Blowing in the Wind

Chapter One – The Scarf

The softly surreal blue-green scenery of Fiore flickers by

Sighing, rolling valleys

Smiling tinkling lakes

I let it fly by with the tune I sing to

A lightning bolt of jagged dead oak strikes out of place

Vultures flocking to the scene

A flash of white flickers in the breeze, struggling against the clutches of the dead branches

And gone

"GAH! MY INNER PEACE IS RUINED NOW THANK YOU." I joyfully yell to myself in the car. I lower the radio and slowly start stepping on the brakes to ease the car into a slower pace, frantically looking for a place to turn around.

"Thereeee" I mumble. Turning left into a small dirt road and carefully backing back out onto the curvy street again.

I find the lonely dead oak easily amongst the rest of the beautiful green trees and slow my car even more to park it in the grass on the side of the road.

I jog around to the passenger seat of my sky blue sedan and pull the handle open to grab my book, lunch and blanket.

"Well, now is the day I shall purge you of your loneliness Sir. Dead Oak" I say to myself with an arm full of fluffy blanket. I bump the door shut with my hip and quickly stumble over to the dead oak. Doing my best to watch where I'm going and not trip with the blanket obstructing my view.

Finally reaching my destination I unceremoniously dump the contents in my arms on the grass near the tree.

And freeze

The vultures… yes… the vultures.

I had forgotten about them on my spur of the moment decision to save the fluttering scarf from the lonely oak.

They were the EXACT reason I have never ventured to take my lunch break here before. It was quite a beautiful area minus the hideous creatures.

There are wild flowers growing sporadically along the field in a multitude of colors and beautiful massive green trees looming overhead. The landscape was hilly with gorgeous green mountains in the distance. Such a perfect place to snuggle under and take my break... minus of course the lonely dead oak with about five deformed looking vultures gawking at me in question of why I interrupted their brooding... or whatever it is vultures do.

I narrow my eyes at them, willing my feet not to bolt back to the car. No. I WILL stand my ground and save that stupid scarf. I already made it all the way here. Honestly they were so far up in the tall dead oak anyway, there's nothing to be scared of… nothing at all.

I close my eyes shut tightly, heave in a breath and get to locating that scarf… AH, there she is. I notice the white scarf twisting and turning in the wind. And not even that far up on a branch! I skip over and make a swipe for it.

Oh no, god no

I can't reach.

I hop a bit, my fingers coming up short.

I quickly dart around for a running start and make another jump to grab it. Nope, not even a touch of the mocking fluttering fabric.

I glare at it as menacingly as I can before turning back to the base of the tree; and then glancing up at the vultures also glaring at me from high up on their perch on the tallest branches.

I flip them off.

Very lady like… I take it back in my head... "Sorry, I didn't mean that… kind of" I tell the vultures. Mom wouldn't approve of such a gesture.

Mission underway, I just couldn't give up. These vultures are going to have to let me share their tree. I judge how far up they are and deem I will never even get close to them. Heck I couldn't even really see their individual feathers as it is being so far down from them.

I walk to the base of the tree slowly sizing up the vultures and they size up me just the same. When I get there I plant my foot on a low branch and start making the short climb to destination white scarf.

I make it up to the branch the white scarf is ensnared in and slowly, carefully crawl and inch my way over to it. Upon closer inspection I can see a checkered pattern of gray lines covering the scarf. I fumble around the place where the scarf managed to get caught on and work it free with my fingers.

"YUS!" I cheer, finally working it free. I grab the scarf and swing around from my awkward crawl/wrapped around the branch position to sit like a normal human and swing the scarf triumphantly over my head. "AHAHAHAHA" I manically laugh into the air. "You didn't think I could do it! BUT I DID!" I yell and jab my finger to the vultures peering down at me.

"Ah…" My mood dies down as realization hits that I now have to get down from the branch. I quickly wrap the dirty scarf around my neck and kick off my sandals so they won't get in the way. I perch my feet precariously on the branch, hands steading my balance at both sides; and go for it.

"SAFE" I giggle, at my bad landing. My feet hit the ground well enough but then my body doubled over into a roll without consent from my brain.

