Title: Let Me In

Author: PARADISE.x but you can just call me Parrie-chan~!

Rated: M for language, heavy violence, graphic violence, adult content, strong sexual activity, alcohol usage, mentioning of drugs, and major character death.

Summary: Her life is falling apart. She's bullied, her father-even though abusive-is dying, her grades are plummeting. Then he moves in; the deliciously mysterious misfit who's handsome onyx eyes seem to stare into her soul. He was an enigma-a puzzle she'll do anything to solve. But there's always a catch, and something's wrong with Natsu.

Genres: Romance and Horror….add on tragedy, hurt/comfort, angst, and supernatural and you've got this story in a nutshell!

Characters: Natsu and Lucy

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail nor its characters, they all belong to the magnificent genius Hiro Mashima-dono. I am not profiting off of this unless if you count reviews as money. I am doing this for entertainment purposes, and I also do not own the ideas taken from the great movie 'Let Me In'.

WARNING, THE ACTIONS DEPICTED IN THIS STORY ARE ILLEGAL AND EXTREMELY GRAPHIC. PLEASE DO NOT TRY ANY OF THE ACTIONS MENTIONED. YOU WILL MOST LIKELY DIE. This story was based off of the great movie 'Let Me In', except Natsu's the vamp and not Lucy. So…gender bender, I guess? In the movie, the vamp was a chick, but I already have too many stories where Lucy's a 'baddie', I guess you can say, and I did not want to add on one more.

This will be 4 chapters long, like my other story 'Gone Away', with extremely long chapters, especially the last one. I am planning to put lemons in this, but I might change my mind like I did with 'Gone Away'. It just sounded better without them. Hopefully I'll be able to ;D –perverted wink-

Well, I hope you all enjoy my newest short story 'Let me In'!

[Also, I know the song 'Possum Kingdom' by Toadies isn't about vampires, even though it really sounds like it. The only reason I am using it as a theme for this story is because it does sound a lot like a vampire dude wanting to turn a girl into a vampire so they could be together forever.]

OoOoOoO

I'm not going to lie,

I won't be a gentleman,

Behind the boathouse,

I'll show you my dark secret.

-Possum Kingdom;Toadies

"Stupid Lucy!" Their feet dive into her stomach, over and over again. It hurt all over, a white-hot frenzy flashing across her ivory skin that was already decorated with healing bruises and scabs. What did she do to deserve this torture? All she did was voice her opinion on a singer, and she gets punished so terribly for it? A fist comes crashing against her head and she bites back a scream. It would only get worse if she screamed; this she had learned the hard way many beatings ago. It was the same with her father, he hated hearing her voice. But who wouldn't? She had an awful voice, so high-pitched and squawky. She hated her voice; she hated her skin and most of all she hated herself. Why couldn't she be born someone likable? Did Kami-sama hate her that much?

"This'll teach you to speak unless spoken to!" The one named Angel screeches. She wears a grotesque jeer on her otherwise beautiful face. Why couldn't she be pretty like her? Why did she have to be so ugly? Angel kicks the blonde again, and her toe catches underneath the girl's ribcage, making her hold back another loud yelp. No screaming, no crying, no screaming, no crying, just wait until it's over, Lucy!

"I saw you makin' eyes at my man!" Sherry, a girl from her fourth period class, yells in her face and proceeds to slap her while doing so, "How about I rip them out?!" She then claws at her face, drawing blood with her perfectly manicured nails.

She winces but does not say a word, only shuts her eyes tightly. She never looked at anybody! They obviously wanted an excuse to continue to beat her. They'll be done soon, Lucy, just hold in there! Her fists clench as Angel and Sherry punch her in the gut at the same time, and the two laugh as she doubles over in pain. She falls to her knees and begins to cough horribly in to her hand, a sound quite like music to their ears.

