"You got it Lu-chan!" A petite girl cheered as she watched her best friend master the element she was probably the worst at... Earth bending. "Show Gajeel what you've got!"

Lucy smirked, feeling relieved that she finally got it down, after 5 long weeks of training with the oddest master she has ever been learning with.

Gajeel, unfortunately, got distracted by Lucy's companion, and was knocked to the ground by a rock pillar that shot from his feet. He laid motionless for a moment before letting out a loud chuckle and sitting up, moving the hair out of his face. "Not bad blondie. Of course you didn't actually beat me because I mean... Come on. But I think it's time for you to find your next master."

Lucy beamed and jumped up and down. "Yes! I'm almost there! Yes! All that's left is..... Oh no."

The small girl giggled and walked over to the earth bender, handing him a water bottle. "I know it's not your favorite element to practice. But you need to learn fire bending no matter what."

"But Levy it's so unpredictable. I nearly burnt down the who North Pole! I made Juvia cry because I burnt the back of her engagement necklace." The blonde complained, watching as Gajeel jumped off the ground and dusted himself off, while drinking every last drop of water.

"Juvia is fine now!" A voice chirped behind her. "Gray-sama made Juvia a new one."

Lucy turned to see Gray trudging on behind her with his hands in his pockets, giving a little shrug. "You have to give it a chance. It's kinda mandatory. If I'm making things better, I know someone who is perfect to teach you. You tend to learn better under annoying people."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gajeel and Juvia mumbled.

"I'm annoying?" A small voice sniffled to Lucy's right.

"No Wendy not you!" Gray flinched and tried to ease the girl's crying.

Lucy blew Gray away from Wendy and brought her into a hug. The young girl blushed as her face was squished from the avatar's cleavage. "There you go again making girls cry."

Gray huffed and crossed his arms. "Not like I mean to... Just— ugh! Let's just get you to our next destination."

Lucy sighed and soon nodded, letting go of Wendy as she needed to go get her flying bison ready for flight. "Yeah. Bring me to this new master..." She grumbled.

Levy smiled and looked back at Gajeel who gave her a farewell smirk. She knew he wasn't tagging along, claiming he was a lone wolf who trained poor souls on the road.

Lucy said her goodbyes to her earth bending teacher before blowing herself up onto the sky bison's saddle.

---

"Ah! Natsu!" A redhead beamed with proudness as she approached the pink hair fire bending master. "I heard the Avatar was coming... She might be coming to learn from you."

Natsu looked up and over at the sword master with a shrug. "There's plenty of other people in this area who are more suited to teach her, Erza. I'm still pretty knew at teaching people, I'm not really good at it either."

Erza smiled and sat down on the corner of his dining table, looking down at the bowl of noodles in front of him, as well as a piece of paper that he shielded with his forearm. "Hm... I think you're actually excited for the chance to teach her."

"Tch... Why would you say that. I hope she doesn't choose me."

"Yeah? Then what are those things you drew on that paper? Fire bending techniques for the Avatar. Hm... I wonder." Erza said, letting out a small snicker as he turned a light shade of red, quickly crumbling the paper and burning it in his hands.

"I- I just.... Shut up!" He complained and marched out of the dining hall and out to his training area outside.

Natsu sighed and looked up at the red trees with a pout. His whole life, he never left the fire nation... And red seemed to be the only color he saw on a daily basis. He didn't really despise it, it was a beautiful color. But after awhile, it could make things dull and.... Boring. He craved adventure, he wished more than anything to see the world. But how?

"The avatar!" Someone cheered from the streets, making him flinch out of his thought and peek out of the gates to see a crowd gather around his property.

Up in the sky, descended a giant flying bison. And on it were a different assortment of people who waved to the crowd with broad smiles. Natsu marveled at the colors of their clothes and hair from his spot on his property, unable to leave.

"Oi! It's the pyro!" A familiar voice blared from the sky bison. Natsu looked up, and a look of disgruntlement instantly appeared on his face. Gray...

"I should've known he would be tagging along..." He grumbled and gestured for a guard to open the gates for team avatar to enter as he trudged into his home.

---

Lucy only got a small glance at her soon-to-be master before he disappeared. The only bit of information he got from him was the fact that he seemed to dislike Gray.

As they made their way inside, Lucy noticed how quiet and sad it was. There weren't a lot of bright colors and the fire on the torches casted shadows along the halls.

Natsu stopped and waited in front of the entrance to the porch which over looked a garden which was most probably the most approachable area in his property. Erza stood beside him with a friendly smile on her face.

His eyes landed on the blonde, knowing that she was the avatar out of her whole group. Her hair was yellow like the base of a flame and her eyes were brown like fire wood. He saw these colors a lot but... Somehow she just seemed so colorful. It made him feel legitimately happy and he didn't know why.

"You're pretty young for a master fire bender..." She spoke first, looking at him with a respectful posture.

Natsu took a moment to process that she started a conversation before responding. "Yeah... I mean... If you can master all element in under a year, I can master at least one element just as fast."

