The horse-drawn wagon rocked beneath her. She felt the midday rays blanket her skin, and could see shapes and shadows beneath her closed lids. Lucy would have lie in the hay and let the journey rock her to sleep if Natsu had not been so close and awake. She peaked in his direction. His face was pensive, a relaxed state she had become accustomed to. His softened features gave him a youthful glow in the summer sun. His chin was propped up in his palm, his other arm draped over the side of the wagon. It was a casual posture that had her staring. She wondered if he had made glances at her in their times together. His gaze was distant, unwavering on the landscape around them, and made her curious to slide inside his mind at her own whim. She could tell his thoughts were shadowed by his optimistic demeanor since the morning they left Magnolia. As natural as it was for Natsu and Gray to fight, the morning's hostility had been quite intense.

She pretended to stretch when his gaze caught hers. "Morning," she sighed. He grinned in a cocky sort of way, a darkness grew smaller in his eyes, his thoughts drifted away replaced by a glimmer of mischief. Lucy was happy that Wendy had given them a liquid form of her motion sickness magic before they had left. The thought of him rolling over in the hay complaining of a headache didn't seem pleasant.

"Lucy, it's almost dinner time."

"But I just woke up."

"Liar."

"Do you always think of food?"

Lucy sat up onto her elbows with a smirk across her lips. The grin began to fade as he leaned in, a sudden gesture she was unprepared for. He was so close that she could smell him. It was a comforting scent of woods and smoke. She had felt her eyes close, her lips parted softly. There was an ache in the pit of her stomach. Her face felt heated from more than just the sun. As she sat still in the hay, Lucy tried to steady her arms from shaking beneath her.

"There," he said. "You had hay in your hair." Lucy's eyes snapped open. Her lips slammed shut at her obvious mistake. Natsu's hand still lingered, and his eyes wandered across her golden hair in search for more. Lucy batted his hand away.

"Thanks Natsu," She said. This time she sat up to look out at the country over the side of the wagon. Rolling hills gave way to flowers and green. The breeze swayed like a pulse, tossing the grass. The plains felt alive with the steady rhythm. The older gentleman that had steered the horses sat motionless except for the slight bumps in the dirt road. When she had asked him for a ride he had been shaking, as older people do, and his voice was soft and sweet.

Natsu faced toward the path the old man took. "Something smells different," he observed. Just as the wagon made it over a larger hill an enormous structure came into view. His mouth hung open at the sheer size of the place. He would say it was a mansion rather than a quaint home as the flier had presumed. The whole property was surrounded by a stone wall, the inside sectioned out in multiple buildings.

"Do you think we got the right place?" Lucy asked.

"I'm not sure."

"Lady Nakahara should be in the west building this evening," the old man informed the two. "But I'll be dropping the hay off in the east." If it wasn't for Natsu's excellent hearing he may not have heard the man's soft voice over the sounds of the wagon across the dirt. He turned to Lucy, who raised her brows in confusion. He only replied with his thumbs up. The nod of her head signaled her understanding.

The rest of the ride was smooth. The home was even bigger than they had originally thought from over the hill. Natsu and Lucy couldn't even see the buildings over the wall that loomed before them. They thanked the man for his kindness and got out of the wagon. Natsu extended a hand for Lucy to jump down. They walked along the wall toward the west entrance as the older man had mentioned.

"This place smells weird," Natsu said, his voice boomed in the quiet breeze.

"Natsu, will you keep it down? What if they heard you say this place was weird?"

"To be honest the whole job was strange."

"Natsu!"

"What? It was! When was the last time we had to escort someone that wasn't even in danger?"

"They were worried about robbers," Lucy reasoned, "besides, with a place this big I'm sure the reward will be much greater than the job was worth." She grinned at the prospect of a couple months of rent. The gate had a massive seal with intricate metal detailing made her believe that this place belonged to nobility. "Do we knock or something?"

"Beats me," Natsu wrapped his hands around the gate and shook it forcefully.