"Isn't that quite enough, girls? We're going to be late to class, and you're hair's all messed up!" The squeaky and overly annoying voice of one named Minerva speaks up, looking on with a nonchalant glare. She is inspecting her nails with a bored look. Just like that the kicks and punches and slaps and clawing stop, and the two minions skip cheerfully back to their ringleader. Minerva looks over at the girl's crumpled form with a disgusted look, "Pathetic girl. Come on, girls!" She snaps her fingers and just like two dogs, Angel and Sherry follow behind her as she trots away, leaving the blonde girl on the cold, marble floor.

She does not move for a long time, in case they came back. She draws in shuddering breaths and tries to ignore the blood in the palm of her hand. Ever so slowly she allows her big brown eyes to snap up, inspecting the area of further threats. There was none so the girl hesitantly gets up on her two feet. She hurt everywhere, in her stomach, in her chest, in her head, in her legs, everywhere. She just wanted this all to end! The bell begins to ring, a sound that made her head shriek in pain, and she knew that she was going to be late for class again. The teacher would be so furious with her! She had to get there as quickly as she could. She reaches over to where her bag as been tossed-thankfully they had not plundered it and ripped up her homework as they usually do-and picks it up by the long strap. She tosses it over her shoulder and tries her best to walk without limping. She has perfected hiding pain. Why wouldn't she?

She has been hurt so many times.

But it's okay. It's always her fault. She always gets herself into those situations. It is her fault she is ugly, it is her fault she is stupid, it is her fault she is annoying.

She reaches up and tries to fix her hair the best she could, tying some strands into a tiny side ponytail with a red ribbon. She loved the color red, it reminded her so much of her mother. Her mother had been red when she died in her arms. She plasters on that fake smile as she reaches into her shirt pocket and pulls out a pink handkerchief already stained with dried blood. She uses it to wipe her face of crimson as she continues along down the empty hallways of her high school. She tucks the hankie back into her pocket again and tucks her button down shirt into her skirt's hem line. Luckily the school uniforms had not a single article of clothing that was white, so no one would notice the blood stains on her collar. She pulls her jacket tighter to her chest, begging for the warmth it brought. It used to be her mother's jacket, before she passed on, and it gave her comfort. She tightens her hold on her bag as she finally approaches her classroom door, that fake smile still in place. She reaches up and knocks, hoping that she was not interrupting an important lecture again.

She hears footsteps approach and the door swings open to reveal a white-haired beauty. Her teacher, Miss Mirajane Strauss. She feels her smile turn genuine as Miss Mirajane smiles softly at her, "Oh Lucy-chan, I was worried you were sick! Go ahead and get to your seat! Quickly now, we haven't got all day." Miss Mirajane chirps sweetly and the late blonde rushes past the older woman and into the classroom. Many eyes were on her, and none were friendly. That's okay, she didn't deserve friendship. She bows her head as she shuffles down an aisle. She sees a foot stick out and she knew that if she stepped over it, it would result in more beatings. Just tripping was far better than a beating! So, still with that smile, she closes her eyes and feels her foot catch on the other. She comes tumbling down like a boulder and she lands on her knees. That was a better landing than she thought it would be! Usually she lands on her face!

"Oops, sorry, Lucy-san." A voice sniggers crudely, and others join in the giggling. She stares at the ground for a moment before she lifts her head up and flashes an almost blinding smile at the young boy who tripped her.

"No problem, Bora-san! It was my fault, I didn't see your foot there…" Lucy says cheerfully, a little too cheerfully, and she wobbles as she stands up, the effort making her body scream out in pain. It took everything she had not to collapse again as she moves towards her desk in the back of the room. She was grateful to sit next to the window, where she could sit and daydream about a world that doesn't want to hurt her.

OoOoOoO

The bell at the end of the day signals the start of the weekend, a God-send to kids everywhere, but it was even more so to Lucy, who could not wait to get home and into her room where she planned to read all night long. Hopefully her father wouldn't be home until Sunday from the doctor's so she wouldn't have to watch what she says and how she acts so that he wouldn't get angry. He was really scary when he gets angry.

