Authors Note: Hello Everyone! This is a Natsu x Yukino fic, which is another one of my favourite pairings in FT. I always thought that when Natsu stuck up for Yukino that it was really sweet of him, and I always wondered what could've come to fruition after that event. Did Yukino catch feelings for him? The fic follows the events immediately after the Dragon Festival/ GMG, right around when Yukino joins Sabertooth (or does she?). Also, if any of you didn't know or are interested in this pairing, I have written a NaWen (Natsu x Wendy) fanfic, so if that interests you maybe go check it out please? I have no idea how long this is going to be, since it was a fic that I thought about writing about halfway through my last fic, and I get a lot of my ideas in school or just freewriting and letting my ideas pour out, which is how I've developed my style which I feel is pretty effective as far as creativity goes. Anyways, enjoy!

Chapter 1: My Dragon in Shining Armour

"Listen, Yukino, we're all really sorry about how we treated you after your match. We should've stuck up for you, but we didn't. However, we're going to rebuild Saber from the ground up, and we want you to join us. What do you say, Yukino?" Sting asked, smiling at her.

Join...Saber? But... Yukino thought to herself as she looked across the room to see the man that had stood up for her when nobody else had. He had attacked her ex-guild and fought valiantly in her honour, simply because she had been mistreated. It wasn't any of his business, he didn't have to do a thing. But...he had comforted her, consoled her, and even fought for her? She was a complete stranger to the pink-haired Dragon Slayer, never said a word to him in her life until she had come to his guild's inn to give Lucy her last two keys. However, he still felt the need to apoligise to her for thinking ill of her, as if he didn't already have a right to do so. She was the enemy, was she not? So why did he treat her as if she were one of his own guildmates, as a friend? When she had broken down crying, he had tried his hardest to wipe away her tears by beating some sense into her ex-guildmates. For anybody to do such a thing, especially a stranger...Yukino was dumbfounded. But, as she watched this young man continue to press on in the GMG, despite all that the other guilds had said and done to him and his friends, he kept his steel resolve. He always managed to keep a smile on his face, even after beating the strongest members of her guild singlehandedly. She remembered watching him push his teammate into a mine cart and sent him flying down into the tunnel as he took on two Dragon Slayers in Dragon Force by himself. What was he thinking? she thought to herself. Surely, he isn't trying to beat Rogue-sama and Sting-sama by himself!? But, nevertheless, he had come out on top, withstanding brutal attacks and ending the battle with his amazing smile to top it all off. She could tell that he held no grudge or ill wills against either of her teammates. Watching from the castle, she felt herself smiling as he celebrated his victory against the strongest guild. He's so strong...but kind, too. Natsu-sama really is incredible. His whole guild is just like him, fierce but compassionate. I'd...really love to be a part of that.

Eyeing her ex-teammate, Yukino looked at him with a worried expression, but took a deep breath and replied,

"Thank you, Sting-sama, really. I appreciate the offer, but...I want to join Fairy Tail instead."

The look on Sting's face was of utter disbelief, and he replied quickly,

"B-but we need you, Yukino! You're really strong and Saber won't be the same without you. Please reconsider." he begged.

"I'm truly sorry, Sting-sama. But my mind is made up. I have to join Fairy Tail, call it fate but I feel like it's calling to me."

Now angry, he replied,

"It's because of Natsu-san, isn't it? Just because he's crazy strong doesn't make him any better than me, Rogue or anybody else in Saber! Fairy Tail is strong too, but remember where you came from, Yukino." he said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

Irritated at his angry tone and displeasure at her reply, she removed his hand from her shoulder and said,

"I never said they were any better than you all. I've made up my mind, now please don't ask me again." she replied, walking away from an angry Sting and off towards the crowd of Fairy Tail members where Natsu stood chatting with his friends. As she approached, he sniffed the air and spun around on his heels, exclaiming,

"Yukino! I'm glad you're alright, you aren't hurt anywhere are you? I'll punch myself if I caused you to get injured because I didn't defeat Future Rogue fast enough." he said, sounding serious even though what he was saying was ridiculous.

"No no, please don't do that Natsu-sama," she said with a giggle. "I just wanted to ask you something if you didn't mind..."

