DISCLAIMER: I don't own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does. I wish it belonged to me, but then Natsu and Lucy would already be a couple.

Natsu had picked at his food, not saying a word, the whole dinner. As soon as he was excused, he roughly brought the chair back and stomped out of the dining room. The temperature heated up around him, showing his anger.

As soon as his parents judged him out of earshot [as they all had superior hearing,] Grandine smiled tightly and told Wendy, "go after your brother. He needs someone level-headed around him. Please make sure he doesn't go on a rampage again." the smaller blue-haired girl nodded and followed Natsu out the exit.

Igneel looked over at his wife. "Well, I think that went well."

The lady facepalmed.

Wendy followed her brother's scent through the castle, finally stopping at the training room. Inside, she heard angry shouts and something being pounded heavily. Oh dear, she thought, I hope Ni-san didn't ask Gray to fight him again. Gray was one of the male servants that enjoyed fighting with the Dragon Slayer all the time. He didn't mind being pulled out of his duties to practice combat with his frienemy.

She opened the door warily. Her head poked inside, and she watched Natsu punch a five hundred pound bag clear off the hook. It landed on the ground with a slam. "What do you want Wendy?" he asked, a little breathlessly, but the anger was clear.

"Well, I wanted to see how you were... um, doing... with all this." She swallowed.

"I'm fine." He hissed, managing to pop the punching bag back onto the hook and kicking it yet again off in a split second. He scowled and moved to get an even heavier one. His movements were stiff. Dragon Slayers, the whole of Natsu's family, had a tendency to get physically stronger when they got emotionally charged.

"Natsu-ni, you don't sound fine." She swerved into the room, clicking the door shut behind her. She noticed the drastic change of temperature. It was next to boiling in here.

"I'm telling you, I'm absolutely... fine." He snarled, easily popping a seven-hundred pound bag onto the hook. He punched it again and again, the smell of sweat accompanying the heat inside the room. Eventually, he gave up punching the bag after it flew across the room, embedding itself into a wall, and stopped punching things.

"Tell mom and dad I'm going on a hunt. I won't be back until I catch a criminal." He said angrily, snatching his vest off the table and stomping past Wendy. She looked at him, concerned, as he disappeared around the corner.

Natsu looked at The Board, a big wooden board where many people posted Warnings and Requests. It was literally on the empty path to Magnolia, where hardly any people passed by, but it was nice to have if you were looking to catch a criminal and get a reward.

The pink-haired prince was doing that now, skimming over the board on his blue horse, Happy, looking for someone that would be worthy of him catching. He eyed a grey sheet of paper with a hooded figure on it.

"THE GOLDEN SPIRIT, ON THE RUN FOR MORE THAN EIGHT YEARS, HASN'T BEEN CAUGHT BY THE SOLDIERS. SHE HAD BEEN STEALING FOOD AND OCCASIONALLY POTS AND PANS, AND THEN DISSAPEARS INTO EAST FOREST. REWARD; 450,000J." Natsu looked down at Happy. "What do you think about this one?"

"Aye!" Happy the horse said. Yes, he was a talking blue horse. It was the only horse that Natsu didn't get sick on, because for some reason, he always got motion sickness on carriages or other horses. He'd raised Happy as a foal, a baby horse, on his own, and Happy grew up to be a very strange horse. [And besides, it wasn't like he could fly. That would be very strange.] "She won't know what hit her." Happy said cheerfully.

So horse and prince partners galloped off to East Magnolia Forest.

"You can't get me!" Michelle giggled up in the tree, thinking that her sister would never be able to tag her so high up. Lucy chuckled by the trunk.

"Gimme a second..!" The Golden Spirit was very talented at climbing trees, but she was significantly larger than Michelle, so the little girl had hid there, thinking that she'd never reach her. She grinned and blew the older blonde a raspberry. Spirit 'hey'-ed in protest, and grabbed the lowest branch, flipping herself on top, then proceeded to scramble up the branches like an ape. Michelle's eyes widened and she realized her mistake, but it was too late because Lucy touched her ankle. "Got 'cha!" she cried.

Michelle giggled.

Gadaphm gadaphm gadaphm... Lucy gasped and her hand flew to cover Michelle's mouth, the other working to undo her cloak to cover the little girl a little more. The girl silenced, knowing what that sound was. A split second later, a horse, with a man on top, stopped in front of the tree.

"Hello. Who were you talking to?" the man asked, looking up. Lucy smiled sweetly.

"Talking to? It's just me." Lucy replied, inspecting the man. He was very strange, she had to admit, and not just because he was riding a blue horse. For one thing, he had pink, spiky hair. He wore a white scaly scarf around his neck, and his onyx eyes searched up at her. Something was clearly bothering him, she judged, by the way his movements were. She recognized him immediately.