She walks down the sidewalk with her bag slung over her shoulder and her fingers laced behind her back. She walks quickly, as if afraid that she was being apprehended, towards her apartment complex in the slums of Magnolia Town. Her father was rich once, but that was a long time ago. He says that she caused it, that she was the reason that all his money was gone. She believed that, after all, everything is her fault.

She sees the tall, broken rooftops in the distance and she picks up the pace. She didn't exactly trust this part of town. She runs past toppled over trashcans, their contents littering the blackened sidewalk, disgusting yards-some even were decorated with tacky pink flamingos and big pieces of furniture. She continues to run as one rather large man catcalls out at her from his place on his dirty front porch. She was used to older and disgusting men calling out to her in such a vulgar manner, and had just learned to ignore them. She knew that they would be the only ones in her lifetime that would want to look at her, and they would look at any type of woman! Cars race down the street-a race was in action-and one just about bites the dust inches from where Lucy was standing. She doesn't even blink as she rears back and scampers around the vehicle. This place, no matter how filthy it was, was her home and she knew how to get around it. She was used to anything it had to throw at her, including a giant Mustang automobile that just about flattened her.

Finally! Her apartments were in sight! Just another block ahead and she would be home-free! She could already see its broken down playground, the dead trees that have already lost their leaves in the bitter winds of early Autumn. She welcomes the saddening sight and begins to pant from running so long. She was in good shape, yes, but her limbs and chest were screeching in pain from the beating she took earlier, and she knew that her face was swollen from being slapped around and scratched. All of this causes her to be slower than normal as she reaches up to grasp her throbbing shoulder.

She comes to a stop in front of the run-down metal outer gates and reaches over to unlock them. She swings the bars open and continues inside, shutting the gate behind her. It relocks with a loud click. She sighs softly, her breath a grey cloud as it rises into the icy cold air around her, and continues along onto a deserted pathway that lead up to some stairs that in turn made a walkway to the front door of her humble abode. She allows her legs to cease their dramatic pumping, and she comes to an abrupt walk, feeling much safer in her apartment complex. No crime has ever happened in this one place, not since the 30's, and Lucy felt as if it were the most secure place on earth. Nothing could jeopardize the feelings of comfort she got from the concrete stairs and the metal bars. Nothing at all…

What a boring life you live, Lucy. A mean voice mutters in her head. It always came around when she thought she was safe, always reminding her to stay on her toes. Everyone was mean and dastardly in the world, everyone but her mother, of course, so she needed to stay vigilant. They could attack at anytime, sensing her weakness and cruelly torturing her until she grew bitter and cold like them. She could not allow that, for if she does, she knew that she would simply cease to exist. She rolls her head back, cracking the bones in her neck. She sighs in pleasure as she reaches the front door to her apartment unit. She could not wait to go into the kitchen, cook her up some Ramen, plop down on the couch and watch some TV. All week she has been wither studying, cleaning or working and she really needed a break. Her tired and sore limbs just couldn't handle it anymore!

Good thing her father wouldn't come back until Sunday.

She quickly reaches into her bag for her keys, grasping the cool metal and bringing them up and out of the warm crevasse of her messenger bag. She bumbles for the right one, and sticks it into the lock, turning it and effectively unlocking her door in one smooth motion. She enters her home and takes the key of the look and throws them back into her bag. She closes the door behind her, throws off her shoes and jacket, and walks fully into the living room of her apartment, basking in the familiar scent of her 'fresh ocean breeze' scent spray. She throws her bag onto the rickety old chair next to her front door and walks further into her living room, stretching by throwing her hands in the air and cracking her back. She sighs in pleasure once again and continues on to her kitchen where she opens the cabinet and looks for the Ramen noodles inside. She grabs one and closes the cabinet again and goes over to her oven. She flips on the burner before fetching a metal pot from underneath her counter and filling it up with tap water. So they still had water? Dad was at least paying for that? Good.

