I so sorry for my shortened chapters, I promise I will make this treachery up.

It took a while for Natsu to notice that his heart beat intensely, even hours after the fight. He couldn't get Annie off of his mind. He sat alone on the roof of a tall building, letting his legs dangle. The moon was high in the air, and the city was silent. Natsu liked it this way.

The still image of her eyes staring into his, was something he could not shake. It was still there, she was still there. Trapped in his mind. After hours of debating in his mind, he finally concluded that he had a crush on her. He had never really known what being in love felt like before. He could never grasp the idea of devoting your love, thoughts, feelings, practically everything, to this single individual. He never seemed to understand that concept until now.

Now, all he thought about was seeing her again. He could see why Juvia was all over Gray, because he now understood the feeling. He was finally experiencing the effects of love. He just didn't know how to react to it. He didn't know what to do or say, how to greet her. He definitely didn't want to act like Juvia, practically harassing the one she loved.

'Wait, are girls into that? Nah, probably not,' He thought. 'Girls are an enigma.'

As Natsu was thinking, he didn't notice the person walking up behind him. They cleared the throat behind, startling him enough that he almost fell from the roof. He turned around and found himself staring into the blue eyes of the girl he couldn't stop thinking about.

"Annie!" He exclaimed. True, he wanted to see her again. Now that she was here, he didn't know what to do.

Instead of saying anything else, she sat down on the edge next to him. There was a long moment of awkward silence between the two. Annie broke the silence.

"I couldn't take my mind off you all day," she said, looking down at the street below, "You stayed glued to my mind, and I couldn't get you out, no matter how hard I tried."

Natsu sighed. "Same here." He wasn't ready to admit his feelings for her quite yet.

They once again dropped into silence. Natsu shifted uncomfortably, but Annie seemed to be perfectly calm, not meeting his eyes.

Once more, she ended the silence. "I'm starting to think I have feelings for you."

'Man, she sure isn't someone that likes to beat around the bush,' Natsu thought. She seemed like a less frightening version of Erza.

Natsu replied, "You too, huh?"

"The thing is, I can't tell what they are," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I can't tell if I've fallen in love with you, or if I'm simply lusting after you."

Natsu hummed in question. What in the world did lusting mean? He had most certainly heard the word before, but never knew what it meant?

"What does that mean," he asked. Annie gave him a look, wondering how he didn't know what it meant.

"It means," she began, "Love is wanting someone to be happy, caring for them. You want to get to know them, and you'll enjoy everything about them, even their little flaws. Lust, on the other hand, is much different. It represents more of a carnal desire, a strong sexual need."

Natsu stayed silent, taking in everything she said.

"And, I honestly can't decide. Maybe it's a bit of both," she said. "The point is, you've made me like you."

"Wow, Natsu said, "You sure don't hold anything back when you talk." He didn't say it in a admonishing tone, but rather one of curiosity. This girl seemed to just fascinate Natsu so much that he just wanted to know her much more. "Normally, when people like each other, they don't reveal it until sometime later."

"I guess it's because I feel...comfortable, talking to you," she said.

The two fell in silence after that. Neither said anything more. This time, the silence was comfortable, and Natsu felt that he could relax, even with Annie here. Natsu stared up at the beautiful moon in the cloudless night sky; Annie simply stared down at the street. She preferred looking down, seeing how high they were. When she was little, she used to be afraid of heights, but now she enjoyed watching her legs dangle. Every now and then, someone would walk down the street and politely wave to the two.

As calm as the two were on the outside, their hearts beat like crazy. Well, at least that's Natsu felt. Annie looked like the type of girl that was fazed by nothing. Natsu kept as calm as he could, but he couldn't stop the small bead of sweat that rolled down his face.

Taking his mind away from the subject, he began to think of his friends. But the fact that some of them were dead kept haunting him. When he first found out, he wasn't as heart-broken as he was now. He was in the middle of a fight with the King of Dragons, so he couldn't show any sadness. It only came back to him when explaining his story to the group on the wall.

'The worst thing is, when I get back, I won't ever see them again,' he thought sadly.

A sudden voice down called from the street, snapping him out of his thought. He looked down and saw a girl wearing the matching uniform. She hand long blonde hair, and blue eyes, just like Annie's. The difference was that her eyes were much more soft and innocent.

"Hey, you're name's Natsu, right?" She asked.

"Uh, yeah. That's me," he answered.

"My name's Krista," she responded. She then noticed that he was sitting with the girl that lost to him a few hours earlier.

"Hey, that fight was amazing. Both of you are really strong," she said.

Annie sighed and mumbled to herself. "Is everyone going to start bringing that up?"

"Oh! I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" She waving her hands in front of her. She blushed, but not with embarrassment. She blushed at Natsu.

Before anything else was said, a voice called her name from around the corner. There appeared a girl, tall with dark hair in a ponytail.

"Jeez, Krista! I was looking everywhere for you!" She said with what seemed like an exhausted voice.

"Ymir, what are you doing here," Krista asked as the girl wrapped an arm around her.

She was about to respond, before she noticed Natsu and Annie up on the roof.

"Was she interrupting you two?" She asked. Natsu didn't know what to say. Technically she was, but he didn't want to say no. He didn't mind some extra company.

Before providing an answer, the girl chuckled, "Wow, I don't think I wanna leave. You're pretty hot."

He looked over at Annie to ask her something, but was instantly shut up before the words came out his mouth. Annie gave the most venomous gaze Natsu had EVER seen in his life. It easily trumped Erza's scary stare. Natsu saw that she was staring straight at Ymir, although she didn't notice yet.

Natsu then noticed that Annie's fists were balled tightly, but not showing them. Why was she so angry all of a sudden? Was she angry with the girl? Annie's jaw clenched, and her breathing became a bit louder and slower. She looked about ready to pounce on the girl.

"Seriously," Ymir said, "I think we should get together or something!"

"Leave," Annie said in as calm a voice she could muster. Jealousy pierced her heart like an arrow. "Now."

"Aw man," She grumbled. "Alright, let's go." She pulled Krista along until the two vanished from sight. Annie's attitude calmed, and she let out a soft sigh. Natsu also sighed, relieved that the situation didn't get ugly.

"Annie, are you ok?"

"I'm fine," she answered, standing up. She walked a few feet, ebfore turning a putting her hands up in a fighting position. "I want to spar with you one more time."

"Seriously?" Natsu asked.

"Yes, so put up your hands," She said. Natsu sighed, getting up and putting his hands up. Annie quickly ran at him, aiming to kick the side of his head. Natsu ducked, and shot his fist up for an uppercut. It barely missed Annie's chin as she flipped backwards to avoid it.

The two went at it again, the only sounds being the whooshing air of their arms and legs. They sparred in silence. It was evident to both of them that the effort wasn't as strong as earlier. It felt as if they just sparred for fun.

However, Annie soon found herself on the ground, and Natsu on top of her. After a moment, Natsu began to get up. She wrapped her legs around his waist to prevent him from getting up. She didn't want him to leave.

Slowly, she pulled him down by his jacket, and caught his lips in a soft kiss.