Author's Note: First of all, this is Nalu plus other ships like Gajevy (is that their shipname?), Gruvia, and Jerza.

Okay, this was originally called "Earthbound Companions" but I decided to shorten it to "Earthbound." And no, I am not referencing the game with Ness. Has nothing to do with this.

The whole idea behind this story is that I wanted a story where Natsu was something like a slave/employee to Lucy, and ta–da, this is the result.

I know there are other stories (probably) with some kind of bodyguard mix with the Nalu sections, but I have a lot planned out for this so stay tuned, people.

Oh, plus here's a chart for the character's personalities:

OOC selves –––(+)–––/CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT/––––(=)––– Canon selves

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail = Hiro Mashima's brain.


Prologue: Natsu (Part I)


"There are two kinds of people in the world."

Gray looks over to me as his eyebrow raises, the breeze in the meadow brushing hair away from his face.

"What's that suppose to mean?" he asks, sunshine poking his eyeballs.

"One," I raise a finger in the air as watching him, "The people who look to live life as life."

"Two," I pull up another finger from the same hand, "The people who strive for something. They dedicate their mind and soul to a purpose and stick to it."

Gray's mouth draws into a line.

I stick a half–smile on my lips, "You don't like my theory?"

"More like I don't agree with it," he touches a hand onto his other's knuckle, "What if you're not in any category?"

"Then you must be something else," my half–smile transforms into a grin while Gray absently tears up grass from beside where he was sitting in the field of magnolias.

Gray pulls off a weak smile on his pale face, staring down at the dirt before him.

"I never knew you were such the philosopher, Natsu," tiny words mumble from his throat, his head lifting up to meet eye that were mine.

"Who said I couldn't be?" I reply with a flash of teeth sparkling out to the bright sun flickering in the corners of my vision.


There is a familiar suit at the end of my hotel bed I wear nearly everyday. It's black with only a white collared shirt to pair with it. There's a vest, pants, and jacket that go along with the black set. There's even a bowtie too.

I sit at the edge of my unmade bed, my hair in a mess. There is a bottle of hair dye in my hand.

I look in the mirror across from me, hanging lightly on the wall. Black hair, matted and tousled from sleep on my head. I jerked my head back.

Standing up from my bed, I make my way to the bathroom to my left and turn on the sink faucet. I dip my head under it and let water drench my hair until all of it is soaked.

I lift my head and stare at the reflection drawn on the mirror. There is a boy with his black hair wet with water and is shirtless. Most importantly, there is something in his hand.

The bottle of dye in my hair, I open it with my thumb and raise it above my hair where it touches the roots of my hair. I push on the button on the bottle's head pull it down against my head where my black hair is. I make sure to squeeze my eyes shut and focus on breathing.


I'm told my name is supposed to be Natsu Dragneel. I believe it is.

I'm told I am the type of guy to act before thinking. I don't know. I just don't.

Makarov says he first found me in a jail cell in the police station at the end of the hallway. He doesn't know why.

I don't even know why.

So when they said being with Lucy Heartfilia might help me get to know why I am me; I said no.

"Hi, I'm Lisanna Strauss," a white haired girl extends her free hand to me, the other holding a cellphone to her ear as she watches me with a bit of distance, "I'll be your train receptionist for today, Mister?"

"Dragneel," I nod my head as Lisanna eyes me dumbfound.

"Um, sir," she announces as politely as she can but the sassiness in her tone is a little too neon green, "Mister Natsu Dragneel has black hair if memory serves correct. You, on the other hand, have pink hair. I'm sorry, but what is your real name?"

"Strauss," I frown as consciously running a hand into my newly dyed hair, "I dyed my hair."

She blinks at me for a few moments before a light bulb flashes in her bright blue eyes as she jumps up, the cell phone in one hand being lowered while her eyes dart to the clipboard sitting on the counter behind her back, "Oh! I'm sorry, uh, lines are slow right now so I apologize for the mistake and attitude. I'll get your ticket to?"

"Magnolia."