She walks back into the living room and practically collapses onto the beaten up and stained sofa. She stares at the blank TV with an equally indifferent face before closing those big brown eyes of her's. She hurt everywhere, in her arms, her legs, and her face; everywhere they had beaten her so mercilessly. How could a person do such a thing? She chuckles humorlessly. What a stupid question to ask! In this world, there was not one single ray of sunshine left, oh no, the sinners and the liars and the cheaters and the rapists and the beaters got to that far long ago. There was no more hope in the world, and the very thought made Lucy laugh. There was no hope in the world, just as there was no hope for her. She knew this well.

So why did she feel as if she was still waiting for something?

OoOoOoO

Those Ramen noodles had tasted delicious. They were chicken flavored, her favorite kind. She lounges on her couch with a bloated stomach, sipping delicately from a glass of cheap grape wine that was so bitter it could make all your teeth fall out, but she didn't care. She was used to this type of wine considering it was the only type her father ever bought for her. He bought the more expensive alcohol for himself and forbade her from touching it, and the one night she tried he had beaten her so badly she thought she would need extensive care-something that her father would never allow her to get. She smirks at her ceiling and takes another sip. She wasn't usually the type to drink, but she just felt like it tonight. Fortunately she wasn't the one to get drunk easily, so one measly glass of wine wasn't going to get her tipsy. She takes another gulp and sets the now empty glass down. She grimaces and runs her tongue down her front teeth as if trying to scrape off the flavor. That wine sure did have a bad aftertaste! She bets that her breath stinks and she chuckles loudly as she heaves herself off the lumpy cushions of her couch. "Okay, Lucy, time to get active!"

She walks over to the sink with her wineglass and puts it gently in the sink, knowing her punishment if she were to break the priceless heirloom. She runs a hand through her messy, golden hair and turns on her heel, walking towards the front door where she left her shoes and jacket. Along the way, she begins to think to herself. Hm…didn't some people move in last night? Wasn't it a man and his son? Hm…well whoever they are, they better not cause any trouble for anybody or I'll call the police! She nods to herself but deep down she knew the cops didn't give a rat's ass about this part of Magnolia. If they could, they would cut off all ties and let them all kill and hurt and steal from each other. Nobody liked the slums of Magnolia, not like Lucy cares. She thinks back to seeing the moving truck pull in, and the strange duo that had stepped out of the car that came before it. One of the two had a hood over his head, so she couldn't see what he looked like, but by his size he had seemed to be her age, but with boys how could you really tell? The other was an older man, in his late 40's, with raven black hair and striking ebony eyes. He may have been a bit old for Lucy's taste, but he sure wasn't lacking in good looks! Lucy had watched them enter their new apartment-which was right next to her's- with only two beds and a table from her window before she decided to mind her own business and return to making dinner for her and her father. Usually with new families moving in you would hear a lot of noise on the first day, but strangely enough there was none. She had contemplated going over there and introducing herself but she knew it would be all in vain. She knew a boy of his physique would soon be accepted by the bitches and skanks at school, so what was the point being nice to someone who was just going to go with the flow and hurt you in the end?

She opens the door to her little loft and smiles at the feeling of cool air on her face. She loved the cold. The wine pulses hotly through her veins as she steps out onto the stairs and closes the door behind her. She turns and locks it with her key before shoving it back into the pocket of the pants she had changed into while her Ramen had been cooking. She walks down the stairs, trying to make as little noise as possible. Most families would be eating dinner right about now and she was sure the last thing they wanted was excess noise from the outside. When she reaches the ground she smiles wistfully, and begins her trek towards the run-down playground in the center of the apartment complex. She looks up at the sky as she walks with bored eyes and she turns a corner. She brings her head down to see the gates to the playground. It didn't take that long to get here. With a body warm from alcohol Lucy opens the gates with loud creak! and continues on inside, not even bothering to close it. Her mind returns to the two men who had just moved in.

I wonder if the boy will go to my school. I hope he doesn't get too messed up…he did look kind of big though, so maybe he'll blend in with the football crowd and become popular… She thought to herself as she sits down on the only intact swing. She glances around the broken playground and scowls. They should really fix the place up for the poor children who lived here. She begins to swing slowly, pumping her legs back and forth gently. She finds herself glaring holes into the ground, then he'll probably bully me too, and he might do it here! No, I cannot allow that. They might get me at school but they and their taunts will not reach me here! She thought to herself with gusto.