Lucy tried to pull him away, but he would not budge. "Natsu!"

"Nakahara residence, please state your business," a voice boomed over a lacrima com above them. Natsu jumped back in a readied stance to fight, and nearly toppled over Lucy in the process.

"We're wizards of Fairy Tail! Here to finish our job," Natsu called.

Without an answer the gate began to open. "Well that was easy," Natsu grinned down at Lucy who still had her hands wrapped around his biceps. She had not noticed she had clung to him until the gate opened. Lucy brushed her hands to her sides and walked forward. She refused to meet his eyes, even though she was sure he wouldn't have noticed.

"I wonder which building she's in," Natsu wondered.

"You have a lot of questions toda-," Lucy began. Natsu didn't try to answer her as he came to stand beside her. The palace before them took their breath. It was something Lucy thought she had only seen in story books. It took her back to the times in her father's study with books open to pictures of a place of the past called the orient. The buildings were a crimson red with roofs of deep green that she could only compare to Natsu's eyes. The gold trimmings and statues were something else entirely to ogle at. "Natsu?"

"Yeah?"

"Where are we?"

"Welcome to the palace of Lady Nakahara," a friendly voice greeted. Lucy hadn't noticed before but a younger man stood before them in a dark black uniform. There were shining pins across his chest and gold straps on his shoulders that told her that he had a high position in the estate. His black hair was in a short cut that convinced her that he must have been militia. "You must be Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia from Fairy Tail."

"Where did you come from?" Natsu asked loudly. If she hadn't been trying to look mannered herself she would have kicked him. She wanted to represent Fairy Tail as more than a bunch of violent mages from the grand magic games.

"I apologize. My name is Hitoshi Honda, it is an honor to have you both in our home." He bowed low respectfully. "If you would follow me I will show you to your quarters."

"Quarters? I was unaware that we would be staying," Lucy said politely.

"There is a banquet tonight for the harvest. Lady Nakahara wishes for you to join her for an evening of festivities. It will go along with your monetary reward."

"Banquet?" Natsu said his ears perked up with the mention of free food.

"Monetary?" Lucy added. The two made a glance to one another. Somehow they had seemed less uneasy about the entire journey.

"Now, if you will follow me."

Lucy and Natsu trailed behind Hitoshi. Lucy glanced around as they passed multiple smaller buildings. All of which were decorated with tiny red lights, like the twinkle of stars as the sun began to dip lower. "Hitoshi?" Lucy said after clearing her throat, "What exactly is this festival about?"

"Lady Nakahara is a great collector and is a master of trade. There was a time when the noble family lay waste to disease. At this time Lady Nakahara was only a child. Because of their illness traders began to fear the residence."

"That's awful," Lucy commented finding Natsu lost in the scenery.

"It is indeed," he continued. "But a travelling doctor found the residence. It was quite a miracle since Lady Nakahara was the only blood line left."

"What cured her?"

"It was a marvelous gift from the doctor. He had brought with him the seeds of a fruit from a strange land. The fruit was called strawberries." Lucy had heard of strawberries before. Her father had the fortune at one time to afford such luxuries. They were not used as medicine however, so Hitoshi's story had left her confused. "He informed us that he had been working on a strain of strawberries that had healing properties and other magical benefits. When the berries worked to cure the disease that ravaged our noble lady's body we had a feast in celebration. We now celebrate it today as the rebirth of our great palace."

"That's wonderful! Do you still eat strawberries for the feast?" she asked.

Hitoshi smiled with great warmth at her honest excitement. "I'll show you."

Natsu glanced in his direction, noticing their closeness. "What about our quarters?" Natsu asked mainly to make his presence known. Hitoshi stepped back from Lucy to look in Natsu's direction. He had been trailing behind them curious about the strange smell that he couldn't place. Now he gained all of Hitoshi's attention. There was something about the man that Natsu couldn't put his finger on. It was as though a secret nestled just behind the man's lips.

