*This chapter starts with a flashback.

*Chapter Eight: Tattoo

(June 30th, 2017. Friday Morning)

Natsu woke up before the sun rose. With his mind only half-functioning, he loaded his bags and fishing poles into the bed of his truck, using a tow strap to keep them in place. He set a bag of snacks on the floorboard of the passenger seat while placing his desperately needed energy drink in the center console.

Igneel woke up just in time to see Natsu popping a motion sickness pill. When he drove, he wasn't nearly as sick, but the pills helped settle his stomach.

"Did you remember to get gas?" Igneel asked while Natsu struggled to get Happy into his cat carrier.

"Huh? Oh yeah," he answered, not registering his father's question. "Come on, Happy! It's just until we get there!"

The stubborn cat clawed at Natsu's arms until he was able to finally push him into the carrier. "There you go," Natsu said, ignoring Happy's low growl. "Oh shush. It's not that bad."

He had a dog's carrier for his cat to give him more room, but apparently that wasn't enough for his spoiled feline.

"Did you remember the flea collar?" Igneel asked, holding the unopened package in his hand, a teasing grin on his face.

Natsu glanced around, pouting when he realized he forgot where he put it. "No... I swear I put it on my—" He finally turned to his dad, giving him a sour look before snatching the collar from him. "Thanks."

"It was in the bathroom, by the way," Igneel said with a chuckle. He headed to the kitchen to make himself some coffee before work. "Are you gonna take lots of pictures?!"

"Of course!" Natsu yelled back before turning his attention to Happy again. He had difficulties getting the flea collar on Happy without letting the feline escape from his carrier. "I had to transfer my pictures off my phone to make room for new ones though!"

"Why'd you do that?" Igneel asked, coming back to the living room with a cup of coffee. "Is your memory card getting full?"

Natsu shook his head. "Not anymore. I put over six thousand pictures and videos on my computer the other day to make more room. I don't even know why I had so many. They went all the way back to three years ago. Gray still had braces in some."

"Because you're a hoarder," Igneel teased, earning a low growl from his son.

"Anyways, my phone was almost full, so I had to transfer them over." His memory card had survived many phones over the years.

Igneel took a long sip of his drink before asking, "Why don't you just delete all those shows you illegally downloaded?"

Natsu scoffed as he looked at his dad. "Don't say it like you aren't downloading shit either! Who was askin' me to download the last season of 'Breaking Bad' last week?"

"Fair enough."

They laughed before Natsu explained. "I wanna keep my shows and movies in case I can't fall asleep right away. Plus," he started, a faint blush tinting his cheeks, "Erza and Jellal are gonna be there. If it's anything like last year, I don't wanna end up... hearing them at night."

Igneel barked out a laugh as he nodded. "Guess that makes sense. It's probably worse now that they're married."

Natsu stood up, looking through his bedroom and the living room before going to the front door. "I think I got everything."

"Stay safe while you're out there," Igneel said, giving his son a hug.

As they parted, Natsu asked, "Are you gonna be okay... today?" It was the anniversary of—

His father gave a small nod, eyes hooded as he whispered, "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." With a smile, he added, "I'll see you in a few days."

"Okay. See you then!" Natsu hugged him once more before grabbing Happy's carrier.

Igneel got the door for him. "Call me when you get there! Have fun!"

"Okay, and you know we will!" Natsu's large grin left no room for doubts. He was going to enjoy the camping trip.

He carefully carried Happy downstairs and to the parking lot. He wasn't surprised when all of his stuff was exactly where he left it. Magnolia was a relatively safe place to live, besides the occasional incident.

After placing Happy in the passenger seat and cracking the window, Natsu went to the other side of his truck to take his first smoke of the day. The harsh taste helped wake him up and soothe the irritation from being awake so early.

While smoking, Natsu thought about the worst crimes committed within city limits. He shuddered when he thought about the arson who burned down three shops before he was caught, hating that someone gave pyros a bad name. He was a bit of a fire bug himself, but he was mostly careful. At least he never purposely burned something down with malicious intent.

Then there was that string of break ins a year ago, but that was nothing compared to the lunatic that got off torturing gir—

Natsu's thoughts vanished when he felt his phone vibrating in his pants. He pulled it out, seeing he got a text from Gray.

Popsicle Dick: You on your way?

Natsu grunted as he typed back, thinking his friend was impatient. He wasn't even late! Yeah, be there soon.

Natsu killed the last of his cigarette before hopping in his truck, smiling when the engine roared to life. He loved his truck, even if it was a little noisy. Sure, the interest rate was eating him alive, but he thought it was worth it.

He headed to his first destination, which happened to be Cana's house. She only lived a few blocks away, so it wasn't a long drive.

Despite it being early in the morning, the twenty-one year old woman stumbled out of her house with an open flask in her hand. Natsu chuckled, wondering if she even went to bed last night. He helped her secure her bags in the bed of the truck before climbing back inside, Cana sitting in the backseat.

