"You idiot! How could you be so stupid?! I could of broken my arm, my leg, my spine, anything! All because you want to hide in bushes and trip people over for fun!"

Natsu eyed her with surprise, unable to speak. Immediately, the girl began lashing out at him, hitting his chest, arms and head with all her force – which to be honest, didn't hurt him at all. The girl had the strength of a puppy.

He let her continue to get out her anger out, while he looked over her face once more. Blonde hair, brown eyes, sweet face. It had to be Lucy. But wasn't she the awkward, polite girl who helped them out the other day? Since when did she become a violent, angry, killing machine? The client never told them anything about this. All he told them was to guard the house from three bad guys. The servants would give them food, but they had to stay on guard 24/7. But what was it that he said about Lucy? There was something. He was sure it was important… Finally, after a fist to his nose, he remembered…

…. Stay away from her.

Natsu grabbed Lucy's wrists during her next poorly execute punch, and held them above her head. He really didn't want to hurt her, or be mean to her. After all, she was the one who helped them first. But the client's orders were orders, and he didn't want him or Erza to find out that he had been disobeying them. She was still exerting her strength against him, but his arms never buckled. Forcing his face into one of the grumpy expressions he's seen Grey use countless times, he growled.

"You need to stay away from me."

Her arms immediately slackened. He could see her eyes so much clearer now that they weren't scrunched up in anger. They didn't make his stomach feel at ease though, as it was pierced with the guilt of hurting such a pretty girl.

"Excuse me?" she retorted, applying pressure on his arms once more. He really didn't understand her. She had to know there was no way she would win against him, yet she refused to give up and just do what he ordered her to. Stubborn girl.

"I said, you need to stay away" he snarled, pushing her arms further back. For a fleeting moment, he saw the shock on her face when she realised that he was a lot stronger then her. However, it was replaced quickly with a pout and a huff.

"But I came out here looking for you" she whispered bitterly, looking down at the ground.

Looking for him? Why on earth would she be looking for him?

"Just leave!" he demanded, as he let go of her arms. Trying his best to appear scary, he glared at her, waiting for their eyes to meet again. She ignored him for a while, crossing her arms over her stomach and biting her lower lip. When she looked up at him again, Natsu knew her decision before she even said it.

"No."

Frustrated, Natsu curled up his fist and punched it into the ground. This left Lucy feeling a little scared, but she was still too damn stubborn to admit it.

"Fine. I'll leave."

With that, Natsu got onto his feet and turned away from her. Doing his best to ignore her, he brushed the dust off his now brown scarf and marched towards the end of the garden. Behind him, he heard her footsteps follow, like a ghost who couldn't take a hint. Looking over his shoulder, he gave his best evil eye to see if it was her following him. His suspicions were confirmed as his eyes met her, equally evil as they tried roast him alive. This battle with the girl was easily becoming one of the toughest he had fought. Physically, she was a piece of cake. Mentally, heck, she was going to be the end of him.

Doing his best to take part in her psychological warfare, Natsu kept walking round and round the gardens, ignoring the girl who followed his every step.

She'll get bored and go away. Yeah, it's just a matter of time.

Lucy crossed her arms across her chest and shivered. It was now night time and she could barely see anything. All she had to go off were the sounds of his footsteps and the outline of his figure, which she could just make out thanks to the moonlight. Ignoring the pain in her calves, she kept walking forward. She hadn't followed the boy for hours only to give up now. Surely he had to stop sometime.

Another hour ticked by, and the winds became harsher on her bare shoulders. She couldn't feel her legs anymore and her cheeks were red raw from the cold. Even her nose stung to touch.

Obviously, she had to give up. Her stomach was grumbling and she felt as if her legs would give out at any moment. She could see it now. The boy didn't care about her. Clearly, he wouldn't make a very good friend. Dreams dashed and hope lost, she stopped walking, and let her legs give in to the weight of her body.

For the past ten minutes, Natsu had been using the darkness to his advantage, sneaking looks over his shoulders to see if the huffy blonde was still faithfully following behind. Having increased senses definitely had its perks, for he could both see and hear her perfectly in the darkness. He could also smell her, but that wasn't proving useful at all – just very distracting.

Lucy had been following him for hours, and he knew she must be getting cold. He could hear her teeth chatter every now and then, followed, yet again, by a determined huff. What was up with that? Perhaps he should just stop and talk to her. After all, it was night time, so no one would see them interacting. If anyone found out he could just pretend he found her outside and was telling her to go home… There's no harm in that, right?

Breaking out of his thoughts, Natsu realised that the huffing had stopped. Wait, why had all the noises stopped? There was no crunch of the gravel beneath her shoes or teeth chattering or…

The boys eyes widened in horror as his brain realised what was happening. Muscle memory took over and he was beside her, capturing her in his arms before she hit the ground.

Igneel had taught Natsu that girls were delicate creatures. They needed to be cared for and protected. They enjoyed hugs for no apparent reason and kisses on the forehead to make them feel special. He was never to hit a girl, because that's not what a gentleman would do.