She didn't even notice someone slip past the gate.

"Of course if he did I could just tell his dad and he would probably be forbidden to even speak to me…" She mumbles to herself while gnawing on the inside of her cheek. She winces as she bites too hard before staring up at the black sky once again. She could almost see the smoke and pollution from the city and she scowls darkly, I hate Magnolia. She takes a delicate sniff of the air, and could smell the grogginess of the town. She knew there were nicer parts; she's seen glimpses of them, but all her life she has lived in the slums, and it was hard to imagine such thing as a smoke-free neighborhood.

"Can you smell it too?" A deep voice speaks up from behind her, just about scaring the poor girl half to death. She bites back a scream and only lurches forward in her swing seat. She turns around to lock eyes with a tall teenage boy with untamed, bed-head like…pink hair? Even though she was so amazed by this-no one in the slums could afford the dye to make their hair that pink!-she forces herself to scowl instead of gawk.

"What the Hell?! Don't just sneak up on someone like that; you could've scared the life out of me!" Lucy hisses, standing up from her seat and placing her hands on her hips. Now you would think she would be intimidated by a boy randomly appearing behind her in the middle of the night in the middle of the worst part of town, but she's seen far scarier things than this boy.

He shrugs as if it couldn't possibly matter and says in an amused voice, "I doubt a girl living in this place would be scared to death by just one guy." He has a deep voice, and it resonates in her ears. It sounded…nice. Lucy now crosses her arms across her chest and stares into his striking onyx eyes. They had this playful glint in them, one that made her feel safe to be around him. She lets her eyes wander up to his hair and her mouth shapes into a tiny 'o'. He looks at her strangely and says in his gruff voice, "Oi, what's with you?"

"Sir, may I ask why you have pink hair?" The blonde asks, pointing up at his light red locks.

His face actually goes red and he exclaims in a childish voice, "I-it isn't pink, it's salmon!"

A tiny giggle escapes Lucy's pink and slightly chapped lips, "Sure, whatever you got to tell yourself~! I say it's pink."

If she thought seeing a young man with pink hair was strange, just think what she thought when he started to pout, "It's salmon…" He crosses his big arms across his chest and looks away with a rather adorable pout on his face.

Lucy watches him before giggling again. She found this boy funny! His eyes widen when she shoves her hand out in a friendly manner. She wanted him to shake her hand, "I'm Lucy! Lucy Heartphilia!"

The boy stares at her hand for a moment before his pout is replaced with a tiny, lopsided smile-something that just about took her breath away, "Natsu Dragneel." He encloses his big hand around her petite one and she notices that his hand was just as scarred as her's was, if not more. Now these she earned as punishment for talking back to her father, but she was sure he probably got them working.

After giving his hand a shake she smiles hugely at him, "That's a cool name, summer…"

"Yeah, my old man gave it to me. Lucky he did, my mom wanted to name me Derrick!" He chuckles and Lucy can't help but laugh along with him.

"So, are you the one who just moved in? Apartment 125?" Lucy inquires with curious brown eyes. She sits down on the swing seat again and crosses her legs together-one over the other.

Natsu Dragneel nods avidly with a grin on his face. She liked him more and more as the seconds passed, "Yeah, me and Gray."

Lucy cocks her head to the side, "Gray? Who's that?"

Natsu puts his hands behind his head with his elbows towards the sky, "My dad, I guess. More like brother if you ask me."

She was confused by this yet she says no more about it because by the look on Natsu's face he did not feel up to talking about this 'Gray'. She plays with the hem of her jacket and peers up into his face once again, taking his features in more precisely. He certainly wasn't bad looking…she would even go so far to say he was handsome! He has a nice chiseled chin, a strong jaw, and those nice cheekbones, that pair of stunning onyx eyes that seem to stare right through her…oh my Kami, this guy is more than handsome! He's a fuckin' god! Keep it cool, Lucy! You've dealt with hot guys before…sure they weren't talking to you but…

Natsu raises one pink eyebrow, "What are you looking at?" He says quite rudely and Lucy scowls at him.