"Morning," she groaned, the whites of her eyes a bit red.

"Late night?" he joked, leaving the area to make his way to Gray's house next.

"Ain't it always," she asked with a lazy grin. Cana was the heaviest drinker he knew. She always had some type of alcohol on her.

They kept the conversation light on the drive across town. Cana said she had a headache from the sun coming up, and Natsu wasn't much of a morning person to begin with. When they arrived at the house, Natsu pulled his phone out. He sent Gray a quick text before sighing.

"We shoulda left later in the day." He let his head rest against his seat, eyes sliding shut. "I'm so tired."

Cana lifted herself up from her laying position. "Me too. Too bad Erza gets to call all the shots."

Natsu shivered at the thought of defying Erza's commands. She could be forceful when someone opposed her. It was safer to just go along with what she said.

Natsu saw Gray and Lyon walking their way. They placed a few bags in the back before climbing into the cab, Lyon sitting next to Cana while Gray moved to sit in the passenger seat. He had to shift Happy's carrier to the backseat, placing him between Cana and Lyon.

"Is everyone ready?" Gray asked, but he was only looking at Natsu.

"Yup!" Natsu said, not realizing it was a lie. He didn't notice his tank was less than halfway full.

He took off, driving towards Magnolia's biggest department store. It was where Natsu and Gray worked, but it was also the halfway point between Gray's house and Erza's apartment.

When they arrived, they saw Jellal's car in the parking lot. Erza was in the passenger seat while their other friend, Levy, sat in the back. He pulled up next to the passenger side, rolling down his window so he could speak with Erza.

"Are you boys ready?" the woman asked, eyeing Natsu and Gray.

They nodded, Natsu already feeling sweat collect on the back of his neck. He didn't know if it was from fear or the weather. It was already getting warm despite it being morning. "As ready as we can be!"

Once again, it was an unintentional lie.

"Good. Follow us so you don't get lost."

Natsu was about to protest, but he stopped himself. Admittedly, he had gotten lost a few years back, so he could somewhat understand her reasoning. "Okay," he said before rolling up the window.

The two vehicles left the parking lot, heading towards the camping grounds.

(October 4th, 2017, Wednesday Afternoon)

Natsu slowly opened his eyes. He had to blink a few times before he was able to focus, the ceiling being the first thing he was able to make out clearly. He sat up, body feeling like it was full of sand. After checking his watch, he sighed. He hadn't gotten a full thirty minutes of sleep before waking up.

His head lolled to the side, seeing Lucy was still sitting at the desk. She had been there since he went to take his nap, putting on the first episode of 'Game of Thrones' so she could watch.

It took her a while to calm down from her last outburst. From where he sat, he couldn't tell she had been crying, but he knew if he got closer, he would see the stress around her eyes.

He still didn't know why Erza set Lucy off, and Lucy didn't give him a lot of clues. The only thing that stuck out to him was something she mumbled right before she finally stopped crying.

"I thought she changed her mind."

Natsu didn't know what to do with that, so he didn't worry about it. Lucy was a mystery herself, so it was no wonder everything she said also confused him. He hoped her odd behavior was temporary, and she would start acting like a normal person soon.

He snorted to himself, a small smile resting on his lips. 'What the hell is normal anyways?' The world they lived in now certainly wasn't normal, so why should he expect the people to be any different?

Natsu settled back down onto his mattress, trying to get comfortable. Despite not being cold, he grabbed the blanket that had fallen off him during his nap and draped it over himself. He felt weird sleeping in front of a stranger, so he wanted to cover up. Usually he slept in only his boxers, but he figured that would freak her out.

Last time he stripped in front of her, he ended up needing stitches.

Lucy was settled at the teacher's desk, his phone propped up against a book with the solar powered charger stretched out until it reached the sunshine. Natsu didn't bother giving her headphones. He figured the sound of the show would lull him to sleep. He used to love silence when he slept, but now he hated it. It allowed all the screams in his head to come to the surface.

Every person he saw die.

Every person he couldn't save.

They all cried out at they met their end in a horrific death, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Natsu sometimes struggled with survivor's guilt. It was hard not to when so many people died around him but he kept living. If it wasn't for his friends, he would have died a long time ago. He could say the same about them though. They all protected each other at some point or another.

The outbreak wasn't enough to tear their friendship apart.

The first few weeks after the outbreak had been hell, but they persevered. He wished the same could be said about more people. He was lucky his friends were camping, leaving them with gear and supplies when the outbreak started. Lack of supplies was an ironic problem in the beginning.

There were plenty of supplies around, they just couldn't get them due to the massive amount of zombies in the way. The outbreak happened so fast. Within the first hour, there were more zombies than humans. By the end of the first day, the hopelessness had already set in.

He was lucky his group ran into Laxus, who instructed them to go to Magnolia High for safety.

Natsu curled on his side, facing away from Lucy. He like sleeping next to Happy, but his feline was currently laying on the teacher's desk with Lucy. He couldn't blame Happy. The cat loved meeting new people, so it was no surprise when Happy chose Lucy over him.