"Sure thing, Yukino. What is it?" he said.

"Uh...I was offered to join Saber again by Sting-sama, but I turned him down because I was going to ask if I could..."

"...join Fairy Tail?" he said, finishing her sentence for her. Yukino nodded at his reply, and Natsu said,

"Of course you can. You don't even have to ask, Yukino. I made sure to ask if you could join before I even beat up Saber for you. It's all taken care of." he said, flashing his huge smile at the silver-haired Celestial Mage. She was very surprised to learn that he had already secured a spot in the guild for her, let alone that he was already thinking of her before he even went and apoligised for judging her too early.

"Really!?" she asked in disbelief, excited at the prospect of being able to be a part of such a wonderful guild.

Natsu nodded and said, "Uh-huh. Are you sure that you want to join though, Yukino? Things get pretty crazy in Fairy Tail, and I wouldn't want to make you feel uncomfortable. There he goes again, thinking of me first. Hastily jumping into his arms, she replied,

"Of course I do, Natsu-sama. I'm so glad that you thought of me even after all Saber had done to you and your friends. I'm sorry for everything you've been through."

Hugging her back, Natsu whispered into her ear,

"You have nothing to feel sorry about, Yukino. You couldn't control the actions of your guild, and now that your ex-Master and Minerva have gone away, I don't think any of us in Fairy Tail will have to worry about Saber trying to hurt us ever again."

She didn't say anything, and just held her friend close to her, overcome with so many emotions that she didn't even know what to do with herself. His embrace was so warm and tight, she wished she could never let go and just stay like that for hours. She might have done so had she not gotten a nasty look from Fairy Tail's Celestial Spirit Mage, Lucy Heartfilia. Oh no, I shouldn't be acting so friendly with her friend right in front of her, she thought, quickly releasing Natsu as Lucy glared at her from behind Natsu's field of vision.

"Hey, Yukino, would you like to dance?" Natsu asked, extending his hand out to the young woman. Me? she thought. Wasn't there many other partners Natsu-sama could be dancing with, and he picks me? Not wanting to dissapoint him, she nodded with a small smile as he led her out onto the dance floor. Contrary to what she believed at first, Natsu was actually quite a decent dancer. She wondered where he had learned such moves, but she didn't feel it necessary to ask and instead enjoyed his company and their close proximity as they waltzed to a song played by the kingdom's orchestra. As she looked around the room while they were dancing, she noticed multiple displeased looks on many of Fairy Tail's women: Lucy (of course), Wendy Marvell and a short-haired woman with white hair that resembled Mirajane Strauss very much. She guessed that they were sisters. Avoiding their eyes, she looked up at Natsu who was considerably taller than her. The height difference made her heart beat faster, combined with the fact that she found him very handsome made her blush profusely.

"You know, you look...really pretty tonight, Yukino." Natsu said sheepishly, looking down at the floor with a slight red tint to his face. He complimented...her!? She tried to remain calm on the outside but on the inside her heart was doing backflips. Not only did he think she was pretty, but he had extended the hand of friendship to her before she had even asked as well as defend her honour for no reason. He did more for me in a few days than Sting did for me in my entire time at Saber, she thought to herself as she quietly replied,

"T-thank you Natsu-sama. You look..." she gulped and continued, "very handsome, too."

Now they were both avoiding each other's gaze, trying to finish their dance and return to their comfort zone before Yukino fainted from excitement. As the song ended, he took her hand and led her back to the group of his guild members and spoke up, saying,

"Hey everyone! Yukino agreed to join Fairy Tail! Make her feel welcome."

The rest of his guild apparently bore no grudge to her as well as they all eagerly crowded around her, congratulating her on joining the guild and welcoming her to their family. She was happy to receive such a warm welcome, and thanked everyone for their kindness. Even the girls that had been glaring at her before welcomed her with open arms. So they didn't hold a grudge against me because I was from Saber? Then why were they staring daggers at me just a minute ago? She smiled and soon forgot about the nasty looks, and followed her new guild mates out the door since the party had finally come to a close. Walking back to the inn where they stayed, Natsu decided to accompany her and they both hung back behind the crowd and talked as they walked.

