Disclaimer : I don't own Fairy Tail. As if it wasn't already obvious.

A door creaked open, letting the cool morning air pour into a small apartment. A young woman got out, and returned the door to its original position before securely locking it, as she usually did. She then turned around, facing the canal across from the street. As usual, she jumped onto the canal's slightly raised border, her backpack softly landing on her back as her feet landed on the border. Every day, the same two men passing by on a boat would tell her to be careful not to fall off, and that day was no exception.

"Be careful not to fall off, Lucy-san!" were the fisher's exact words.

Lucy's response was also always the same: "I am!"

And so Lucy continued walking along the canal's border, arms stretched sideways as to keep her balance. When finally she arrived at her destination, she jumped off the border, and crossed the street, slightly adjusting her uniform on the way to Magnolia High School.

Lucy entered her classroom and sat down mere moments before her teacher, Gildarts, came in. One of her classmates, however, wasn't as lucky as she was. A salmon-haired boy came storming in the classroom a few minutes later. Gildarts turned around, ready to yell at the person who dared be late to his class, but just sighed and got back to the lesson once he found out who it was. The boy then sat down, two seats next to Lucy. Between them were Levy and Gray, who she'd met a few days ago, when she transferred to MH.

'It's strange' thought Lucy. 'I've been here a few days already, but I've never seen that guy before. That means he wasn't in school... Maybe he was just sick. Yeah, that must be it.'

After that thought, Lucy reported her attention back to the lesson, taking a few notes. She didn't notice the boy staring at her for a while, before quietly whispering something to Gray.


When the bell rang for lunch, Lucy quickly packed her things and waited for Levy to do the same, before exiting the classroom. As they were making their way through the crowded hallways, she noticed a blob of pink hair. Her curiosity stirred up again, and so she decided to ask Levy about him: "Levy-chan, you know that pink haired boy that came to class late? How come I've never seen him before?"

"Oh, Natsu?" came Levy's quick answer. "Well, that's because he wasn't here. He was… sick."

"Oh, okay." answered Lucy.

"By the way, don't ever say his hair his pink in front of him. He always insists it's salmon."

An unknown voice then cut in on the conversation: "That's because it is! Anyways, Levy, I need to talk to you. It's important."

The girls turned around to see the voice's owner, and, standing right behind them, was Natsu. To Lucy's surprise, Levy agreed, and told her that she would meet her at the cafeteria, at their usual table, before walking away.


With Natsu and Levy

"Okay, I'll make this quick. You know that A-class board back at Fairy Tail?" Levy quickly nodded. "You know the most wanted person on that board?" another quick nod. "I think that new girl could help us catch him." This time, the nod was much slower. Levy was considering what Natsu was saying, before curtly answering "no."

Natsu just sighed, knowing Levy would be the hardest to convince. "Listen Lev, I just got out of a week-long tiring mission to try and find that guy, but he's not FT's most wanted A-class criminal for nothing. I've never failed a mission before, and I'll only say this once: I. Can't. Find. Him." Natsu got out through gritted teeth, and sighed, running a hand through his hair, before continuing "I want to find him, but can't. He's too good a hider. The only way to get to him, is to make him get to us. Except we don't know where he'll strike next. You want to catch him just as bad as I do, right? Well I found a way to catch him. And I can't do this without your friend's help."

Levy sighed, rubbing her temples. She knew that if Natsu, one of Fairy Tail's top agents, couldn't find that guy, then no one could. He was the best at finding people, even when they haven't been seen in years. He always found what he was looking for, never has he failed a mission before. So if Natsu actually asked for someone else's help, that meant there was no other way.

"Alright, what's your plan?"

A/N : Wow, can't believe I'm actually posting this. My first published fanfiction! Please review to tell me what you think! Also, English is not my native language, so feel free to point out any errors.