CHAPTER 2

[A/N: HEY MINNA, JellyBean here, cant believe what a good response I'm getting for this story, I was so shocked that I started writing the next chapter as soon as possible, anyway here it is; chapter 2, hope you like it XD]

Lucy was blushing 50 shades of red, Natsu had this strange way of making her feel incredibly shy and self-conscious about everything she was doing.

She was insanely nervous when she was dressing the wound on his chest, she tried to remain professional, but it was the first time she had ever seen a guy shirtless in her whole life, and Natsu's body was definitely a shock for her, she couldn't believe a guy could have such washboard abs and be real, the only time she had ever seen anything remotely close to real abs were in those manga's that her best friend would show her at school, but it was nothing compared to the real thing.

She had to fight off every fiber of her being to not rub her hands all over them and try and stay focused on healing him. Luckily her protective instincts were more powerful than her bodies so she managed to bandage him up without ogling him, she mentally pat herself on the back for that small feat.

Dragging him to the shrines outdoor guest room was no easy task either, not only was he heavy and injured, but she also had to make sure that no-one in the shrine saw her, especially her father.

Ever since her mother died her father had become increasingly overprotective of her, so much so that she was enrolled in an all-girl school just to prevent her from being around any 'strange' boys that he didn't know.

In fact the only boy that was allowed anywhere near her was her childhood friend Loke, but even then her father was weary of him, it didn't help that he had turned into a playboy over the years either.

Lucy sweat dropped at the memory of him using cheesy pick-up lines on her when her father wasn't looking, luckily a good bonk on the head made him shut up.

"Hellooooo~~ you hear what I said?" said Natsu as he waved his hand in front of Lucy's face, she had suddenly spaced out on him and didn't hear a word he said.

"H-huh, oh I'm so sorry! I spaced out suddenly, that was very rude, I'm sorry!" she said as she kept bowing her head every time she said sorry, he face was red again.

"Geez will you stop apologizing, it's nothing to get worked up over you know" said Natsu as he rubbed the back of his head.

This girl was a little too high strung around him, either he made her really nervous or she has really strict parents, he wasn't sure.

"O-oh, right, I'm sorry, it's just that… I don't hang around boys very often, and I'm not really sure how to act around them…" she said nervously as she rubbed her arm and looked at the floor.

Natsu smiled softly at her, finding her innocence really cute, now he was determined to try and make her feel completely comfortable around him.

"Just treat me like you would any one of your friends, I'm not an alien you know" he said with a grin.

Lucy looked at him shocked for a moment, but then she had a big smile on her face which Natsu couldn't tear his eyes away from.

"Ok, so I guess that means that were friends then, right Natsu?" she said with a smile and a small blush.

Natsu scratched his nose in embarrassment, he could feel the heat on his cheeks, but at this point he gave up trying to hide it, if he kept turning his head like he was he was sure he would get whiplash or something.

"S-sure…" he said, he hated feeling so nervous around Lucy, any action of hers could set him off.

"A-anyway, while you were spaced out I asked if you knew where my scarf went?" he said trying to get back to his point.

"Scarf? Oh right, I almost forgot about it" she said as she got up from the floor.

Lucy went to the other end of the room and opened up a small drawer that was in the corner, where she had placed Natsu's scarf.

"It had a few stains on it so I thought I'd wash them off for you, I hope that was ok?" she said as she handed Natsu his scarf.

He was shocked when he saw his scarf, it was pure white, and even cleaner than when he first got it, this girl was a miracle worker. When he held the scarf he could feel softness in the fabric that wasn't there before, and it had a sweet smell to it as well; like vanilla and strawberries.

"Th-thanks, that was really kind of you" he said while smiling and hugging his scarf.

Lucy blushed a deep red, but not because of the complement he gave her, no, it was because of the face he was making.

His smile was so sweet and sincere, like it could reach your very soul, she could tell with one look that the scarf meant a lot to him, and she felt her chest swell with pride knowing that she had gotten him to make that face in front of her.

"Oh it was no big deal, I was happy to do it I just-"

"-LUCY, WHY AREN'T YOU INSIDE YET!?" said a voice from outside.

Lucy flinched and looked toward the door, panic written all-over her face.

"U-Um, I'll be there in a minute father, just locking the doors!" she yelled.

"Well hurry up, it's getting dark and I don't want you outside after-hours!" yelled her father.

"Y-yes, I'm almost done!" she said.

Natsu then realized why she kept apologizing to him; her dad sounded really strict, no wonder she was so fidgety.

But Natsu was a bit concerned, did her dad not know he was there, or that she was taking care of him, speaking of which, he should go home as well, no doubt his sister was worried sick about him, and his guardian would beat his ass for being late as well.

"Um thanks for all your help and everything, but I think I should head home now, it's getting pretty late" he said nervously as he tried to get up.

"H-huh, a-are you sure, will you be able to make home ok, if you contact your parents I'm sure they'll let you stay here to rest up?" she asked worryingly.

Natsu smirked at her "What, you gonna miss me if I'm gone?" he asked teasingly.

Lucy's face was set aflame and she started flailing her hands around.

"N-no that's not it, I-I was just worried about your condition and all, d-d-don't p-put words in my m-m-mouth!" she said nervously.

"What, so you won't miss me if I go?" he asked, his face in mock hurt.

Lucy couldn't keep up with this guy, he was sending her emotions on some kind of roller-coaster ride, but it was then that she figured out that he was teasing her.

Now Lucy may seem like a shy and timid girl, but she had a tough side to her that not even her father knew about, just Loke and her best friend. But this time, she decided she'd let Natsu see it too.