"Your guild seems very kind, Natsu-sama. I'm surprised that they were so welcoming to me." Yukino said.

"Don't be surprised, we've taken in members that have done a lot worse than you. Not that you actually did anything, Yukino." he replied.

"What do you mean, Natsu-sama?" she asked.

"Gajeel and Juvia came from the guild Phantom Lord, which was the other top guild seven years ago along with Fairy Tail. They attacked our guild hall and captured Lucy to ransom off to her father from whom she had run away from. Despite everything that they'd done, we didn't hold a grudge against them. I think Juvia was just following orders and Gajeel...well, he's a lot nicer now, he wasn't in a very good environment to begin with, being from Phantom, but he's really turned it around. Laxus even threatened to destroy Magnolia as well as its citizens because he wanted to be guild master. Although he got kicked out, our previous master let him back in. Everyone in Fairy Tail came from troubled pasts, Yukino, so please don't be too hard on yourself." he said, looking her in the eyes.

"Wow...okay then, Natsu-sama, I promise not to be so hard on myself. It's just what I'm used to, so please forgive me." she replied.

He stopped, taking Yukino's arm and not moving a muscle.

"Natsu-sama?" she asked, confused and worried.

"Stop apoligising, Yukino. You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for, you're the kindest member of your old guild and you have done no wrong to me or my friends. Stop acting like you're the enemy, you aren't. I hate that you blame yourself for your comrades' actions, and it makes me feel even worse about what happened to you every time you say that you're sorry. So please, stop it Yukino." he said very seriously.

She felt tears welling up in her eyes. Oh no, I made Natsu-sama mad. What if he hates me, doesn't want me in his guild? As quickly as she began to sob, Natsu pulled her close to him, wrapping her in his strong arms and embracing her silently. She continued to cry into his shoulder, the two mages just standing there in the street, uninterrupted by anyone.

"It's OK to cry, Yukino. Everyone needs a shoulder to lean on. Even me." he cooed into her ear to ease her sobs. She was so sad at everything that had happened but so happy at the same time. He's...so warm. She thought to herself, now done crying and just quietly sniffling in his shoulder.

"Whenever someone tries to do you wrong, I'll be there for you, just like that night. If you need a shoulder to lean on, or cry on, or someone to pick you up when you're down, remember that I'm here for you. You're special, Yukino."

"...Me? Special?" she asked.

"Aye. You're different than the other girls in the guild. I still haven't figured out what it is though. I just know that I couldn't let you join Saber if it was the last thing I did. Your home is here at Fairy Tail, Yukino."

Wiping the last tear from her face, she smiled up at Natsu.

"Thank you, Natsu-sama. You're special too." she replied, giving him a small but happy smile.

"I'm not as great as I'm cracked up to be. Come on, let's get going, the guild is probably waiting up on us." he said, extending his hand. Without hesitation, she took it and he led her down the dimly lit street that led to their guild's inn. They didn't say anything to each other, but Yukino didn't mind. Holding his hand was plenty of attention for her. Nearing the inn, they saw the crowd of guild members looking irritated and standing outside of the inn in the street. As they neared the crowd, Natsu asked,

"What are you guys doing standing outside? You know you could have just waited inside for us."

"No, we couldn't, Natsu! The innkeeper has already went to bed and you're the only one with the spare key! Seems like you..." Lucy said angrily, looking down at their intertwined hands, "took your time getting here, huh?"

Noticing Lucy's gaze down, he looked down and noticed too that their hands were still joined, to which he quickly released and cleared his throat, saying,

"Oh, that's nothing...we were just...uh-" he stammered but Lucy cut him off.

"I don't wanna know, Natsu. Just open the damn door."

"Alright, alright," he said, "but next time, just get Gray to use his magic to make a key if you make the mistake of entrusting the key with me." Unlocking the inn, Yukino noticed Gray face palm and mutter "Why didn't I think of that...". Upon entering the inn, Erza declared that everyone was going to bed and instructed her that she would be sleeping in a room with Lucy and Levy. As she made her way up the stairs and into the room, she changed into her pajamas and slipped into bed. Lucy and Levy soon followed after. Even as the trio lay in the dark, Yukino couldn't help but overhear their conversation in the dark.