"It will only take a moment. If you do not mind that is," Hitoshi said with a slight gesture to Lucy. She hadn't noticed the gesture but looked up into Natsu's eyes with concern. Natsu could tell that she wanted to see what Hitoshi wanted to show them. It had slightly annoyed him, but he could not disappoint his partner the way he seemed to have done. With a sigh he gestured for Hitoshi to continue. There was a glint in the militia man's eyes. If Natsu didn't know better he could have sworn it was possession. He would have to keep an eye on him during this feast.

He led the mages behind two larger buildings. Lucy gasped when they opened up to a forest of trees that were almost entirely red. Bright fertile fruit burst from their branches.

Hitoshi walked toward the nearest tree and plucked a larger berry from the branch. "This is our strawberry garden," he said. "They do not usually grow from trees, but our good doctor worked long and hard to produce these special berries." He handed the berry to Lucy brushing his hand against hers as he did. Natsu's eyes narrowed in his direction. Even though he was not making eye contact, he could tell what Hitoshi was up to. He stood uncomfortably behind them, his index finger finding a spot inside of his scaled scarf and tugged lightly. He watched as Lucy wrapped her full lips around the large fruit biting down. Natsu's eyes followed a trickle of juice that ran down her chin.

She grinned and extended her hand to allow him eat the rest. "These are wonderful! I've never tasted anything like it. Natsu, you have to try these!" He could feel Hitoshi's eyes and took it upon himself to take her attention from him. He would explain his feelings toward the man later. Slowly Natsu took Lucy's hand and brought the berry to his mouth. His lips wrapped around the fruit, taking in some of her fingertips before he pulled away. He ran a thumb down her chin to follow the trail that was left by the crimson juice, and hesitated over the fullness of her rosy bottom lip before pulling away.

"Delicious," he said softly. He left her hand in the air where she had fed him. He was satisfied with the dust of pink across her skin. Her eyes hooded slightly gazing into his. Natsu didn't even have to look over at their tour guide to know the face he must have been making.

Truthfully the strawberry was amazing. He had not let it show, but he had never tasted something so sweet. The taste wrapped around his tongue to savor it even after it was gone. He was satisfied to know that the strawberries had been the source of the scent around the property. Hitoshi did not continue his flirtatious behavior after that, but Natsu knew he would try something again if he was not careful. Hitoshi led him and Lucy back toward the largest building behind the walls. It towered over the rest and was fully decorated with red lights. They walked up the steps onto a porch that wrapped around the building.

Hitoshi stopped at the front door to open it. It slid easily across the wooden floor and revealed a hall of further doors. The walls were decorated in brightly painted pictures. There were many farmers and caravans. There was even a portrait that depicted a great deity coming down from a brightly painted pink sky with his arms bursting with fruitful crops. Hitoshi showed them to the very last door and opened it for them.

"This is where you will be staying. We apologize in advance that we could not acquire more than one room. The festival brings many important guests, and the rest of our palace is quite full."

"That's fine. Mages have to share rooms all the time," Lucy said feeling her skin warm again at the implication of her words.

"Yeah, but nothing beats your bed Lucy," Natsu said feigning an innocent smile in Hitoshi's direction.

The guide cleared his throat and bowed to the two. "I will leave you now. Feel free to take a walk about the palace; it is quite lively at night. The strawberries grow quickly and we implore you to eat some as our treat." Hitoshi did not say anything further and gave no room for the two to reply before walking away.

"That was weird."

"Let's see our room," Natsu said bounding through the door. There was a small table in the center of the large room. The whole room was decorated with paintings of different types of flowers. Lucy walked over to a closet door and slid it open to reveal their beds for the night folded up neatly. "Lucy, look at this!" She heard from across the room. Natsu had two paper doors wide open to reveal a large private porch and flower garden. Lucy walked out to find a tree that was red with berries. The limbs draped over a small koi pond much like the Sakura in their home of Magnolia. Exotic flowers that she couldn't name burst from every bush and bathed the space in a luxurious smell.

"This is insane," She commented.

