A/N: MERRY DECEMBER 1st~ Now there are only 23 days until Christmas |D Isn't it wonderful? And I can't believe it's already snowing outside here! THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT IS HERE!
Anyway, the story |D This is the first chapter which I'll be using to introduce some of the characters. Also, I hope no one minds I made Happy human xDD I remember seeing a drawing of human Happy once and I LOVED it xDD He's also a bit older than in the series (6 a bit too young) but it's not going to make much of a difference. There will be more characters from the series so just wait and see~

The sun had not yet risen to a point where it would illuminate the small town of Magnolia, let alone warm it up, even if just a little. Snow was already covering the ground in a fine layer of pure white and the frost was glistening on branches in the cold morning air.

Shivering under his blankets, Natsu silently wished for the weather outside to not be as freezing as it appeared. Winter had only just begun and he was already missing the warmth of summer.

"Natsu! Wake up, wake up!" A loud voice pierced the silence as his younger roommate came bouncing into his bed. "Do you know what day it is today? Well, do you?"

With a tired growl, Natsu flipped onto his stomach, burying his face in the pillow to shut out the visibly excited blue-haired child. It had no effect whatsoever.

"It's December!" The boy pulled off Natsu's blankets in the blink of an eye, leaving the older male exposed to the cold of the room. "That means it'll be Christmas soon! There's even snow outside! Isn't it great? We should go play in it!"

"I think I'll pass, Happy," Natsu groaned, curling up in a tiny ball to preserve as much of his body heat as he possibly could. "Pass me my blanket and let me sleep a little longer, will ya?"

"Natsu!" Happy whined, shaking his roommate to wake him up. "You'll be late. You're supposed to be there in half an hour. Erza will get angry with you again."

Grimacing, Natsu sat up in the bed, running a hand through his messy pink hair. Having Erza at his neck from the morning was not exactly an appealing thought. He threw a glance at Happy, who was grinning widely.

"Alright. I'll get ready and then we'll leave for school, 'kay?"

"Okay!" Happy exclaimed, still smiling while waiting for Natsu to get dressed. How the young boy managed to always be so full of energy was a mystery to Natsu.

Putting on the white shirt and grey trousers with a matching grey jacket, all part of his own school uniform, Natsu ran his hand through his hair several times in front of the mirror. Once satisfied with his appearance, he returned to Happy.

"I'm all set," he grinned, giving his roommate a thumbs-up. "Let's get going!"

"Aye sir!"

While Magnolia Town itself was quite small, its school was of a remarkable size, mainly because of what kind of school it was. Tenrou Academy was a boarding school, and one of the less expensive of its kind as well.

That, and the fact that he had always been a troublemaker, had caused Natsu's father to send him off to Magnolia to hopefully mature a bit. So far, nothing had changed.

Just about to waltz into his classroom, Natsu felt someone take a firm group on his collar. His attempts to escape were all but successful. Resignedly he turned his head to find a certain red-haired woman.

"Natsu…" she growled ominously, her eyebrow twitching in irritation. "Just when will you learn to wear your uniform correctly and set a good example of our school? Your tie is not tied properly."

Letting go of his collar, the girl proceeded to turn him around and do his necktie over. A few of the other students cast a few glances their way, but it was a common scene. As the student council president, Erza was determined to make the school look good.

"There you go," she said, finishing up what she was doing. "Do remember to do it right yourself next time or I will make sure that you are punished for you negligence."

Turning around on her heel, Erza left behind a dumbfounded Natsu. Standing still, someone suddenly poked him lightly on the shoulder.

"Causing trouble for Erza again, huh?" His friend, Lucy, came up to his side, her cheeks flushed as if she had been running for a while.

"Not really. She just helped me fix my tie. But you look like you've been in a hurry? Were you running late for once?"

"You could say that." Lucy sighed, fanning her neck. "It's that time of year. You know, when I have to pay my respects to the spirits of the new season. It's a family tradition."

"Oh, the spirits," Natsu grinned, poking fun at her. "Did you remember to write a letter to Santa as well? Maybe he'll swing by in his sleigh with his flying reindeers and merry little elves."

"You shouldn't mock the spirits," Lucy warned, brushing him off completely. "Just because you haven't met one doesn't mean they're not real. Maybe you'll bump into one someday."

At the sound of the bell, their discussion ended abruptly and they headed for their classroom. Taking a quick look out of the window, Natsu sighed deeply. It was easy to conclude that it was not going to get any warmer.

The snow was crunching beneath his feet as Natsu made his way home through the empty fields. While in summer they were lush and green, they now were covered in snow and ice.

His thoughts wandered back to his discussion with Lucy earlier. Spirits sure as hell could not be real? How could they? Just like ghosts and Santa Claus, they were products of the wild imaginations of little kids.

Passing a small pond, Natsu noticed a figure out on the frozen water. He stopped in shock. It had only started snowing the day before. It was not possible for the ice to hold the weight of a person already. Instinctively Natsu went for the water, waving his arms wildly.

"Hey, that's dangerous!" What if the ice breaks?"

The figure turned around towards him, apparently surprised to see someone else out in the town outskirts. In response to the shout-out, it moved back onto solid ground, stopping right in front of Natsu.

It was a boy, just slightly taller than Natsu. His hair was short and raven black and his eyes had the same grey color as the winter sky. He was clad in a white t-shirt and a pair of dark olive pants. Despite his light clothing, he did not appear to be cold at all.

"Huh? Who the hell are you?" The strange boy glared down at Natsu, slightly irritated. "What're you doing out here?"

"I was just walking home," Natsu growled back, returning the glare." But then I saw you out on that pond. Don't you know that it's dangerous to walk out on ice that hasn't been safely checked?"

"None of your business whether I know or not, actually. It's not like I could fall through anyway." The boy scratched the back of his head. Natsu was certain that he had not seen him before, not in school nor in town. While he was not exactly good with faces in the first place, he would have remembered an idiot like this.

"Are you a spirit?"

"Excuse me? Am I what?"

"A spirit." The boy shook his head impatiently. "You're not the brightest, are you? This isn't exactly a place where ordinary people "take a walk" so to speak. Anyway, I was just wondering. Don't be a douche."

"Ordinary people walk home. I live out here." Natsu clenched his fist. How he wanted to punch that guy's face. "I'm outta here. I've got better stuff to do." He pointed his finger at the other. "It's not my problem when you end up freezing to death after falling through the ice."

As Natsu began to walk away, fuming, a hand gripped his wrist. He glanced back at the boy, met with an indifferent stare. What in the world was up with him?

"Gray," the boy said, letting go of Natsu's arm and shook his hand instead. At Natsu's frown, he explained. "My name. What's yours, Pinky?"

"Don't call me Pinky," Natsu snapped, taking back his own hand. "I'm Natsu. What's it to you?"

"Nothing, really," Gray mused. "I was just curious. Can't say I know a lot of people around here, which is kind of boring." He shot Natsu a grin. "Maybe now it'll be more interesting."

Before Natsu could ask what he meant, he turned around and walked away. Watching him leave, Natsu frowned at the thought of seeing him again.

Okay, maybe that would not be too bad. That boy, Gray, somehow seemed interesting unlike most of the people he knew at school. If they met again, maybe this December would become a bit brighter.

- December 1st – Their Fated Meeting