"What an amazing tournament, Lu-chan. Natsu and Gajeel were really something, huh?" Levy whispered.

"Yeah, Natsu was really strong..."

"Surely you must know how Natsu feels about you, Lu-chan? I mean, I think he's had a crush on you since he invited you to join."

"I don't know, Levy-chan. I keep giving him hints, but every time he seems to return my feelings, I see him with...her."

She guessed that they were talking about her since they hadn't used her name and they were sharing a room.

"Come on, Lu-chan. You know better than anybody that he only has eyes for you. I mean, he uprooted a Sakura tree just so you could see it when you were sick. He saved you from Gajeel when he was still in Phantom and whose name is the first he's always screaming when there's danger?"

"Mine...I know what you mean Levy-chan, but I'm still worried. I don't mind having her in our guild, but I don't want to lose Natsu to her too. I already have enough love rivals in the guild, I don't need one that Natsu hand picked from another guild." she said.

"He didn't 'hand pick' her, Lu-chan, she was guildless and he wanted to help her out. Don't forget he brought you to the guild too, you shouldn't criticise him for wanting to find new members." Levy replied.

"I guess you're right, Levy-chan. That girl better remember who Natsu's heart belongs to, or there's gonna be trouble."

"Don't worry about it, Lu-chan. I'm going to bed, good night." she replied.

"Good night." said Lucy, rolling over and falling asleep almost instantly.

Yukino wasn't sure how to approach the conversation she just unintentionally eavesdropped on. Of course she had figured that Natsu and Lucy had a thing, she could tell by the way he had acted around her during the GMG. She was surprised to find out that Lucy saw her as a love rival however. Love rival? But, all he did was invite me to his guild and stand up for me...he doesn't love me. What about me, though? Do I...love him? She never felt this way about another boy, when she was at Saber people always teased her about Sting and her but it never bothered her since she just considered him a teammate. With Natsu, she felt a whole different set of emotions, something Sting never did for her. She wanted to be around Natsu at all times, to be a part of his team and to...kiss him? Where were these thoughts coming from!? She had never felt love before, and all of these feelings were new to her, and they confused her to no end. She resolved to sleep on it, and closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. She had a horrible nightmare about Saber, and woke up panting and shaking. She felt very cold, and the blankets provided little warmth for the silver-haired mage, so she got up and quietly crept out into the hall. Cracking open each door, she found the room where Natsu was sleeping and tiptoed as silently as possible over to his bed and shook him awake.

"Natsu-sama, I had a terrible dream, do you mind if I..." she began, but he seemed to read her mind and rolled over to face her and scooted back to make room for her body. She crawled into his bed and settled against his naked torso, as he wrapped his muscular arms against her small frame.

"I'm sorry to intrude Natsu-sama, thank you for letting me sleep here." she squeaked quietly as to not awake her other sleeping guild members.

"Don't mention it, Yu." he whispered back with a small laugh. She was initially surprised at his nickname but she quickly dismissed it since it sounded nice when he said it. Being a Fire Dragon Slayer, he had a naturally high body temperature and Yukino felt very toasty being snuggled against him, both of them enjoying each other's company.

"Hey Natsu-sama, do you ever...sleep with Lucy-sama too?" she whispered.

"Well, sometimes. I don't think she ever asked me to though, I kinda just used to crawl into her bed when I was tired after a mission and I'd wake up to find her next to me. I won't be doing it any more though." he replied.

"Why is that?" she asked.

"Well, I like sleeping with you better. If you don't mind, that is." he said bluntly.

She felt her face go very red, but the room was very dark and he wasn't facing her so it didn't really matter.

"I'd like that, Natsu-sama." she said happily, drifting off into a peaceful and dreamless sleep in the arms of her new crush. Kissing her on the head before settling down himself, he said to the sleeping Yukino,

"Sweet dreams."

The next morning

Gray's eyes fluttered open, and he yawned for a long while before getting up with his eyes still closed and stretching like a cat. Looking around at his sleeping teammate, his eyes widened at the sight of Yukino wrapped in Natsu's arms, both of them with small smiles on their still sleeping faces. Oh, he is so dead. Gray thought to himself as he left the room quietly to go alert Lucy to the sight. Knocking on her door, Gray waited for her to stick her head out and ask,

"What is it, Gray?"