I get up and brush myself off. Proceeding to trot over to where I dropped my stuff. I lay out my blanket and check the time on my phone to see how much time I have left before I need to go back to work.

I start on the sandwich I made for myself and stroke the tree with my fingertips. "Not so lonely anymore Sir. Dead Oak" I say with a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. "I'm glad I finally got the courage to come sit by you, It's all thanks this this little guy!" I say, snuggling into the white scarf. "You really should get some less scary friends" I say to the tree, glaring at the vultures who have seemed to have lost interest in me entirely.

"I apologize for calling you lonely before, I really hadn't thought about the vultures as being good company but they don't seem so bad" I say smiling up at the bark.

Thanks to my little adventure I only had about ten more minutes to read my novel before I started to pack up and head back to my car. I stuff my items in the back seat and get back in the driver's side to head out back to work.

"Lucy, that scarf is disgusting", my coworker states as I make my way into the office

"Scarf?" I question, dragging my hand over to my neck to feel the fluffy texture

"Ahahaha" I chuckle nervously. Slowly loosening the scarf and removing it. I stuff it in my bag, doing a poor job of concealing it as it spills out the top.

I saunter over to my cubical and get to work. I glare at the computer.

Living on my own was not how I was hoping it would turn out to be. It's been 2 months and I still couldn't even make a single decent friend. Pathetic. Well, At least I scored a job right? That's the hardest and most important part anyway. Even if it sucks.

I did my work monotonously waiting for the day to come to a close. As I hoped into my car to leave work, I realized it was a Friday. I hated Fridays. Mostly because I had no one to share the day with. Well today would be different! Today I was going to go out. Smiling to myself I revved up the car and slithered on home down the curvy streets outside of Magnolia. I raced up to my apartment once I parked my car and started the wash, flinging my new scarf in before shutting the top.

I then scuttled into my living room, hand roaming into my purse to pull out a ring of keys. Flipping through them until I found just the right one.

"Open, gate of the Lion: LEO!" I announce.

A melody of Ding Dong resonating throughout the room

"How may I help you my dear sweet Lucy" Loke smirked handsomely.

"Loke!" I smile up at him in greeting. "I'm really sorry to call you here! I know you're probably busy and…" I trail off.

"Shhh, Sweet love. Don't say a word. I'm always pleased to serve you" Loke replies smoothly

I beam up at him. "Well actually, uh, I wanted to go out to Magnolia, and uh, I kind of haven't made any friends yet soo…" I trail off again; ashamed.

Loke proceeds to rush up to me and take my hands in his own. He bends down on one knee and stares into my eyes.

"Lucy, you needn't ever worry about such things, I would gladly take you out on a date any day of the week my love" Loke replied

"You're the best Loke!" I squealed, tackling him to the ground.

"Just make sure you don't pull out your keys in public love" Loke smiled at me, ruffling my hair.

"Of course! Just wait for a sec as I get myself ready, remote is on the coffee table" I smile sweetly at him; still immensely grateful and pleased he had agreed to go out with me without judging my lack of friend making skills.

I untangle myself from my frantic jump onto him and make my way over to the wash to throw the newest member of my wardrobe into the dryer. I always love getting new clothes and since this piece has such a great story behind it I just can't resist wearing it the first chance I get.

I hmm to myself as I proceed to my bedroom searching through my wardrobe for the best possible outfit to match my new scarf.

I finally settle on a light pink top and a flowy white skirt. I then tied two small pink ribbons in each side of my hair and slipped on some modest white heels.

I clack into the laundry room to reach down and grab the single warm scarf and wrap it around my neck, snuggling delightfully into its warmth.

"Okay! I'm ready now Loke" I cheer

I hear the TV noise turn off with a click as Loke gets up from the couch and makes his way over to me.

"You look beautiful my princess" He tells me as he takes my hand and places a kiss there

"Just for you my treasure" I reply giggling happily

He smiles and takes my arm as we walk out the door together. I lock it once it's shut and we take off down the steps and into my car to head for Magnolia.

"Mmmhmmm" I sigh in a state of bliss as I chew and swallow my juicy steak.

Loke had chosen an expensive restaurant for us to dine. We sat by the open windows along the front of the restaurant allowing the lovely breeze to blow in, cooling the warm summer night to a perfect temperature.

