Mail Ordered

Summary: All Lucy wanted to do was escape her father. She ended up accepting an advertisement for a rancher's wife with no intention of ever meeting the guy. He sent her some money and a scarf, which allowed Lucy to buy passage West. What if the rancher was actually a Ranger who tracks down the devious maiden demanding his scarf back? And what if it had not actually been him who wanted a wife, but his brother Zeref buying him a wife.

Chapter 1: The Gunslinger

With an outward calm, Natsu Dragneel waited to meet his challenger. Some fool gunslinger called "Sting" who wanted to make a name for himself.

It was the death hour... High noon.

Folks gathered along the street to witness the show.

Not out in the open where a stray bullet might tag their sorry hides, but peaking out through the windows of the local bar, hotel, mercantile, and bank. Their faces smashed against the glass, not wanting to miss any detail.

A legend had graced their town, and someone dared to challenge him while within the perimeters.

Natsu had actually entered the town two days ago. He had kept a low profile, but people apparently recognized him. His hair made it pretty obvious. That could not be helped, but Natsu was not actually a gunslinger.

He was an officer of the peace...

...A ranger for Alvarez.

But he had a reputation for being one of the most deadly people with a gun in the West.

Leading to his current predicament.

And many more like it in the past.

Natsu would have ridden out today with a new bounty poster if he hadn't been cornered at his hotel and then the jail station by the gunslinger.

Sighing, he fought the urge to drift in his thoughts as he focused on his opponent. The boy's posture was all wrong. In fact, even though his words sounded sober, Natsu was pretty sure Sting had been drinking.

A breeze ruffled his clothes as he watched Sting call out, "Ready, old man?"

Old man? He was 26...

The only two men that had not deserted the gunfight was the local county sheriff and judge standing to the side. The sheriff dropped the signal, his linen handkerchief.

The pink headed ranger patiently let the glory seeker draw first before shifting slightly. Sting fired. Quick as lightening drawing his own gun, Natsu fired off two consecutive shots. To look at him, you couldn't see his anger.

But his heart was beating rapidly at the senselessness of a gunfight.

And that anger gave him focus. On one hand, he hated to take a life. As much as he disapproved it, he loved the exhilaration from actually facing an enemy down. The tension from having your life put on the line.

One breath...

The sound of gunfire echoed the town square before the young blonde fell to his knees. Only one bullet had hit his target if the red stain of his shirt was any indication.

That was okay.

Natsu had only been aiming at his shoulder.

He hadn't wanted to kill the boy. It wasn't like killing someone you knew deserved it. The boy's only crime had been stupidity, which is something that Natsu had been guilty of at that age.

The man left standing twirled his pistol before replacing it in its holster. Slowly, he walked toward his fallen competitor, digging out his handcuffs. The wound would not be fatal if the bullet was dug out fast enough before gangrene set in.

Natsu barely felt the warmth of Sting's bullet that nicked his side, but the pain was starting to kick in.

The summer sky watched Natsu's back, causing a bead of sweat under his black shirt. Actually his whole outfit was black. Most people wouldn't wear clothes like his in the dead of summer, but the heat had never bothered him. A red bandana was tied around his neck. His golden belt and spurs glittered a "non-too-subtle" hint of wealth.

Natsu looked like a demon incarnated.

That's what his name meant... Summer Demon. Having a known name was a curse and a blessing. It brought out the hell raisers and the glory seekers.

They called him, "Salamander," the same title as his father who had been a gunslinger.

Natsu had grown up in the West and preferred life in the wild to living in the city. A life of hunting criminals where he got to put his Native Alvarez ancestry to good use.

Hunting had been instilled in him and his brothers at a young age by the people of his clan.

People back then had called him half-breed unlike his brothers who were pure bloods. They had eyed his hair in disdain whenever his family held parties at their ranch. Natsu spent much of his childhood crying to his older brother Zeref. He had been such a wimp back then. When the opportunity had arisen for him to join the army, Natsu had headed overseas growing into a new man before heading home after his dad died.