"I was wondering if you dyed your hair."

He answers this question with ease, "Nope, it's natural!"

"What a strange hair color…let me guess, one of your parent's hair was red and the other's white?" Lucy suggests and leans forward with a tiny smile. She was enjoying speaking with him. Suddenly, his onyx eyes turn sad and loose that youthful playfulness. Her frown goes deeper and she says, "Oh, I am sorry, you must not like to talk about your parents…" Her voice was barely a whisper and she truly felt sincere regret for bringing it up. It almost hurt her physically to see this beautiful boy sad.

Her apology reaches his ears and he is smiling that 30-watt smile at her again, "No problem, Luigi!"

Luigi? Who the Hell is Luigi?! She questions in her mind before finally getting that he simply messed up her name. She scowls darkly at him, "My name's Lucy! L-U-C-Y!" She spells it out for him and crosses her arms across her chest once again, a habit that she picked up from her mother whenever she was displeased.

Natsu chuckles merrily before saying, "Sorry, Luce!"

Now he was calling her yet another name? Luce? Is that a…nickname…? Oh, I've never had a nickname before… She stares up at him with huge eyes, "L-Luce?" She murmurs half to herself but somehow the boy hears it. He nods avidly at her, reminding her of both an anime character and a child. He was so…comical! Everything he did was in the extremes! What a strange boy…

"Yeah," his voice breaks her out of her train of thought, "that's what I'm gonna call you, okay?"

Slowly Lucy nods her consent. She tries to fight back the red that was blossoming across her face. She didn't want him to see that she was moved by him using a term of endearment with her. Not even her own mother called her anything but her name, so this was all very new to her. "Yeah, L-Luce…I like it…" She says in the strongest voice she could muster.

To her surprise he reaches over and ruffles her hair playfully, an action that causes her to freeze, "I'm glad you do. Hey…" He leans over and gets in her personal space without a second thought. Her face goes even redder and he says, "…ain't you tired? I mean, it's midnight and I'm pretty sure humans like to sleep at night." Humans? Why would he say something weird like that? She thought to herself before she smiles.

"I don't get tired easily. Add on the cheap-ass wine I drank and it just adds fuel to my fire." She didn't really mind him being this close to her. He seems really nice, and if anything she wanted him to get even closer. He is very cute… "So, are you going to start going to school? You can't be older than 17."

He smirks at her, "I am 17, and no, I'm homeschooled." He gestures to his apartment that was right next to her's. She follows his line of sight to the unit to see that all the windows had been covered in cardboard, drapes and other materials until not a single ray of sunshine would be able to get through. She frowns quizzically at this and looks back at him.

"Why are your windows…?"

Natsu scoffs and brushes this off with a simple wave of his hand, "Gray's got this superstitious nature, says that the air here is bad and will only allow us to live here if the windows are boarded up, the crazy nut." He chuckles and Lucy chuckles along with him, ambit a little more nervously than him but a laugh all the same. That is very strange…he is very strange…just who are you, Natsu?

"Natsu…" Lucy looks at the ground.

"Yeah?" Natsu looks at her.

She takes a deep breath, "I'm glad you won't be going to my school. It really is a horrible place." She has not once let her face go into the dim light of the street lamps for a reason. She didn't want him to see the bruises and scratch marks that marred her skin-but now she stands up from the swing and moves forward a bit. He does not move from his spot and stares at her face in awe. She frowns deeply, an action that hurt, "They do horrible things, and I am positive that if you go, you will most likely blend in with the popular crowd and hurt me too. 'Cause I'm the school kick mule, y'know?"