"There's...something you might be interested in seeing in our room, Lucy." he said.

Walking out of her room in her pajamas, she began to say, "I swear, if this is some kind of prank you and Natsu plan-" but her jaw hit the floor when she entered the room, interrupting her sentence.

"NATSUUUUU!" she shrieked, waking up the entire inn with her high-pitched scream.

"AHHHHHH! WHAT?!" Natsu said, awaking with a scream and looking at the now furious Lucy. Yukino now shot up too, her sleep disturbed by the two screams she heard back to back.

"YOU-YOU- YOU TWO DID IT RIGHT IN FRONT OF GRAY WHILE HE WAS SLEEPING?!" Lucy screamed, horrible fantasies of Yukino seducing Natsu in his bed infiltrating her mind.

"WHAT?! NO! IT'S NOT LIKE THAT LUCE, HONESTLY!" Natsu shot back.

"What is all the screaming abou-" Mira began as she walked into view from the doorway as she stopped when she saw the scene that was unfolding before her eyes.

"Don't move a muscle, I'll be right back!" she said, rushing back to her room.

"Oi, can you keep it down?" Gajeel began, but he stopped like Mira as he peered through the doorway and saw Natsu and Yukino still in bed together.

"Can't you two go elsewhere if you're gonna fu-"

"GAJEEL!" Lucy shrieked. He snickered and walked down the stairs to go grab some breakfast. At a loss for words, she too stormed down the stairs and away from the two.

"Lucy, wait!" he said, jumping out of bed and running down the stairs after her. As Natsu was leaving, Mira came back into the doorway holding a camera, and said,

"Oh no, he moved! I told him to stay put." she pouted as she walked downstairs to join the others. Yukino was so embarrassed, she just pulled the covers over her head and hid in Natsu's bed for a few minutes before realising she wasn't going to get anywhere hiding in bed and went and got dressed for the day. Walking downstairs, the guild, now fully awake, hooted and hollered at her as she came downstairs, which made her go very red in the face.

"I'm telling you guys, someone needs to teach Natsu to control his harem." Gray said to an interested Gajeel and Laxus. Harem? she thought. Just how many women were trying to win his affection in Fairy Tail? If she added up the dirty looks she got when they were dancing and counted herself, around four girls? She didn't know, she didn't even consider herself an option for Natsu, but other people apparently did. Trying to find a table she wouldn't be humiliated at, she sat down at a table with the three white haired mages she guessed were siblings.

"Hello, Yukino!" the three chimed in unison.

"Hello! I'm sorry...I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Yukino Agria."

"Oh, we know all about you, Yukino. I'm Mirajane, but you can call me Mira, this is my sister Lisanna and my brother Elfman."

"Nice to meet you all. I hope I haven't caused too much trouble between the women in the guild this morning." she apologised, feeling guilty she caused such a commotion.

"Trust me, Yukino, it's all just a part of being in the guild. We make fun and tease each other but at the end of the day we're one big family. I doubt Lucy hates you for it, she's just a little shocked at the decrease in attention that he usually gives her."

"I don't mean to steal Natsu-sama from anyone..." she began, but Mira cut her off.

"Nonsense. Don't listen to a word Lucy says about Natsu belonging to her. He's up for grabs, and he only belongs to himself. Eh, Lisanna?"

"Mira!" the girl named Lisanna said, looking embarrassed.

"I'm just teasing, Lisanna. Anyways, Yukino, don't take it personally. Girls fight over Natsu all the time, whether they admit it or not. He's a handsome young man and one of the stronger mages in the guild. It's naturally to want to sleep with him." she said slyly, raising her eyebrow at Yukino at that last part.

"N-no no no, t-that's not what happened!" she stammered, but Mira just laughed at her discomfort.

"Just teasing Yukino. Look, there's your boyfriend now." she teased as Natsu entered the inn with a large bump on his head. She rushed over to him and asked with a worried tone,

"Natsu-sama! What's wrong, are you hurt?" she asked, leading him over to the table with the Strauss siblings.

