It was a normal day at Fairy Tail's guild hall. Lucy Heartfilia had been sitting at the bar having a chat with Mirajane. The guild doors suddenly slammed open and all the members had gasped. Natsu Dragneel had kicked the doors open, "I'M HOME!" The young dragon slayer shouted as the guild laughed at him. Natsu saw Lucy sitting at the bar and ran up to her. "Yo Luce!" He said in a cheery voice as he casually threw his arm over her shoulder "Let's take a job! Happy's been wanting to and hey, ya gotta pay yer rent somehow!" He laughed. Lucy sighed and apologized to Mirajane. She turned to Natsu, "Have you got a job picked out?" she inquired to Natsu. "Uhhh….no." Natsu said reluctantly "Ya wanna pick one?"

"No, not really. I also have enough money for rent. I don't really need to take a job. I'm only agreeing to go because we're a team. You pick."

"OK!" Natsu ran to the request board and grabbed a job that caught his interest. "Alright Luce! I got one!"

"What's the job?"

"All we have to do is help some town with some bandits. It pays 500,000 jewels!"

"I have a bad idea about this... Let's go." Lucy said, a hint of unease in her voice.

As soon as Natsu heard his partner's OK to go he grabbed her hand and lead her out of the guild ignoring the snickers from his guild mates.

"Ne, Natsu? Are we going to take a wagon? Or is mister tough salamander too scared." Lucy teased.

A light blush crawled onto Natsu face "You can take a wagon! I'll have Happy fly me. Wait! WHERE'S HAPPY?!" Natsu shouted realizing his exceed friend wasn't beside them.

-Meanwhile at Natsu and Happy's home-

"I wonder if Natsu got Lucy to agree to go on a job with us." The blue exceed thought as he got up and flew to the guild. He flew into the guild and noticed his partners weren't there. Worried, he asked Mirajane "Where's Natsu and Lucy!?" Mirajane looked up surprised to see Happy "They already left to go on a job. I thought you went with them." The bartender replied in her soft voice. "THEY LEFT WITHOUT ME?! Hmph! I'll just go on a job with Carla and Wendy!" Happy said angrily

-Back to our main characters-

Having forgotten their neko comrade Natsu and Lucy made their way to the town that needed help. "How could we forget Happy?! Natsu shouted in a rage. "I mean he WAS the one who wanted to go on a job! How the hell could we forget him?!" Lucy had now grown tired of the dragon slayer's complaining who had now been making her ears bleed for 2 hours and smacked him. "Shut up." she said as she gave him a rare Lucy glare. Natsu had shut up about abandoning Happy, Lucy's glare was scary. Trying to break the awkward silence between the two of them Natsu asked Lucy "How long do ya think it'll take to kick those bandits asses?" Lucy let out a light laugh 'Glad I could entertain ya' Natsu thought hearing his friend's laugh. "Seriously, I mean the reward IS 500,000 jewels. It must have something creepy about it."

"Natsu, who cares if it's just bandits. You and I can kick their asses no sweat." Lucy said with a laugh.

"Glad you believe in me." Natsu grinned at his partner.

"Natsu, I've always believed you. I have every since I joined this guild." ((AHAHAHA ACTUAL QUOTE! I'm stupid. Sorry. Let's continue…))

Natsu blushed as he heard Lucy say this. "D-don't flatter me."

"Usually you LOVE being complimented. Why act shy now?" Lucy teased.

"I-it's only be-because it's you. Y-you're special Lucy…" Natsu murmured. 'Oh my god! Did I just say that?! Why now of all times!? I found my mate, which just has to be my partner and kept quiet but NO. My loud mouth has to go and spout unnecessary things!'

"I'm special?" Lucy questioned him.

"Y-yeah special. I-I mean you ARE my partner." Natsu replied 'Hopefully I covered that one up. Dammit I swear if she finds out…'

"Oh! Ok I see what you mean. You're special to me too Natsu!" Lucy said cheerfully flashing a grin at Natsu. Natsu's blush reach his ears. 'I wonder if she would say the same thing if she knew just how special she really was…' Natsu's blush deepened. 'Aha! I'll tell her once we beat those bandits that I love her! I-I mean that should work… Right?' Natsu began to feel uneasy. "Hey Lucy let's hurry to that town so we can get the job done and apologize to Happy!" Natsu told her.

"I don't feel like running Natsu. Let's just keep our pace!" Lucy groaned. They have been walking for hours she was getting tired and sore.

'Heh. Now's my chance. If she isn't already in love with me I'll make her fall in love with me before this job ends.' Natsu took the chance to swipe Lucy off her feet and onto his back. "Let's go Luce!" Natsu shouted happily as he ran with his mate on his back.

