attitude. Saying she was young was an understatement. She couldn't have been more than twenty-one years old! And I'm only seventeen. How young could someone be to teach here? Or maybe she was a student and allowed to teach. Ms. Evergreen had light brown hair that fell down her back in soft waves. Her sharp eyes were dark brown behind her oval glasses, her lips naturally pink and full. And if Natsu thought Ms. Renald had a nice body, this woman put her to shame.

"First of all, we don't slam doors here. Don't just stand there all slack-jawed now. I know I'm gorgeous, but there's a limit to your fawning. Come to the front of the class. Late pass?"

The students snickered, but immediately fell silent to Ms. Evergreen's glare. Instead they turned their amusement back to Natsu, drilling their bored eyes into his body. Natsu bit the inside of his cheek to will away his embarrassment, pulling out the crumpled late pass and handing to her. Ms. Evergreen snatched the pass and glanced it over before throwing it away in a nearby trashcan. With a sigh, she turned to the class.

"Everyone, this is Natsu Dragneel. I'm Ms. Evergreen—but if you call me that, I'll smack you. Evergreen's fine. I don't need to be addressed so formally; I'm not that old. I'll be teaching you an overview of geometry. If you can't follow, don't cry me a river," Evergreen spoke, her voice a bit of a drag. "You're not too late in the semester, so it shouldn't be hard to catch up. Read the syllabus and hand in any past assignments by next week. All right, that's enough from me. Introduce yourself or something." She waved her hand dismissively, pushing a syllabus into his chest.

"Uh." The hell? Were teachers allowed to act like this? Natsu quickly rejected his shock when the principal's face flashed in his mind. Never mind. He cleared his throat, "I'm Natsu… and I'm from Fiore County… yeah." Evergreen rolled her eyes, but didn't press on.

She had started saying something else, but Natsu took the second to stare at his new classmates. Regardless of how screwed up this all was, he couldn't help the giddy feeling deep in his gut at meeting new people. He was a natural socialite at his old school. Everyone knew him, whether it was good or bad. The pinkette let his eyes roam a bit.

There was an orange-haired kid with azure-tinted sunglasses sitting in the back. He was tipping his chair back slowly, a lazy smirk on his handsome face. He quietly beckoned the cute pink-haired girl sitting next him and whispered something her ear, earning a giggle. Flirt. He was never good with those types of people. The ones who flitted around, tricking and seducing people. And he just felt… weird looking at him.

Natsu quickly looked to the other side of the room where a blonde girl was slightly hunched over, texting on her phone. She was blatantly ignoring him, pushing a loose strand of long hair behind her ear. Instantly, her face darkened, and chestnut orbs scowled right into his eyes as if telling him to back off. Uh, okay? She's scary. But, he felt the same strange churn in his stomach like he felt when he glanced at the playboy. His head started to feel too heavy again, and honestly, he—

"You're the one who can't take the cold." Now, it was Gray's turn to smirk.

The pinkette growled. Hot steam oozed from his skin, sparks flying off his clenched fists. "Hah, you're puny ice doesn't bother me. Fire will always beat ice," Natsu argued.

"In your dreams, Shitty Flame!"

"Then let me send you to them, Popsicle!"

"Loke, what did I tell you about appearing out of nowhere! You nearly give me a heart attack every time."

—Nostalgia. His stomach was twisting under nostalgic pressure and longing, and it made him nauseous. A creepy shiver tiptoed down Natsu's back like a spider spinning its web around his spine. He instantly paled, and something ripped in his mind. "Lucy, Loke," he mouthed their names without thinking.

"Why are you just standing there? Go sit down!" Evergreen's voice was too loud in his ears as she snapped her fingers in front of his face (and could he smell the minty shower gel she used this morning?), successfully knocking him out of his stupor. The snickers and giggles were back, and this time he couldn't stop the flush of pink on his cheeks. It was stark against his paling face.

"Sorry, I…" Natsu stuttered. His brain wasn't cooperating at the moment. Not after that.

"Just take the seat next to Mr. Fullbuster. I'd like to finish my lecture on time, if that's all right with you. Gray, please raise your hand."

