Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

So Chapter 1 went off without a hitch. Seems reception was positive enough... that's good! So this chapter is going to open up the world a little more, introduce some other characters from Natsu's childhood and overall, flesh out his history a bit more. Plus, I do like giving other characters from background, such as referring to Cana and Gildarts, along with Cana's late mother. Not much else to say.

Remember the poll is up! Right now, Mira has a lead, but Ultear is quite close behind! Every character has a mapped out arc for how they will influence the story should they be picked, so don't think each one is the same story line.

Enjoy!

Natsu, impatiently, sat in class, fingers drumming incessantly on the arm rest of his chair, with his focus diverted elsewhere. Even though he had a keen interest in Biology, he was already overly familiar with the specifics of ATP-synthesis, along with the three different metabolic pathways, so he found himself slipping away mentally. It wasn't as if he had to worry about being noticed, either- the lecture was over 100 people, and the professor didn't even know his name, nor did they care.

Instead, his mind was focused on the call he'd received from the Cait Shelter foster care center. It had been two days since the call, and he'd refrained from calling them back purely because he had no idea what to do or say. Cana had asked him why he hadn't mentioned Wendy before, only for him to state the obvious: he didn't know he had other family. His foster father Igneel had never brought up any remnants of family members, nor had he left any mention of them in his will after he passed away. In fact, as far as Natsu was aware, Igneel himself was an only child with no relatives.

Apparently though, that wasn't the case. He had done some digging and found a few interesting tidbits. For one, Wendy, too, was an only child. It seemed she was raised by a very powerful political figure located somewhere else, known locally as Lady Grandeeney. Her father was unmentioned, causing Natsu to assume that he either wasn't around, or had perished when Wendy was a baby. It was more than likely that Lady Grandeeney made it so that his death wasn't publicized, as it was common for high-ranking political figures to mask deaths via media-blackouts.

Even with all that knowledge, Natsu still didn't know what to do about the current predicament. It wasn't as if he was indifferent toward Wendy; he was once in the same boat as her, after all. The difference was that Igneel was a competent man with plenty of knowledge when it came to parenting. He, on the other hand, was not only not prepared, but he also wasn't knowledgeable. Taking care of himself was one matter... adding in a young child was a completely different track altogether.

A dull buzz, accompanied by a vibration against his thigh snapped Natsu from his reverie as he slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone. A single message popped up from 'Mira', causing Natsu to groan. She was more than likely going to chew him out if she'd found out he still hadn't called the care center.

Sure enough, he opened the message and read it once over. 'Have you decided to call the lawyer back?'

Natsu frowned and quickly typed in his response. 'No. Don't know what to do.'

It wasn't that he regret telling her... yet. Going to her for advice was one the best things he'd done thus far, but that didn't mean she made it easy to take her good hints.

Without another thought, Natsu grabbed his backpack and threw it over his shoulder, before making his way down the aisle and leaving the class early. There was no point on him being there if he wasn't even going to pay attention, plus, he knew Mira would inevitably be wanting to meet up with him so that she could speak with him.

Another buzz. 'Are you serious? It's been two days! Are you in class?'

He smirked; he'd read her like a book. His smirk vanished just as quickly though, as he thought about the implications. He didn't want to avoid the little girl, but he wasn't really sure if he was up to the responsibility. He just wanted to party, have a good time in college before getting into the nitty-gritty parts of his life- this was exactly why he didn't have a girlfriend yet! It would just weigh him down and limit his opportunities... or so he told himself.

'Nah. Just ditched.'

One of these days, he'd actually try harder in school, he thought. It was just far too easy right now; Igneel was more than strict when it came to schoolwork and knowledge. He'd taught him more in the time he'd been around than in the years of public schooling he'd been forced to endure. Magnolia University may have been a large-scale university, but at the end of the day, Igneel himself had attended the school too, meaning he was capable of passing on knowledge.

The weather outside, while still cool, was still nice enough for Natsu to smile a little. People walked about, ignorant to his internal dilemma, passing by without a care in the world. Pulling out his phone, Natsu checked the time: 12:43. He grinned; just in time for lunch.