It didn't mean he didn't miss him though. A few times he'd been tempted to go grab his cat anyway, but he always resisted the urge. At least Happy got over his fear of Lucy. When she stopped crying and calmed down, his cat drifted closer to her again.

Natsu listened to the episode play. When he asked Lucy what she'd already seen before, she remained quiet, so he decided to start her at the beginning. He thought about showing her other TV shows or movies he had downloaded, but he dismissed that idea.

It was easier deciding for her.

Natsu closed his green eyes, pulling the blanket up until it went past his pink hair. He almost laughed at himself when a thought crossed his mind. Usually people comment on his appearance when they first meet him, even after the outbreak, but Lucy hadn't said anything. He wondered if she even noticed, seeing as she seemed somewhat out of it a few times that day.

Especially when he found her in the basement, but he guessed after going days without food, he couldn't blame her. He would be in a daze too.

Natsu rolled over to try to get comfortable. He looked at the closed door, happy Lucy agreed to keep it shut. It wasn't locked. He knew that wouldn't go over well. It was a simple compromise he could live with for the time being until he figured out his next plan.

He held back a groan as his stomach started to rumble, hunger setting in. He did a little better than the other people at Fairy Tail since he went off base more often. If they were out, they were allowed to eat what they needed to survive. Not only that, Natsu didn't mind eating plants.

He snickered to himself as he rolled over again, remembering when Gray and Erza laughed at him for eating berries in the woods before the outbreak started, but who was laughing now?

Well, they still laughed, but it had at least lessened.

Natsu rolled again. He couldn't get comfortable no matter what he tried. He frowned as he sat up, realizing he wasn't getting to sleep again despite being exhausted. He could always sleep at nighttime, after Lucy went to stay with someone else.

'Can she even stay in the same room as Cana now?'

Natsu didn't think so. He didn't know if Lucy would even get over the groping incident. There was still hope for Levy though. She was calm and quiet most of the time. Surely Lucy would feel safe around her.

'Maybe Lucy can move in with Levy and Cana can move in with me temporarily?' Natsu shuddered as he removed that thought from his brain. He liked his friend, he honestly did, but there was no way he was rooming with her. She was too boisterous. Sure, he wasn't exactly the most quiet person out there, but he had a better filter than she did. He didn't want to deal with that every night.

'She definitely can't stay with Erza and Jellal, and there's no room in Gray's room.'

He wouldn't want to put her in their room anyway. He preferred her with other girls to feel more comfortable, but as he suspected earlier, she didn't seem to like either gender more. He didn't want her staying in the same room with a kid like Wendy either.

He wasn't taking the risk of her hurting someone, especially someone who couldn't defend themselves.

'Maybe... maybe she could stay... here?'

He swallowed thickly, unsure if that was a good idea or not. Then again, it seemed like the only logical option. He didn't have a roommate now, and she needed a place to stay. He didn't think she'd want to live with him, but he figured he could at least offer it to her.

Natsu stood, the action immediately noticed by Lucy. Her eyes snapped over to his shifting form in an instant, only to slowly drift back to the screen of Natsu's phone a few seconds later.

He was glad she wasn't following his every movement. It was already weird having her in his room. He walked over to the bookcase, grabbing a pitcher from the third shelf. "Ya thirsty?"

Lucy looked up at him, slowly nodding. She kept her eyes on him, the smallest smile coming to her lips before she looked back down at the phone.

Natsu had no idea why asking her for a drink made her smile, but he didn't question it. He figured she was just thirsty and thankful he offered. "It doesn't taste all that great," he started, pouring some water into a plastic cup.

As he walked over with the cup, he said, "We boil rain water, but it still tastes gross. Straight rain water actually tastes a little better, but it's still not as good as bottled water." Regular rain water tasted like what an inner tube smelled like, at least to him. He couldn't explain it very well, but he knew it tasted better than boiled.

However, boiled water was safer since it got rid of the pathogens from the rain.

He set the cup near Lucy, giving her a half-smile. "Mind if I watch too?" he asked, grabbing one of the spare chairs. There was only one desk and three chairs in his room. He cleared all the others out because he didn't need them.

Lucy nodded once before looking back at the screen, taking a small sip of her water. He noted her slight cringe from the taste, but she took another sip anyway. He knew her struggle. He missed filtered water too.

Natsu pushed his chair beside hers before sitting down, looking over at the screen. "Couldn't get comfortable," he whispered, reaching out to grab his cat. Happy protested, meowing until Natsu brought him closer so he could pet him. Happy calmed down quickly, settling for a soft purr as he relaxed in his new position.

"So," Natsu glanced at Lucy, seeing she was already looking at him. "How much of this show have you watched before?"

He saw Lucy frown as her brows furrowed. "N-none."

"None?" he repeated, the word sounding foreign. "But... You—"

He remembered clearly. Earlier he had said 'winter is coming', and she reacted. He asked if she liked 'Game of Thrones', and she nodded.

