A/N: Woohoo! Time for a little Natsu! Finally, right?

I know everyone is getting a little antsy for the romance, but just let me lay the foundation down, all nice and sweet like, and then I promise the romance will come!

As for the appearance of other characters in the story: yes, there will be some cameos of other Fairy Tail characters, and some of them have a big part, and others are minor. But I really can't divulge anymore, without giving anything away.

I won't hold you up any longer; Enjoy my poor, sweet baby Natsu!

The night was a cool one, a welcome relief to the heat wave the region had been experiencing during the daylight hours. Not that it bothered Natsu, since he was prone to his own personal heat waves. Despite the heat of the air around him, and the heat of his own body, he was wrapped in his usual traveling clothes: a heavy cloak that shrouded his entire body, a hood that masked his unusual pink hair, his father's scarf that concealed all of his face, save his eyes. His empty bag was strapped across his back, reminding him just how long he had been pushing back this trip.

He was lucky that he had found this merchant, who was willing to stay open well into the night once a month, so that Natsu could trade and restock on things you can't find in the wilderness.

As he approached the edge of the town he had been sneaking into for so many years, a familiar wave of anxiety rushed through him. He had been in seclusion for so long, hiding from his own kind, that every time he had to walk among them, he felt as if the sky was coming to meet the ground around him. It didn't matter that it was well past midnight, and in all the years he had been traveling here, he had only seen a handful of others wandering the town with him.

Pushing past the anxiety, and without slowing his steps, he crossed the bridge and headed straight for the back alleys.

Natsu kept a quick pace, careful to sidestep the random puddles, trash and passed out men lying haphazardly throughout. Reaching the market district took a good ten minutes, and he didn't want to risk being seen.

Finally, he reached the apex of the alleys, which opened into a large circle filled with carts, booths and small shops. Natsu stepped out of the alley and turned left, heading straight for the only booth still open.

A few candle lanterns were lit on poles, bathing the booth in a soft glow. He saw the merchant standing inside, folding a pile of cloths and laying them delicately beside him. The man was short and round, his hair completely thinned out on top. His face was slightly wrinkled, but he always had a slight smile on his lips. His smell was clean and friendly. He was a kind older man, and Natsu supposed he got lucky with finding this merchant.

He walked up to the booth, sliding his pack off his shoulders, over exaggerating the movements to make enough noise to alert the merchant. The man lifted his head, and a broad smile appeared.

"I was wondering if I was going to see you tonight. You missed last month's trade, I was worried about you." The man's voice was weathered, no doubt from all the years shouting his wares during the day, but relief hung on his words.

If Natsu wasn't so sure he was relieved only from a business aspect, he might have softened towards the man and his words of affection. Lowering his scarf to free his mouth, he bowed his head slightly. "I was detained in ways that were out of my control. I didn't mean to worry you. But I hope you will still accept our barter." He pulled a small pouch out from his cloak and held the heavy item in his hand, showing the merchant his end of their bargain.

The merchant waved his hands in the air, smile growing ever bigger. "Of course we still have a barter, son. Do not worry. I will never leave you without." Natsu smiled and handed the pouch over, glad that his luck had not run out quite yet.

The merchant took the pouch, and immediately frowned. He placed it on his countertop and opened the top, and suddenly scales started pouring over, falling onto his counter in front of him with a sweet ting.

"Oh no, son, this is too much." The man looked up at Natsu with questioning eyes, however, he could not conceal the delight he felt at seeing so many of the rare gems fall into his possession. "Our deal is for half of this, and I don't have any extra materials to cover the rest of what you're giving me."

Natsu held up his empty pack, "I only wish to compensate you for our missed meeting last month. I don't need anything extra."

"Son, I can't in good conscience take this many. These are dragon scales, not only are they worth so much, but they are dangerous to obtain!"

Natsu smiled sadly at the man, "Trust me, sir. I'm not short in supply. Please. I just need the usual." He slid his pack onto the counter, hopeful that the merchant would agree to his terms and finish the deal already. He was spending too much time here, and his ears were picking up on sounds of a party in the distance.

Luckily, the man sighed, picking up the fallen scales and placing them back in the pouch. "Give me just a few moments. I will have your pack filled and ready." Natsu watched as the man turned and disappeared behind the curtain of his booth.

His anxiety started to rise once again as his ears continued to pick up distant noises. The palace must be throwing a party, which means the party goers would be starting to file out now. As for the moment, he only picked up on a small group of what had to be males, going by the deep tenors and basses flowing through the air.

Natsu's extra senses were helpful in keeping him hidden, but he couldn't rely on hearing alone. Without smell, there was no sure way of knowing just how many there were. Checking to make sure the merchant was still behind his curtain, Natsu closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The reaction was something he wasn't sure he would have ever been prepared for.

His eyes shot open, his vision suddenly sharp and pulsing. A growl emitted from deep within his chest, and his mind cleared of everything, except the need to get to her, to take her.

Leaving the merchant booth behind, completely forgotten, Natsu ran towards the scent, towards the sounds of the group of males he heard earlier. He passed the main square, many small shops and houses, and finally entered the alley behind the region's main trading post.

There, he saw them. A group of four males each dressed in ballroom attire, surrounding a female in a low-cut, simple fitting ball gown. Surrounding...his female.

She was standing in the middle of their circle, her head slightly turning to keep all of them in view as they goaded her. She didn't show fear, but Natsu could smell it, among the acrid smell of the four men's desire and wickedness.

Before he knew what he was doing, his feet were leading him straight towards them, a heavy growl of warning escaping through his mouth.

He watched in slow motion as, as one, the group of men turned to look at him. As he took his next step towards them, he saw the female try to take advantage of their distraction, spinning around and trying to shove past one of the men behind her. The man steadied his feet, grabbed her arm, and threw her behind him against the wall, which she hit head first.

His sharp eyesight caught a small spot of blood trickle down her forehead, and suddenly the heat he had been trapping inside of him escaped.

Oh, holy hell.

Well, at least we know what happened to Lucy. Sort of.

Now what's going to happen, with Lucy getting all attacked and Natsu getting all fired up?