***I do not own Fairy Tail, nor its characters or its storyline***

"You smell funny." Natsu Dragneel stated matter of factly, the statement being a sort of greeting as he sat down next to me where I lay sunbathing by the sea. It was a lovely day in Magnolia, and I had decided to take the day off in order to work on my tan. Everything was good. My rent was payed for, I had found the cutest dress yesterday at the mall AND I had afforded to buy it. The ONLY thing that currently kept irking me.. would be HIM. As in the fool that had decided to imply that I smelled FUNNY. What the hell did that mean?! No matter. BREATHE, Lucy. Do NOT let him get to you.

"Do not." I denied simply, didn't even offer him a glance as I stretched on the ground, enjoying every ray of sunlight hitting my bare skin. Oh, my bikini was new as well, bought with the excess money after I had payed for the dress. It was black, laced with gold around the pieces, gold that continued into strings that were knit at my sides on the lower piece and behind on the upper. A simple bikini, and the gods knew I needed a new one. The last one was all but torn to shreds after being used under battle on the last mission I was on, the one giving me the money for rent this time around.

"Do too." Natsu argued, and I sighed. Do NOT let yourself be affected by the idiot, Lucy. He is just an idiot. Pay him no heed and he will go away. After reprimanding myself mentally I ignored the comment, gave him no indication that I had at all heard him speak. He would go away. But he didn't. I kept my eyes closed, yet felt his presence none the less, sitting beside me and for the gods knew why patiently awaiting my reply. I sighed. By the gods... I opened my eyes, and sure enough, there he was, sitting by my side.

"Okay, I'll bite. What do you mean, funny?" I asked, and at the same time used my elbows to sit halfway up while keeping my body exposed to the sun.

"I don't know." he replied. I blinked. Really? REALLY? Ugh.

"What do you want, Natsu?" I asked. It obviously was SOMETHING, and to be honest I found it a bit odd that he hadn't spelled it out for me already. My partner and best friend Natsu wasn't one to beat around the bush.

"I'm bored." he said then. Well, figured.

"You want to go on another mission." I said then, sat up more properly since it didn't seem like he was leaving me alone anytime soon. I briefly noted his utter ignorance to my body, and chose to not let that bother me the second thereafter since this WAS Natsu after all. He was hardly one to notice anything, sex appeal least of all.

"I'm bored," he repeated, as if that was reasoning enough. For him, it probably was. Then he produced a flier from his vest, handed it to me, and his face lit up in the most childish grin ever. Oh, he had wanted to tell me about this for a long time. I took the flier from him, skimmed through the content of this mission Natsu for whatever reason was dying to go on. As I read it, I could see why.

Help needed to set up a festival in Hargeon. Setting it up includes moving boxes, constructing booths and setting up fireworks etc. etc.

Well, it didn't seem like a bad job, and I knew Natsu had a thing for festivals. Festivals was all about food, drinks and fireworks. Much like everyday Fairy Tail, but with more people. Oh, and fireworks. While the constant surge of magic did have its beauties as people fought in the guild it was not quite the same as fireworks.

"Read on to the reward!" he almost squealed, and I looked up for a moment, only to see an ecstatic Natsu that was unable to sit still, waiting for me to finish so we could go already.

Reward: a ticket that will allow you to enjoy all the food and other festival related activities and rides for free.

So.. no money. It was a grunts job, the grunt bribed with the promise of food. I.. did not see the appeal in this job. Of course I loved festivals, but.. this was my day off. I had a tan to work on. After being constantly denied any kind of approval of my woman assets as of late I needed to work on my own confidence, and it started with a tan, NOT an all you can eat buffet.

"You go." I stated, laid back down and closed my eyes after handing him the flier again. Not like he needed me for such a mission anyways. He could go on that festival and enjoy himself just fine without me. Honestly, I didn't need to follow him EVERYWHERE he went.

"Aw, come on!" he protested.

"No. My answer is no, and that is final!" I replied.

HALF AN HOUR LATER, AT THE TRAIN STATION IN MAGNOLIA

"You still smell funny," Natsu commented as the train arrived, sending me an odd look. I whacked him on the head, denied his claim once more before we entered the train. I did SO not smell funny.

A FEW HOURS LATER, AT THE HARGEON TRAIN STATION

From the very moment HE showed up, I should've known there was no way getting out of it. Bloody Dragon Slayers and their skills when it came to persuasion. Of course everyone else on Team Natsu had to be conveniently otherwise occupied, including Happy. Of course the Partner card had to be drawn. And then the puppy eyes. I sighed and started dragging what looked like the corpse of the persuader towards the city hall where our client would be waiting for our arrival. Transportation. No other explanation was needed.

