Nina's fingers tapped an uncharacteristically staccato rhythm on the wood of her desk, each tap resonating with her increasing heartbeat. Where is he? Did he really stop showing up that quick? It's not like Natsu was exactly known for punctuality.. or showing up at all, but he had kept his word when he showed up that day. His absence was becoming a hole in Nina's meticulous order, more so than before.

"Probably just another fight he's gotten into," she murmured to herself, though the words did little to quell the guilt she was feeling. The requests and glances from her classmates weren't helping either; they were always buzzing around her like flies. Some because of their attraction to her supposed "Ice Princess" status, and others to pawn off more work onto her.

She pushed up her glasses with a sharp flick of her wrist- causing all but a couple of people to look at her in surprise and leave. Beneath her icy facade, her mind raced, going back and forth on whether she should directly deal with Natsu not showing up, or let the matter sit idly. Maybe he's hurt.., she thought to herself.

"Um, Nina miss?" A timid voice pulled Nina from her thoughts and she turned to face her class treasurer holding out a piece of paper. No doubt wanting an approval for the upcoming class event's finances and expenditures.

"Sakura, let's do this a bit later, ok?" Nina responded, much nicer than her usual composure.

"Of course, I'm sorry for disturbing you miss." Sakura bowed slightly and walked back to her desk. Her long pink hair, held back by a few hairpins, seemed to flow behind her as she turned. Nina sighed, knowing that Sakura must have mustered up all her courage to approach her and bring the topic up. She had known her for many years, and she had never known her to NOT be unsure of herself.

When the final bell rang, lingering it's piercing sound in the air, Nina shot up from her seat, her decision made. She would have to first use her position as class president to obtain Natsu's home address. It might be a breach of protocol, some might even say of trust, but she had convinced herself that the end result was worth the means.

"Nina, where are you going?" Hiroshi stepped to her, pushing his glasses up to his face, causing a nearly sinister glare off the glass to shine toward her.

"I have to talk to the teacher for a bit," she quickly said as she ran out of the classroom. Hiroshi looked toward her and gave a grin.

Her footsteps reverberated down the now-empty halls of Hatsuka High, each step a crisp tap against the floor. She arrived at the administrative office, her sanctuary away from the bustle of the classroom, where student files were kept under lock and key. A key, that she so happened to have a master key for, granted for her immense help to the administration.

"Only looking up his address..," she whispered to herself, as if needing to justify the action. Her fingers worked swiftly, looking through all the manilla folders in the cabinet until she came across Natsu's name.

Heart pounding from doing something she knew she shouldn't be, the first real time she ever had, she scanned the document. There it was, scrawled in black printer ink, the address she was looking for. That's actually fairly close to my house, only like 15 minutes.

With a deep breath, Nina closed the folder, locked the cabinet back up, and readied herself for the meeting with Natsu, and any potential questioning that came with it. Simple, she lied to herself.

***

As she stepped outside, the setting sun cast long shadows across the entire town, turning the usual bright scenery into something more foreign. It was as if the atmosphere shared a joke on her small act of rebellion.

Get a grip, Nina, she scolded herself, her pace quickening. Natsu wouldn't worry about something like this, so why should I?

It wasn't long before she was facing Natsu's house- or what passed as one. It was a bleak structure, with peeling paint and a sagging roof. The yard was in an even worse state, overgrown and littered with scraps of metal and furniture as if it hadn't been tended to for years. Decades even. This sight caused her to hesitate for a second at the wooden gate. That's enough Nina, you're here to make sure a student is doing okay and can keep going to school. There's nothing improper about it.

She pushed the gate open, the hinges emitting a metallic screech that nearly dissolved Nina's resolve. No turning back now, she thought. As she went to raise her hand and knock on the door, it swung open abruptly, revealing a man whose very presence seemed to suck joy out of the air.

"Who are you?" Matsuo's voice was like gravel, grating but steady. He narrowed his eyes and fixated them directly into Nina's face.

"Good evening sir, I am Nina, a classmate of Natsu's," she replied with the upmost formality she could muster in that second.