Natsu's obsidian eyes flickered towards the pale hand half-raised in indifference, and he strode towards the open desk right next to him. The guy was hunched over his desk, over his binder, scribbling every word Evergreen was writing on the chalkboard. A mop of dark hair was slicked back with some kind of smelly grease, pressing it completely against his head and neck. His forehead shone with the same oily look, and a splay of dark brown freckles that didn't match his complexion covered his nose and cheeks. Thick, square glasses were perched atop his nose. His uniform was crisp and clean, with black suspenders holding up his pants while his blazer hung from the back of the chair.

…

Wow.

Really. Natsu wondered how much time it took in the morning to look so damn geeky because that couldn't be natural. Seriously, he almost pitied the guy. It was a nice (hilarious) distraction from his small freak out a minute ago, but it wasn't enough. Natsu crashed into his new seat, already forgetting the nerd and ignoring the teacher's voice. He had more important things to think about. Like figure out why the fuck are Lucy and Loke from my dreams in my math class?! The déjà vu that rushed through his body was so alarming—so real, it was sickening. It was like his mind was trying to tell him something, but it was just as confused as he.

Natsu had to talk to them. Maybe he was just being delusional. Maybe their names weren't even Lucy or Loke. The class was pretty big, and the both of them sat in the back of the class while he was seated in the second row. Maybe he didn't see them right. This was impossible—to meet someone in your dreams before you actually meet them in real life. Yeah, I'll talk to them, see it's not them, and everything will be fine—wait. Did she say, 'Gray?' Gray Fullbuster?

The pinkette gradually turned his head to the left, staring openly at the boy scribbling notes into his binder. His face was serious, but his cobalt eyes seemed to be elsewhere in his mind. Maybe there was a resemblance in the face, but Natsu really couldn't tell. Dream Gray didn't have freckles or slicked-back hair or glasses or suspenders—and he was damn sure Dream Gray was hot. Well, hot for a guy. This guy wasn't.

"Oi," Natsu whispered, somewhat shielding his mouth from the teacher with his hand. "Hey, Gray. Psst. I'm trying to talk to you. Hey." He tried calling out to him, but Gray ignored him. Natsu was sure he heard him because his shoulders bunched up, tension rolling off his body. He was about to swat the guy, but the bell rang. Gray stood up abruptly, gathering his things and briskly walking out the door.

World history and English passed by slowly. Natsu forced himself to listen to his teachers, Mr. Alzack and Mr. Freed. Well, world history was okay because Mr. Alzack—a pretty chill guy—liked to talk about his daughter all the time. He was so doting; it was pretty funny. And it was better than mulling over what he saw in geometry.

Like Gray, Natsu wasn't able to catch the other two either. Loke was surrounded by a group of big-chested girls. Whenever the pinkette came too close, a couple of them would glare and snipe at him. Lucy, well, she just gave off a vibe that said, "back off". She walked out of the room in confidence with a petite blunette at her side. Natsu couldn't help but notice how girls glared at her as well—like she was the scum of the earth.

All he wanted to do was make sure he wasn't crazy! None of them were in his world history class, so he couldn't jump them there. Although Loke was in his English class, he was just as unapproachable as before.

Damn it! Natsu grumbled under his breath, following the huddles of students heading to the cafeteria. All of this thinking and pretending to listen in class drained his energy. He was better at letting his fists do all the work. His stomach rumbled in protest, and he instinctively wrapped his arms around it. Just a few more minutes…

The cafeteria was huge. Natsu wondered why he was even surprised anymore. Students were moving everywhere, getting to their self-assigned tables and hurrying to be first in the lunch line. Colored tapestries with school achievements hung from the ceiling. Long ceramic tables with built in benches lined three of the walls. Light blue flower designs covered the white tabletops, dark blue vines wrapping around the legs. Round tables of the same design were spaced throughout the room. There was a single fat pillar standing in the center of the room with composting and trash bins circling it. A tall rectangle was carved out of the pillar, acting as a tray disposal. Students disappeared through an entrance labeled, "Buffet", and reappeared a long way down the wall where a few cashiers were stationed.

The pinkette shifted on the large beige tiles. Where the hell am I supposed to sit? His eyes trailed the wall tables, flickering to the fine art painted on each wall. He was just about to pick a random table because, well, why should he care so much? It was a table! But, someone called his name.

"Hey, New Kid! What was his name again?" The voice paused for a moment. "Natsu! Over here."

