Chapter 2

** I watched as blow after blow crippled him. Him. The boy who had gotten himself beat up over his rival; a simple girl. Natsu. I felt some foreign wetness on my cheeks; lifting my hand I touched my face. Tears. I did not cry. At least not out in the open like this; so why was I shedding tears? Picking myself up from the cooling ground I jumped out of the bushes and struck someone square in the jaw. As he toppled over, I dared to look at the mess Natsu had become; he was bruised beyond recognition, a dull blue bruise flowered over his cheek and led up to his right eye. His nose had swelled and he was bleeding onto the grass.

"..Lucy?" he grumbled, a sound so weak it pulled at my heartstrings.

"Damn it Natsu. What were you even thinking?!" I half yelled half screeched at him. "You never cry." He hesitated the slightest and cringed away from my shadow. "I don't like-" I blew a fuse then, "What can't you possibly like Dragneel?!"

Looking up, I was surprised by the tears that lined his eyes,

"I don't like seeing you cry."

Wiping his blood stained sleeves over his eyes he whispered "I don't know why. But I..I guess I feel sad when you cry!"

Grinning at me, he reached up to scratch his pink locks.

"Someone like you shouldn't be like that."

A warmth spread across my cheeks, pleasant and different, I didn't have to see my reflection to know I had turned a dark shade of red. In the dimming light, I could see the damage done to the guys; all five had been injured and were nursing their wounds. In the back of my mind I knew we couldn't take them on, but that didn't stop me from punching the nearest one straight in the throat. Spluttering out some nonsense to his friends, he moved to grab my hair. It was all a blur, and I couldn't think I only saw that Natsu somehow received the blow I should have taken. Recovering from the shock, I pulled Natsu to his feet, our backs to each other.

"How did I get into this, Dragneel this is all on you!" I grinned. He gave a loud laugh,

" No thanks Heartfilia? You love a good fight."

It's true. Flurries of punching and kicking; we put up a good fight. But it wasn't enough. Before I could figure out what happened, two guys held us in vice like grips as the rest pummeled away at our already exhausted bodies. Bruising and scratching.

I must have passed out because when I finally came to, the sky had turned into a rainbow of different colors.

I remembered my mom's stories about how the sunsets were painted by the gods up in the clouds. How the colors on their pallets had spilled out onto the sky's canvas and created this indescribable array of color.

"So..pretty."

I turned my head to see Natsu, not even a foot away form my own; he looked so small. And hurt. All for my sake. Smiling at his closed eyes, I let sleep overtake me yet again.**

It's been a while since I've thought about that fight. Shivering I tried to crawl deeper into my scarf. Out of no where, a snowflake landed on the tip of my nose. Snow. Wonderful "As if it wasn't already damn cold." I was still at least fifteen minutes to my apartment. Jogging I picked up the pace only to notice the slight puffs of air behind me. "Who's there?!" I checked in all directions, but no one was there. Turning, I kept jogging with a bit more urgency in my steps. Out of no where, a blur of black blue hair turned the corner and ran straight into me. Well shit.