"Classmate? What do you want?" His stance was wide but sloppy, blocking the door with his arms crossed. Each word felt malicious. Nina swallowed hard, forcing herself to maintain eye contact.

"He wasn't at school today, I just came to see if he was okay and give him some of the missed material"

Masuo snorted loudly. "That punk does what he wants. From what I hear, he doesn't go often anyway." There was something about how he said it that made Nina feel uneasy. It wasn't just anger, it was like an undercurrent of disain. Maybe even hate.

"That is true, but-," she paused, "Would he happen to be home?"

"I don't know where that kid is." Matsuo's reply was curt.

Nina's gaze flickered past him into the dark interior. The house was a complete mess, she thought, as she saw the empty bottles scattered on the floor, furniture falling apart, walls with holes. She eyed the one thing that seemed undamaged in the tornado of a room; a framed picture, a family portrait it looked like.

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"Could you let him know I stopped by?" She asked as politely as she could. Matsuo's only reply was a slammed door in her face.

Nina turned away and began walking toward her house, the entire encounter leaving a cold knot in her stomach. She hadn't fully processed the chaotic nature of his living situation; with a father that seemed uninterested or even outright against his son's well-being, the decrepit state of the house.

Damn it, Natsu, where are you?, she thought to herself. She was still feel guilty about how she had treated him before, but now there was an urgency of worry mixed in.

***

Nina walked down the street, her mind racing with possible scenarios, each darker than the last. With every step, she felt worse than before, feeling the Ice Princess' composure, that she was known for, cracking slightly.

Just as she went to turn the corner, her eyes caught a movement in the dim light of the street light ahead. Her heart skipped a beat as the familiar figure came into the light's view- Natsu, his walking uneven, his silhouette hunched.

"Natsu!" The name escaped her lips before she could even register it.

Natsu halted his walking, head snapping up and his eyes locking onto hers. His face was covered in bruises and cuts, some blood dripping down across his forehead. He must have gotten into another fight.., she thought.

"Oh great," Natsu replied, voice cracking from the pain, "Leave me alone Nina"

"I will do no such thing," She replied, emulating Hiroshi and pushing her glasses up, having feigned composure in the time it took for his reply. Her determination pushing her forward, she closed the distance between them, "What happened?"

"Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about," Natsu said, finally giving into the pain and falling down onto the ground. Nina blushed at the pretty comment, but did not let it show.

"All students in my class are my concern."

"Right," Natsu replied sarcastically. Even though his words were sharp, his eyes told another story- one of exhaustion.

"You look like hell. Follow me, I'll atleast get you something to drink," Nina said suddenly without looking back to see if he was following her. She guided them to a corner building that had a vending machine outside of it. She pushed the option for water, and grabbed the bottle that came out.

"Here," She said, handing him the water bottle. He grabbed it, mumbled a thanks, and starting chugging the water down.

"Why didn't you come to school?" Nina almost yelled.

"Figured you didn't want me there," Natsu joked. Nina knew he was just saying that as an excuse, but it hit a bit closer to home than she was expecting. Right, I'm here to apologize, not fight more. "What are you even doing out here this late?"

"I-," Nina stopped, realizing that telling him the full truth might come across a bit weird, "I was told to drop off some material you missed so I went to your house to drop them off an-" She was cut off by Natsu.

"You went to my house!?" He asked, much louder than he usually talked.

"..I did." She replied softer.

Natsu looked at her then, really looked at her, and for a moment, his Demon mask slipped. She saw the boy behind the facade, the one who looked to be hurting. The glimpse was gone as quick as it dropped, and he was back to looking angry.

"Fuck.. Did you talk to my father?" Natsu sounded almost afraid.

"Yes.." She didn't know what else to say.

"He's definitely going to have something to say about that.." Natsu looked lost in his mind.

"Listen, Natsu. I'm sorry about before..," Nina looked down at her feet, she wasn't sure how apologies were really supposed to go, "Hiroshi told me what happened."