"I know I'm gonna regret the bill later, but for now I'm glad you insisted we come here." I say around another bite of meat

"What kind of gentleman would I be if I took such a fine lady anywhere else?" Loke replied smoothly.

"Yeah, Mr. Gentleman, remind me who's paying for the bill again?" I glare as best I can with a plate full of delicious meat in front of me.

"Uh so, when did you get that scarf my dear? It looks lovely on you but doesn't seem like something you would usually wear" Loke said nervously, quickly averting the subject.

"I saved it" I smile triumphantly, letting him whisk the subject away so I can gloat about my new treasure.

"You saved… a scarf?" Loke questioned

"Yes! From a tall dead oak guarded by not one, not three, but FIVE vultures. I could have been killed" I replied in a matter of fact tone.

"You would do something like that" Loke chuckled. "You know vultures will stay away from you as long as your alive my dear. I don't think you were ever in danger"

"Ah, but here's where your wrong! I could have sprained my ankle when I jumped out of the tree" I countered

"I would have been there in a heartbeat if you were in any danger my darling. I have a built in Lucy in danger radar up in here" Loke replied tapping his head.

"You win for now" I admitted, chewing my steak with more force then necessary. "I wish I could go on more exciting adventures then that"

"Ah, be careful what you wish for. Great adventures come at a great cost." Loke said

"I'm positive it would be worth it!" I said with excitement lighting up my eyes. "I'm tired of being guarded, protected and pinned up like a flower for display. I'm ready to live and find out what this world has to offer"

"I will always be there to protect you my sweet" Loke smiles back. "Because I know you'll always manage to find yourself in trouble"

"That's all I ask" I say with a smile

Loke suddenly goes still

"What's wrong weirdo?" I say

"Lucy don't look but a man is doing a magic surveillance to your left right now" Loke speaks in a quick hush

"I'm going to the bathroom before it reaches us to close my gate, make sure your keys are in their case" He whispers as he swiftly gets up and hurries to the men's room.

I check my purse just to make sure my keys are safely away in their case. Rendering their magic power undetectable.

I sigh, of course my one night out would be ruined.

I glance to the left once I felt Loke's gate close safely to see a handsome dark haired man in a suit and unnecessary sunglasses at this time of the night. So obvious, I sigh.

Even though I hadn't spotted him myself. My guard had been down the moment I started enjoying my steak. Okay, maybe it's been down for longer than that. I just wasn't use to it. I've never had to watch out for my magic use before since my dad always had me locked up at home anyway, and this was the first time I've even opened up a key since I've been away from home. Stupid. I need to watch myself better. I can't believe I was so careless. Right now, I shall make a vow to myself to not open my gates unless I'm in danger. No matter how lonely I get on Fridays.

I watched the man causally finish strolling by the restaurant making sure to sweep the restaurant with his eyewear.

I finished up my meal and asked for a check and a box for Loke's unfinished meal. No longer in the mood to be out tonight.

After paying I grabbed my bag and roped the strap along my body so it fell snuggly and reassuringly against my hip with a soft tap.

I made my way over to the door and left the restaurant, my heels tapping against the stone of the sidewalk.

I could make out the stars perfectly tonight. It's crystal clear up there. I smile to myself as I stare out into the night sky, tracing the familiar constellations with my eyes over and over again.

Therefore not paying attention to my footing as my heel snags into a divot in the sidewalk.

Startled, I accept my fate quickly and mash my eyes closed as I expect to eat face in a few seconds.

But instead a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist and pull me close into a warm hard chest.

"Better watch out their Miss, star gazing on the move is dangerous" A deep throaty chuckle resonated behind me. I could feel the vibrations at my back.

"Oh yeah! Sorry; he he" I reply lamely, a huge blush spreading across my face

"Thank you so much for catching me, I really thought I was a goner" I said as his hands let go of me and the warmth of his chest faded.

I turned around and we both gasped simultaneously

He was another fairy. They were just crawling around town tonight weren't they? He was dressed in a suit exactly like the dark haired one I had seen earlier, except that this one had salmon colored hair instead.

"MY SCARF!" He roared, with the hugest grin imaginable spreading across his face.