His breath-taking onyx eyes were wide with surprise. Was he not expecting something like this from a pathetic little girl like Lucy? He hesitantly rises up his hand, as if to touch her face, before deciding against it and letting his big hand fall back to his side. He blinks a few times as if he didn't know what she said before saying in a gruffer tone than normal, "They did this to you?"

Lucy shrugs, "A few bitches from some classes I have…plus one boy who tripped me, but that didn't really hurt." She sniffs, the cold air finally getting to her. Her nose was beginning to slowly run and she couldn't feel the tip. Her cheeks were bright red, inflaming the cuts and making the bruises even uglier. She is reminded of the pain she felt and her frown turns into a grimace.

"Huh." The pink-haired lad states and he stares off into the sky, giving Lucy a nice view of the beginning of his neck. The rest was covered with a thick, strange scarf. Were those…scales? She had a feeling if that scarf was gone she would be looking at a slender, pale, delicious neck…enough with the perverted thoughts Lucy! She thought to herself hurriedly and her face goes even darker. Yet even so, her eyes were still attached onto him, taking in his appearance. He is wearing a loose and enormous black sweatshirt that hung off of him as if it were another skin, and baggy, dirty jeans leading down his long legs to…bare feet? Wasn't he freezing? Her eyes snap back up to his as he speaks again to find that he is still staring off into the distance, a look so beyond his 17 years that it makes her weak-kneed. He looked so absolutely fascinating in this one moment that the picture sticks in her brain, something she would never forget. "I forgot that humans are so fragile…and yet so strong…" He mutters, but she hears it. Every last word.

Her eyes go huge and she says suspiciously, "What are you talking about, Natsu?"

Just like that he breaks out his trance and swivels around to look at her with huge eyes, "Hey Luce, can you promise me something?" He looks so excited, a big smile on his face. He was back to that childish nature he possessed, and she can't help but smile softly at him.

She puts her hands behind her back and cocks her head, not too sure on whether or not she should promise a boy she met in the middle of the night something-and knowing Lucy, she would keep her word. She was just wired like that. She clicks her tongue on the roof of her mouth before her smile grows larger and she says, "Depends on what it is!"

"Meet me here every night!" He exclaims with a cheerful aura.

"Eh?" Lucy blanches. No one has ever wanted to be near her more or less meet her at an old, run-down playground every night! She blushes furiously and thanks her lucky stars that she moved out of the light. She rubs the back of her bruised neck and smiles nervously at him, "Uh, sure, I guess…I'm cool with that…"

Something is stuck into her line of vision, an outstretched pinkie? She looks at it and then back up to its owner. He smirks broadly down at her, "Promise?" He wiggles his finger as if beckoning her.

She can't help but giggle as she hesitantly brings her hand up. Can you trust him, Lucy? She questions herself and even though she had her doubts, she really needed friends. Well, it can't hurt Lucy! What's the worst that can happen? And she curls her pinkie around his, almost shocked by just how cold the appendage was! How can any normal human being be this cold?! She thought to herself with a confused look on her face.

Natsu curls his own finger around her's and shakes her hand up and down, sealing the deal. "Great!" He lets go of her and puts his hands casually in his pockets, leaving Lucy with her hand outstretched like an idiot. She quickly runs a hand through her messy hair and smiles faintly at him.

"Every night, eh? I'll try my best, a-and I may not come out until way late." She says in her weak voice, and for a moment she is reminded of this one girl in her class, one that has never laid a single finger on her-or has even talked to her for that matter-, a super shy girl named Aries. She was dating the playboy Loke, who was also the captain of the football team. She thought that he would just fuck her than throw her away like the rest, but by rumors they have gotten pretty serious, and Lucy has become accustomed to watching the two walk down the school hallways hand-in-hand. Now she had the feeling that they had a love found only once in a lifetime, and she prayed to Kami above they were smart enough to keep it.

Natsu nods his head, drawing attention to his spiky pink hair once again, "Okay! I'll just wait out here for you."