"Pinky started fire bending when he was five." Gray snickered, stepping up beside Lucy with his fiancé, Juvia, by his side.

"Oh shut up..." Natsu glared at the raven haired boy. "You're a water bender and you fail at it. All you can do is the ice part."

"Oh so you're going to complain about me when I actually complimented you, huh?!" Gray scoffed, banging his forehead against the other boy's.

Erza sighed and harshly pulled them away from one another before smiling. "Right this way, Lucy. I'll take your friends to their rooms." She said kindly before turning and dragging Gray by his ear, everyone else followed, leaving Natsu and Lucy behind.

Natsu rubbed his neck before standing up straight and gesturing for him to follow him onto the porch. Lucy smiled and followed him to a small pond, turtle ducklings swimming happily as the followed their mother to the other end.

"Ah... I don't know how to start this... It's my first time teaching anyone but... I guess being raised by a dragon makes me very qualified." Natsu said awkwardly and sat down on a bench. "So Avatar—"

"—call me Lucy." She corrected.

Natsu smiled slightly before nodding. "Okay... Lucy. I've been told you have a small nerve for fire bending. Is that right?"

Lucy blushed with embarrassment before nodding and looking down at her hands. "Yeah... I can do it easily and I've done it before but... There's something about that just makes me uneasy."

Natsu watched he color fade in his eyes, he really didn't want it to go away. "Well! I'll make you change your mind. It's a dangerous element, and it's much different from all the others. But it's warm. It's a living thing." He said softly, holding out his hand and creating a small flame appear in his palm. "It breaths oxygen... Like us. The key is to keep that in mind, if you let it out of your control, it'll spread and exceed you power.... Or it can be your friend."

Lucy watched the fire flicker... It almost seemed comforting. The shine returned to her eyes, making Natsu feel at ease again.

"I'll do it." She grinned and nodded to the pinkette. "I know you'll be able to teach me... Sefū Natsu!"

"Just call me Natsu." He said with a laugh, extinguishing the flame to hold her hand.

"Okay Natsu." Lucy nodded and shook his hand. "I'm honored."

---

Lucy slumped to the ground in defeat. It's been a month and she still couldn't handle holding an entire fire bending technique. Erza watched by the side as she practiced alone. There was so much potential in her, she could be the perfect avatar if only she could control fire without quitting.

With a sigh, Erza walked down the steps and stood in front of her, pulling her up off the ground. "You can't keep stopping when you just get it..." She said softly.

Lucy dusted the dirt off her pants and slouched her shoulders, hanging her head down low. "I can't help it... It's an element that just kinda... Scares me."

"You're the avatar! You've got the guts, the power... The brains!" Erza smiled reassuringly as she tapped her head. "You've got everything it takes!"

Lucy huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "That's the problem. People think that way but... Being the Avatar isn't as rewarding as you think it might be. I wouldn't be here if I didn't sacrifice my life at home..."

Erza's smile disappear as she felt the atmosphere of grief surrounding the blonde in front of her. There was a long moment of silence before she decided to speak up. "I think you can tell by now I'm not a fire bender."

Lucy looked up at her solemnly.

"I was the first in my family line to not have the ability... And everyone pitied me for that. After my parents passed away I was just an orphan living alone and I believed everyone when they told me I was powerless and weak." Erza smiled sadly though it soon turned hopeful as her eyes began to sparkle. "But then I met my soon to be husband... And he taught me to believe in a brighter future and to show everyone my strength... Without bending. So I took up sword fighting... And here I am, the best in the fire nation, working for one of my best friends and feeling happier and stronger then ever."

Lucy watched her in awe, but quickly looked down and tugged at the hem of her shirt. "That's a beautiful story but... Why did you tell me this?"

"People will always think a certain way about you, whether it's pity or exaggerated hope.... And that'll get to you no doubt. You just need to find something or someone who will make them open their eyes."

Lucy blinked and smiled to herself before nodding and jumping on her heels. "Right! I get it! I need to find that special something!" She planned and started running off to her room. "Thanks Erza!"

Erza chuckled and watched her leave before exiting Natsu's property with a smile.

---

Natsu watched with amusement as Lucy ran about his property as well as the nearby town. Of course he was following her... Which might've been creepy now that he thought about it. But he felt obliged to look after her even though she was more than capable of handling herself.

Pretty soon she began to look deflated, and that made him want to go over and check on her but... Would she ask questions? Oh she'll probably think he was stalking her. Which he was but...

A sudden explosion shocked everyone and rang their ears as the watched a cloud of smoke escape from a shop. Natsu watched in surprise as Lucy tumbled out of the building, coughing.

Quickly, he ran over to her side and steadied her, pulling her away to a more breathable place.

"Lucy." He shook her shoulders, trying to get her to snap out of her daze. "Hey avatar? Time to wake up!"

"Oi!" Someone blared from behind him. Three men walked out of the shop with handkerchiefs covering their noses and mouths. "She's ours!"

Natsu furrowed his eyebrows and opened his mouth to reply but stopped when Lucy wiggled herself out of his grasp and stood up, seeming a little uneasy.