Unfortunately a few years later, Natsu met Erza, and those life lessons went out the window. Girls were terrifying, fearsome creatures that should never be crossed. They would use you, tease you, and beat you without a moments warning. At least that's what Natsu thought, as he dragged the blonde across the gravel by her arm. He would of carried her, but she was a girl – tough as nails. She could handle it.

When he reached the small clearing in the shrubs he had called home the past few nights, he let her arms fall to the ground. Now, he had absolutely no idea what to do with her.

"Oi," he said as he poked the side of her head, "are you alright?"

Slowly but surely, dark eyes were revealed as she woke up.

"What the?" she mumbled, looking down at her dress to see it dirty and torn.

Natsu could do nothing as he sat there watching the blonde girl. She slowly got up from the ground, arms shaking from fatigue, but still determined to move on. Confusion took over her face, as she looked around at the shrubs, then back to the cause of her stubbornness. Natsu didn't mind though. He simply sat himself on the ground and stared at her, waiting for her to react with screams and punches or something.

"Where are we and… and why does my body hurt all over?" she questioned, flinching at the pain she discovered when she touched her waist. Looking down at her dress, she could see that she had obviously been dragged here. Why he wanted anything to do with her was beyond her comprehension, however, so she let her anger slide to confusion.

"You fell so I brought you here…" he replied, covering his mouth as he yawned. "It's night time so no one should see us talking. We'll just have to watch out for Erza."

"The red head?" Lucy pried, forgetting all about her injuries, "Oh don't worry. I've been watching her the past few days and she doesn't leave the vegetable gardens. She's probably eating cake with the servants by now."

"What?! You mean she gets cake and I- Wait what? Watching her?" Natsu eyed the girl with nervousness. He suddenly didn't feel very safe next to her. If she had been watching Erza does that mean she had been watching him? Did she see him use his magic when he was ordered against it? He was, after all, only to use it if the thieves they were paid to dispose of appeared. However, the days proved to be long and uneventful, and by the time nightfall came, he was dying to use some energy so he could actually sleep at night. That led him to practicing his magic by shooting fire into the air and watching it disappear into nothingness. He thought his spot in the forest was safe from the eyes of everyone, but Lucy the spy could prove to be his downfall.

Lucy watched his expression carefully while she thought of how to reply to his accusations.

"Well, I- Uh- I just wanted to know more about you."

"Why?"

Surely, the boy couldn't be that dense. Surely, he had to know that mages didn't just waltz into the Heartfilia estate everyday.

"Because you're a mage!"

"Huh? Oh that," he replied, running his fingers through his coarse hair in embarrassment. "Its not that unbelievable… Magic is all about heart, so I guess anyone could do it if they really believed in it."

"What kind of magic do you use?" Lucy had a hard time containing herself. She leant closer, excited to know more about the world she had only read in books.

Oh. Natsu knew that wasn't the safest question to ask him, but he really couldn't resist showing off. Igneel had always told him not to ignore a ladies request, and her large eyes were luminous even in the darkness of the night. How could he not?

Deciding that to impress is best, he shot off 6 large fireballs from his fists into the air. Lucy gasped as she stared into the darkness, watching the balls disappear into the atmosphere.

"That is so incredible."

"Yeah, I kno-" Before he could finish his sentence, he was being hoisted onto his feet.

"Teach me! Teach me!"

"What?" he asked, flabbergasted. No one had ever asked him to teach it to them. They usually shouted something at him along the lines of 'don't do that inside again or you'll never be able to use your hands again!'. Okay, that was just Erza, but he had been too scared to do it inside the guild hall again (fights with droopy eyed Gray were the exception).

"Teach me how to do what ever it is you do!" she begged. Natsu almost laughed out loud at her excitement. She looked like a puppy shaking with excitement, probably about to wet herself. Letting his ego inflate a bit more, he decided there was no harm in trying.

"Alright. First things first! Stand like this." He demonstrated the pose, with his feet at hips width apart and his hands curled into fist beside his head. "Now, you just concentrate on the warm feeling within your body, and imagine it coming out of your fist, like this."

Natsu punched the air, causing a small flame to erupt from his fist. Lucy was still staring with that gleeful smile on her face, so he took the time to show off a bit more. He punched the air as if he was sparring an invisible opponent, and finished with a high kick. Flames escaped, causing Lucy to jump back in fright.

"You.. You can do it from all parts of your body?" She asked, obviously intrigued.

"Yeah," he smirked. "And that's not even half of it." Looking over his shoulder, Natsu double checked that no one was watching them. When he confirmed they were alone, he stared right into Lucy's eyes. He definitely wanted to see her reaction to his next move.

Flames rose from his skin all over. His legs, arms, torso and head were alight, causing the darkness to disappear from around them.

Her reaction did not disappoint. For the first few seconds she was genuinely intrigued at the hint of smoke rising from his skin. When he caught alight though, she screamed with her arms in the air, almost comically. He immediately extinguished the flames from his body and tried to calm her down.