FIVE MINUTES INTO THE JOB

"No! NATSU, don't!" BOOM. CRASH. He ran into something while carrying something that had been so big he hadn't seen where he was going. By the sounds of it whatever was involved didn't get out of it unscathed.

THREE HOURS INTO THE JOB

"Natsu, that's.." BOOM. A big hole into the road where the fire mage had been a moment before appeared in the massive explosion.

"..Dynamite." I ended. That would be the.. fifteenth..? workrelated accident so far. I think.

SIX HOURS INTO THE JOB, AFTER RETRIEVING AND PATCHING UP A MISSING NATSU AFTER THE DYNAMITE INCIDENT AND AFTER SEVERAL MORE INCIDENTS

"YOU. Sit here. Don't move. Don't touch anything." I ordered the disoriented boy that at the moment sat on an empty crate after I had finished bandaging him up. I had conjured Virgo and Taurus to help me finish the assembly of the festival and the repair of the damage done by my partner, and Loke had conjured himself to help as well. I should've known it would end up becoming like this. Unless the slaying of monsters or beating up thugs were involved Natsu was all destruction and of little help. Well, unless Erza was there to keep him in line. I wish she was here, but she was on some other job this time around.

THIRTY MINUTES AFTER TELLING NATSU TO BACK OFF

"Where's Lucy?" asked the Dragon Slayer, uncharacteristically still sitting on the crate he had been told to sit at a while earlier. The one he was talking to would be Loke, or Leo the Lion, the leader of the Zodiac spirits. He was carrying a large crate, but stopped upon being questioned. He wrinkled his forehead.

"Probably somewhere nearby, she said something about setting up.." he paused, the Lion Spirit, his frown getting deeper. Suddenly, without warning, he dropped the crate and set off running just as Taurus disappeared back to the spirit world as he passed, the five crates he was carrying landing on the ground, their contents spilling out. It took the Fire Dragon a second to react, but when he did he got up with a similar urgency to that of the Lion Spirit as he too started sprinting in the same direction.

The sun was setting. Some people had already started to arrive, the crates being carried around a mere few last remaining details. Extra food, extra prizes, extra drinks. The sun was setting, and Two males were running, and running fast in between bodies, both running towards.. something. It was pure instinct, really, and the little knowledge Leo the Lion had regarding what Lucy was doing around that vary time. Details. Little tiny details.

Booths filled with food, the damp from the frying fodder filling the air with pleasant smells that on any day would make the running Dragon Slayer drool. Lanterns had started to light up above the booths, people laughing and eating adding to the atmosphere. Oh, he loved festivals. He loved the food, the company, the air that just oozed of joy and laughter. And food. And the peak of every good festival.. fireworks. He realized. Natsu realized with a jolt what it was he and his fellow guildmate were running towards. Only the details remained unfinished when they started running, and she was setting up... Of course.

He upped his pace, struggling with the moving mass of bodies as the crowd became denser, all because of that which they all anticipated. The finale. The peak. And even if nothing was wrong, he still wanted to be there. He wanted to be there to see it, and possibly participate in the finishing task if he was allowed.

Fire. The smell of fire, mixed in with.. gunpowder. Dark eyes widened, and the world slowed. Natsu Dragneel saw the back of Loke, struggling with the crowd, and then.. he stopped struggling, went writhing to the ground right before everything became chaos. It all just.. exploded. BOOM. CRACKLE. ROAR. HOWL.

And he disappeared, the fellow male, in a flash of light as the house that held all the firework ceased to exist in a pandemonium of sound and light and explosions. Screams followed. People ran, cried out, trampled over each other in their hurry to get away from the howling explosives that they so loved when it was heading for the skies rather than following the ground towards innocent bystanders. And so, only Natsu Dragneel remained, running still, yet toward the inferno rather than away from it. For Loke had been running that way. Towards his Master. Lucy Heartfilia, that allegedly had been in that house. A house that was no more, perhaps very much like the girl that had remained within it.

***No. In case you wondered, the answer is no. What is the question? The question is regarding whether or not I know where this is heading, if anywhere at all. For now it is a One Shot until I find myself in the mood to continue it. IF I continue it, that is. I might just make this another compilation of One Shots too. Anyways. Here it was. Hope you enjoyed it somewhat***