Natsu jogged down the smoke-filled hallway, the torch on his hip doing little to illuminate the area directly in front of him. The fire was crackling further down the dark passageway, gaining hold; he needed to do this search sweep quickly so the team setting up two floors down could move in and fight the blaze. He'd already lost sight of his partner Gray in the haze, even though he was only a few feet away as he searched the apartments on the other side of the hallway.

"Hello? Anyone up here?", he yelled, voice muffled by the rubber mask of his breathing apparatus. Most people had already evacuated down the exterior fire escapes and were huddled in an anxious crowd in a small park across the street, but it was his job to quickly look for anyone unable to get out of the building. He systematically tested each door as he moved past. He was almost at the end of the hall, closest to the fire when he heard a dog barking. A small dog, by the sounds of the frantic high-pitched yapping.

His hand went to try the door knob, but it was already ajar. It was impossible to see anything through the thick smoke in this room, so he dropped to his hands and knees, using his hands and arms to feel. It was almost unbearably hot, he could see flames pushing into the room, the vicious crackle audible over the hiss of his breathing apparatus.

"Hey dog. Little help buddy? Where are ya?" A whimpering sound came from his left side and he reached out his gloved hand, but instead of a small dog, found the definite shape of a human arm, a woman's arm he guessed, by the size and shape.

"Gray, you there? I found someone. Evacuating her now. Are the paramedics out the front yet?" He could hardly see her in the darkness of the smoke-filled room, but managed to drag her towards him, rolling her onto her stomach. He felt relief roll over him when he heard a soft moan; she was still alive. He dragged her upwards so he could tuck his head under her arm and haul her onto his back, one hand around her slender wrist, the other tucked around her thigh.

Gray's voice crackled over the radio in his ear. "Yeah, Elfman said they're out the front already. Natsu, you need to get out. Your time's up, your tank should be close to empty. Do you think there's anyone else?"

"Nope, this was the last apartment. Fire's in the apartment at the end of the hall, western side."

"No one on this side either so the floor's clear. You take the injured person out; Elfman said the exterior crew's just about to send up a ladder", responded Gray.

Natsu shrugged the woman into position and was about to get to his feet when he heard another sharp bark. A small white dog was whimpering on the floor, cowering against his leg.

"Hey buddy. Thanks for letting me know where your girl was. Good job. But now it's time to go." He transferred the woman's wrist to the same arm hooked around her leg to lock her securely into a fireman's carry and scooped up the small dog with his other hand as he stood. There was a dull roar as the fire began to take hold, rippling across the ceiling above him like it was alive, dropping embers around them. It was definitely time to leave.

Natsu stepped out into the now pitch-black hallway, using his shoulder as a guide to where the opening of the stairwell was. He could hear Gray following him down, the sound of the slightly taller man's heavy boots echoing in the stairwell. Once they'd gone down one flight, Gray gave the all clear to send in the fire fighting crew with their hoses. Hopefully they'd caught it in time before it had jumped to the next level.

The woman in his arms moaned suddenly. "No, stay away!" she slurred, then coughed, her breath gasping a little as she twisted in his arms. Natsu maintained a firm grip on her.

"Hey, it's okay. You're safe now. There was a fire in your apartment, I'm with the Magnolia Fire Department. Just take it easy while I get you to safety Ma'am."

"You're not him?" the woman slurred again. She coughed, her breath wheezing, and Natsu hustled down the steps a little faster. She sounded disorientated, which was common with smoke inhalation injuries. The best thing he could do for her was to get her to the paramedics quickly so they could get her on oxygen and assess her injuries.

"Gray, I'm takin' her to the paramedics. You okay to make a report?" Gray nodded, holding the front door of the apartment building open for him before walking over to the crew gathered around the fire engine in front of the building.

Natsu jogged out of the building and across the road to where the paramedics where waiting. Wendy had an oxygen mask at the ready; Elfman must have let them know he was coming. "Hey Wendy. I got someone for you. She's been lapsing in and out of consciousness, coughing and wheezing and sounded a little disorientated. Fire had already taken hold, so I'd err on the side of caution and say carbon monoxide poisoning as well as smoke inhalation."

Natsu placed the dog gently on the ground for a moment so he could use both hands to carefully lay the woman down on the gurney as she continued to cough. He removed his helmet, breathing apparatus and hood, taking in a deep lungful of the smoky night air. The cooler air was a balm to his heated cheeks and soaked hair, the lighter pink darkened by sweat. He looked down at the woman on the gurney, able to get a good look at the woman he'd saved for the first time, now that he'd removed his safety equipment. She looked to be in her mid-twenties and had obviously had a rough night. Her skin was paled to a porcelain white, a stark contrast to the dark soot collected around her mouth and nose and the blood smearing her temple and golden blonde hair. Her cocoa eyes were wide and frightened. As Natsu moved to get out of the paramedic's way she grabbed his arm.

"Plue", she rasped, the effort of speaking making her cough more. "My dog, he was there…"

Natsu gave her a reassuring grin. "It's okay ma'am, try not to speak. I got 'im. He was the reason I found you. He's one brave pooch." He moved to one side to let Wendy in to assess the woman's injuries but picked up the small dog and held him so she could see her dog in his arms. The little white dog's tail wagged sluggishly as he heard his owner's voice, and he managed a few barking coughs similar to his owner. She reached out to stroke the furry ears.

"That's twice you've saved me tonight Plue. Good boy." Her arm tugged weakly on the heavy fabric of Natsu's heavy jacket. He could see she was in a lot of pain, but she looked up at him and gave him a grateful smile that went straight to his heart. "Thank you." She was stopped from saying any more as the blue haired paramedic gently placed an oxygen mark over her face.

"Lay back now ma'am. What's your name?"

"Lu…Lucy".

"Okay Lucy. I'm treating you for smoke inhalation. I know you're probably in a lot of pain right now, and I'll be giving you something for that in just a moment. You've got a few second degree burns on your arms and legs. I'm assuming you've got a pretty bad headache too huh?"

"Yeah". Lucy closed her eyes, her breathing still raspy. "He hit me."

"Who hit you?"

"The guy. The guy who started the fire…"

Natsu and Wendy shared a concerned look as Romeo set up an IV line.

"You're takin' her to Magnolia Central, right cuz?" asked Natsu. Wendy nodded, securing Lucy safely on the gurney with straps before she and Romeo loaded her into the back of ambulance. "Tell her I'll take care of her dog for her." Wendy nodded as she moved closer to Lucy in the back of the ambulance, placing a pulse oximeter on her finger-tip to monitor her heart rate and oxygen levels. Romeo shut the back door and climbed up in front.

"See ya later Natsu", he called as he started up the engine.

"Yeah, later kiddo", teased Natsu, chuckling as Romeo rolled his eyes at him. The ambulance drove off, and Natsu looked down at the dog whimpering in his arms. "Don't worry 'bout it Plue. I'm sure she'll be fine. We'll go visit later huh, after we get you looked at first." He turned back towards the fire, which was now mostly out thanks to the teams working both inside and outside the apartment block.

He put his fingers to his earpiece. "Hey Gray, ya loser. Still there?"

"Yeah. What's up flame brain?"

"Tell the chief he needs to call Erza. I think we've got more than a simple house fire on our hands. The woman had a head wound which she said was inflicted by a man who set the fire."

"Dammit. Looks like our arsonist is at it again."

"Yeah. And tell the Captain after I finish my report, I'm gonna have to end my shift early."

"What's wrong you idiot. Don't tell me you got yourself injured?"

"Nah. I'm dog sitting for Lucy. Know any good vet's around here?"