A/N: I went back and did some revisions for this chapter, just wanted to let you guys know.

Chapter One

Natsu lay flattened on the roof of an abandoned building, his sniper rifle light between his fingers, his target firmly in the center of his scope. "Gotcha," he whispered, closing one eye and pressing down on the trigger. The single shot rang out, and Natsu's target—a middle-aged Z with half its torso missing—crumpled to the ground, its growls silenced for good.

Natsu sighed and stood, slinging his rifle over his back and gathering up his supplies. It was time to move on again.

The sun was just beginning to rise, and the streets were growing calmer and quieter with the absence of the Zs, but Natsu was still alert. He hadn't survived for fourteen months of apocalypse just to die from being careless.

The few Zs Natsu saw roaming the streets he left alone. Of course, he wanted to live up to his famous nickname, but he was just too tired. It had been a long night, and he just wanted to find some place safe to hole up for the night.

Turning down an alleyway Natsu knew was clear from his trip to the roof, he made his way towards a small clothing shop he'd seen earlier. His current clothes were blood spattered and torn, and Natsu didn't have the time nor will to wash them, so he had to raid stores every couple of days.

Making sure the area was clear of Zs, Natsu stepped over the ledge of a broken window and started eyeing the racks of clothes, searching for his size. He was just tugging a black shirt off a rack when he heard a groan.

Natsu stiffened, and his hand flew to the pistol at his hip. He flipped it cleanly through his fingers and glanced around warily. "Could've sworn this place was clean," he murmured to himself, his finger hovering over the trigger of the gun as he made his way towards the origin point of the sound.

Nudging open a door with one booted foot, Natsu slowly edged his way into the small storage room, his eyes roving in search of a threat. Following the groans towards the back, Natsu saw a room that was blocked off by a myriad of rubble.

Maybe I should just leave the Z trapped in there, Natsu thought, lowering his gun with a sigh. I don't feel like adding to my score any more today.

But then another, different noise brushed the air. Words. Well, more like a single word, spoken in barely a whisper; "Help."

"Holy shit," Natsu said quietly, putting away his gun and kneeling to dig through the rubble.

Zs didn't talk, so whoever had spoken was still alive. Although in what condition, Natsu wouldn't be able to say until he dug them out of the rubble. Probably not good, considering how much of it there was, and how heavy it was.

Straining with all his might to remove a particularly stubborn plank of wood, a pair of legs were revealed, dressed in loose black jeans. Natsu dug even more, revealing first a torso, and then arms and shoulders. Finally a head appeared, and Natsu stopped briefly, navy blue eyes catching his olive green ones.

"Your hair is pink," were the first words out of the boy's mouth, and Natsu was immediately annoyed.

"How are you even alive still?" Natsu asked irritably as he tugged the last of the rubble off with a jerk. The boy shrugged and started to stand, but crumpled when he put weight on his leg and fell against Natsu, who caught him with strong arms. Their eyes locked, and for some unknown reason, Natsu's heartbeat increased irrationally.

"Thanks," the boy finally said, breaking Natsu out of his daze.

"No problem," Natsu said, releasing the boy. "You're the first survivor I've seen in... a while."

The boy tried to right himself, and Natsu had to grab him by the arm to prevent him from tipping over again.

"Sorry," the boy said, brushing raven locks out of his eyes with a shaky hand. "I think I might've sprained my ankle."

"That's gonna be hell out here," Natsu said, standing back with his hands on his hips. "How long were you under there, anyway?"

The boy shrugged. "Dunno. A couple days. Five or six, give or take."

Natsu gave him an appreciative, almost approving smirk. "You're one tough bastard, eh?"

The boy grinned. "Got that right. I'm Gray, by the way."

"Natsu," Natsu said, shaking the hand he extended. "But most people just call me Ten Thousand."

Gray raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Why?"

Natsu turned and shifted the gun on his back to make it more comfortable. "It's how many Zs I've killed."

"Impressive," Gray called after him. "In fact, I think I've heard of you."

Natsu turned back around, annoyed, hearing the smirk in Gray's voice. The pinkette raised an eyebrow. "Have you now?"

Gray crossed his arms and leaned back against a pillar, smiling. "Yes. I have a nickname of my own, you know. Perhaps you've heard of me." Natsu raised an eyebrow, waiting.

"They call me Ice," Gray said, his navy eyes sparkling.

Natsu's mind immediately recognized the name, and his mouth would've dropped open if Natsu hadn't stopped it. Finally, olive eyes narrowed, he said, "I don't believe you."

"Want me to prove it to you?" Gray asked, raising that infernal eyebrow again.

Natsu crossed his arms. "Please do," he said, looking unimpressed.

Gray, one hand braced against the pillar, reached up to pull down the collar of his dark t-shirt. There was a tattoo there; the navy blue fairy-like mark that Ice was famous for.

Natsu blinked. "Well, I'll be damned. What's one of the top Z hunters doing in a place like this?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Gray remarked, watching Natsu through cold, calculating eyes as he leaned against a pillar across from him.