"It's nothing. Lucy just hit me over the head is all." he said, flashing a smile at her. She rubbed his bruise and smiled back at him,

"Well, as long as you're OK." she said.

He smiled back at her and reassured her that he was, and thanked her for her concern. Mira, on the other hand, was watching the two like a hawk, taking frivolous notes on their interaction like a student copying down a lecture. Lisanna watched with a displeased look on her face, and when Elfman decided it was an appropriate time to shout "HAREM NATSU IS A MAN!", she promptly whacked him over the head with a force that broke half of the table under them. Natsu and Yukino sweat-dropped at the sight of Elfman getting destroyed by his much smaller sister, and decided they should take their conversation elsewhere. They didn't need to look very hard, as Erza entered the room and announced that they were heading off for the train back to Magnolia. She heard Natsu gulp, and she remembered from her short time in Saber and watching the train event in the GMG that strong Dragon Slayers got bad motion sickness. Comforting him on the way to the train station, she said,

"Don't worry, Natsu-sama. The train ride is only three hours, we'll be back at the guild before you know it."

Giving her a weak smile in return, they continued walking towards the train station that Natsu dreaded so much. When they made it to their compartment, it was filled by Natsu, Yukino, Mira, Wendy and Charle. The moment the train began moving, Natsu turned into a helpless blob, slumped against the seat next to Yukino.

"I'm sorry Natsu-san, I would cast Troia on you but it doesn't work on you anymore." said the small bluenette named Wendy.

"You can use magic like that?" Yukino asked.

"Yes, but Natsu-san has developed a resistance to it over time." she said sadly.

"Hey Yukino, why don't you try putting his head on your lap? That seems to work when Lucy does it." Mira said with a wink.

She did as Mira told her to do, and a few moments after resting his head on her soft thighs, he seemed to come to life again.

"Wow, Yukino, your lap is way more comfortable than Lucy's! It feels like I almost don't even have motion sickness!" he said happily.

She blushed at his compliment and said,

"I'm glad that you feel good, Natsu-sama. If there's anything else I can do for you..." she said.

"Can you run your fingers through my hair?" he asked eagerly.

Smiling she said, "Of course." and began to run her small fingers through his long pink locks, earning an uncharacteristic purr from Natsu. I didn't know Dragon Slayers purred. she thought. Wendy and Mira giggled at the sight of the strong and destructive Natsu Dragneel purring like a cat on Yukino's lap. Yukino took great pleasure in knowing that she was the source of relief for Natsu, and closed her eyes as well as she laid back whilst still playing with his hair.

Three Hours Later

Her anger at Natsu wearing off, Lucy decided that at the end of Natsu's miserable train ride, she would apologise for how she had reacted that morning. Natsu wasn't the one at fault anyways, it was Yukino that had crawled into his bed and tried to steal her man. Her first impressiosn of Yukino was good, but after Natsu had whisked Yukino away with him to Fairy Tail, Lucy couldn't help but feel that she was stuck in second place. Whether Natsu was or wasn't aware, he was ignoring Lucy in place of the newcomer, which frustrated her to no end. However, Lucy was confident that with enough of her charm and sex appeal, she would be able to win back his attention and shove Yukino to the sidelines. Sliding open the door to their compartment, her jaw hit the floor for the second time that day, and she was at an absolute loss for words. There, asleep on Yukino's lap, was HER Natsu, with that stupid grin he had on his face when she had walked in on them in bed together that morning. Eye twitching, she spun around on a pivot and exited the compartment doorway and off the train with the rest of the guild members. Yukino being asleep as well, she hadn't noticed Lucy come in and Mira shook the two of them awake.

"Wake up you two, we're back in Magnolia."

The two of them grumbled and slowly opened their eyes, the two of them meeting each other's gaze. Grinning up at her, Yukino felt herself smiling back.

"Thanks Yukino, that was the best train ride I've ever been on!" he said happily.

"You're welcome, Natsu-sama, it's my pleasure." she replied.

"What can I do to make it up to you? Hmmm." he said, stopping and thinking to himself. "I know!" he shouted, scooping the half-asleep Yukino up from her seat and into his arms.