Before he could ask her why she lied, he saw her open her mouth again. "I-I read the b-books."

"Oh." Natsu felt his body relax against his chair. How could he have forgotten there were books? For a moment, he thought he had caught Lucy lying to him, but it was him who was mistaken. Was he trying to catch her in a lie?

"That's cool... I just watched the show. I'm not much of a reader."

Lucy remained quiet for a moment. He wondered if she was going to say something, almost delighted when she spoke. "I read m-most of the books, but not the l-last."

It might not have been something personal about her, but it was something. Natsu found himself smiling at the information. "I watched all the seasons that were released." He chuckled, but it lacked humor. "Sucks, really. The seventh season never got to air since the outbreak happened."

"Wh—" She swallowed, then coughed to clear her throat. "When was it supposed to c-come out?"

"I think it was a week or two after the outbreak. I was really looking forward to it too. If I ever end up in Dawn City, I'm gonna try to find some copies of that season."

When Lucy cocked her head, he explained. "That's where the recording studio is. I'm sure if there's a copy, it's gotta be there. Too bad it's all the way across Fiore."

Lucy gave him a single nod before looking back at the screen. He took that as a sign she was done talking. He was fine with that. His idea of going to Dawn City was just a pipe dream anyway. If he was heading that way, he would rather stop in Crocus first. That was where the nearest CDC was, but the journey would be too dangerous. There were too many infected. It was better to wait it out.

'It's going to end... right?'

Instead of trying to answer his own question, Natsu looked at the phone. He liked 'Game of Thrones', but his favorite show was ironically 'The Walking Dead'. He had the first three seasons downloaded on his phone, but he kept wondering if he should delete them. He kept holding off on it. Once he deleted them, there was almost no guarantee he could get them back.

His laptop was back in his apartment, which was in section one. In other words, it was off limits. They needed to clear the sections faster than what they were doing now. Before they knew it, it would be winter. He wasn't a gardener, but he doubted the plants they had would survive in snow. They needed to stock up for the colder months.

Natsu sighed. Gramps was in charge, and they had to trust things would work out. So far they had done well despite the circumstances, so it was best to keep following his lead.

'Speaking of Gramps...' Natsu glanced at Lucy, a frown etching its way onto his lips. Before he could stop himself, he said, "I gotta ask. How did you really know Gramps was the principal?"

Lucy tore her eyes away from the phone to look at him, mirroring her own frown. "What?"

"I know I didn't tell you," he said, keeping his voice firm despite his doubts. 'Did I tell her? I can't remember.'

Lucy blinked at him, letting silence fill the space between them before finally saying, "Yes... You did."

Natsu narrowed his eyes, refusing to back down. "I really didn't."

Lucy didn't react, only insisting that he did. "I pr-promise... You did."

"When?" he asked, hoping he would get a straight answer out of her. She could say 'yes you did' all day long, but he knew he had her stumped with that question.

Her shoulders immediately fell, tears lining her eyes. "You... you don't remember... me... do you?"

Natsu shook his head, wondering why she was about to cry. It only made him think he caught her in a lie and it upset her.

Lucy lowered her head, her shaky hands falling to her lap. "Oh..." she said, sounding defeated. "I... I thought you did. I—" She sniffled, a few tears falling on her lap. "I r-remember you... fr-from before."

Natsu didn't know what to believe. He knew he hadn't told her about Gramps, and he was certain he hadn't met her before today, but she sounded genuine. He swallowed, feeling a lump form in his throat. He didn't want her to cry again, but he didn't want to back down.

"Will you remind me?" He had a decent memory, but he didn't remember her. Sure, she looked kind of familiar, but that wasn't shocking? Blonde hair and brown eyes wasn't exactly as rare as his features were. He had probably seen thousands of blondes in his lifetime.

It took a moment, but Lucy finally looked up at him. Her hand lifted slowly, stretching out until she brushed her fingers over his right shoulder. He allowed her to touch him, not flinching away as she pulled the sleeve up, revealing part of the red tattoo on his arm.

When she couldn't push the sleeve up anymore, she pulled her hand back. "Y-your t-tattoo..."

"What about it?" he asked, glancing down at the red Fairy Tail emblem. He could only see the bottom half right now, the sleeve covering the rest. He looked at Lucy, his heart dropping at what she said next.

"You lost a bet. P-punishment."

Natsu's eyes widened, a sense of trepidation hitting him square in the gut. He knew for a fact he didn't tell her that. "How do you know that?" he asked, his voice sharper than he intended, but he couldn't help it. There was no way she could just pluck that information out of thin air.

"Y-you told me," she insisted, struggling to keep herself calm judging by her clenched fists. "In the g-gas station. You bought me a dr-drink."

"What gas station?" he started, shaking his head. "I didn't—" His voice cut out as it hit him, a memory he hadn't thought about in three long months surfacing in his mind.