The pinkette searched for the voice until he noticed Loke waving his hand at him, beckoning him to come over. Zeref must have a soul after all! He quickly scampered to Loke's table settling across from him and around a bizarre bunch of people. The cute pink-haired girl was there, along with a guy with crazy black hair, another cute pinkette, and a girl with most of her face covered in a lavender hijab.

"Hey, thanks man," Natsu greeted with a meek smile. He scratched the back of his head under the scrutiny of Loke's friends, threading his hands through his spiky locks for comfort.

The orange-haired man waved his hand dismissively, "It's no problem, dude. You're in my geometry class, and we could all use a friend after getting chewed out by Evergreen. The name's Loke." Natsu wondered if Loke realized he was in his English class too, but women surrounded the guy there too. Loke motioned to everyone else. "That's Cancer, my sweet Virgo, my majestic Libra, and this is the lovely Aries." His arm snaked around Aries' shoulder as he spoke, a lopsided grin on his face.

"Aquarius and Scorpio are off behind the greenhouse, so you should probably avoid that area for a while—what's with the face?" Loke interrupted himself, lifting a single eyebrow.

Natsu snorted. He can't be serious. "Are those really your names, or are you playing me?" Something lit up in Loke's eyes, but Virgo was the one who spoke.

"No, Master Dragneel. This was something we decided on our own when we became friends. We… prefer these names to our birth ones. However, Loke's true name is correct," she spoke in a quiet voice. Her head was bowed slightly, her short hair tickling her cheeks.

"Master what? Wait, okay that cool I guess? But, don't call me that. Natsu's just fine," the pinkette spoke fast, furrowing his eyebrows as he eyed the girl. She bowed her head again before returning to her Cobb salad.

Loke laughed, his hand sliding down Aries' arm as he talked. Her face lit up as she watched the deceivingly innocent hand. "Don't mind her. She's got a slave kink. Anyways, I thought I'd be a Good Samaritan and tell you how things work here—what the fuck is that?" Natsu stopped unwrapping his convenience store lunch at Loke's aghast face. What?

"Uh, pre-made lunch from Vinnie's?"

"A what from where?"

Natsu sighed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "It's a packaged lunch from a convenience store, man. You know, Vinnie's shop." Right, these rich kids probably don't even know what a convenience store is. He shrugged his shoulder in indifference. "They're pretty good."

Before Natsu realized what was going on, Loke had grabbed the lunch was making a beeline for the trash. He sprung up so fast, but only made it in time to watch the horror of his lunch hit the bottom of the bin. It squished mockingly. Willing away his shock, he grabbed Loke's shoulder in anger.

"Dude, what the hell!?" he snapped, letting the rage snarl on his lips. A couple of the tables around them started to stare at them. But, he didn't care. You did not mess with his lunch—with his food. What a goddamn waste! I knew playboy types were fucking assholes!

Loke faced him head on, his complexion looking a little pale. "No one sitting at that table is eating that crap. Come on, I'll buy you lunch to make up for it. The food here is ten times better then whatever I just touched," he gestured towards the dwindling line. "Seriously man, you're going to end up in a hospital with sexy nurses pumping your stomach clean. And, besides the sexy nurses, that sounds like hell."

The pinkette didn't respond, only staring at the playboy like he was about to attack. Loke tugged him towards the line. The smell of succulent food lulled Natsu from his anger.

Maybe this school wasn't so bad.

It really was a buffet. The room had several different stations: a salad and fruit bar, pasta station, grill, sandwich and wrap station, special dish of the day, dessert station, everything. And there seemed to be an expert chef stationed at each and every one of them. Natsu didn't know he was drooling until the tickling on his chin was too much. He wiped at the saliva furiously when Loke laughed at him.

"Shut up. This is crazy!" he exclaimed without a squeak in his voice.

Loke crossed his arms, smug. "Take your pick." He nodded his head at the stack of trays before walking towards the exit. Natsu managed to load his tray with everything he liked; classic Tenrou cheeseburgers, savory grilled steak, roasted ham sandwiches, they even had a rich version of that spicy drink he liked. Seriously. This school might not be that bad. He hated feeling like he owed Loke one, but the pinkette kept his mouth shut when he saw the price of a single lunch. Well. This was a nice change, but I'll stick with my convenience store lunches. Loke passed over his platinum credit card as if it were nothing.

