Author's note: Heh, hi gang. Apparently it's taboo to review stories like these, because I know some of you actually like this story. Ah well, ca sera sera. No one to thank, review wise, so that will be blank. I was kind of iffy about this chapter, since I have no idea if the characters are in character. It was fun to write though, been meaning to get this out on 'paper'. I know this all seems a little corny and mushy and stuff, but it is what it is.

Hehe, long chapter out of spite...or something, from the lack of reviewers. *shifty eyes*

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. If I did then I would know what happens in the Nirvana incident! Gah, the suspence is killing me!

Now onto another chapter of:

Trials of Love

Ch. 2: The Festival

The sky was aglow with lights of yellow, reds, greens, oranges, and many other colors. There were cheers of children and laughter of hearty men and joyous women filled the air in the festive main street. The smell of soul foods wafted through the air, inviting anyone wanting and willing.

Natsu took a deep breath, and laughed out, spouting out fire as he breathed, and Lucy just laughed at the spectacle. Lucy was wearing warm clothing that still revealed her body, just as she liked it. With skin tight wool that was decorated with Koi fish and clouds, that had sleeves that flowed out, like kimono sleeves. Natsu was wearing his typical clothes- the dragon scale scarf, genie vest and baggy pants that he wore in memory of his father-figure dragon.

"This is something, right Lucy?" Natsu exclaimed, smiling wide, like a child. Lucy smiled at him and nodded.

Then there was an explosion of fire in the distance, beyond the crowd, and Natsu was off to it immediately. Lucy blinked and looked around, then she sighed, following the path that Natsu made in his trail, apologizing to those who were pushed to the side, or were trampled on –they gave her quite a nasty word or two.

When she got to his side, there in front of them was a stage full of fire mages, performing with their magic! She laughed with Natsu, as he pointed to a certain mage that created a dragon flying around the crescent moon with fire. The flames flickered and trickled down, red and orange collapsing to blazing blue, and then everything dispersed.

Lucy was amazed, as she put her hands to the sides of her face. "Wow, Natsu, that was incredi-" she looked over to find him missing. She blinked and looked back up, and she stared as Natsu was making his own fire that matched the performers. Everyone on stage backed away as Natsu displayed his magic readily, flaunting it.

"This is what a real fire looks like!" He laughed, and Lucy twitched. She sighed and stormed off. Natsu took notice after a minute or two, and then ran off to find his friend, leaving those on and off stage bewildered.

---

Lucy sighed as she leaned against a small wall that came up to her waist, fiddling with her sleeve, which seemed to occupy her hands so well right now. She looked at the river that seemed to go through the town and divide it into two, thinking about what she had accomplished in her two years of being in Fairy Tail… Well, she published her first book, had appeared in numerous magazines, and had been through a lot with the best team in the guild. But still, she didn't have anyone to spend her Fridays with, or to share herself with. Sure, Natsu and Happy, and occasionally Gray and Erza, would hang out at her place on Fridays to watch movies, or something, but it wasn't the same.

She then dangled her head as she leaned heavily against her elbows. She was nineteen, and she still didn't have a boyfriend- a lover. Sure, Loki made passes at her…frequently…but she wanted something more. She then pressed her forehead against the cold stone of the wall, which she was curled over in self-pity, pressing a knee to the side in worry. "I wanna boyfriend…" she mumbled to herself, as she felt a hand land on her shoulder.

"Ha! Found ya Luce!" Natsu cheered, grinning in victory, and Lucy flinched. Her face instantly turned three shades of red darker.

"Oh! Hi Natsu! Fancy meeting you here! Hehehe…"She said nervously, as she stood up straight and rubbed the back of her neck, smiling nervously at him.

He raised an eyebrow, his smile gone from his face completely as he eyed her. He leaned against the wall Lucy was leaning against previously, still eyeing her and her blush curiously. He then sighed, closing his eyes. "You don't like it here, do you?"

Lucy tilted her head in confusement, and then stiffened up. She waved her hands rapidly in front of her. "Oh! No, no, no! I like it here! It's been a lot of fun, really! I…I like the gesture of celebrating my birthday…thanks Natsu." She smiled warmly at him and clasped her hands in front of her.

Natsu saw the smile, the one that was just for him, being so warm and almost… he blushed lightly, but pushed it back and noticed the river was suddenly very interesting. "Well, ya know, that's what friends do Luce, they celebrate birthdays and hang out when their lonely, and stuff like that…" He trailed off and leaned against the wall fully. Lucy's eyes widened. She hadn't said her conversation out loud, did she?

"So, gonna tell me what's buggin you? Or are you going to spend the rest of the night moping about this and that type of stuff?" He said, breaking his conversation, and Lucy snapped out of her train of thought. She looked around, just in case anyone would over hear their conversation. No one was nearby; they were all a block and a half over, enjoying the festival. It was just them enjoying the gleam of the river.

Lucy sighed and looked at Natsu, and then she felt another blush come on, remembering what Natsu asked of her. To tell him her thoughts and all…they were always so embarrassing when spoken. Written is a different story, but spoken? That was just absurd! She smiled nervously and waved off his request and shook her head. "N-nah! They're not very interesting anyways!" She reassured and kept on smiling nervously.

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Ain't buying it, now spill your guts or I'll shove you into the lake."

Lucy flinched and stared at him wide eyed. He would do it too, he would apologies and stuff afterwards, but he would do it. He never went back on his word…and she really didn't want to get wet. Lucy sighed and nodded hopelessly, returning to her position leaning against the wall. "Well…Natsu, I'm nineteen!" She cried out, which made Natsu flinch. He turned his full attention to her, his big brown eyes sinking into her.