She glances down at his feet again, taking in the dirt and the filth that coated them. It was as if he never wore shoes! She frowns deeply and looks back up at him, bringing up her icy hands and placing them on her nice hips, "Young man, why don't you have any shoes? You could get so many horrible diseases that way! Humans wear shoes for a reason!" She lectures like a teacher, or a parent, narrowing her pretty brown eyes at him.

He glances down with a look that said he didn't even know he didn't have any shoes on, "Oh! Where did my shoes go? Oh Kami!" He suddenly wails, throwing his hands in the air, startling Lucy. She yelps in surprise as he grumbles, "I better not be catching Gray's perverted habit! I'll kill him!" He begins to pout again, and she chuckles softly.

"Perverted habit?" She inquires.

He nods and sighs, "My guardian," he says the word with great distaste "tends to strip of his clothing at random intervals."

At first she could not believe it. She begins to laugh but at Natsu's straight face she stops and sweat drops, "A-are you serious?" She exclaims, "What a strange thing to do!"

Natsu nods, "He's such an icy weirdo…" He mutters half to himself and Lucy bites back a laugh.

"Icy? Natsu you keep saying the weirdest things!" Suddenly she unleashes a big yawn, stretching her arms high above her head. She hadn't even noticed how cold it had gotten, and her limbs felt as if they were going to turn into icicles! She tries to hold back the shivers yet fails, and she sniffs deeply again. Her eyelids felt heavy, and she knew the tiny buzz from the wine she had earlier was gone, leaving her wiped out. She yawns again and wraps her arms around her torso, trying to keep in the warmth. Why did she leave her hat at home? It would have been so helpful right now…

"Luce," She looks up to see Natsu staring at her with eyes made of fire. Eyes that made her knees weak and her mind blur, "you're tired. Go on and go home, I'll see you tomorrow night, okay?" He says in his masculine and utterly sexy voice. She denies, shaking her head and just as she was about to voice her reason for wishing to stay with him, he raises a hand to silence her. He flashes a tiny smirk at her, "I'll see you tomorrow, Lucy. Until then, yeah?"

Lucy stares at him a while long before nodding her head, "Goodnight then…Natsu…" She turns around, towards the gate of the playground, and begins to trek towards it, trying to block out the cold and the feelings of exhaustion.

"Lucy!" He calls out to her and in a split second she turns back around so quickly it made her kind of dizzy. He is watching her with amused onyx eyes and he smirks broadly, "Sleep tight, don't let vampires bite!"

Huh? Lucy thought to herself. What a strange thing to say! "Stop saying such weird things, loser!" Lucy calls out affectionately to him with a tiny smile of her own. Natsu pouts and crosses his arms across his chest.

"I ain't a loser! You're the loser…loser!" Is his comeback and she laughs joyously.

"Yeah, whatever! Goodnight~!" She says in a sing-song voice before turning and running off, making sure she looked good from behind as she did so.

As she closes her apartment door behind her, it takes everything in her not to squeal in joy. A boy, a hot one more or less, had talked to her, and asked her to visit him every night! She's never had a friend before…was he a friend? She sighs dreamily as she locks her door and sways into her room, eyelids drooping with every step she took. She thinks back to that look he had…how old his eyes were…like they've seen so much more than any other 17 year old has. The thought of it excites her as she slips off her Converse tennis shoes and sneaks into her room, being quiet out of habit. She always has to be quiet when her papa was sleeping if she didn't want to get him angry. She hated it when he got angry-he was really scary when he did.

Sinking onto her big mattress clad with pink sheets she stares up at her white-painted ceiling with a look of peace on her face. I cannot wait until tomorrow night… And she falls into a deep sleep with thoughts of a certain salmon-haired boy still floating around in her head.

OoOoOoO

Thanks for checking my story out! It is really hard to make a 'mysterious' Natsu…really hard. Whenever I think of a vampire Natsu, I immediately think of a boy who will walk up to you and say, "Hey, you're my best friend now, and by the way, I'm a blood-sucking vampire that loves to sneak into your bed!"

Yeah.

Haha, well I hoped you all enjoyed this! Review and tell me what you think!

PARADISE.x