"You're telling me," Natsu said. "The smell is making me dizzy, and these are massive fish. Good thing Happy didn't come with us this time. He would have a field day here." Lucy giggled and thought of their blue furred friend.

They agreed to visit the other buildings in hope of finding Lady Nakahara and thanking her for her generous hospitality. The sun's warm light had dipped below the hills around the palace and disappeared for the night. The cool glow of the moon replaced its light, and the palace glowed more than ever. With all of the tiny lights that decorated each building and the paint along their walls Lucy could feel the mood set by the atmosphere. It was not long after did the two come across a few people. Everyone wore formal attire that Lucy had only seen a few times. She thought back to her books and found herself in awe.

"I hope they don't want us to dress like that," Natsu said.

"I'm not sure, but they look nice."

"Why don't we find the building where the food will be?" He sniffed the air enthusiastically making Lucy smile. She watched his face in wonder of his usual playful demeanor. It had become her favorite thing to see, especially after their past adventures that were not always filled with happiness. "What?" Natsu asked. His words pulled Lucy from her daze. She shook her head to dismiss his concern.

"Nothing, let's find the food," she agreed moving quicker toward a near building. This one was also large and was distinguishably long.

The two had been wrapped up in their sightseeing and had not seen the larger set man and his blonde friend almost run into them. "Be careful you two," he chuckled. His larger belly shaking as he pulled the girl closer. She clung to him, looking into his face with blushed cheeks and glazed eyes. They couldn't help but notice that she was clinging to the man's wide open attire, exposing his bushy chest. "You might want to lay off of the strawberries."

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked eying the bushel of strawberries in the man's large hands.

"Oh you must be travelers!" The man said, his eyes sparkling with wonder. "We visit every year from the country of Lally. My name is Mercutio, and this lovely lady is Rosette." Even though he had introduced her the blonde did not look up from his face. Natsu arched a brow and frowned at the sight.

"Your friend okay?" He asked.

"Okay? She's marvelous!" Mercutio laughed loudly. "Anyway we'll see you inside. Don't forget to go to the tents. You two need to get dressed." Before Lucy could ask further about their attire Mercutio walked away, talking loudly about himself to his lady friend.

"What a weirdo," Natsu commented. Lucy nodded her head to agree. She found the tents that he had been talking about and pulled her partner in that direction. "What are you doing? I don't want to wear those."

"Oh come on we're guests. We should at least try to fit in," Lucy said. She had Natsu's wrist in her hand and continued to pull him without letting go. The warmth radiating from his skin did something to her that she couldn't place as she felt the dizzy feeling once again. The lights blurred into one another, but she continued to walk. Only when they approached the tents did she drop Natsu's wrist. "In you go!" she said playfully tossing him into the one that was labeled males. She laughed hearing his objections through the tent. The sound of other voices rose over his yelling and everything soon was quiet. Lucy took the opportunity and entered the next tent over for the ladies. There were two small women in their own plainer yukatas.

"Welcome," one greeted. Lucy was quickly ushered out of her clothing and into a wrap of different patterns. The women worked diligently to dress her, and even matched the colors to the clothes she had originally been wearing. Her yukata was a pale sky blue with patterns of delicate floral. They wrapped a belt around her waist in white and a thin band on top of gold. They let her regard herself in the mirror. Lucy's mind was flooded with a sense of nostalgia. She was often dressed by her family's servants with many different formal wear, but nothing like this. The two women complimented her on the fit and began to tie her hair up in a tousled bun. Two small strands of blonde hair fell nicely to frame her face. Before Lucy could walk out of the tent the two women eyed her. The taller of the two nodded in approval, but the other continued to look at her hair.

"Is there something wrong?" Lucy asked timidly looking in the mirror. She wasn't sure what it could be. Her hair looked better than she could ever tie it up herself. The shorter woman's eyes brightened and she ran to a chest to look inside. She pulled out a small decorative comb with intricate patterns of blue gemmed flowers.