Heading toward the center of campus, Natsu quickly shot Mira a text telling her to meet him at the dining district for lunch. He figured she'd be less inclined to get mad if she was in the public's eye. He'd been on plenty of dates that ended badly, but were salvaged merely because he was in the gaze of tons of people, and many people liked avoiding public gossip if possible.

Putting a hand to his chin, Natsu wondered about what food would satisfy his cravings today... he hadn't yet gone to the gym, so there wasn't a huge necessity to pack on protein... although, he couldn't resist grilled, spicy chicken over steamed rice.

Checking his phone, he saw Mira had texted him twice, likely once before the message was sent, and once after she'd read it. 'You should really care about your classes more... it gives us time to talk, though.' Then, 'Okay; don't be late ;)'

Natsu rolled his eyes; he was late one time to one of her lunch 'dates' , and suddenly, he was ALWAYS late in her eyes. Still, he couldn't help the small grin that slipped on his lips. Out of all of the people he knew at MU, Mira was among one of his favorites, simply because of her caring nature and willingness to help in anyway possible. It was no surprise to him when she'd told him she was proceeding on the Nursing major. Call it a stereotype, but she was perfectly suited to the nursing life.

He arrived in the dining district in no time, thanks partially to his close proximity from the Biological Sciences building. He, along with a crowd likely escaping from classes, slipped inside the building, some idly chatting away whilst others were glued to their phones. It was much warmer inside the building, allowing Natsu to loosen his scaly-white scarf he was commonly found with. He didn't bother checking his phone again, knowing Mira would almost inevitably find him and lock onto his location as soon as she arrived. She had a tendency to find Natsu, even when she wasn't looking for him- it was almost like magic.

Spying out his usual dining establishment, Natsu was pleased to see it was a fairly short line. He stepped in and waited a few moments, before placing his order and only had to wait a couple more minutes to actually collect his food. In that time, he was scanning the surroundings to see if he could find Mira before she found him.

"Looking for someone?" A sweet and innocent voice came from behind Natsu, causing him to sigh as he turned to face the voice. "You know I'll always find you first."

"One day I'll find you first," Natsu said determinedly, eliciting a large smile from Mira. She had her long, snow-white hair down, with the exception of a ponytail on the top. She wore a black dress with white edges, which displayed a moderate amount of cleavage, but kept more than enough hidden. The black fabric brought out the shine of her ocean-blue eyes, which were deep enough to cause a man to lose himself within them for hours. Her smile, radiant and innocent as always, lit up the room and made the weather feel ten degrees warmer.

She cast Natsu a teasing look, before gesturing to a nearby unoccupied table. "That'll certainly be the day."

The duo took a seat, Natsu having his chicken and Mira having bought Kuzumochi, which Natsu recognized as one of her favorite meals. The pinkette couldn't help but notice the bright radiance that Mira cast off on a daily basis; it was always more than enough to lift his mood and fill him with positive energy. It was something he couldn't help but admire. It was the same reason he came to her for advice.

While he wanted her opinions, he also didn't quite want to start dreading the talk, so he tried his best to stall.

"Bring stuff from home again?"

Mira took a bite, smiling as she savored the texture of the Kuzumochi. While Natsu found it a little odd when he'd found out, he'd come to accept Mira's oddities- such as her reason for enjoying Kuzumochi so much was the texture of the kuzuko that made up the mochi cakes. It had little to do with the actual taste, as he'd come to discover when he tried it himself one day, before promptly blanching at the taste and immediately grilling her on why she ate the stuff.

"Of course," Mira said, pointing at the man with her fork. "I'd say I can cook better than what's offered, wouldn't you?"

Natsu shrugged nonchalantly. He wouldn't admit it aloud in fear of giving her more ammunition to use against him, but her cooking skills not only surpassed his own, but eclipsed almost everyone's cooking he'd ever tried. He had no idea how she did it, but somehow, she could bring even the worst foods to life in a way that could bring the pinkette to tears of joy. The only food that she couldn't get him to eat again was, coincidentally, her Kuzumochi.