(June 30th, 2017. Friday Morning)

"Shit," Natsu mumbled when his gas light came on in his truck. "I need to stop."

"Really?" Gray asked, crossing his arms over his bare chest, not realizing he took his shirt off. "I asked you before we left if you had everything taken care of and you said—"

"I know what I said," he groaned, eyeing a sign that showed a few gas stations at the next exit. "Can you call Erza and tell her I'm stopping?"

"Why do I have to do it?" Despite asking, Gray pulled out his phone.

Natsu listened to Gray's side of the conversation as he started changing lanes.

"Hey Erza—" Gray paused, a frown tugging at his lips. "It-it wasn't me! Dumbass over here forgot to fill up before we left!"

"Hey!" Natsu yelled, narrowing his eyes but not looking over. He didn't want to get in an accident.

"Yeah, yeah we're gonna pull over at the next exit," Gray mumbled on the line. "Makes sense. We'll see you there." When he hung up the phone, he looked over at Natsu. "Erza said hurry up. They're gonna go ahead of us and get checked in."

"Sorry," Natsu said, half-laughing as Gray tried to slip his phone in his pocket, only to realize his jeans were halfway down his legs.

"What the hell?! When did that happen?!"

"While you were on the phone," Cana laughed, holding up her phone. "I can't wait to tag you in these pictures."

"Damn it," Gray grumbled, trying to pull his pants back up. It was hard with his seatbelt holding him down.

Natsu laughed along with Lyon, but didn't comment since he was busy merging into the next lane. He got off the highway, making his way to the closest gas station in the area.

"Alright," Natsu said when he parked. "I'm gonna go pay for gas then get a drink. Probably piss too."

Gray unbuckled his seat belt, scoffing. "Just pay at the pump. I'll fill your truck up while you do everything else. Erza wants us to hurry."

"Aye!" Natsu nodded, hopping out of the truck to make his way to the pump. After sliding in his debit card, he let Gray take over. "I'll be right back," he said, heading towards the gas station's entrance.

He used the bathroom first, then went to browse for a drink. He already finished his energy drink, so he wanted something with less caffeine to mellow him out. As he was looking for something suitable, he heard a voice coming from his left.

"H-how did you g-get this number?"

Natsu raised a brow before glancing over. A woman stood near the chips, phone held up to her ear with her other arm wrapped tightly around her stomach. He couldn't see her face since she was wearing a ballcap, the bill of the hat pulled down, casting a shadow to her nose.

Natsu pulled at the front of his muscle shirt, already feeling hot from looking at her outfit. Despite the summer heat outside, she wore a black sweatshirt and jeans. Even in his sleeveless shirt and cargo shorts, he was burning up, so he couldn't understand why she would be wearing those types of clothing.

The only thing that made sense was her long blonde hair. It was tied up into a ponytail, golden locks pulled through the hole in the back of the hat.

Natsu decided to mind his own business, turning his attention back to the drink section. Erza would already be upset at him for delaying the trip, so he wanted to hurry and pick something. His problem was they all looked so good. 'Can I get all of them? No, probably not. I'm already almost out of money from this trip...'

Natsu didn't mind the shortage of funds. The camping trip would be worth it since it would be the last memory they had together before they all left to live their lives away from Magnolia. Well, Levy was staying in Magnolia, and Cana was until her father asked her to go to matches with him. She would be in and out of Magnolia for a while.

"A... a week? Maybe longer... I-I don't know. Why does it— does it matter?"

Natsu didn't want to eavesdrop on that woman's conversation, but it was hard to avoid with his sharp hearing. He'd have to purposely plug his ears just to give her privacy, but he wasn't willing to go that far. It wasn't his fault she chose to have a conversation in public.

Natsu decided he would get a pink sports drink. That would certainly quench his thirst but not give him a caffeine rush. He was just about to open the glass door when he heard a sniffle. He paused, glancing over at the girl on the phone.

"P-please... Just... just stop. I-I didn't mean... No, it's just... Please stop yelling," she begged, trying to keep her voice low.

Natsu frowned, hand falling away from the glass door so he could shift his body towards her. She stood a few feet away, facing the chips with her head down.

"It was a m-mistake... I'm s-sorry... I just... I couldn't... Pl-please don't b-be mad at m-me," the woman with blonde hair sniffled again, body shaking. She stopped talking, allowing Natsu to hear something coming from her phone. He couldn't make out what was being said, only that it was someone shouting on the other end. The girl had to pull the phone away from her ear because the volume was too loud.

That allowed Natsu to see the tears streaming down her cheeks. He clenched his jaw, hands balling into fists from the sight. He couldn't stand seeing girls crying.

"Please... just..." She tried to talk on the phone again, voice cracking as her hand tightened on the material of her sweatshirt. "Can I just... Will you please l-listen to me. I-I won't do this. You sh-shouldn't even have this n-number. Just st-stop calling me, please."