"Would you please lower your head?" The woman asked politely. Lucy could do nothing but oblige as the woman tucked it nicely to the side of her bun. The taller woman handed her a small drawstring bag that matched the blue floral pattern of her yukata, and a pair of sandals. Lucy looked around for her clothes anxiously. "Your keys are inside the bag," she said. Lucy thanked the women for their assistance. She took a breath before exiting the tent. Her soft brown eyes adjusted to the sudden bright red lights of the palace. Her gaze met with that of deep green. She couldn't quite place Natsu in a fancy place like this before when he was in his normal attire, but in his solid black yukata he looked like an absolute prince. The band around his waist was a bright gold and the front of his yukata was open slightly. She assumed it was comfortable to him, and exposed his chiseled muscles. She observed immediately that he had his scarf still securely wrapped around his neck. It dangled casually down his back.

"They tried to dress me in white," he complained. "It would have looked so weird with my scarf don't they know that?" Lucy burst into laughter. She would expect nothing else from Natsu than a comment like that.

"I guess not," she replied. His features softened at the sound of her laughter. Natsu liked how Lucy looked in the yukata. He thought she looked as though she belonged in it. The material hugged every curve of her body, her large breasts unable to be tamed by the fabric. The night felt bizarre to him. The smells blended together and the people were laughing from inside the longer building, all of it wrapped around him. He could feel a heat spread throughout his body as the night passed. His eyes always seemed to find Lucy. "Let's go," she said linking her arm with his. Something felt off about the celebration, but seeing Lucy so eager and close to him, he didn't seem to care.

They were ushered into the building by two males in militia attire they had seen on Hitoshi. The doors were similar to the ones that led them to their quarters. Intricate designs twisted around the entire property. Natsu and Lucy were met by a smaller man with a clip board behind the doors.

"Names," he asked. They observed his balding head and massive glasses that barely hung from his slim nose.

"Heartfilia and Dragneel," Lucy replied remembering many banquets with her family that began this way.

"Introducing," a voice boomed over a lacrima, "Lucy Heartfilia and Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail." Many guests turned their head in the lobby to see who would enter. A few people began to whisper. Others did not seem to care and simply talked with their acquaintances as they ate strawberries. Natsu flinched slightly, overwhelmed from the sound and the sudden whispers invading his ears. Lucy looked up at him to notice his subtle movement.

"Its fine, just follow me," Lucy whispered in his ear. She had felt his muscles stiffen and pulled his arm closer to her. He closed his eyes focusing on only Lucy. The way her voice pitched softly when she was concerned. The way her breathes came out like a breeze and her steady pulse. He focused on her alone and opened his eyes. Natsu could feel his muscles ease as they walked forward. He couldn't understand why he couldn't control his senses as he did usually. He had decided to put those thoughts aside and focus on finding food instead. Multiple servants strolled around with trays piled high with the never ending red fruit.

"Strawberry sir?" one of them asked Natsu. He took a few and gave some to Lucy as they continued to find the door to the banquet.

He looked down at the berries in his hand. "I hope the food isn't just a bunch of strawberries," he frowned. Lucy laughed and took a slow bite of the fruit. Natsu couldn't help but watch again as her lips curled around it. He took his own strawberry, eating it in one bite. He hoped his own crunch would mask her sigh. He could tell she had enjoyed what she tasted, and it drove him crazy. The noises she made did something to him he couldn't quite place.

The entrance into the banquet was large with similar paintings to the ones they had seen in the halls of the living quarters. The art now depicted a celebration with many different visitors. Lucy was in awe by the place as she munched on another strawberry. She could feel her head lighten again and her body sway next to Natsu. She leaned slightly into him not noticing her chest pressing against his arm. Natsu shoveled another berry into his mouth. He got a good eye full of her ample cleavage before someone cleared their throat from in front of them. Natsu immediately looked up hoping no one saw his eyes.