"So, let's get onto the real reason we're here, shall we?" Mira asked, her gaze locking onto Natsu's onyx eyes.

"So what do you think I should do?" Natsu asked seriously, wasting no time beating about the bush. He didn't even need to expand, as Mira simply took a bite of her food and swallowed, looking Natsu deep in his eyes, straight into his soul. He resisted the urge to shudder as he could practically feel her probing around his brain.

Without her even having to answer, Natsu knew exactly what she was thinking before she even spoke. "Simple; you call, and you meet this man."

Wendy's name went unspoken, but it went without saying. Natsu wasn't sure why they avoided saying her name, but every time he'd said it aloud, he'd become slightly more anxious than the previous time.

"A-and if I'm to assume responsibility?" He cursed himself for stuttering, but it wasn't the stutter that caused Mira to roll her eyes, rather, Natsu's inability to look at the situation from a secondary point of view.

"Natsu, this isn't your child. Yes, you might have to look out for her, but it's not as if this is your child that you abandon after conception." Natsu frowned, hating the sound of that. Having parents that put him up for adoption before he was technically even born was rough, and ever since he'd found out, he held a special disdain for those that had a child but were unwilling to try and raise it. He disliked those that cowardly fled even more, such as the fathers that left and never came back, or the mothers that would pawn the child off on another.

Mira continued talking, ignoring Natsu's mild glare, knowing it wasn't issued toward her. "This girl needs a temporary home... and maybe a good role model. I'm sure she's an angel. All you have to do is just provide a few basic things for her- it's really not that hard."

Natsu crossed his arms over his chest. "It's not that I'm worried I'll be unable to provide... I just don't know how to act around kids..."

Raising an eyebrow, the snow-haired woman looked at Natsu blankly. Had he not realized that he was practically still a kid at heart? He still loved running amok with little to no regard for his well-being, as well as enjoying the finer parts of life, such as building massive sand-castles on the beach during Spring Break, or starting a snowball fight in the middle of campus during winter. If anyone was capable of putting aside their responsibilities and cutting back once in awhile, it was Natsu. Although, since he'd enrolled at the university, his fun-loving, laid-back style of life was put on hold for the life of a wild party-boy...

Then, Mira wondered, if Natsu was being completely honest. Perhaps there was something he wasn't saying...

"It's not that I can't be nice," Natsu said, seeing the look on Mira's face. He looked away with a frown. "I just don't know if I can give up the freedom. It's a lot to ask... and a lot to change."

"Oh my... Natsu. Quit being so thick-headed!"

Natsu redirected his frown at Mira, however, she puffed her cheeks up and leveled one of her patented 'devil-glares' that she'd once thrown around endlessly as a child. Despite its rust, Natsu quickly averted his gaze and sighed, silently cursing the white-haired woman. She relented, only to huff in annoyance, and take another bite of food.

"Why is this such an issue? It's not as if you're going to be alone on this."

Natsu muttered something under his breath that Mira couldn't hear. "Come again?"

The pinkette sighed. "What if she doesn't like me? It would kind of suck to have a... kid that doesn't really like me."

Mira took careful note of how he refrained from using the word 'daughter', as if saying it made it true. However, she decided to avoid the topic... for the moment, that is. Instead, she directed her attention toward Natsu's fears and inner thoughts.

"Why do you think she won't like you?"

"I wasn't the most... friendly kid," Natsu reminded her. Mira internally rolled her eyes at that; he may not have been the most friendly, but he was one of the most likable kids around Magnolia. His energy, paired with his natural sense of adventure, made him a target for anyone looking to have fun. He was genuine, almost to a fault, which could sometimes bring out the truth when it needed to be hidden, but in the end, Mira had thought Natsu to be a fairly kind child. "Besides; if I recall, I was a handful."

Mira couldn't help but agree at the last part. He'd earned himself the nickname "the dragon" due to his temper and resilience. "So? This girl isn't you- she's already 11 you said, so she's practically defined herself. She doesn't have your genetics."