More yelling flowed through the phone, causing the girl to lower her head further. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, but it wasn't heard over the loud voice. "I just—"

She was cut off when she felt her phone being ripped from her hand. "Listen you fucking asshole," Natsu growled into the phone. "She said stop calling her, so leave her the fuck alone!"

The yelling on the phone ceased for only a second. "Who the hell are you?" a man's voice asked, prompting Natsu to narrow his eyes in anger.

"I'm her friend! Now do everyone a favor and leave her alone before I find you and kick your sorry ass!" Natsu didn't wait for a response, choosing instead to hang up. Oh how badly he wished it was on a landline so he could slam the phone to end the call. Instead, he had to settle for pressing hard on the little red button, catching a glimpse of the 'Unknown' on the caller ID before the screen went black.

He took a few deep breaths, anger boiling through his veins. He hated when people were picked on, especially when it was men picking on women. He turned to face the woman he'd never met before, seeing both her hands were dropped to her side.

Natsu had to take one more deep breath before he was able to calm down enough to force a half-smile on his face. "Sorry about that," he said, trying to see her expression. He could barely make out anything above her nose since there was still a shadow covering half her face from her ballcap, but the way her lips were parted let Natsu know she was at least surprised by what he did.

He didn't mean to startle her, but he could see how that might have happened. "I just really can't stand to see girls crying. Are you okay?" He held out her phone. "Is there someone I can call— "

Natsu stumbled backwards when her body crash against his. He barely registered her arms wrapping around him, his mind focusing on not falling. "Whoa!" He grabbed a shelf, stabilizing both of them. "Umm..."

"Thank you," she mumbled, face turned sideways to press her ear against his chest.

"Uhh... y-yeah?" Natsu wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. 'Am I supposed to hug her back?' He didn't think what he did was worthy of a hug, but he accepted it either way. He didn't want to hurt her feelings by pushing her away while she was crying.

Natsu slowly wrapped his arms loosely around her, feeling her body tense against his before relaxing. They stayed that way for a few seconds, Natsu feeling sweat trickle down the nape of his neck from the slight discomfort that came from touching a complete stranger.

Still, he didn't want to be rude.

When she finally pulled away, she dropped her head. She wiped her eyes before saying, "I'm sorry. I just—"

"Nah," Natsu cut her off, not wanting to hurt her feelings. She looked like she really needed that hug. "It's alright. Are you okay though?"

She nodded, lifting her head just enough for him to see the tops of her red cheeks. "I'm better... now."

"Who was that?" he asked, not realizing he was being rude until she shook her head.

"I don't want to..."

"Oh, it's okay." He lifted his hands up in a mock surrender. "I was just gonna say you shouldn't let whoever that was talk to you like that."

Natsu saw her frown, causing him to mirror the expression. 'Well this is uncomfortable...' He wasn't the best at dealing with emotional things. He preferred the funner aspects of life, avoiding topics that made him upset.

Natsu glanced at the glass door where the drinks were held, wondering if he should just grab his drink and leave. He felt weird, not knowing the proper social etiquette. "Umm... Ya thirsty?"

She lifted her head, then cocked it.

Natsu moved to grab two pink sports drinks. "Want one? I'll get it for you..."

She only stared at him with a questioning gaze. He could somewhat see her eyes now, but they were mainly red. A few stray tears were still lining her eyes. If he had to guess the color of her eyes, he would say dark brown or black, but it was hard to tell with that shadow darkening her features.

Natsu held out one of the pink drinks, grinning. "You don't gotta, but it may cheer you up."

She blinked a few times, her eyes flitting between the drink and his face. Finally, a small smile formed. "Thank you. I-I'd like that..."

"No problem. Come on."

He led her to the front of the store, not noticing the few stares he got from other customers, unaware they heard him shouting at the random guy on the girl's phone. He hoped that was enough to scare whoever it was enough so they didn't contact her anymore. It was clear to Natsu he was only going to upset her more.

"So," Natsu started when they got in line. "Whatcha doing out here?" He assumed she was traveling since the gas station was mainly for truckers or people passing through, like him and his friends.

"V-vacation," she said, clutching the cold drink to her chest.

"That's cool." Natsu ran a hand through his short pink hair.

"Me and my friends are going camping," he offered, removing the cap from his bottle to take a drink despite not paying for it yet. He had a few bills in his wallet, so he knew he was good for it.

"We go every year," he said, shifting a few steps ahead since the line was dwindling.

The girl nodded, slowly raising her head so he could get a better look at her face. Her eyes were still red and puffy from crying, but he could also make out dark circles under her eyes. He wanted to ask if she was really alright, but he decided against it. It was better to avoid personal questions since they didn't know each other.

She looked ahead, then back at Natsu. He watched as her eyes flitted from his face down to his shoulder. She narrowed her eyes and parted her lips. "What's that?"

Natsu followed her gaze, seeing she was looking at the red tattoo on his right shoulder. He snorted, already feeling silly all over again from the story he was about to tell her.

"It's actually my high school's mascot. The fighting fairies."