She thruster her arm forward as she attempted to air bend but nothing happened. Lucy cursed and stomped her foot to the ground... But her earth bending didn't work either. "What the—"

"Chi blockers... You'll be fine, it'll wear off soon." Natsu mumbled and stood up beside her with a smirk. "It's been awhile since I had a real fight. This should be fun."

One man pulled the cloth from his mouth and stepped forward as a threat. "That little wench ruined everything! She thinks she can just go in and sabotage our robbery with her fancy avatar action?"

"No!"

"Nah!" The two man shouted, hopping on their heels as they showed off their muscles.

"No one messes with the Ban Brothers! Am-I-right men?!" The leader yelled, being rewarded with manly grunts and cheers from the other two.

Lucy grimaced and looked back at Natsu, noticing his unimpressed expression.

"Never heard of you guys but I guess I shouldn't  judge a book by its cover, huh?" Natsu shrugged, earning a giggle from the blonde beside him.

The lead man growled and immediately ran forward, foolishly using his fire bending, which Natsu easily avoided and kicked him to the ground. "Okay so he isn't the chi blocker." Lucy noted, checking to see if her bending was working yet... Almost. "I'll take however that is. It'll be great practice for me."

Natsu nodded and scanned over the two other men. "Ah I see. Then I'll take the one on the left."

"How do you know he's the fire bender?" Lucy asked curiously as her bending finally came back.

"Because I just know." Natsu snickered, nodding to her before running forward and using his flames to create a circle around him and his opponent.

Natsu smirked the whole time as he fought with the ban brother. He landed every hit while the other didn't get one on the pinkette. And pretty soon he was laying on the ground knocked out.

Natsu laughed and lowered his flames to watch Lucy as she fought like an expert, using her opponent's motives to her advantage. With a smile, she encased the man in rocks and made it impossible her him to use his chi blocking on her.

"Great job Luce!" Natsu applauded, making her look over at him with a blush of embarrassment.

"N-No I wasn't as good as you! I didn't even manage to fire bend but—"

Lucy paused as she noticed the man at Natsu's feet was still awake with a sickly dangerous smile on his face as lighting crackled at his fingers.

Natsu blinked at the look on her face and slowly looked down to see what was about to happen.

"No!" Lucy yelled and instinctively shot her hand forward. A blue flash of blue appeared in her eyes before a large flame shot from her fists, blowing the criminal away. His brothers quickly got up and ran away as the dragged their charred brother away from the town.

Natsu watched as she examined her hands. He looked at her eyes curiously...the shocking blue color sparking a sudden interest. "Wow..." He breathed.

Lucy formed a large smile and quickly ran forward to hug Natsu tightly. "I DID IT! I ACTUALLY WENT THROUGH WITH IT!"

Natsu turned bright red and timidly looked down at her. "H-how?"

"I found that special something!"

Natsu raised an eyebrow at her when she looked up at him. "huh?"

Lucy giggled and gave a small peck on his cheek. Steam curled off his cheeks as he turned an even brighter shade of red. "Ah..."

A light shade of pink dusted her cheeks as she watched the boy become completely flustered.

---

"Well it's been two months of practicing and your as good as a dragon, Luce." Natsu said as he spotted the blonde at the exit of his property, watching as she loaded her stuff onto Wendy's sky bison. "I guess you're going to be learning spiritual stuff now... Huh?"

Lucy hopped down from the giant animal to talk to him up close, a sad smile on her face. "Yeah... I had a lot of fun here though. I'm going to miss this place."

Natsu nodded and looked at his feet. "I'm going to miss having you here..."

Lucy frowned and watched as her friends boarded the bison, waiting for her to join them. "Me too..."

They stood silently for a good minute or two.

"Come with me."

Natsu blinked in shock as looked back at her brown eyes, noticing a hopeful smile appearing on her lips, making his heart melt. "Huh?"

"Erza told me you wanted to see the world... So come with. She also told me she always dreamt of having a sword fighting school so..."

Natsu looked back to see the redhead grinning while holding a thumbs up. Tears budded at his eyes as he nodded to her before turning back to Lucy, making it obvious he was up for it. "Okay." He laughed, "I'll go."

Lucy blushed, her grin spreading broader on her face before she sprung forwards and wrapped her arms around the pink haired boy. "I'm happy..."

Natsu chuckled and spun her around before leaning back to look at her face. "I'm happy too." He whispered before planting a soft kiss on her lips. She seemed to respond to it after a couple seconds before breaking away and giggling as she realized people were watching them.

"Just go get your stuff lover boy!" Gray teased with a snicker but got hit on the head by a weeping Juvia who found the scene to be too cute.

Natsu rubbed Lucy's cheeks with his thumbs and looked at her lovingly before stepping away, sending a middle finger towards Gray, and running into the building to pack his stuff.

"My my~" Levy cooed. "Who knew that was gonna happen? Oh that's right! I did!" The petite girl snorted. "Hurray for the cliché!"

"Oh shut it." Lucy said even though a smile was evident in her face.

---

Word count: 3141
*not proofread*