"I'm just a natural wanderer," Natsu told him, shrugging. "No one else to hold me back."

"Maybe we could help each other out," Gray said with a smirk.

"I work alone."

"As do I. But, you see, I'm in no condition to fight off the dead at the moment, so perhaps you could lend me some assistance."

Natsu narrowed his eyes. "What kind of... assistance?"

Gray shrugged. "Simple. I just need to get back to the Outpost. They'll fix me up, and I can rest there until I can take another job."

Natsu smirked. "And what's in it for me?"

Gray smiled. "How would you like a spot in the Outpost? I can make that happen."

Natsu froze. The Outpost was a huge survivor camp in the east where hunters gathered to take jobs and take shelter.

Gray was playing him, he realized. Had been playing him this whole time. He'd known who Natsu was the entire time. And he knew that Ten Thousand was known to always work alone; always on the run. But he had played some psychiatrist bullshit with knowing that Natsu didn't likealways being on the run. He would always work alone, that was for sure, but he was sick of always changing location. And Gray had seen right through it all, knowing just what to use to bribe him... Just how smart is this guy? Natsu asked himself, glancing at the smirking Gray nervously.

"So?" Gray asked. "What will it be?"

Natsu sighed in frustration and tore a hand through his hair. "Fine. But if we both get killed, it's all on you." He walked over to Gray and wrapped an arm around him, supporting him as they walked back into the main area of the store.

"Before we go," Natsu said, leaning Gray up against a nearby rack, "I need some clothes."

"What's wrong with the ones you have now?" Gray asked incredulously as Natsu took off his pack and rifle and set them on the floor.

Natsu shrugged. "Blood-stained, torn."

Gray raised that eyebrow again. "Can't you just mend and wash them?"

"Nope."

"Okay then," Gray muttered, annoyed at the simple answer.

Natsu gathered up the black shirt from earlier and a pair of cargo pants and stripped off his black leather jacket and white scarf, reaching for the hem of his shirt.

"Hey!" Gray protested. "What are you doing?!"

"Getting dressed," Natsu responded, slipping out of his shirt.

"Well, don't do it in front of me!"

"Don't worry," Natsu said with a smirk, pleased by Gray's discomfort. "I'm not shy."

Gray tried to look anywhere but at Natsu, but he found his eyes drawn back anyway. Natsu was tan and muscular; clearly a workout fanatic back in the old world. There was a long scar on his neck, which was partly concealed by his pink locks. His muscles flexed as he pulled on the new shirt, and Gray took a deep breath, his heart rate speeding up.

Natsu undid his belt. "You better not be staring at my ass, Ice Princess," he said, making Gray jump and hurriedly look away. "Don't flatter yourself," Gray huffed, annoyed.

Natsu only chuckled, gathering up his things from the floor.

"Let's go. I don't want to risk Zs hearing us."

Gray nodded in agreement as Natsu wrapped an arm around him, helping him limp towards the street.

As soon as they were in the open, a garbled groan could be heard. "Shit," Natsu cursed. "They've heard us."

Gray was about to respond when a shot rang out, and there was the sound of a body hitting the ground. Gray and Natsu traced the sound to the top of a nearby building, where a curvy blonde girl was getting up, sticking a stand into her backpack and stringing her sniper rifle over her shoulder.

Gray's eyes lit up, and he waved frantically, attempting to get the girl's attention. It worked, and she held up two fingers, signaling two minutes. When she met them on the ground, the blonde immediately hugged Gray. "Ice, what the hell happened to you?! I was worried sick. You didn't show up for seven days!"

"Whoa, calm down, Angel. You're gonna attract every Z within a mile of here."

"Sorry," she said, brushing a hand through her hair. "Everyone was just worried."

"I'm fine," Gray said. He jerked a thumb at Natsu. "All thanks to this guy, that is. I got trapped under some rubble, and he dug me out."

Angel smiled at Natsu. "Thank you. Everyone at the Outpost was terrified Ice was killed or something."

Natsu smiled slightly. "No problem. I'm Natsu, by the way."

"Lucy," Angel said, shaking the hand Natsu offered. "Angel is just my nickname."

"Why?" Natsu asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Just because of this little thing I say. My nickname has a base to it, just like Ice's, and yours."

Natsu blinked. "You know who I am?"

"Of course," Lucy said, smiling. "Strange pink hair, white scarf, solo surviver; all of Ten Thousand's trade marks."

Natsu sighed. "Is everyone going to bring up the hair?"

Gray and Lucy chuckled. "Well, to be fair," Gray said, "it is weird to have pink hair. And it looks so natural."

Natsu shrugged. "That's because it is natural."

Gray and Lucy blinked at him disbelievingly. "It is!" Natsu insisted.

"Sure," Gray said, rolling his eyes.

Before Natsu could snap a reply back, Lucy said, "Let's get back to the Outpost. Gramps is worried sick about you."

"Lead the way."