She raised a brow as she managed a small smile. "Fighting... fairies?"

He couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, fairies. And no, I don't have some type of school spirit. I lost a bet. This was my punishment."

She continued to stare at him while he explained. "See, my friend bet me he could beat me in more fights during the school year. The loser would have to get a tattoo of the winner's choosing. Bastard barely won, but a bet's a bet. He thought it'd be funny for me to have a fairy tattoo."

She cocked her head. "It doesn't look like a fairy."

"Right?" Natsu grinned wide, flashing his sharp teeth. "That's what I said, but everyone disagrees with me. Even Gramps!"

"Gramps?"

"Oh, he's the principal of the school. He's pretty cool, for an old guy anyways." Natsu thought of the short old man. He saw him regularly with all the trouble he got into at school, but the principal understood Natsu just had a fiery -and stubborn- attitude.

"Are you still in high school?" she asked, pointing with her chin when the line moved again.

Natsu took a few steps before saying, "Nope. I graduated two years ago. You?"

She shook her head. "I'm in college."

"That's cool. I decided not to go," he admitted, feeling no shame. With the career path he wanted to take, he wouldn't need college. He wanted to serve his community as a firefighter. He loved the beauty of controlled fire, but hated when it caused destruction. If he had a chance to make the world a better place, he would always take it.

"Nothing wrong with that," she said, surprising him when her smile grew. It looked like she was warming up to him. "I'm only going so I can be—"

"Princess?"

They turned to look at the entrance. A woman with short pink hair wearing a maid's outfit stood there.

'Why the hell is she wearing that?!' Natsu thought, taken aback. 'And why did she call her Princess?'

The woman walked up to the girl, then glanced at Natsu. "Who is this?"

She went to open her mouth to speak, but the woman shook her head. "Never mind. We need to go. Your parents are getting impatient."

"Sorry," the blonde said, dropping her head again. She went to hand Natsu the sports drink, but he shook his head.

He turned to look at the cashier, saying, "She has to go, but I'm gonna pay for the drink!"

"That's fine." The cashier nodded before looking at the customer in front of him.

"Th-thank you," she said, finally meeting his gaze again. "It was nice to meet you." As she spoke, she moved to follow the pink haired woman.

Natsu found himself giving her a soft smile. "It was nice meeting you too."

He watched as she held the drink against her chest again before walking out the door. Only when he couldn't see her again, he said, "Damn. I forgot to get her name..."

'Oh well,' he thought as he made his way through the line. 'It's not like I'll see her again anyways.'

When he climbed in his truck after paying, Gray asked, "What took you so long?"

Natsu set his drink down in his cup holder before saying, "My bad. I was talkin' to a girl."

Gray raised a brow. "A girl, huh? Was she cute?"

Natsu gave him a pointed look before shrugging. "Maybe." The thought never crossed his mind. "She was nice."

As Natsu drove away from the gas station, Cana said, "It's not really important if she's cute or not."

Natsu grinned. "Thank you."

"Wait for it..." Gray started, laughing when Cana finished.

"What's important is how big her boobs are!"

"Cana!" Natsu's face flushed. He didn't like where the conversation was going. To end it before it began, he said, "They were average size, so drop it!" He wasn't sure if that was a lie or not since he hadn't looked. He didn't think it mattered.

The rest of the trip was filled with Cana and Gray going back and forth about which was more important, chest size or beauty, while Lyon kept switching sides when one of them made a 'valid point'.

Natsu laughed along with the conversation, finding it funny when Cana said a girl moaned at her one time when she groped their breasts to check their measurements.

"You probably shouldn't grab people like that," Natsu said before taking a gulp of his drink.

"Awww! Why not?" Cana asked, but her question went unanswered since Natsu was already losing focus on the topic. Instead, he was thinking about that girl he met at the gas station, wondering if she was really okay.

He tried to shake the thought from his head, but every time he tasted that strawberry drink, he couldn't help but think of her. 'Maybe I should've gotten an energy drink after all,' he thought, downing the rest of the drink so he didn't have to think about her again.

After another fifteen minutes, Natsu felt pressure on his bladder. "Shit," he mumbled for the second time that day. "I think I need to piss again."

"Just hold it," Gray said, struggling to put his shirt back on. "We're almost there anyways."

"Yeah," Natsu nodded, seeing a sign advertising the camping grounds. A grin spread over his face as he pressed a little harder on the gas. "Awesome!"

He turned up the radio, effectively drowning out Cana and Gray's banter while also getting that blonde girl out of his head.

Natsu rubbed over his forehead, trying to get his thoughts straight. "Shit, that was you?"

When he looked at Lucy, she was nodding. "Yes."

"But... why didn't you just say that?" he asked, his features twisting to show his confusion.

Lucy's voice was quiet, softer than a whisper. "Would it have made a difference?"

Natsu opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Would it have? He had no clue, but he thought she should have told him. "You thought I remembered?"

She nodded, her arms wrapping around her body. "I thought that... was why you wanted t-to help."