"That little-," Natsu started, "I mean, yeah thanks, but I don't see what that changes."

"Seriously though? You're just going to keep skipping?"

"Still worried about your stats or whatever?"

"No. That's not the only thing, I mean what about your future."

"Back off. I was thinking I'd drop out and get a job doing construction or something. Solves both problems right? You won't get dragged down because of me and I can keep not going." Natsu shot his bloody knuckles deep into his pockets. Nina wasn't sure how to proceed, so she changed topics abruptly.

"Why are you always bloody?" She asked again.

"I told you. It doesn't concern you."

"Just answer, I bought you a drink so it's the least you can do."

"Ah fine," Natsu gave in, "I'm the Demon what do you expect. I get into fights."

"The two fights from that day weren't started by you though." Nina replied.

"Get off my case, Princess." Natsu said, with an emphasis on princess.

"I want to help." Nina said, openly for the first time.

Natsu looked taken aback for a second, "Look. I may not be the one who starts all the fights, but it is what it is. I still get into them and it's just going to keep causing you problems."

"You think you're the only one with problems? Are you just going to give up that easy. Maybe I had the wrong idea." Nina pretended to walk off, hoping that push would get a reaction. It did the trick.

"Give up? I don't give up!," Natsu responded in an almost childish deterministic way, "I'm just trying to live day to day! Not all of us have the luxury of thinking about the future. We're not all pampered elitists." Nina dropped her cool demeanor and showed clear anger.

"Pampered!" She was about to start a lecture before she realized that that wouldn't lead anywhere. She was here to try and reconcile. "I just want to try and reach an agreement, you should be coming to school. Not just for my class president score but for you, so that you can have more options!"

Natsu scoffed, looking away from her. "You don't know me or my circumstances."

Nina was at her limit, he was annoying as could be. She started walking away, but not before saying, "Stop pushing everyone away, that tough guy act isn't fooling anyone." Her voice cracked slightly, betraying her underlying concern. Her heart was fired up from the mix of worry and anger.

She had only gotten halfway down the street before she felt a rough hand on her shoulders. "Wait," Natsu said softly. Nina's eyes turned to meet his piercing gaze.

"Look, I'm not good at this.." Natsu began, his words falling from his mouth, "But maybe.. maybe you aren't completely wrong about the whole school thing."

"So you'll come?" Nina betrayed a note of happiness.

"I can try.. to be there, you know, more than I am now." his expression was unreadable, but his voice conveyed a softness she hadn't seen before.

"Thank you," Nina's voice similarly softened, almost bleeding through a warmness. "I'll.. also try my best to understand where you're coming from. You won't just be another checkbox on my list."

Silence filled the air between them, but it didn't feel like an enemy, but as a companion to their truce. Natsu's chest felt tight realizing she was looking into him deeper than most did.

"Deal, then?" Nina extended her hand, a formal gesture. The act made Natsu laugh.

"Deal, then." He retorted, clasping her soft hands with his. They stood in silence for a moment longer before saying goodbyes and heading their own way. As they parted ways, the first hints of moonlight painted the sky silver, leaving stretched out shadows beneath them. Both felt a sense of hope from the encounter.

***

The next day was a bright one. Nina's footsteps echoed through the empty streets of the small town, a calming rhythmic sound of her shoes against the concrete. She clutched her bag to her chests as if it could calm her nervousness from the night before. The crisp morning air hit her face, a stark contrast from the warmth her cheeks were feeling.

She thought to herself as she walked, I wonder if he'll keep his word. Could Natsu really break free from the cage that his current life was? Can I?, she thought further, knowing that they both had chains of different kinds. Before long she had reached the gates.

At Hatsuka High, the schoolyard was desolate, save for a single figure leaning against the front gate, his dyed blonde hair catching the sun rays. Natsu's presence was a beacon, a testament to the promise they kept. Nina's breath caught, Wait, he's here early?

"Made it on time," Natsu grunted, eyes not meeting hers. His hands were shoved into his pockets.

"You did!" Her smile shone brighter than the early morning sun.