"It's alright! I meant to do that, it's what I-"

"You were on FIRE!" she interrupted, as if he didn't know it himself. Flailing her hands to make a point, she continued. "Your entire body was on fire, and then you just poofed out!"

Poofed? No one had told him that he poofed before. This girl really was an exception to the rules.

Now he really wanted to know if she could do it. If she was completely different to any person he had met before, maybe she could imitate his magic.

"Aren't you gonna try?"

"Huh?" She had stopped lecturing him and was staring at her hands, as if they were going to combust if she thought hard enough.

"To produce fire! You said you wanted to do it two minutes ago, dummy."

Okay, he didn't really think she was all that dumb. He just threw that last insult in there to get a reaction. Maybe if her blood boiled she would have a better chance at doing it. Who knows.

"I am not dumb! The house staff say I am really bright for my age and I'm going to write stories and-"

Rolling his eyes at her, he took a few steps closer. She suddenly went silent as he wrapped his hands around her wrist and brought them beside her head.

"These start beside your head. When you're in a fight though, you'll want to protect your face, so just for now-"

"You mean someone could want to fight me?! That's so dangerous, I mea-"

"Can you be quiet for two seconds?!" he snapped. The blonde girls voice suddenly stopped as she took in his serious expression. "Right, so you protect yourself in a fight, but for now don't worry. Just pretend to punch me."

He let go of her hands and took a step back. With his hands on his hips, he stared her down, hoping she would interpret it for a challenge.

"You want me to punch you?" she questioned quietly, like the thought of fighting him terrified her. Obviously this girl didn't grow up with others her age. Everyone his age at the guild loved a rough house. She was probably forced to stay inside and drink tea.

"Yes. Just throw a few punches and see what happens. Remember, focus on the warmth inside you." When she continued to stare at him, he raised his fists into the air and wiggled them, as a hint to hurry up.

"Alright." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. Boy, Natsu didn't know she would take it this seriously. When he was wondering if he should say something, her heel dug into the dirt. A small shout left her throat as she thrust her fist through the air producing..

Nothing. Absolutely nothing…

Natsu bent over and burst into laughter.

"Stop it!" she demanded, stamping her feet on the ground. "It was my first go!"

Annoyed and desperately wanting to prove him wrong, Lucy flailed her fists through the air, hoping to see some signs of fire. Again, there was nothing.

The boy's laughter died down to a few chuckles, before he dared to look in her eyes. If any part of her were to spontaneously combust, it was definitely her eyes. The glare coming his ways was ferocious and probably more scary than Erza. With that, he straightened up and decided to take the safe route – the 'comfort her' route.

"Don't worry about it. I'm the only person who has ever been able to do it."

"Oh just what I need," the girl huffed. "Please, tell me how magnificent you are!"

Uh oh. The sarcasm in her voice warned Natsu that he should tread extra lightly. She was their client's daughter after all. He wouldn't want to be the reason they lost the job.

"No I mean everyone is different and everyone has a different specialty."

This seemed to lighten the girls face, as her eyes changed from murderous intent to fascinated.

"Well maybe I was meant for some other type of magic!"

"Yeah," he agreed. Heck, he'd say anything to make her feel better.

"Maybe I'm more of a holder magic type of girl" she thought aloud, looking up in the sky with her finger on her chin.

"That could be…" he continued. Crisis averted.

"Maybe I'm a Celestial Spirit Mage!" she announced, pulling a key from her pocket and holding it in the air before him.

Wait, what?

"A crusty what?"

"Celestial Spirit Mage, dummy." She smiled at her jab, proud that she used his own word against him. He didn't seem to notice though as he was just staring at her with a dumbfound expression on his face. She decided to further explain, and perhaps show him how smart she really was. "I read all about them in the library. They summon spirits from another dimension and they fight for you. This key is a silver key, so it's not one of the twelve zodiacs, but I bet it's something just as strong and terrifying, and-"

"Show me." He interrupted. If she was able to bring some sort of spirit forth, he wanted to see just how tough they were. Maybe they could spar so when he would grow stronger and wipe the floor with Gray next time they fought. He just needed Lucy to agree with his idea first.

"Huh?" Lucy questioned, as if the idea has never entered her mind before.

"Show me what this spirit guy is like!" Natsu encouraged.

"Oh, right!" Lucy agreed, nodding her head a few times. She didn't feel very confident as she had never been able to bring it forth before. She wasn't even sure if they even existed… But if this random rose coloured hair boy could spout fire from his body without getting third degree burns, surely she could summon spirits from another dimension!

Holding the key in front of her, Lucy waved it in the air with her command.

"Spirit of the silver key, come forth!"…

AN: I'm a butt, I know! There will be one more chapter of child Natsu and Lucy, before I turn them into angtsy teenagers! Woo! Sorry this chapter took so long to write. I was caught up in my one shot and other silly time wasting activities. Hopefully I won't take months for the next updates? Here's hoping. Thanks again for reading!