"I'll carry you back to the guild, is that alright?" he asked.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she nodded and said,

"Sounds good to me."

Carrying her out of the train, he burst into a sprint, determined to be the first ones back at the guild to recieve all the praise. Natsu was a very fast runner, the wind making her short silver hair flow behind her in the breeze. She began to giggle profusely as he breathed fire up into the air screaming,

"THE DRAGON HAS STOLEN PRINCESS YUKINO!"

She liked the sound of that. Princess Yukino. The rest of the guild was a little ways ahead of the two since they had taken their time waking up, but now that Natsu was flying down the street dodging passerbys with incredible dexterity, they were quickly gaining on the group. Seeing a huge dust cloud behind them, the group looked back to see Natsu carrying Yukio bridal style at inhuman speed shouting that they were going to be the first ones in. Not bothering to play along with his game, the group just sighed and continued walking towards the guild as Natsu and Yukino flew by, leaving them in the trail of dust. Coughing and muttering curses at Natsu, the group watched as Natsu kicked the guild door down, much to the Master's dismay, and shouted at the top of his lungs,

"WE'RE BACK! AND WE WON!"

Later than night

After many congratulations on her joining the guild and questions about what it was like to be a member of Saber, Yukino had finally began to feel at home amongst the raucous guild of Fairy Tail. Although she was dodging flying chairs and trying to prevent Natsu from getting intotoo many fights, she felt even more welcome than she ever did at Saber in her first night at Fairy Tail. The Master even gave her a formal introduction to the guild, and everyone seemed happy to have a new member to their family, especially one that they claimed was "really strong." They never had parties at Saber, you always were either taking a mission or training, and the guild hall was no such place for parties or fun. At Fairy Tail, that seemed like the complete opposite, there were parties and festivities every day and the place seemed like a neverending carnival. She had never been to such a fun and crazy party before, and she enjoyed herself immensely. The only one that seemed to not be enjoying themselves was Lucy, who sat at the bar talking to Mira, stirring her straw around in her drink. Even though she wasn't aware of what it was Lucy was feeling sad about, she thought that it would be a nice thing to go and comfort the girl. Walking over to the bar, she approached the blonde Celestial Mage and asked,

"Lucy-sama, what's wrong?"

Turning her head to reveal a gloomy expression, she responded,

"Oh, hey Yukino. It's just...don't worry about it."

"But I am worried about it, Lucy-sama! I don't want anybody to be left out in the celebrations and it looks like you're the only one not having a good time. Could you tell me what's bothering you?" she asked.

Sighing, Lucy responded with a question.

"Yukino, what do you think of Natsu?"

"Natsu-sama? Well...he's very strong, he's a kind man and somebody that I admire very much. Without him, I wouldn't have been able to join the guild, and I probably would have had to go back to Saber. I think he's brave, and smart, and handsome, and..." she could have gone on and on about him but she felt herself getting red and figured it was a good time to stop talking.

"I see. Well, there you go. That's why I'm sad." she replied.

"I don't understand, Lucy-sama." Yukino said in a puzzled tone.

"Although there are other girls that feel the same way you and I do about Natsu, I've never really felt threatened by them seeing as Natsu used to give me the most attention and affection. Now that you've joined the guild, I'm starting to understand how they feel. I guess that's why I'm sad, because I can't share Natsu with you."

"Lucy-sama...I'm sorry that this is happening. I didn't intend to push Natsu-sama away from you, it's just...that I feel the same way you do, and I figure it's probably for the best that we leave Natsu-sama to his thoughts and then we'll see who he ends up choosing. You aren't out of the running yet, so please don't feel sad that you have another person to compete with. He's not a possession after all, he's a person with his own feelings. I don't think it's very nice of you to treat him like your property."

Getting up and slamming her drink down on the table, she looked her in the eyes and said,

"Fine then, Yukino. If you want to be that way, be that way."

She then abruptly left the guild, ignoring Natsu when he asked her what was wrong. "Why don't you ask Saber-girl?" she heard from across the room. Dropping Gray's collar in the middle of their fight, he walked over to Yukino and put his hand on her shoulder, saying,

"Yukino, did something happen between you two?"