"Thanks," Natsu stated sincerely as they settled back down, devouring his cheeseburger first. He had to fight the groan of divine pleasure as the food slid down his throat. The beef was juicy and thick. The bun was a little crispy on the outside and soft inside. Sauce dripped at the corner of his lips, and his mouth vacuumed it up. So good! He guessed he didn't hide his indulgence well enough with Aries giggling at him.

"No problem, man. Like I was saying, if you want to survive here, you need to know how Tenrou works," Loke said. His voice was somewhat serious, though there was an amused glint in his eyes. Probably from Natsu gorging himself.

"Why? Is it really that bad? It's just a bunch of spoiled brats trying to one-up each other… No offense," Natsu asked, downing the spicy drink.

"None taken, Scholarship Boy! Nothing like fitting a stereotype," Loke drawled, rolling his eyes. His hand had disappeared under the table, and judging by Aries' darkening blush, it was crawling on her thigh. "And yeah, it's bad. You don't want to get on the wrong person's bad side unless your parents don't like working, and with the worst people, living. You'd be surprised how some of these people get their money."

Natsu snorted. "And I've met the people that run around with guns in their back pockets. I think I can take the people controlling them."

"Oh? That's an interesting story for next time," Loke grinned, giving Natsu a look that said he'd remember to bring it up later. "But really, dude. Just listen to what I have to say. Don't screw around with anyone connected to Ultear. And I mean anyone. She a beautiful, bad bitch and gives zero fucks who you are. Hmm… Everyone in geometry's pretty cool, so you should stick with them. No—wait, I lied. Stay away from Gray Fullbuster. Oh Zeref, if you love your social life—no, if you love your life, stay the fuck away from that nerd. Seriously, man. I'm warning you."

When you say it like that… Natsu wasn't one to follow the rules anyways. "Why? What'd he do?"

Loke shrugged. "Absolutely no clue. But, he's the target, so everyone just stays away from him. You should too."

As lunch ended, they parted with an unspoken promise to eat lunch together. And then realization hit Natsu like a bullet. I forgot to interrogate him! Shit, I forgot all about Dream Loke. He growled, pulling at his hair in frustration. Loke was an easygoing guy. He pretty much adored girls. And he was exactly like the celestial lion spirit from his dreams. Natsu made a face. Well, close enough. They all felt off. He thought Loke and Gray were supposed to be best friends or something. Wasn't he devoted to Lucy as well? And Lucy wasn't supposed to be so unapproachable.

Not everything's the same then. Maybe it's all just a coincidence. Or… Natsu's eyes widened as he stood in front of his physics class with Ms. Laki. Maybe I have superpowers. That's a fun-er reason and so cool! He liked that idea more than being crazy. The mystical power to encounter people in the dream world before meeting them in real life. Okay, it was pretty lame, but interesting in a way.

"Newton's force laws forged a path for scientists and mathematicians. Many geniuses have derived fundamental equations from 'F' equals 'ma'. We will be diving a little deeper into those derivations next class…" Ms. Laki explained in an excited squeal. Natsu could only groan.

He never understood why people found physics fun. It was a glorified snooze-fest. He watched enough cartoons to know that only dull and ordinary people, with their sagging tired eyes and monotone voices, became physicists and engineers. The pinkette snoozed contently in the back of class; Ms. Laki's banters a sweet lullaby in his ears.

Natsu tailed a couple of students heading to the gymnasium. It was luck he overheard them complaining about the gym teacher, Mr. Gildarts. Apparently, he'd gotten shitfaced drunk last night and was sporting a serious hangover. And a hung-over Gildarts was murder in physical education. Luck really was on his side today. All the pinkette could do was sit on the vast metal bleachers with built-in seat cushions and watch the class since he didn't have a pair of gym clothes yet. He was supposed to talk to Mr. Gildarts about receiving a pair of the standard Tenrou gym clothes.

The gym teacher was grouchy. His eyebrow twitched every five seconds from the migraine that screwed that scowl on his face. And he forced his students to split up onto the four volleyball courts spread out in he gymnasium, waving his hand at them to play until class time was up. Huh, not bad at all. At least they aren't running around a track until gym is up.

Natsu watched the court closest to him, his eyes perking up when he spotted the familiar slicked-back dark hair. Gray looked less geeky without his suspenders and crisp, clean uniform. His gym clothes were crumpled, but they fit his body better. The group of ten kids was picking teams until only Gray and a blunette were left. Natsu peered at the blue-haired girl. She was a pale-skinned, slender girl with a curvaceous body that rivaled Evergreen. Seriously, what is with the girls in this school? Natsu couldn't see her eyes, but they looked like a dark color. Her blue hair fell in thick, natural waves down her shoulders.

