A/N: Well, I'm back, if you haven't already noticed by the other updates. Unfortunately, I haven't really had the time to put in any notes because it's still a bit tough getting the updates posted but I'm here with another one. This was requested by ChildOfSea and I really hope that I don't let you down! Please let me know what you think!

For The Love Of Nalu

Chapter 25

Theme: Puppy Love

Requested by: ChildOfSea

The first day of school is always tough, no matter who you are. Especially if you're the new kid. Little Lucy Heartfilia is new in town. Her and her parents just moved to Magnolia for business just the week before and Lucy has yet to meet any of the kids in her neighborhood. Blond curly pig tails bounced with each step as the tiny heiress walked down the hall on her first official day of school. She carried a midnight blue bag on her back that was covered in golden stars and filled with the supplies requested by the school.

The girls tiny hand rested within an older mans hand who stood not much taller than she and little Lucy couldn't help but wonder how he was so short if he was so old. Her big chocolate brown eyes gazed up at the man that reminded her a bit of an elf or even a fairy, just like those in the stories her mother always read to her. His brightly colored orange and blue outfit stood out against the stark white walls of the school and matched the striped hat that sat on his head, pushing his thick white hair flat against his scalp.

The older man turned his dark eyes to her once he spotted her looking at him and grinned. "Don't be nervous, child. You will make a great deal of friends here in no time at all." Lucy managed to give him a small smile in response, but in reality, she still felt no better. The little five year old was worried that no one would like her. That she would be made fun of instead of accepted as this man so claims she would be. "Ah, here we are." The man mumbled to himself as he pushed open the heavy oak door only to be met with a room full of rowdy kids.

A blue haired girl sat up front, her nose buried deep within a thick book. Next to her sat a boy with thick, long black hair that looked as if it hadn't been brushed in awhile and he sat there poking the blunette on the shoulder, attempting to get her attention. Directly in the front of the class, sitting in the middle desk was a girl with long scarlet locks and deep brown eyes that were trained to the front of the classroom, watching the teacher with rapt attention (who just happened to be doing nothing at the moment).

A group of girls sat talking just behind the red head, giggles could be heard coming from them followed by whispers here and there. There were a great deal of children present at the moment, but what really caught little Lucy's eyes were the two boys in the back of the classroom. They were standing up and facing each other, threats and insults shooting from one to the other in quick recession. The boy on the right had dark blue hair and equally deep blue eyes and was standing there with no shirt on. There was another blue haired girl standing just a few feet away and staring at the boy with hearts in her eyes.

The boy on the left, now that one she was really confused about. She wasn't certain whether it was actually a boy since he had this bright, bubblegum pink hair yet everything else about him showed that he was, in fact, a boy. Lucy was lost in her own thoughts as her eyes continued to scan the room so she didn't notice when the short old man took in a deep breath. "Quiet down, you brats!"

Lucy jumped at the shout as silence fell over the room. All eyes were now trained on them, some watching the man, some on her and some even moving from one to the other. None of the children moved from their spots but just gave them their attention. "Now everyone, this Lucy Heartfilia, a transfer student. Please welcome her to the best of your abilities." After that was said, several of the kids moved closer as the old man looked down at her once more with a smile. "You can put your bag away over there in the cubby, just find an empty one and after that you should take the time to get to know your classmates. It looks like they are eager to know you."

Little Lucy nodded, doing just as she was told and putting her bag away. But the moment she turned around, she found herself surrounded by all the students, each one shooting different questions her way and only causing her fear to grow.

"Where are you from?"

"Do you like hot or cold stuff?"

"How old are you, Lucy?"

"Love rival!"

"What's your favorite color?"

"Do you like to read?"

"Have you ever been trained before?"

So many questions were being fired all at once that she couldn't keep up. Her eyes gazed around nervously before landing on the only one who hadn't been asking her anything. Brown met charcoal and the little girl couldn't help but wish that this pink haired boy would help her out. And as if he could hear her thoughts, the pinkette stomped forward, putting himself in front of the little blond and blocking her from the others view.

"Hey, what are you doing, Natsu?"

"Move out of the way!"

"Don't be mean!"

Several of the kids shouted at him but he didn't budge. His small yet tanned arms rose on either side of him, to show that he had no intention of moving as the others looked on in confusion. "Natsu, what is the meaning of this?" Came the voice of the red headed girl that was once sitting in the front of the classroom. Even though she was only five years old, her voice already rung with a certain amount of authority that made it impossible not to listen.

"Can't you all see what you're doing?" The pinkette asked, his brow furrowed and a look of disappointment on his face. When no one responded, the boy continued. "You're scaring her! Give her a chance, don't all come at her at once!" With that said, the pinkette turned around to face the trembling blond and smiled down at her. His hands reached up to his neck and pulled the scarf off that resembled that of dragon scales, if that were even possible, and wrapped it around little Lucy's neck.

"There ya go, Luigi!" A few of the classmates gasped, some stood there shocked and some of the girls giggled. This was unheard of! Natsu never lets anyone touch his scarf, let alone wear it! Lucy mumbled something in reply that was muffled by the scarf that was clearly too big for her. "What was that?" Natsu leaned in closer, turning so that his ear was closer to her to hear her.

"It's not Luigi, it's Lucy." The blond once more spoke, a little louder but it was still muffled by the white scarf. "Still can't hear ya." Natsu stated, a pink brow raising slightly. The little heiress's brow furrowed, a hint of irritation shining in her eyes before she reached up and pulled the scarf away from her lips and spoke in a clear and loud voice. "It's Lucy!" Silence quickly ensued, but what surprised the blond the most was the big toothy grin that spread across Natsu's face.

"There, that's much better!" Lucy's brown hues widened at his words, it was as if he had it all planned out. Could he really be that smart? He stopped her from trembling and quivering to being able to speak clearly without a single hint of nervousness still within her. His hand rose and gently grasped her shoulder and little Lucy couldn't help but want to curl around it. It was so warm and comforting, unlike anything she had ever experienced before. "Now look, I want ya to take good care of that scarf. It means a lot to me but I want you to wear it whenever you're scared. It will keep ya safe!"

Big brown eyes gazed up into Natsu's charcoal ones and began to fill with tears causing the boys own eyes to widen in panic. "H-hey, wait! Did I say something wrong?!" He began to question, gazing at his classmates as if they could answer the question for him. But before he could ask anything else, two very tiny arms wrapped around his chest as the blond laid her head against him and continued to cry. Natsu, in turn wrapped his own warm arms around her, still unsure of what he had done.

A couple of moments and a few sniffles later, the blond turned her head to gaze up at him, still keeping her arms around him. "Thank you, Natsu." Little Lucy couldn't have been anymore grateful to him. That's when Natsu realized it, they weren't tears of sadness but of joy! She was happy about what he did. The pinkette let his signature grin return to his face once more, rubbing the back of his neck as a light pink dusted his cheeks.

"You're welcome, Luce!" Little did the tiny heiress know at the time but this very moment was the start of a beautiful friendship, one filled with a deep and strong, even unbreakable bond that was like no other. And maybe, just maybe, one day that friendship will grow and become something even stronger and more beautiful than anyone could ever imagine. All Lucy did know, was that this moment, she felt a spark of some sort, but truly had no idea the reasoning behind it.