Hello! It's been a while but I have a new fanfic for you! A few people have spoken and they asked for this story first out of the 2 options I gave ... so here it is!

The idea for this came to me in a dream (no joke) and I had to write it. I hope you all enjoy it! Please let me know what you think.

Italics = Thoughts

Bold = Flashback

Underlined = Dialogue

1

Breathe in. Breathe out. Focus. He stared at the pitcher before him and watched as he shook his head, affirming whatever signal the catcher behind him had made. His grip on the bat tightened as the pitcher wound up to strike. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. The pitcher's arm moved forward. The ball released from his hand and flew towards him. He was patient. He waited until just the right moment and swung. The ball impacted his bat. He watched as the ball sail past the pitcher and continued towards the outfield.

He must have been holding his breath because he let out a deep exhale. A voice drew his attention behind him. "Run, Natsu!" He saw a blonde girl in the front row of the stands. She yelled and pointed towards first.

It seemed to click in his mind. He threw the bat to the ground as he ran towards first base. He didn't bother looking as he rounded the base and continued to the next then the next. He pumped his arms and kicked his feet out to push him forward. Just go! Don't look back!

His foot hit the edge of the base and he looked forward at his goal… home plate. His eyes looked up from the white shape on the ground and settled on the catcher standing there, eagerly waiting for the ball to be thrown to him. He stalled a moment but smiled when he saw his father, his teammates and his girlfriend all cheering him forward to finish.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw an outfielder had found the ball and was throwing back towards home. He pumped his legs harder and harder, willing him to move faster. The catcher reached forward, ready to receive the ball that had been thrown to him.

Natsu dove forward, reaching his arms above his head. He turned his head to the left and squeezed his eyes shut. His body connected with the ground but continued to slide forward. He could feel the grains of sand and rocks scrape against his uniform, arms and face.

He came to a stop. The catcher had his mitt pressed against his shoulder. Everyone held their breath as they waited to see what happened. The umpire stood over them waiting to give his verdict. The dust cleared revealing Natsu laying on the ground, his hands both touching the home plate.

"SAFE!" The umpire yelled.

The crowds stood from their places in the stands and cheered wildly. Players from the dugout ran onto the field towards Natsu. The pinkette stood and ran to them, jumping into their arms to cheer. This point won them the game, and not just any game, they had just won state! The first time their high school baseball team had done so. And Natsu had scored the winning point!

Amidst the yelling of his team and the cheering of the crowd, Natsu could discern a small voice calling his name. He looked through the crowd and immediately found her. He kept his eyes locked onto hers as he managed to escape the hold of his teammates and weaved his way through the people to get to her. As soon as she was in arms' reach, he pulled her to himself. Taking her in his arms, the two shared a passionate kiss on Homeplate. Nothing felt more right in this moment.

Releasing each other from their kiss, Natsu rested his forehead on hers. The two smiled madly at one another as they regulated their breathing from all the excitement. "I love you, Lucy." He managed to get out between breaths. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she smiled back at him. "I love you too, Natsu." The two went back to their previous activity, not caring about who was around them or where they were. All that mattered was them.

The umpire yelling in his ear behind him shook him back into reality. The murmurs of the crowd provided background sounds to the scene before him. It was almost like he was still living in that memory, but a few things were too different for it to be so. The stadium was different; he was no longer in the small sandlot located behind his high school. Now, he stood at home plate in the official stadium of the Major League Baseball team the Magnolia Dragons, of which he was a star player. He had made it.

It was the bottom of the ninth, the bases were loaded, and the Dragons were down by 3 points. With 2 outs on the board, Natsu stood in a crucial spot in determining the outcome of this game.

Spacing out had caused him a strike, note to self: stay focused. Natsu gripped the bat and waited for the pitcher to release his next throw. He raised his shoulders slightly as he watched the pitcher got into position to throw the ball.

Natsu squinted his eyes, focusing on the pitcher, taking note of his stance and his grip on the ball. In slow motion, he watched as the pitcher wound up. Natsu smirked when he caught a glimpse of the pitcher's fingers on the ball. A curveball, huh? His eyes followed the ball, watching its path as it moved outward before heading straight for the plate.