There was a moment of silence as the pink-haired teen thought. "What about school? And friends?"

"That's what you'll talk about with the guy. And don't worry, she'll make them naturally. Plus, doesn't Mr. Conbolt have a son around that age?"

Mr. Conbolt was one of Magnolia University's professors, although what he specialized in was beyond anyone's comprehension. He was commonly found in the chemistry building, overseeing the laboratory students, or he was found ogling some of the female professors. While he had a strict policy of avoiding lewd comments about female students whilst on campus, he had a slight reputation for drunkenly hitting on anyone whenever he was at the local bar and hotspot- the Fairy Tail.

Natsu, being a biology major, had done a few summer jobs for Mr. Conbolt, and in turn, was on a fairly good basis with the older man. Still, Natsu hadn't considered him to be a reliable source of information... but now that Mira had mentioned it, he did have a son around 11 or 12, which meant he could be of some help.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to see Mira was winning her side of the argument. The young pink-haired man's resolve was beginning to crumble, and his nervousness was becoming more and more on display, meaning he was considering the idea on a deeper level than before. Out of instinct, the snow-haired woman grabbed Natsu's tanned hand and gentle held it in her much smaller hands. Despite the shock on Natsu's face, he didn't pull his hand back, instead, he just stared at her with a speckle of red dusting his cheeks.

"Trust me; I wouldn't lie to you," Mira said with her wide blue eyes. Natsu scowled and pulled his hand back, causing Mira to frown and puff her cheeks at his attitude. He looked away from her, but the remnants of his blush still coated his face.

He sighed and pulled out his phone, before tapping away at the lock screen and pulling up a familiar voicemail. Mira's eyes widened as she watched Natsu put the phone to his ear and listen intently, despite the half-lidded eyes and bored look on his face. He didn't move or give any indication he was listening to the voicemail until he looked directly at Mira and began reciting a set of numbers. Despite the spontaneity, Mira quickly recited them under her breath in an effort to remember them.

Natsu then hung up the phone, and switched over to a dial-pad, where he looked at Mira with a hidden expectancy. Mira rolled her eyes; of course he wouldn't bother to remember any of the digits, she thought. Regardless of his lack of attempting, she relayed what she remembered, and watched Natsu hit the 'call' button with large, hopeful eyes. He waited a moment as the faint sound of a ringing was heard, before an elderly voice spoke through the speaker.

"Hi, uh, is this... Ray?"

Mira nearly fell on her face in shock. Leave it to Natsu to not even know who he was calling.

The man said something and Natsu nodded absentmindedly, finding interest in the scraps of food remaining on his plate. Mira used a spoon to smack the pinkette's hand fiddling with his fork, causing him to drop the utensil and glare at her as she pointed to the phone firmly.

"Yeah, this is Natsu. I'm... I'm calling about the voicemail you left." A few seconds passed. "A-about Wendy?"

Natsu almost had to pull the phone from his ear as the volume drastically increased, likely a result from the man yelling loudly into the phone from either excitement (Mira hoped it was excitement) or something else. He tenderly put the phone back near his ear and exhaled in relief as the volume seemed to decrease.

He paled as the man said something, before nodding and sighing. "Yeah, I can come meet you. Tomorrow works fine..."

Mira felt her heart begin to race. He was doing it!

"Right. I'll keep that in mind... thanks. I'll see you then."

With a deep breath, Natsu pressed 'End Call' and looked at Mira expectantly. The two stared at each other for a moment, before Mira smiled widely with pride shining in her eyes. Though he'd deny it if she said anything, she could seem the curves of a smile forming on his lips.

"Don't get too excited..." Natsu said, standing up to throw out his trash. "Since you talked me into this, you're coming with me tomorrow."

Annddd cut scene!

Whew. Good little development there. Finding a place for Natsu's personality is difficult, because he can't fight people, and he's also in college, which means he should be relatively stable-minded. So, the partying is meant to show he's focused more on diversions than facing the actual problem... which will come up later.

Anyways; be sure to check out the poll, and remember to vote and review! Thanks guys!