And she looked somewhat familiar. The pinkette shook his head. He had enough déjà vu for the day, and he'd rather not dwell on her any longer for more.

The two teams seemed to be arguing over who was stuck with Gray or the blunette. Though, it looked more like a spat on who got stuck with Gray. Natus snorted. And on your right, you can see the royally spoiled Tenrou students sizing up against each other on which pack gets to deal with the captured prey, Gray. Not surprising to see that rich kids aren't above bullying. They even had a fancy target system. Whoever this Ultear-woman was, she didn't seem like she had it out for anyone but Gray.

Finally, the teams agreed on competing in rock-paper-scissors, and begrudgingly started playing. It was weird watching them play. Natsu loved gym back at his old school. His friends were competitive little bastards, conniving and sneaky. Any game they played was dirty and street-like. His fingered itched to join, even without a stupid set of standard clothes. With how the teacher was passed out on the bleachers, how would he even know? The pinkette liked moving, doing something, having fun. And these kids were kind of… really good.

They played strictly by the rules, but their spikes and hits were hard and left no room for mistakes. No one passed to Gray. He was just there to take up space. Yet, he acted like it was normal, the way his shoulders slumped, the way he stood so he wouldn't have to move from feeling uncomfortable, the way he tried to make himself more invisible to the blatant ignorance.

And then Gray was crashing on the floor.

Natsu bolted straight up, his body rigid from shock. His eyes blinked repetitively. The pinkette had to take a moment just to figure out what the hell happened. His eyes slid dangerously to the other side of the net. Where one student was shaking so badly from repressed laughter while the others pretended nothing happened. Gray flung his hands up to cradle his gushing nose from the ground, looking just as shocked as Natsu felt. The thick blood kept spilling over his fingers, staining his white t-shirt a gruesome color. The volleyball rolled away from Gray's body, a smudged imprint of blood sullied a side of it.

"Gray… What the hell? You got blood on the volleyball. That's disgusting," Natsu heard someone complain loudly. It was the same one who spiked the damn ball in the first place.

Out of nowhere, the gym teacher sprung to life. He hurried (as fast as a hung-over person could) to Gray slightly curled body when no one else would. No, that was wrong—that blue-haired girl was crouching next to him—wait, where did she come from? Natsu completely forgot about her. Mr. Gildarts was snapping at students to go back to the game before he started talking to the blunette in hushed tones. They were about to leave the gym together, but Gray wretched his elbow from the girl's grasp and left on his own. She stared after him.

Natsu finally realized he was still standing and staring openly at them, at Gray's misfortune. He willed himself to sit back down as Mr. Gildarts approached him to talk about where to receive gym clothes. Yet, he still felt tense, his eyes sliding to the exit more than a couple of times. Natsu wasn't going to lie; he wanted to punch the asshole across the court. The anger that welled inside him was borderline excessive. He held back, because… well, why should he? Why should I fight for a guy I barely know?

Somehow, the thought hurt.

Broadening horizons wasn't what Natsu thought. At all. Mr. Neekis—no, just Jura—was an awesome guy. First, he didn't make Natsu stand in front of yet another class and introduce himself. He let him take his seat since he already explained to the class they were getting a new transfer student. Not embarrassing Natsu was a plus for anyone. Second, he was massive! Jura introduced himself instead, talking about his many accomplishments in martial arts and how he used to travel the world to compete and learn from the best. Natsu didn't need to verify whether he was lying with the immense fucking muscles and the authentic Inuit robes. Why isn't he the gym teacher? Third, broadening horizons was pretty fun. And more helpful to his goal than anything else.

Today, the class was broken up into small groups to discuss the art of taking pictures—like lighting and shadows and other artistic ways. Each group was given a camera and was supposed to pick an interest everyone shared mutually. After they chose one, they were supposed to hunt for that interest in the school and take about three pictures of it. The only catch was they had to take the photos in the artistic ways they discussed prior. This lesson was about diving a bit into photography.