"Where did you find it!?" he exclaimed excitedly, looking as if he was gonna rip the thing right off my neck.

"I uh, I saved it from a tree" I stuttered quickly, trying to recover from my initial shock and play it cool.

All of a sudden my feet were off the ground again and I was swirling in the air. He was spinning me around! I realized in pure shock. A fairy is spinning me around! Even more heat flushed to my face if that was even more possible, so much for playing it cool. "MY HERO AHAHAHA" He joyfully laughed like a madman finding his long lost kitten.

He finally set me down and when I regained my balance again I unwrapped the scarf from around my neck to return it to him.

He snatched it, never breaking his ridiculous smile as he cuddled his scarf. Jeez, and Loke called me weird.

"It smells nice, you washed it and everything! I have to repay you! Are you hungry? Can I take you out to eat right now?" he said seriously

"Oh, uh no! I mean, I've already eaten" I scrambled to say. Going out to eat with a fairy would be a very, very bad idea

"Tomorrow it is then!" He said unfazed

"But I-" I started before he suddenly cut me off with a finger to my lips. Alright, now my face must have been beat red as a tomato, all thoughts of him being a fairy completely fluttered out of my mind as he leaned close to my face to look deep into my eyes with a passion I've never seen before.

"You just found my most prized possession that I thought was just about gone forever. I will repay you." He said seriously, breath fanning across my face as he lowered his finger from my lips.

"I uh" I stammered, suddenly robbed of the ability to think.

"Great" He smiled straightening up as he leaned back away from me.

"I'm Natsu by the way" he said

"Lucy" I managed to sputter out

"Hey, how about we meet right here tomorrow at 6pm?" Natsu said already making plans all by himself

"I uh" I replied again, not cool and very lamely, but my brain was still spinning and not able to comprehend the turn of events.

"hehe, I'll take that as a yes" He smirked and chuckled. Oh my god. He was making me flustered on purpose!

"So where are you heading to Miss Lucy? It's not safe to be wandering around at night" Natsu said

"Um, my car is parked down this street" I finally managed to get a sentence in. Win. This must be why I have such a hard time making friends.

"Allow me to escort you then, my savior" Natsu said with a bow and took my arm in his. Wow, this guy was acting like we were good friends already.

I suppose I did need one… even if he was a fairy. The chances he would find out I was a magic user were slim anyway, as long as my keys were safe in their case.

"So what brings you out tonight" I say, bravely re initiating the conversation

"Oh, I uh, just got out of work." He said. Liar. I smiled smugly, he was so on the job when he saw me trip.

"You've got some killer reflexes there to be able to catch me. I didn't even notice you behind me." I said; trying to tease him for a change.

"Ah, well you were busy staring at the sky, so it's not all that surprising" he countered. "Do you know constellations or something? You were staring pretty intently"

Why does it sound like he was stalking me? If he wasn't so distracting I would have realized it before... Did his partner somehow get a read on Loke and notify him?

"Why does it sound like you were stalking me" I bluntly tell him my suspicions "And yes I do" I added

He smiles, "Ah, Well actually I noticed you walk by and I could have sworn that scarf was familiar. So I actually was gonna come up you to ask, and that's when you tripped" He grinned. Giving me a perfectly logical explanation to tame my paranoid mind.

"Well turns out today was your lucky day then" I say, stopping as we reach my car. "Thank you again for saving me from an embarrassing face plant"

"And thank you for saving my scarf" He grinned "Tomorrow you'll have to tell me how you saved it" he winked, unlinking his arm from around mine.

"I'll be looking forward to it" I reply beaming at him. Apparently not deeming him as a threat anymore.

"Great, See you then Lucy. It was nice meeting you!" Natsu smiled and waved from the curb as I went around to unlock my car and start the engine.

As I made my way down to the outskirts of Magnolia I noticed my heart was still fluttering. I had a date, I realized. Even if it wasn't supposed to be a romantic one. I Lucy Heartfilia was going out with another human being. Even if he was a fairy, the one type of human I probably shouldn't go out with. Ah well, I tell myself to get over it as a smile works its way to my face.

I turn on the car radio, roll down the windows and start happily singing along to a song.

Fairy Tail © Hiro Mashima

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