"Are you stuck?" Prince Dragneel asked. Lucy cursed, hoping that he wouldn't see silent Michelle behind her. Lucy shook her head.

"No, I'm fine, just trying to... find something I lost. I was thinking that I might be able to see it from here." The Prince nodded.

"Would you like some help? My name is Natsu." She faked eyes widening in surprise.

"The prince Natsu Dragneel? Oh no, I couldn't ask for your help." She said, giving a slight bow, [as best as she could hiding Michelle and up in a tree.] The man stiffened at the word 'prince.'

"Okay, then, maybe you could help me. I'm trying to find someone nicknamed 'the Golden Spirit.' Have you possibly heard anything about her?" Lucy tried to stifle an exclaimed noise. Prince Dragneel was looking for her? She'd heard of his many capturing of many well-known criminals.

"Well, last time I heard, she stole... pies, I think it was, on the East side of Magnolia," she lied. Actually, her last steal had been on the West side of Magnolia, but she'd quickly run back to the campsite with Michelle and get the hell outta there before he noticed.

"Thank you." He said. Before leaving, he turned around one more time. "So, are you sure you don't need anymore help?"

"No!" she snapped, instantly recoiling. You can't snap at a prince, you can't snap at a prince! Luckily, the prince shrugged it off and continued on his way, the horse's footsteps making dull thuds on the forest floor. As soon as she judged him out of earshot, she scrambled down the tree, Michelle following. They ran back to the campsite and packed everything away. Unfortunately, it took five-ten minutes, but Lucy and Michelle put on their cloaks and headed away from the direction of the prince.

By the time he found out it was a lie, we'll be in the next town, Lucy thought. We'll have to move quickly as he's on a horse and therefore faster than us, but he'll need to find us first. We can go any direction we choose. We'll be safe.

Lucy and Michelle went to the road, and waited for a carriage to pass by. Using Michelle's wide-eyed puppy dog look, the driver, already heading to the next town, Onibus, allowed them to hop on in the back with the chickens.

A four hours later, they reached the town. The driver stopped, letting them hop off, [also not knowing that Lucy had several eggs hidden up her sleeve], and bid them farewell. The man snapped the reins and the carriage pigs walked forwards. Lucy and Michelle gave him one final wave, pretending like they were walking into Onibus, but as soon as he was out of eyesight, they crossed the road and headed back into the forest.

"So we're making a new home here?" Michelle asked timidly, looking around. Lucy smiled.

"It's not so different from East forest at least," she said, not directly answering the question. She turned to the smaller girl. "and besides, it's better than being caught by Prince Dragneel and thrown in jail." Spirit pointed out. The younger blonde giggled and nodded.

"He looked weird. He had pink hair!" Lucy chuckled, ruffling her head. Michelle exclaimed in protest, reaching her small limbs up to grab Spirit's slender wrist. Lucy took off at a jog deeper into the forest, keeping Michelle within eyesight.

They stopped deep inside and made up their new camp, cutting off fresh, strong branches with Lucy's pocketknife and setting up a shelter, finding a nearby stream for water, and laying down all of their meager belongings.

That was when it started to rain. Pouting that the shelter wasn't done yet, Spirit called it a night and curled up with Michelle in a sleeping bag, keeping each other warm. The smaller girl curled up closer to her chest, and Lucy placed a hand on her head, smiling.

Thunder boomed and the sky lit up, but the little girl wasn't scared. She had her sister, her brave, strong sister, to protect her from anything that came at them. Michelle smiled, closing her eyes and instantly falling asleep.

"Hey, Hey!" Lucy blinked her eyes open, squinting. Today was a nice bright day, calm and peaceful—

"Hellllloooooooo..?" Lucy bolted upright, scrambling to her feet [waking up Michelle,] hand moving for her belt where her pocketknife was stored. At the last moment, she stopped, eyes wide.

"You!" she exclaimed, hand still close to her belt. It was Prince Dragneel, smiling like an idiot. Michelle, knowing not to move without her sister's orders, remained still.

"Yes, me." he was grinning victoriously, and Spirit kept her weapon close in reach. The smile told her he had caught her, but he maybe she could get out of this if she took him by surprise. He'd certainly come to chain themup and collect a re—

"You forgot this." Prince Natsu held out a fine green silk bag. Lucy looked at it warily, but took the bag out of his hands. For a second, their hands toched, and she flinched back.

Spirit, opening it slowly, was surprised to see a pot lid. "how did you know it was mine?" she asked warily. Lucy and Michelle were careful not to put any signatures on any of their belongings.

"well, after I came back from the east side of Magnolia, you seemed to have gotten your information wrong, so I traveled around back to the west side. The Golden Spirit had been there, but the rain washed away the scent, so I moved to go back home until she struck again, but I passed by the forest and smelled your scent, so I did a U-turn and found the pot lid."