Lucy was quite shocked at the fact that Natsu had suddenly picked her up. She was use to being carried by him, she didn't really mind. Lucy put her head in Natsu's shoulder, content and comfortable. The ride was smooth and Lucy quickly fell asleep.

Natsu blushed as he felt her get comfortable. Her warm breath washed over his neck, making even the fire dragon slayer go hot. 'She's so warm and soft' thought Natsu as he ran praying he wouldn't wake her. Natsu had never felt like this about anyone. Not even Lisanna. She was the closest girl to him before he had met Lucy. He knew Lisanna had feelings for him but he could never respond to them. 'Once I confess to Lucy after this job I gotta tell Lisanna, I know it'll hurt her but.. Lucy's more important..' Now that Natsu had decided his plans he ran faster to the town, he wanted to get there before Lucy woke up.

About an hour later Natsu had made it to the town. It wasn't really a town though, more like a really,really, small village. There weren't many people in the village but a man about the size of Fairy Tail's guild master, Makarov, had stepped towards Natsu. "Hello young man. I'm Shiro, the chief of this village. Ah, I see you have a nice young lady with you too." the old man eyed Lucy, "Are you the Fairy Tail wizards that accepted to help this poor village?" Natsu was taken aback by the small old man 'Yeah you old pervert this nice, young lady is mine! Touch her and I'll kill you without hesitating. Bastard looking at something that's mine' Natsu mused to himself in anger. Natsu removed Lucy from his back and moved her into his arms holding her in a princess hold. He grabbed her protectively and growled at the old man "Yeah, me and my partner are Fairy Tail wizards." Natsu glared Shiro, "Where are these damned bandits?" he asked aggressively. Shiro had noticed Natsu's protectiveness towards Lucy, "I take it she's yours?" the old man chuckled as Natsu blushed at his cheeky comment "Young man…" The carefree tone in hiro' voice had been replaced with a gloomly voice "A-about the bandits… t-they… robbed my village. All of the villagers are weakened, they fought their hardest. These bandits were too much. You two might not be enough to defeat them… but you are from a notorious guild. After we were robbed the bandits escaped to a cave about 5 miles east from here. Please, the hope of our village lies in the hands of you two."

"I understand. We'll get your stolen things back and bring hope to your can count on us!" Natsu, having completely forgotten about the perverted side of Shiro, flashed a heartwarming smile at him. "Be-before we go… can I have some food? Just some fire is good. I don't want to burden you guys." Natsu shyly asked. Shiro laughed a hearty laugh and beckoned Natsu to a campfire in the middle of the village. Natsu put his mouth in the flames and began to suck in the flames, he was careful not to get Lucy too close so he was in an awkward position. 'I refuse to put Lucy down. Who knows what that old man will do to her when my back is turned…' apparently Natsu hadn't forgotten about Shiro's perverted side. "Thanks for the meal. I'll be heading off now." Natsu, still carrying the sleeping Lucy, grabbed some bread and berries from a nearby table and put it in his bag and began to walk east. 'Luce will probably be hungry when she wakes up.'

Lucy felt the ground shake beneath her as she opened her eyes, she saw a blur of pink. "Natsu…?" she groaned. Natsu looked down at the girl in his arms and smiled softly. "G'mornin sleepy head. Ya want down?" Lucy had snapped into consciousness after she realized she was being carried in a princess hold. "H-hai!" she screeched as a blush ran across her face. Shocked at the blonde's sudden outburst Natsu set Lucy down gently. "Ya'know Luce, that's not a nice way to thank someone after carrying you for almost 2 hours without setting you down." Natsu gave Lucy the puppy eyes "I mean I would at least expect a 'thanks' hmph!" Natsu turned around. He was acting like a brat and he knew it. 'Heh, I may love her but I still love teasin' her' Natsu looked behind him to see Lucy blushing. 'how…cute…' the blonde looked up to end up locking eyes with a certain pink haired dragon slayer. She blushed redder than she was, "T-thank you Natsu…" She mumbled quietly. She knew he would be able to hear her, I mean he had amazing hearing, she just hoped she didn't. 'he carried me the entire time I was sleeping? He never put me down?' Lucy had thought to herself after she apologized to the dragon slayer.

Natsu didn't expect her to lock eyes and apologize. He didn't want to accidentally say something stupid. "Hey we better get to the cave! We have about a mile left Luce!" Natsu shouted nervously. Lucy figured the conversation was over and ran up to Natsu whose pace was quickening. She and her partner's blushes hadn't faded yet…

Continued in part two