And this class also had Lucy in it. Who sat right in front of Natsu. Sadly, she wasn't in his group. It couldn't be too easy to get a hold of her. Though, being able to sit near to her let the pinkette see how she looked exactly like Dream Lucy. Her voice was the same. The confidence in her eyes still shone. But, her attitude was completely different. It looked like she was grouped with the blue-haired friend—Levy, she may have been called—and she still wasn't the cheerful, sarcastic and indescribably kind person from his dreams.

His group decided on taking pictures of food, strolling to the greenhouse and beds of vegetation, the cafeteria, sneaking into one of the faculty break areas. Natsu never thought he could have so much fun in a class. At his old school, the teachers cared about the students as much as the cranky old principal did. The students had to entertain themselves—which usually turned into detentions and suspensions.

The last school bell blared in Natsu's ears when his group was trying to back out of the faculty room, and they ran back to class to hand in their camera.

"Do you have any first impressions about Tenrou you'd like to share?" Jura asked Natsu before he gathered his backpack and left. There was a small knowing smile on the man's face. Natsu snorted. He wanted to be mad about it, but couldn't bring himself to be.

"It's all right. I guess I can stick around for your class… What's going on tomorrow?" he found himself asking curiously. Natsu tried to shrug his shoulder to look more indifferent. You know what? Screw it. This shit was fun, and I'm fine with admitting it. His eyes flickered up to Jura's face expectantly.

The teacher smiled broadly. "Since tomorrow Thursday, I usually give the class the day to explore a couple of TED Talks that interest them. However, since the class ran overtime, I'll let you guys fiddle with your photos a bit; get them printed and handed in. Then, we will travel to the computer lab on this floor for TED Talks. Don't forget to bring you earphones," Jura explained, his voice calm and pleased.

Natsu dipped his head once before heading for the door. "Alright, teach. Sounds cool. See yah tomorrow."

"Have a good rest of the day, Natsu. Keep your eye out for anything interesting."

Natsu let his face screw up a bit at Jura's words, but inevitably shrugged it off in the end. His words left a weird taste in the pinkette's mouth. He strolled the emptying hallways a bit, lazily looking for the main entrance of McAllen. And after a few minutes, he ended up risking a shortcut that led him to the greenhouse.

He sighed, eyes flickering to the partially cloudy sky as if it were its fault he chose not to follow the rest of the students. Well, at least I can walk around the building to get to the front… and then it's home sweet home. Directions weren't his strong point, but if he risked enough routes, he'd find the right way sooner or later. The pinkette shoved his hands in his pants pockets and strolled towards the closest corner of the building.

This side had a large green space with a tall tree sitting in the middle. A few bushes lined the building with flowers Natsu had never seen before. It looked like the perfect spot to nap when skipping a class. Or at lunch. Or after school. He would've stayed indifferent about the space too. Natsu wasn't one to dose off at such an opportunity when he could be goofing off. Wasn't it more fun to play with friends than to sleep? But, he froze at the corner of McAllen to watch a group of students shove Gray back into the tree.

He was covered in dirty water that streaked his body and clothes in a translucent, light brown color. Natsu could smell him from here, his nose scrunching up at the stench. And the students were laughing at him. There were three of them standing there, cursing him and snapping snide comments.

"It must suck to be Ultear's target. Now everyone hates you."

"It's not like they liked him before."

"Of course not, who could like a nerdy scholarship boy? Do yourself a favor and quit school."

"Yeah, then no one will have to see your ugly face again." The guy with dirty blonde hair shoved Gray back again, watching his feet stumble into the large tree.

Natsu didn't notice how hard his hand curled around the brick corner of the building until it started hurting something awful. He pulled it away, staring at the prickles of red speckle his bruised palm. He couldn't understand why this guy was striking his emotions so hard. No, it's the bullying—that's what's got me so angry. Damn lowlifes… No. It's the fact this guy doesn't stand up for himself. That's it. That's why I'm so angry. And if he wasn't going to stand up for himself, then Natsu was going to do it for him. He decided. Besides, Gray was just taking it! His head hung down as the murky water dripped from his nose, as it clung to his uniform. His fists weren't clenched; his teeth weren't grinding against each other. He didn't even look angry.

"Oi!" Natsu snapped, running up to them. It must've been the promise of pain in his wild eyes that startled the students so much. Or, maybe it was the fact they got caught. Gray didn't budge. The pinkette stopped right next to Gray, trying not to gag from the horrible smell. He smelled like something rotting, but also something that belonged down a toilet. "What the hell are you doing? All of you?"