As much as she hated lying to him, she couldn't tell him what they had been arguing about for a number of reasons, and told him instead,

"It was nothing, Natsu-sama. Just a disagreement on something, that's all. By the way, shouldn't I be getting my guild stamp?" she asked.

"Aye, come on, I'll get Mira to do it for you." he said, leading her to Mira who brought out the guild stamp and asked her what colour and where she wanted it. Being accompanied by Natsu, she decided she wanted it in pink and on her arm like Natsu's as well.

"Nice choice, salmon is my favourite colour." he said, unaware that his hair was definitely pink and not salmon.

"Aye." she said, giggling at his silliness and her interesting choice of response. He's already starting to rub off on me. Shortly after getting her guild mark, people began to turn in for the night. Wondering what her sleeping arrangements were going to be, she asked Mira about a place she could spend the night.

"Well, I would say you could stay at Fairy Hills, but you don't have any money right?" Yukino shook her head. "Why don't you ask Natsu? I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you spent the night again." Mira said with a snicker.

"Uh...Is that really alright? I mean..." she began, but Mira silenced her.

"He used to sleep with Lucy all the time, so it's not a big deal at all. Tomorrow, you and Team Natsu can go on a mission and you can make enough money for your first month's rent at Fairy Hills. That is, unless you plan on staying at Natsu's house forever?" she added, with a raise of her eyebrow. Yukio went quite red in the face and stammered out,

"N-n-no, Mira-sama, I'll do just that. I don't want to impose on Natsu-sama after all."

"Great, then you can go pick out a job request tomorrow off of that board over there. Now get going, your prince awaits." she said with a chuckle. Yukino gave Mira her last nervous laugh as she walked over to the young man and let him know of her predicament, and as if reading her mind, blurted out,

"Not a problem, Yu. I've already made arrangements with Happy to stay with Lucy for a while, so you can come stay with me for as long as you need to." he said, grinning at her.

"Really, Natsu-sama?! Thank you so much!" she said, jumping into his arms out of gratitude.

"Ready to go?" he asked, releasing her and looking down at her. She nodded, and Mira watched as the two left the guild to head back to Natsu's house. They are so damn cute. she thought to herself as she idly polished a glass. On their way back to his house, Yukino began to shiver as she had neglected to bring a coat with her to the guild. Natsu, noticing her discomfort, procured a small flame from his hand and instructed her,

"Hey, Yu, hold out your hands and take this."

She did as he told her to do, and he placed the tiny ball of fire in her hands, warming her up instantly as if she had just stepped into a hot shower.

"Wow, this is amazing Natsu-sama! Thank you!" she said graciously. Her just smiled his famous smile at her and ruffled her hair affectionately, saying,

"Don't worry about it."

They made small talk on the way back to his home, mostly about how she was being received at the guild, as he told her he would beat up anyone that gave her dirty looks or called her names. She thanked him for his offer but assured him that her welcome had been nothing but warm. As they reached his house from the path that wound through the forest, he unlocked his door and led her inside his small one bedroom stone house. It was small but looked comfortable enough.

"Oh no! There's only one bed in my house, Yu!" he said in mock anguish. "What ever will I do with my guest, why, she can't sleep on the floor! I guess you'll just have to sleep with me, then." he said with a grin. She laughed and said,

"Oh, poor me."

She crawled into his bed and motioned for him to join her, and he complied, taking his time to remove his vest, revealing his rock solid abs and defined muscles. He then crawled in behind her, wrapping his muscular arms around her body like the night before.

"You know, as much as I hated your guild for what they did to you, I'm kind of glad you got kicked out, even if that sounds bad. Because then you might still be in Saber and we wouldn't be where we are now. There really was a silver lining to that all, huh?" he whispered into her ear.

"Aye," she replied, "I wouldn't have it any other way, Natsu-sama. I'm really glad that I met you in the GMG."

Kissing her on the head before nuzzling against her hair, he said,

"I am too, Yu. It took the dragon a while, but I think he finally found his princess."

With that, they both drifted off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

Authors Note: What did you guys think? Decent first chapter? I thought I did well, but if you have any questions or concerns leave a review. Also, if you enjoyed, please favourite or follow, because I'll definitely be continuing this fic in the weeks to come!