Hi, Silver Rowan here! This is a new story I'm starting. NaLu, AU, all that good stuff. Oh, I don't own Fairy Tail.


Beat of the Song, Beat of the Heart

Spinning, twirling. The air rushing through her hair, sweat running down her face. Eyes closed, face upturned, spread in an enormous smile.

Lucy was dancing.

She was at the Fairy Tail Dance Hall. Just dancing, not caring about anything else in the world. Dancing alone, because she hadn't found anyone who could keep up with her. She opened her eyes for a second, drinking in the sights. The club was dim, with light flashing a myriad of colors every few seconds. The dance floor was crowded, packed to almost bursting. People moved against each other, bodies pulsing to the beat of the music.

There were only three rules at Fairy Tail. The music had to be fast, it had to be loud, and you had to dance. If you didn't dance, there was almost no point in coming. The dance floor stretched almost wall to wall, with a few chairs and tables on one side of the room, a small bar on the other. The DJ stand was situated against the far wall. Lucy didn't know what color the walls were, or what the bar served. She only came here to dance.

Every Friday night, she showed up an hour after the eight o'clock opening and danced until closing time at one in the morning. Lucy loved it here. She craved the loud music, the beat pulsing in time with her heartbeat, the ache that spread through her limbs after hours of dancing. It was the only time in her life that she felt alive, away from the stifling confines of her normal life.

Yes, she danced alone. She had been disappointed at first, that no one in the club could keep up with her after three or four songs. She hated switching partners. It threw off her rhythm, made her dance off beat the rest of the night. So Lucy refused all prospective partners and danced by herself.

Lucy lost herself in the song that was playing. She didn't have to think. Her feet moved instinctually to the beat. She knew this song, and was waiting for a specific moment. There. The music soared, paused, and dropped into a throbbing beat and melody. She let herself go and spun.

Right into someone's arms.

Her eyes snapped opened and she crashed back into reality. She scowled. She had only been here for an hour. This idiot was going to screw up her entire night. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to hear her over the ear-splitting music, she just shook her head and tried to pull herself from his arms. He grinned at her, holding her tightly. He shook his head back at her. She glowered at him.

The next song started, exploding into being, guitars shrieking and piano pounding. The guy who had proclaimed himself her partner pulled her into the dance, taking the lead. To her utter shock, he was going exactly her speed, about twice as fast as everyone else. She fell back into her trance, smile spreading over her face and eyes drifting shut.

They tore through the crowd, spinning and twirling and dipping and sliding. He lifted her into the air, dancing as if he could see how the music was moving. She opened her eyes to see him laughing, his dark eyes sparkling. She laughed with him as adrenaline shot through her veins and the next song started.

They kept going until closing time. Every song, never missing a beat or step, never stopping to take a break. They kept dancing until she felt her lungs would burst. Then they danced past that point.

Then suddenly, it was closing time. The music shut off abruptly, and employees started to usher people off the floor. Fairy Tail had a no lingering policy.

Lucy and her partner finally stopped spinning, panting for breath and staring into each other's eyes. He leaned his sweaty forehead against hers. He had very dark eyes, darker than she had realized. And those dark eyes were burning into hers. The only words she could think were onyx fire.

He laughed softly, and pulled away from her. She regretted it, missing the pressure of his arms around her as soon as it was gone. He stepped back and ran a hand through his hair. She didn't notice though, because she was still lost in his eyes.

"Thanks for tonight." He spoke softly. He must be tired, she mused. He doesn't seem like a very quiet person. She was still stuck in his eyes, and barely registered that he was holding out his hand. Shaking her head to snap herself out of her daze. She reached out to shake his hand, and he gave her a toothy grin. "I'm Natsu. Natsu Dragneel." She murmured a greeting back at him. He stuck his hands into his back pockets.

Onyx fire onyx fire onyx fire.

"I've seen you here a lot. You don't dance with other people very often, do you?" She shook her head, still not trusting herself to speak. "Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore!" He spread his arms wide. "I'm your permanent partner now!" He cheered.

What.

That snapped her out of her obsession over his eyes. She crossed her arms, and glared at him. "And what gives you the right to decide that." She snapped. His grin grew even wider, and he leaned in, bringing their faces close together. Under the smell of sweat, a smoky scent wound its way to her nostrils. Holy hells, how can he still smell good after dancing for three hours? She struggled to keep her face impassive, refusing to broadcast her inner turmoil.

"Because I'm the only one that's on your level." He pointed a finger at her. "And you liked dancing with me.

All protests died in her throat. She stared at him, brown eyes wide as she turned his words over in her mind. It was hard to think. He was standing really close to her. She opened her mouth, floundering for a response when an employee came over to them.

"I'm sorry, but it's closing time. You have to leave now." The woman smiled at them sweetly, blue eyes touching on both teens. The dance hall was empty except for them. Natsu groaned.

"Ah, come on Mira! I'm busy talking to-" He suddenly realized his partner wasn't next to him anymore. He spun around, frantically searching for her, and found her halfway out the door. "Hey, WAIT!" His distressed call stopped her. She turned, and arched an eyebrow, shooting him a questioning look. He took half a step toward her. "I don't know your name." He admitted, sounding slightly embarrassed. Mira hid a smile behind her hand, and the blonde girl giggled.

"You'll have to wait until next week. It's almost my curfew." With that, she left Natsu hanging, her laughter echoing through his head, and disappeared into the parking lot. It wasn't until she had made it to her little blue car, peeled out of the mostly empty parking, and was halfway home, when she realized something that almost made her stop in the middle of the deserted road.

Natsu's hair was pink.


So, there you go! I know, I should be working on Return of the Stars, but this was floating through my head, and I couldn't concentrate on anything else until it was done. But never fear, I'm almost done with the next chapter of Return of the Stars! I hope you enjoyed this.

Silver Rowan out!