"I just have to say Lady Nakahara has invited many guests to the festival, but never mages as famous as you both," a woman gushed from in front of them. Her yukata was similar to Lucy's except that she wore loud colors and tons of decorations in her hair. Natsu liked Lucy's better, at least hers didn't hurt his eyes.

"Famous?" Natsu questioned.

"Well of course everyone knows the famous summoner and flame dragon slayer of Fairy Tail. I thought your fight especially was riveting," she said placing a hand over his other arm and stroked softly. Her eyes hooded as she bit her lip slowly for him to see.

"It was nice to meet you," Lucy chimed in. She could feel her happy daze lift from the sexual display. " We really have to see Lady Nakahara."

"Of course," the woman said. She dropped her hand from Natsu, but not before winking in his direction.

"What is wrong with everybody?" Lucy asked.

"They all just started their party early I guess," he said between bites.

"She was falling all over you, and the man outside with the drunk woman."

"Can't forget Hitoshi," he added. Lucy looked up at him curiously.

"You can't tell me you didn't notice him drooling all over you. Too intense if you ask me."

"There was no drooling!" Lucy glared at him but kept their arms linked afraid that she would acquire her happy daze and drift away, "at least he wasn't drunk." She couldn't tell what irritated her more, the fact that he complained about Hitoshi's flirting, or that Natsu's expression made her believe he didn't seem to care.

Instead of arguing further they munched on strawberries. Servants opened the doors to reveal a massive dining area. There was an extremely long table covered in guests. The room was loud from laughter and the clanking of dishes. Natsu's mouth watered, the scent of food wrapped around his strong sense of smell. There were many dishes that seemed to appear as if from thin air. Some of them he couldn't even place. The table was low and everyone sat on soft cushions. Servants were everywhere replacing meals and filling empty glasses.

They looked down the row and found the head of the table. Lady Nakahara was truly beautiful her yukata was much longer and flowed around her like a sea of fabric. Her long black hair cascaded around her womanly figure. A golden headdress topped her head, an alter table sat behind her with intricate painted designs. Lucy pulled Natsu toward Lady Nakahara and was met with many drunken cheers and stares from guests. Apparently the lady outside had been right about their fame. When Lady Nakahara saw the two walking toward her eyes lit up with excitement.

"I'm so glad you could make it! I hope the trip to escort our dear doctor was not too strenuous," she said. Her soft voice was soothing to Natsu compared to the rest of the table. "Please sit down I have saved you a seat."

Sure enough there were two seats open. Natsu felt his blood boil when he noticed that the seat closest to the Lady sat Hitoshi. Wasting no time he sat directly next to him insuring that Lucy would be nowhere near him. Natsu still found there to be something odd about the man and did not trust him next to his partner. He glared in Hitoshi's direction before turning back to Lady Nakahara. Her large eyes widened by Natsu's display and her excitement seemed to soar. Lucy sat down beside Natsu and found the larger round man sat beside her. He had two full plates in front of him. One was full of the never ending food, the other with strawberries.

"Hello Mercutio," she greeted.

"Miss Heartfilia! How wonderful that we are next to each other this night," he chuckled kindly. "I knew she would have you two sitting so close to her."

"What do you mean?"

"Have you not noticed by now? Lady Nakahara has adored you two since she watched you both on the grand magic games," this time he laughed and shook the table. His date was passed out and sleeping soundly next to him. "I was invited here during the last games. It was truly a remarkable display." Lucy could feel her chest warm in pride for her guild. She looked over to where Lady Nakahara was. She had tossed her long hair over her shoulder as she laughed at something Natsu said to her. Apparently she was great conversation, because Natsu had gotten caught up in some story of their adventures. Lucy could hear her "ohs" and "ahs" at each interesting development he added. Lucy couldn't help but watch his face light up as he told his story.

Lucy could feel the noises around her and the warm atmosphere. She grabbed another strawberry and munched on it lazily. Conversation had come easy especially next to Mercutio, who seemed to know the whole table. There was soon a fog over her thoughts as she laughed and told stories with her partner. Soon she could feel her stress carried away with the scent of strawberries.