"Whoa whoa whoa... you can smell u-me?" she was about to say 'us,' but that would implicate there were two people here. She didn't care if she got chained, as long as Michelle was safe. So far, she was doing good by staying still and quiet in the sleeping bag.

Maybe the Prince was stupid. He seemed to be in Lucy's eyes. Wow, if I gave you false information, then ran away while you were gone, I don't have a proper household, I'm dressed in a full-bodysuit, similar to what a bandit would wear...

She deemed the pink-haired prince stupid.

Reluctantly she handed back the silk bag, taking the pot lid, but the pink-haired prince shook his head. "Keep it." she blinked, but took it. Can't throw away an offer like this..! This is like a hundred-dollar silk bag!

"Ah wait, I didn't get your name," Prince Dragneel said.

"Lu—" ah crap! She couldn't tell him her real name."—lu." He raised an eyebrow.

"Lulu." She nodded.

"I'm not from here... it's a much more common name in Bosco, where I was born," she lied. Bosians usually had darker skin and slightly upwards-slanting eyes, but if he was stupid enough... she mentally crossed her fingers.

"Okay... Lulu. It's nice to make your accquiantance." He said.

"Yes." She bowed, ecause it was what a peasant would do to a prince. But she didn't like bowing to someone like he was better than anyone else.

He surprised her though. "oh, don't bother bowing." The phrase was said with a slightly sharp edge. She blinked and got up. Natsu smiled apologetically. "sorry, just..."

Well, if I have my secrets, he can have his, "it's complicated?"

"No, but... yeah." He scratched his head. "well, I must really get going. I'll find that Golden Spirit, but until she strikes again, I can't do anything. See you!" he pulled his horse around [such a strange colour, Lucy thought, the pink prince had a blue horse...] and waved, grinning behind him. Lucy blinked. His grin almost took up half his face, showing off his unusually sharp canines and white teeth.

As soon as he was gone, Michelle bounced up from the sleeping bag. "So, do you have a crush on him?" she asked automatically.

"No!" Lucy turned to her absurdedly. "in fact, I'd prefer that I'd never see him again because he's trying to catch us in prison. Did you forget, I'm a legendary theif that has a huge reward on her..." she stopped, because she heard the sound of hooves coming back. She pushed Michelle back into the sleeping bag hastily and put on her best smile.

Prince Natsu came back, smiling also. "did you say something?" he said, hopping off his horse.

"Say something?" she frowned. "No, I didn't."

"Something along the lines of 'I would never want to see him again because he's trying to put me in jail because I'm a legendary theif?'" Lucy's eyes widened.

"How..? how'd you even get that?"

"I don't only have a good nose." He said proudly. "I have good hearing too." The prince ran forwards, and Lucy got out her pocketknife, slashing it in front of her. He dodged, and grabbed her wrist, squeezing enough that she had no choice but to drop the knife.

Snarling, "Michelle, run!" the little girl bolted from the sleeping bag. Natsu looked in surprise behind him, but backed Spirit up so her body was pinned against and tree and his knee. She spat in his face.

She couldn't believe she was going to do Plan S. "fine, take me to jail or whatever. But first..." Lucy smiled sweetly, eyes half-open, and kissed his cheek. If she was ever caught, seduction would usually work on men. It'd gotten her away loads of tim—

"Why'd you just kiss me?" Lucy's jaw dropped. Plan S didn't work on him? They were in probably in the most... intimate position ever, and a sexy girl just kissed his cheek! What was wrong with this kid!

Something was definitely wrong with him. Lucy dropped to the ground, forcing her wrist out of his grip, and scrambled between his legs, spraying dirt in his face. He spat, but chased after her.

"Happy!" the horse obeyed his command, making a quick stop for the prince to hop on, and then chasing after the girl. Lucy glanced behind her but kept running. low-hanging branches scratched her skin, but she continued running.

She needed to get where the horse couldn't go, and she was unfamiliar with this forest. The forest floor sloped, so Lucy decided to move down, deeper in the forest were hopefully there was more foliage for her to run in. She'd have to find Michelle later, because she heard the dull thuds of Happy getting closer and closer, but suddenly, they stopped, far behind her. Lucy blew them a raspberry and continued running.

so, what do you guys think of the new chapter? I think i'm gonna post a new chapter of FireFlies too, if i'm lucky. This chapter was so long I had to cut it in two! wow, that's unlike me. I'm wondering about my cover page too, but I don't know what to do. I can't find any suitable pics for this story! PM me if you have any ideas?

To My awesome reviewers:

Elie-glory: thank you1 I've been wanting to do one for a bit now, thank you for reviewing!

and 1fairytaillover: thaaaaaaank you..! I will.

Review or I'll tell Happy you hate fish and give him a gun! *evil cackle* "oh god!"