GOD! How long has it been since I last updated! Nearly have a year! I have only one excuse : SCHOOL! Hope you enjoy the new chapter!

Disclaimer: I am a kitty cat-nyan! NOT Mashima-nyan!

Lucy tried to not attract attention to her as she sat with her friends during homeroom. But it was harder when she had a black bruise and a split lip.

"Oh my god, Lucy-san! What happened to you" Juvia was the first to notice her and no sooner the girls were worrying, asking her how she got these wounds while the boys - and Erza - were threatening to torture the one who did this to her- in a very graphic way too!

Lucy laughed. This was the same way her co-workers, Eclair and Michelle had reacted. Except Michelle was crying her eyes out while Eclair was getting ready to sharpen her machete.

"Calm down! I just fell!" she shouted. Though she was hurt, she didn't what those girls to be hacked into pieces by Eclair. She knew firsthand how Eclair was when she was angry. And it wasn't a nice scene.

Lucy was brought back to present when she felt a pain in her ribs. Levy, Erza and Juvia were poking her to know if it hurt. But if she was honest, she hurt everywhere! So it probably was not a great idea.

"Don't worry guys, I just fell." Lucy said, trying to reassure them.

"You should be more careful, Lu-chan!" Levy said, though she knew they didn't buy her excuse.

"Come on. Let's get you to the nurse" Natsu said as he took her hand and lead her away from her friends.

------N------------A------------L------------U------

"Alright, tell me who did this to you?" Natsu asked after bandaging Lucy's wounds. The nurse, Porlyusica, had grumbled about stupid teens and had told them to patch themselves up.

Lucy hesitated before saying "... I r-really did fall down"

"I'm not buying that. I know what a punch looks like!" Natsu said with narrowed eyes.

"And what d-does it look like?" Lucy said with a teasing tone. She couldn't help it! Something about Natsu always made her relax.

"It looks ... w-well... i-it, I just know alright!" Natsu's cheeks were tinted pink as he crossed his hands and pouted. Lucy giggled.

Natsu stared at her for a few minutes, then sighed and sat down beside her in the infirmary bed (A/N: I don't know what to call it so yeah...) "You know, people usually start dating when they trust each other. But the way you are acting makes me wonder why you asked me to be your boyfriend!

"..." Lucy was silent as she didn't know what to say. Her hesitation only made Natsu more curious.

"Why did you ask me to be your boyfriend?"

"... you don't remember, do you?" Lucy said after sometime.

"Huh?"

"You helped me out once when I first came here. Remember?" She knew that he wouldn't remember. She wasn't even sure if he was aware of how he helped her.

It all happened so fast. She was new to the school and Bora, the school's (weakest) delinquent, had wanted her to be his girl (which wasn't even the word he used). She has been trying to get away from him, but he had a tight grip on her wrist. She winced at the reminder. She had bruises for a week, and it didn't help that her skin can be easily bruised.

Lucy was almost at tears when a boy with pink hair had punched, shouting about some test he failed because of Bora's fault. She wanted to thank him but he was too busy beating him up and not too long it had turned out into a brawl. Later she had found out the boy, Natsu, was part of the popular gang and was too afraid to go to him...

... that is until now.

"Er... really. I don't kno-Wait! You asked me out just because I helped you once?!" Natsu asked with a shocked look.

"O-of-course not! I'm not that desperate!" Lucy blushed as she said this.

"Then why?"

Why are we still on this subject! Lucy thought.

After thinking for some time she said, "I don't know..."

She really didn't know. She had heard many stories about Natsu, about the handsome, yet idiotic boy who did far too dangerous things to be sane just to stay loyal to his friends. She wanted that first. A loyal friend. But along the way, somehow she begin like him. Not love, but like!

Her hand unconsciously went to her skirt pocket.

There was silence, then...

"Let's go on a date today!" Natsu declared.

'Eh?'

Just a note. Lucy's school has only started for a month or so and she is a junior! That's all!