He shook his head. "I wanted to help 'cause you looked like you needed help. I mean, I thought you looked kinda familiar, but no, I didn't know."

Natsu looked back down to her arms, seeing the various cuts. When he saw her in the gas station, most of her body was covered. He had no idea if her injuries started before or after the outbreak. He frowned, realizing the same could be said about her weight.

Her clothes had been baggy that day, leaving her body size a secret. He couldn't even remember what the hug felt like to judge her previous size. He didn't remember her face being thin, but it was three months ago. Everyone lost at least a little weight since shit went down.

"That woman," Natsu started, eyes growing wide. "The one who called you Princess. Who was she?"

"N-no," she said instantly, shaking her head. "No."

"No what? You're not gonna tell me who she was?"

Once again, Lucy shook her head. "I d-don't want to talk about h-her." Tears brimmed her eyes, her face and neck turning red. "Please, d-don't... don't make me."

He wanted to protest, but he remained silent. He didn't want her crying again. As much as he wanted answers, he knew there was a time and place, and now certainly wasn't the time.

'That lady said her parents were waiting on her. I'm sure of it. Does that mean Lucy's parents were alive before the outbreak? Are they alive now? Why isn't she with them? And who was that guy on her phone? Did he cause those marks on her skin? Is that why she didn't want to go 'back'?'

Natsu shook his head, trying to clear his mind without any luck.

'Why was she scared of Erza? And where was she walking from before she went to that basement? Why won't she just tell me? Is she trying to hide the information? Or is she just scared to say?'

Natsu looked back at Lucy, seeing she was watching the TV show on his phone. Or, at least she was trying to. He could see her unfocused eyes and her bottom lip trembling. He knew that look. She was trying to distract herself. From what? He had no idea, but he figured it had to do with that woman with pink hair.

When Natsu spoke again, his voice was rough and low, startling her. "You don't have to tell me, Lucy. It's fine."

Her lip quivered more when she nodded, a few tears spilling down her cheeks, but she didn't make a sound. She just looked at the screen, her shaky hands picking at the sweatpants she wore.

He wouldn't force her to say something she didn't want to. Everyone had their scars. His eyes raked over the scar on her arm and the one peeking out from her shirt collar. He frowned, leaning forward until he was resting his head on the desk.

Lucy had scars on her body, but just from what he'd seen so far, he could tell she had some deeper ones on the inside.

Natsu stayed quiet for a while, turning his gaze from Lucy to the phone, then back again. She eventually stopped crying, but she made no effort to wipe the tears away, causing them to dry on her cheeks. He wished she would open up and talk to him, but he knew she didn't trust him, or anyone else at Fairy Tail for that matter.

It was then he decided he would ask her. Lucy at least seemed able to relax around him, and he was now living by himself. It was the most logical option.

"Hey, Lucy..."

Her eyes slowly dropped to her lap before looking up at him, her throat moving as she gulped. He realized she was afraid, but he didn't know why. 'Probably of me asking more personal questions.'

Natsu took a deep breath, pushing those thoughts aside. He sat up straight, running a hand through his spiky hair before saying, "Would you... maybe want to..." He worried she might take it the wrong way, so he made sure to word it just right. "Just... if things don't work out, do you maybe wanna stay... here?"

Lucy's eyes stayed on him for a few seconds before drifting over the room, slowly returning back to him. "W-with you?"

"Yeah," he said, not bothering to force a smile. "I mean, I don't have a roommate anymore. There's plenty of room if you wanna stay." He shot a glance at the mattress Max used, then over to her backpack and plastic bag with her stuff in it. "You're already moved in..."

He thought she might shake her head, slap him, or just stay silent. What he didn't expect was for her to drop her gaze to her lap again, pausing before she said, "Y-yes..."

"Yes?"

She nodded, her voice more firm. "Yes."

"Okay," Natsu said softly, surprised she agreed. If she hadn't, he didn't know what he would have done. At least she knew him before the outbreak. He wondered if that had anything to do with her being better around him than any of the others, but he didn't risk asking. Personal questions seemed to trigger her.

"It can be temporary if you want, or I guess permanent." He chuckled, slowly moving back until he was resting his head on the desk. "I've never lived with a girl before... I'm sure it'll be fine."

In his mind, he added, 'What could go wrong?'

.

.

.

I'm sure no one saw their first meeting coming. A lot of you guessed Lucy either went to Natsu's school or she was thinking of going there, but truthfully, 'today' is the first day she's ever set foot in their school. You will learn more about Lucy and her past as the story goes on, but I think there's a lot of clues floating around to get a vague idea of what happened. :) Still, I love hearing your thoughts and theories!

Up next, Chapter Nine: Dinner is served

Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, I collected rain water so I could see what it tasted like straight and boiled. To me, it tasted better straight, but obviously it's safer boiled. I've also tested brushing my teeth with both to know how that feels too, lol. Yup, lots of research, some parts are more 'hands on' than others. :P

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