One of the students rolled his eyes. "Well, would you look at this? Tenrou's adopted a little hero. If I were you, I'd learn something about the food chain here before you starting picking up trash."

Natsu stepped closer to the group of guys, and the one with dark brown hair puffed his chest out a bit, squaring his jaw. The pinkette shot him an incredulous look. "What, food chain? Really? All I see are a bunch of rich kids picking on another rich kid. You're all the same to me."

The students were threatening to roll their eyes again, one ready to retaliate, but the guy in front waved his hand dismissively. "If you knew what my father could do to—"

"Yadda yadda, my dad this, my mom that," Natsu cut him off with a huff. "What can you do? Because all I see is a brat threatening me with his parent's money. Oh, I'm so scared!"

The student with dirty blonde hair pushed forward, his eyes glaring venomously at Natsu. "Hey, watch what your saying! I could have you out on the streets in minutes!" It looked like he wanted to say more, to shove his face in front of Natsu's in a sad attempt to seem intimidating, but the brunette put a hand on his shoulder.

"Your funeral. Let's go; we're done here anyways."

Natsu watched the students walk back to the main entrance before cutting his eyes to the silent guy next to him—no, now he was yanking a tree branch. He narrowed his eyes in frustrated confusion. Maybe he's crazy. "What are you…" Natsu trailed off when Gray's black backpack fell from its hiding spot in the leaves and thudded on the ground. "Oh."

"Well," the dark-haired teen glanced at Natsu once, and all he could stare at was the wad of wet bandaging surrounding Gray's swelled nose. He winced unconsciously. "Bye." Gray kept his head down as he strapped his backpack on and started towards the corner of McAllen. Natsu shook out of his stupor, blinking his eyes in shock. Because, for a second there, he thought this guy didn't have a voice. And to suddenly say something—

"Hey, wait! Hold on!" Natsu called out, snatching Gray by his backpack before he could walk any further. Gray tensed for a second and rolled his shoulder away to pull from Natsu's grip. "No, seriously, I'm not going to hurt you."

That made his head turn. An eyebrow rose in indifference. "Okay? Then, let go."

"What? I just saved your ass. Can't we talk? Besides, I've got some questions about what those assholes were saying," Natsu started, wiping his dirtied hand on his pants. Seriously, this guy needed a shower.

Gray fully turned towards him with a dull look. Natsu cocked his head. Was it just he, or did it look like the guy's freckles were running down his face? "No."

"No?"

"No," Gray repeated firmly. "You should listen to them and keep away from me. I'm handling this."

Natsu snorted loudly, crossing his arms across his chest. "Yeah, because that was handling it."

The dark-haired boy shrugged his shoulder. "Agree to disagree. Bye." Gray briskly walked away this time, keeping his head down and never flinching at the jeers and complaints on his newly acquired stench.

Natsu scratched that back of his head. What the hell. Gray didn't act like someone being bullied—he wasn't jumpy or scared. Just in indifferent. And who the hell was Ultear? What the hell was a target system? Why did his dad have to send him here?

"Welcome to Tenrou," Natsu mumbled to himself before sauntering around the building himself.

A/N: Tada! First chapter done! Believe it or not, this took way too long for me to sort out in my head. Tell me what you think so far (if the characters were too out of character—they might be like that for a bit—or the plot's boring, etc.)! Until next time!

Extra Notes:

-Natsu's School Schedule-

Year: Junior

7:45AM: Homeroom (w/ Ms. Evergreen)

8:00 – 8:55 AM: Geometry (w/ Ms. Evergreen)

9:00 – 9:55 AM: World History (w/ Mr. Alzack Connell)

10:00 – 10:55 AM: English (w/ Mr. Freed Justine)

11:00 – 11:55 AM: Lunch Break

12:00 – 12:55 PM: Physics (w/ Ms. Laki Olietta)

1:00 – 1:55 PM: Physical Education (w/ Mr. Gildarts Clive)

2:00PM – 2:55PM: Broadening Horizons (w/ Mr. Jura Neekis)

*Students must conduct their independent studies on their own time. The school is open until 7:00 PM every school day (Monday to Friday) unless there is a special event planned.

**Tenrou Island Private High School has special permission to exceed the standard six-hour school day to enhance the minds of young individuals. The average school day is about 7 hours.