"You are under arrest for assaulting an Alvarez Ranger. You have..."

Natsu did not finish the speech before the young buck's eyes rolled back in his head, and Sting fainted.

Damn...

Jura, the town judge, and Sheriff Lyon scampered over with huge grins plastered on their faces. Natsu tried not to wince as his arm on his bad side was snatched. The sheriff proceeded to vigorously shake his hand.

Judge Jura announced, "We will take him to the local doctor. Our town thanks you, Mr. Dragneel." People scurried out of the buildings and from under their holes.

A flash and a photo later, Natsu made his way to the general store's porch. Sitting down, he applied pressure to his side. Blood was finally starting to spread through his shirt, but people had not noticed due to the color.

The sheriff, who had followed, nodded his head toward the wound. "You need to take care of that?"

"Naw. I'm good. Will treat myself later. I'm not too trusting of Western doctors. They are all quacks as far as I am concerned."

"Well be that as it may. We owe you. If you don't want the town doctor looking at it, Old Widow Porlyusica is good with a needle and can stitch it up."

"I stitched myself. Just need some brandy to drink and to sterilize the wound, if you would be so kind."

"Sure. Ex Army?"

"Yes. Gildart's regiment."

The sheriff's eyes grew to the size of those fancy oranges that rich people bought. "Really? The man is a one man war machine. I was in the army too. Silver's division. Many thanks for not killing this hooligan. He has not been in our town long, but he was beginning to be a troublemaker around the local women."

A crowd was starting to gather around them. Children had also ran over. Women fluttered their eyelashes at him. Men walked up to pat his back with a "Good job, Salamander."

Natsu rubbed his neck awkwardly. He hated praise when he had just been doing his job. Looking over at the unconscious blonde, he thought it had been an unnecessary job, too.

The sheriff started ordering people away after one man pressed into him causing Lyon to fall off a step.

Two men lifted the gunslinger up, being careful not to jostle the wound for fear of blood loss. A brown, slightly worn wallet fell out, kicking up a slight bit of dust as it hit the ground.

"Kids today can't handle pain."

Lyon nodded in agreement, running a hand through his hair, "Imagine some of the alcohol in his system helped out a bit. I once was shot in a leg and had to carry member of my troop out of the Tartaros Valley. I ended up here after being honorably discharge. Even got a medal."

Natsu nodded. He had heard of the valley. He remembered one of his friends had been assigned to that area not long after his own discharged. "Well its more than a handshake and a slap on the ass."

"Definitely better than a handshake. Depends on who's slapping me on the ass though. I will go get your booze." The sheriff smirked before glaring at the crowd. "All yee get back. Let the man breathe before I transport you to the city jail." The people started to disperse. Some wandered off with Lyon to the bar.

Nobody but Natsu seemed to notice the fallen wallet. After a few minutes of waiting for someone to pick it up, he told a kid close to him, "Hey you, bring me that wallet on the road over there."

The boy beamed at the command before pouncing on the item with an intensity that Natsu was momentarily afraid. Reaching out hesitantly, as if the boy was some rabid beast, he took the wallet.

He counted the money inside the leather pockets, out of shear curiosity,

Four bits...

Such a paltry sum but that was the only thing the gunslinger had to his name. Natsu shook his head before seeing the side had a piece of paper sowed into the lining.

Not paper, but a picture.

Studying it, he recognized one of the people in the picture.

A girl in a ball gown.

He yanked out the black and white photo, ripping the thread. The child beside him backed away at the terrifying expression on his idol's face.

Gazing down in shock, Natsu clenched the picture in his fist.

The next second... Hargeon's townspeople bore witness to the odd pink haired demon racing madly through the streets as if the gates of hell had opened behind him.

Next Chapter: Love and Lucky

AN: Do you think this is a good enough story to work on? It has been on my head for awhile.