Placing all his weight on his left foot, Natsu turned his body and swung into the ball, hitting it dead on. The ball ricocheted off Natsu's bat and flew out into deep left field. Go, go! The outfielders ran for the wall, trying to see if they could get underneath, it to catch the ball. When they hit the wall and the ball kept going, Natsu knew he had hit a home run.

Taking his time, Natsu jogged to all three bases before turning to head towards Homeplate. He held a smile on his face as he watched his teammates jumping and cheering for him in the dugout. His heart dropped to not see her there.

She used to be there for every game, cheering him on in the stands. She would celebrate with him when they won or encourage him when they lost. She was his biggest support… and she wasn't here. Granted, she hadn't been to one of his games in almost 10 years.

There are all those cliché reasons: they went different directions, things just weren't working out, their careers came first… All excuses, all lies. The truth as to why still remained a mystery to him and he wondered if she felt the same.

Keep running, he told himself. With a heavy weight on his heart, he crossed the Homeplate, earning cheers and shouts from thousands of fans in the stadium. Natsu shook the hand of the catcher before walking over to his team's dugout. His teammates patted him on the back or ruffled his hair. Natsu caught a glimpse of the giant screen in the stadium which read, 'Dragons win!' A clip of him hitting the ball replayed. Time stood still for him; he watched the world around him celebrate the efforts of his work, the joy it brought to the people around him… but something was missing or rather someone.

…

They sat around the large conference table located in the administration portion of the stadium. Each person there, in some manner, was responsible for the public image and management of said image for the Magnolia Dragons.

Present in the room was Makarov, the owner of the team. Once a player in his own time, he became a manager at his retirement and eventually settled on buying the Dragons, whom he has owned for 15 years. Also, there was Erza Scarlet, the Head Agent for the team. Erza was responsible for negotiating contracts between the players and their individual managers or the league or contract deals involving the team as a whole.

Makarov, Erza and the others, were waiting for their 'Creative Agent' as she had deemed herself. True to her nature, she was fashionably late, no doubt due to canoodling with her boyfriend who just happened to be the manager of the team.

"Nice of you two to join us," Makarov quipped as Mira Jane and Laxus entered the room. Laxus either pretended not to hear the comment or wasn't paying attention. He silently walked towards the other end of the table and took his seat. Mira remained near the head of the table and sat in her usual seat, beside Makarov.

"Now we can get started." Erza said as she stood and walked to the head of the table. "We had a good season last year, earning the title of Division champions before winning the World Series. This year we are on track to keep that going." The other people in the room clapped in support.

"I want to build off that success and use the publicity. Any ideas?" Erza looked around the room at the personnel there. Various people looked around at one another, seeing who was brave enough to come forward.

A man with quaff hair spoke up, "We could have some of the players participate in the celebrity golf tournament in the summer?"

"No, that's too small. Something better?" Erza dismissed.

"State Farm approached Natsu about a commercial for a 'Dragneel Discount?'" A thin female in a blue dress asked.

"Again, too small. I don't want to rely on the image of one of our players. I need something involving more of the team, the brand itself." Erza stated.

"Commercial using the whole team?" A heavier set man supposed.

"Better but something more than a commercial."

"What about a movie?" All the heads in the room turned to face the meek woman in the corner who had spoken up. The sudden attention made her slump down into her chair.

"What did you say, Laki?" Mira asked.

"Um…" she gulped. "I heard Fairy Tail, the production company, is looking to make a baseball movie. So they will need a stadium and team to work with."

"So… camera time for the team and stadium." Erza pondered aloud.

"What is the story?" Makarov asked.

Laki scratched the side of her head, "I think it was some feel-good drama about a female manager… or something?"

Mira stood suddenly and slammed her hands on the table, making the others in the room jump slightly. "Laki, do you have a contact at Fairy Tail?"

Chapter 1 done... more to come! Let me know what you think