"Hmph, I won't be able to miss you if you don't leave now will I?" she asked haughtily as she crossed her arms over her chest and turned her head.

Natsu was shocked at her sudden change of attitude, but he liked it, it was good to know she had some backbone and wasn't always timid, so he decided to match her challenging attitude.

"I don't know, you might cry when I leave, and I hate to know I made such a cute girl sad" he said with a smirk.

Lucy blushed when he called her cute, but tried to keep a straight face, she refused to lose her composure around this guy anymore.

"Don't you worry about me, I'm a big girl and can handle myself just fine, you'll probably be the one crying" she said trying to sound tough.

Natsu couldn't stop the smirk from appearing on his face, this girl was just too much for him, but he just couldn't get enough of her.

"Is that so?" he asked leaning into her face, which caused her to blush even more.

"Y-yes, n-now if you're going to leave I suggest you do it now while my father isn't looking" she said while backing away from him to look out the door.

"Why're you hiding me from your dad, were you planning on doing dirty things to me while I was knocked out?" he asked with a sly smirk.

Lucy turned and looked at him with the most flabbergasted expression he had ever seen; her face could rival Erza's hair-color.

"N-n-no! Y-y-you p-p-pervert! I-I I'm not th-th-that kind of girl!" she yelled at him, not too loud though in case her father heard her.

Natsu was snickering at her reaction; she really was just too fun to tease.

"I-It's just that… if my father found out I was around a boy he doesn't know, I don't know what he would do to you" she said with a sad expression.

Natsu's eyes widened, just what kind of dad does she have?

"W-what do ya mean by that?" he asked nervously.

Lucy looked everywhere but at Natsu "W-well… the last time a guy got within ten feet of me, m-my dad kind of threatened him w-with a katana… ehehe" she said while rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

Natsu visibly paled, her dad was CRAZY overprotective, but he kind of understood why, combined, her innocence and her looks would send any guy over the edge, but a katana, really?

"W-wow, i-isn't that a bit extreme?" he asked.

"That's what I said, and the poor guy just wanted directions! It was so embarrassing!" she said as she hid her face in her hands.

Natsu sweat dropped, her dad really needs some chill-pills.

"You poor girl" he said as he shook his head sympathetically.

She sighed to herself, poor girl indeed, she groaned to herself just at the memory of the incident.

"Anyway, so you see why its best to avoid my father now, you're already hurt and I'm pretty sure you don't want anymore injuries" she said sternly.

Natsu couldn't help thinking that she looked like a mother scolding her child right then, waving her finger in front of him like that, another side to her that he found adorable.

"Hai hai, Okaasan, message received" he said while he gave her a mock salute.

Lucy puffed out her cheeks at him, annoyed with his constant teasing.

"Whatever, anyway wait for me to get inside my house then run for it, how far away do you live exactly?" she asked curiously.

"I live about 10 to 20 minutes away I think?" said Natsu as he tried to think of where he was exactly.

"What!? I can't let you walk that far with those kinds of injuries! Hold on one second" she said as she tried to dig through her hakama [A/N: just an FYI it's the pants worn by shrine maidens] and pulled out her wallet.

"Here, this should be enough for a taxi to take you home" she said while trying to give him money.

"Oh no way, I cant take money from a girl who helped me, that would be so uncool" he said as he waved his hands in front of him, showing her that he wasn't going to take her money.

"Well wouldn't it be even more uncool to pass out on the side of the road? I'm not asking you, just take it" she said sternly, honestly, men are too proud for their own good [A/N: Aint that the truth].

Natsu sighed exasperatedly, this girl was persistent, he knew she had a point but his manly pride wouldn't take the hit very well, he had to think of a way to accept her money and keep his pride…

Then it hit him.

"Fine I'll take your money, but only coz I don't want you worrying about me getting home, I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing your staying up all night worrying about me" he said with a smirk while taking her money.

Lucy just rolled her eyes, typical excuses, hell she was pretty sure she'd heard Loke use that line with her before when she offered him money.

"Gee, thank you for your concern, you're much too kind" she said sarcastically.

Ok, so Natsu knew he oversold himself there, but he decided to go along with it for the sake of sparing his manhood.

"Your welcome" he said with a smirk.

Lucy just sweat dropped, could this guy not detect sarcasm, or was he just humoring her.

"Right, well I think that instead of me running out first you should go instead, I actually do have to lock this place up" she said as she poked her head out the door to check if her father was looking.

"Fine by me" said Natsu as he walked towards the sliding door.

He was halfway between the door when he turned to look at Lucy.

"So… um… thanks, for helping me out, I appreciate it" he said shyly.

Lucy blushed slightly "Y-your welcome" she responded shyly.

He was now on the other side of the door looking at her shy figure as she fidgeted with her hands, she really was just too damn cute.

"So I guess I'm going then" he said as he looked behind him.

"U-um, w-will I see you around?" she asked timidly looking into his eyes, still blushing cutely.

Natsu smirked and leaned into her "Count on it" he whispered.

Then he ran off.

Lucy was in a state of shock, her face felt like it was on fire and it was an unnatural shade of red. She lifted her hand and touched her cheek gently.

Why you ask?

Because just as Natsu leaned into her, after he whispered to her…

…he kissed her lightly on the cheek.

"Wh-wh-wh-what j-j-j-j-just happened?!"

[A/N: HAHAHAHAHAHA, best NaLu moment ever! So… what did you think? Please leave me a review and let me know what you thought, Arigato minna XD]