Natsu found her on the abandoned crib, her cries piercing his sensitive ears. And when he did find her, he had no idea that she would become his entire life, his entire essence.

The village around Natsu was completely burned down. Ash littered the ground as Natsu carefully stepped around the site, not wanting to cause any further damage. His eyes flashed with fury as he saw the lifeless bodies buried under the black earth. He sniffed the air, trying to catch the scent of the mages that he was supposed to eliminate. Happy floated around his shoulder, not having any to say at the moment. He looked over at his partner and saw anger within his eyes as his breathing hitched and his fists clenched tightly.

"Natsu?" Happy asked in a quiet voice, knowing what the fire mage was feeling at the moment. Natsu turned his head towards him and sighed, his voice shakily coming through.

"Y-yeah Happy?" He replied, trying to calm himself down. He knew he shouldn't let his anger get the better of him at the moment but even for dark mages, there had to be a limit. Why would they ever need to resort to killing? They were already powerful enough, seeing as that they had magic, but to kill innocent civilians and then leave nothing in your path? Just how low and dirty could you get?

"You alright Natsu?" Happy turned his black eyes towards Natsu's, placing his paw on his shoulder. Natsu turned away and sighed again, closing his eyes.

"When we find them Happy, I will give them a lesson that they'll never forget." Natsu hissed, opening his eyes and looking at the Exceed. Happy smirked and pumped a fist in the air.

"Aye sir!" He exclaimed and Natsu gave a weak smile, patting him on the forehead. Natsu then decided to scan the area again, trying to find someone alive. The huts lay burned to the ground as the sun's rays were absorbed by the black ashes. The wind lifelessly rolled through as if signaling that there was nothing he could do. The village lay in a clearing in the forest, forming a neat circle had it been standing. A river ran through the middle of the village and straight into the forest, signaling no end and no beginning. Natsu saw the edge of the forest from where he was standing , having found no tall obstructions in his way. He tried to listen again to find something. Anything. A beating heart. Faint breathing. Something to signalize that someone was alive.

Hearing nothing but the chatter of birds and insects from the forests, his face dropped in a low frown. Natsu sniffed the air and immediately found the scent of the dark mages he was searching for. He could always distinguish between regular mages and dark mages. While regular mages had a light, sweet scent to their bodies and magic, it was the complete opposite with dark mages. They smelled of despair and it was sour to his nose. He grimaced as he found their trail, fully aware of where they were heading.

"Let's go kick some ass, Happy." He said, signaling his friend over.

"Aye sir!" He happily replied as Natsu started to sprint away from the village and into the forest. He left the clearing in two minutes and was making his way through the thick tree branches when he heard it. The softest of wails. A whisper of a heartbeat. Natsu heard it. He screeched to a stop as Happy crashed into him, head first.

"Oww Natttsuu, what was that for." He whined as he rubbed his forehead. He saw Natsu's frozen figure and immediately became scared. "Natsu? What's wrong?"

"Someone's alive…." He whispered before turning around and looking Happy in the eyes. "Happy, I heard it! Someone's alive! We've got to save them!" He exclaimed as he took off towards the village, Happy straining to keep up. Natsu leaped effortlessly over the roots of trees as he made his way towards the clearing. The branches scratched at his face, drawing a little blood, but that didn't bother him. He had to find the survivor. He just had to. He couldn't let anyone die.

As soon as Natsu arrived to the clearing he stopped, trying to find the rhythm of the heartbeat. Just once more. He thought. Just once more, please. Please hang in there. One more heartbeat. Then I'll know where you are. He closed his eyes as he focused on his hearing. He listened for a good minute again but to his great disappointment, found nothing. His frown deepened as Happy hung over his shoulder, waiting patiently. Natsu's eyes filled with sadness as he tore his gaze away from the village.

"Let's go Happy." He mumbled as he hung his head low in defeat. Happy put a paw on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. He started to walk away when he heard it again. The soft whimper. Natsu jerked his head around, immediately locating the noise. He ran towards the middle of the village, finding nothing but ruins in the process, the blackened ash sticking to his feet. He stopped in front of a collapsed hut as he heard the soft beating of a heart. He ran on top of the ruin and dropped to his knees, ready to dig out whoever was alive. He rummaged through the hut, digging past the soiled dirt and burned ash. He slowed down as he hit something hard. His fingers found a grip on the object and he carefully pulled it out to find a crib covered in sheets. He frowned, what was this doing there? He was about to throw it away when he heard the soft whimper coming from the crib. His eyes widened in surprise. He carefully set the crib down and opened the tightened sheets. Inside the crib lay a baby girl, no more than 1 year old. She had light pink hair and her eyes were closed. She was wrapped securely in a blanket and was her breathing was shallow. The sun hit her face and she grimaced, opening her eyes to find Natsu looking deeply at her. Natsu gasped when he saw her open her eyes. Deep blue eyes stared at his intently, not letting go of his gaze. A cool breeze rolled through the village as she took a deep breath of it, filling her lungs with the sweet air. She looked at Natsu who was looking at her in amazement and shock. She turned her head and then saw his pink hair. She smiled as she suddenly realized who he was. Natsu watched her break into a smile and he felt obliged to give a smile of his own. He showed her his signature grin to which she giggled and then held out her arms, demanding to be held. He agreed and gingerly picked her up from the crib and cradled her within his arms. She looked up at him again and gave him a warm smile before burrowing her head into his warm chest.

"Dada."

Natsu's heart stopped. He looked at the small girl within his arms and held a face of misbelief and shock. He held her out so that he could see her face again. She pouted, missing the warmth of his chest already.

"What did you call me?" He whispered, believing that his minds were playing tricks with him. She looked at him confused before she spoke again, grinning.

"Dada."

Hiya All

Had this idea hit me and I couldn't stop writing it. Anyways, Read and Review ease! It really helps on what I need to improve on, what I need to fix, more clear on, you know, the norm. Oh and for the pairings... I could go anyway. I really dont mind Natsu with anyone and I'll leave it up to you. PM or review telling me who you wanna see as a mother figure.

Possible pairings (which I am leaning towards)

Natsu x Mira

Natsu x Erza

Natsu x Lisanna

Natsu x Lucy

Natsu x Cana (maybe)