"While you're there, make sure to say hi to my sister for me," she moves behind the counter, types a couple things onto the computer set up there, and hands me a piece of paper, "Elfman's not happy that she took up such a time–consuming job away from home."

"Uh–huh," my head nods as I take the ticket from her as she cocks her bleach blond head, her eyes lying directly above where my eyes are, "What?"

"It's different." she inquires with a dazzle in her irises, "I mean, your hair, it's like unique and kind of… salmon? It's kinda of pink and cherry. I like it."

I immediately touch my hair and ruffle it, "Ah, thanks, Strauss." I can feel it, that slight salmon that's not just colored in my hair but my cheeks, "That's really nice. I actually don't like the color. Gramps ordered me to do it though."

"Oh, I see!" Lisanna giggles a bit as a smile pecks her lips, the phone that was in her hand now on the counter while she takes a seat down in her office chair, "He must have been really mad about last time's job. It's probably punishment or something."

"Probably," I mumble, rubbing the back of my neck with my free hand.

Lisanna laughs again in her chair and shines her grin back at me, "Yeah! Anyways, I know you're not suppose to contact anyone at the agency on a job, but call me if you ever get a little bored and we can hang out or something. 'Kay with you?"

"Sure, Strauss," I nod for maybe the hundredth time in my conversation with the girl.

"Call me, Lisanna," she tucks her short hair behind her ear.

"Sure, Lisanna," I fix my language for her and twist my head to the clock lamp to my right, "I'm Natsu for now."

"Bye, Natsu," she waves off and spins her chair to the table to her back, stacked with paperwork, "I'll catch you later."

Something tugs at the ends of my lips as a perk of a grin shows itself to the girl as she returns it. I begin to walk away from her, ticket stuffed in my pocket, as I head for Platform 8 in the train station.


There is five minutes to spare before my train arrives. People shuffle left and right, heading different ways with baggage tailing behind them. My luggage is being separately transported to Magnolia on an airplane. I don't do airplanes. They make my motion sickness trigger so strongly that my medication doesn't do anything for me.

Plus, I like trains better.

A train–ish honk coming from the left as a locomotive pulls up next to the platform I'm on, along the train tracks.

I'm leaning against a lamp–post with my phone in my hand, constantly checking the time.

The train stops beside me as its doors open, only a few people exit the front cart and even the entire train. I count them with my eyes. Twenty. Twenty people rode a train from Magnolia to Hargeon.

When the rest of the passengers step off the train, a train conductor gestures me to go head and board. I do, strolling over there while slipping my phone into my backpocket and hop onto the steel steps into the piece of transportation junk.

Oh God, I feel it. It's there. The barf.

"Uh, sir, are you alright?" the contractor looks over to me with a worried expression as I slump on one of the train's rails.

"I'm fine, just take me to my seat," I squeak with my hand covering my mouth. The contractor helps me up and takes me over to a seat by the window, second row from the front. I nod my head sickly as he leaves me alone with sweat dripping down his forehead.

Immediately, I dig into the front pocket of my jeans and retrieve a small bottle with little red spheres in it. I open the jar and dump two out on the palm of my hand, quickly throwing them in my mouth and swallow them dry. I'm still panicking on the inside. The shifting in my guts are still tumbling uncomfortably. The headaches. The memories.

My hand is on my forehead as I turn to the window and stare at it, attempting to distract myself.

Marvel's medication is starting to have a negative effect on my health. I'm getting worse. I'm becoming immune to her remedies. This is certainly going to be a long, long train ride to Magnolia.


Author's Note: So I'm planning to post three updates straight in three days, one for each day. The prologue is split into two parts that are set up in Natsu's then Lucy's point of views. Originally, I had planned to only use first person in the prologues then switch to third person omniscient for the actual story, but instead...the first person way of writing for this kinda stuck so now I'm using it for the entire story.

To tell the point of views apart, Natsu's chapters are the odd numbers and Lucy's chapters are the even numbers (unless I say so otherwise).

So guys, tell me whatcha think! It actually helps a lot!~