She flinched under the concentration, and then sighed, calming down a little. "I've done so little in my life. Sure, I've fought some pretty tough guys, and wrote a novel, which is selling pretty well, if I might add," she quickly boasted. "I even have most of the zodiac keys, and a good amount of others." She sighed despairingly, which made Natsu confused.

"Yeah, you've done some pretty awesome stuff Luce, you're one of the best mages I know. So what's the big deal?"

Lucy stared at the water sadly, and sighed. "The big deal is, I have no one to share my time with!"

"What about me and Happy, huh?" Natsu said sharply, taking offence to her claim. They had been with her every chance they got! Weren't they enough? She could be so selfish…

"You guys are great and all but…"

"But what?"

"But I want a boyfriend! I want someone to share everything with, and to…" She blushed deeply and sighed, turning back to the water.

Natsu blinked and tilted his head at her. "You mean like this?"

Lucy flinched and glared at him. "No, not at all like this." She said coldly, and sighed again. All this sighing was sure working on her nerves, along with other things. "I mean…um…how should put it?"

"You mean like sex?" He grinned at her flinching and wincing. She was uncomfortable, to say the least.

"Stop that!" she cried out.

"Seeexxx." He grinned even more, lidding his eyes as she flailed under pressure.

"Stop mocking me! I hate talking about that with friends." She said, and an uncomfortable silence swept over them.

A few minutes passed and Natsu stood straight, putting his hands in his pockets and starting to walk off. Lucy blinked and watched him. "Hey, you coming?" came his gruff answer, and she straightened up, and ran after him. She walked next to him, and for another few minutes, they were in silence.

Lucy looked nervously at the ground, gripping her hands in front of herself. "Uh, where are we going Natsu?" There was only silence on his end. She looked up at him, and her eyes widened. Natsu was deep in thought, staring at the ground that slid under them as they walked. He almost looked ill because of his deep thought. She then started to groan and shook him lightly. "Natsu! Snap out of it! You look seriously sick!" She cried, and Natsu blinked.

Natsu looked at her, and then grinned at her. "What cha say Luce?"

Lucy groaned. "Where are we going?"

"Oh! Right! We're off to find you a boyfriend!" He cried out, and Lucy blushed deeply. She grabbed his arm and stopped him. He blinked and looked back at her.

"Uh, no thanks, I don't need one! Really! Besides, I'll find one myself!" She smiled brightly at him, and Natsu let it soak in before he grinned back at her.

"Alright then, off to the festival!" He cried out and dragged her to the festival. Lucy just laughed and followed him.

---

Around midnight a certain celestial mage and fire mage walked down the road, laughing about what they saw. Lucy smiled at her pink haired friend, and sighed happily, a puff of steam rising from her mouth. Natsu took notice. "Cold Luce?" he asked, noting the blue tint her lips were taking on.

Lucy looked at him, and smiled, shaking her head lightly. "No, I'm fine."

Natsu raised an eyebrow and sighed lightly, grabbing her and standing her in front of him. "You're a crap liar." He mumbled, and put two of his fingers to her lips.

"What are you-" She blinked as she felt a strong warmth serge from his fingers and onto her lips, warming them instantly. She shivered lightly, and he looked at her worriedly.

"Is there anything else you need warming-"

"No!" she practically yelled and scooted back, far enough to be out of reach. Natsu looked at her, and then looked away, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Nah, of course not." He mumbled and turned to leave, what with them being in front of her place and all.

Lucy bit her lip and looked at him sadly. "Wait, Natsu!"

He turned and grinned at her, closing his eyes. "Don't sweat it Lucy. No harm done." He said, his voice not matching his smile at all. Lucy looked at him sadly, and was matched by his eyes.

She then ran over to him and hugged him, almost tripping into him and sending them both into the river. Natsu caught her though, looking at her with wide eyes. "Please don't give me that look!" she cried into his chest, hugging him close, and he just watched her silently. "You know you're my Nakama! You're my best friend! You know that, right?" Lucy asked, looking at him and smiling at him.

He smirked lightly and nodded gently. "Yeah, of course. You're my Nakama too Luce." He said softly, and Lucy blushed deeply, seeing a side of Natsu that she had never seen before, and probably wouldn't see again. "You're my special Nakama." He mumbled, causing Lucy's heart to flip. She noticed how close they were, their noses practically touching, and she smiled at him. Natsu blinked and pulled away, snapping out of his state of mind, and standing her up straight. "There, no tripping, we don't want you to go flying into the river, now do we?" He lectured her, and then laughed.

Lucy just laughed and shrugged. "I guess not, I'm such a klutz!" She smiled and waved off his lecture. She smiled happily at him, and he grinned lightly. "Thanks for taking me to the festival, it was kinda sweet." She said bashfully.

He just shrugged and crossed his arms. "Sweet nothing. I said I'd take you out for your birthday, didn't I? Better than being at home alone, don't cha think?" he asked, smirking as Lucy nodded. "So happy birthday Luce." He said as he walked away and waved.

Lucy bit her lip. "Wait, Natsu!" she called out, which made him stop and turn to her, eyeing her. "About that mission." This caught his attention completely. "I think I'll go with you and Happy." Natsu grinned widely at her.

"Great! Meet up with us at the guild tomorrow at noon!" Natsu told her, and she nodded.

"Night Natsu!"

"Night Lucy."

He grinned even wider after he heard the door slam to her place. He chuckled, which slowly turned into a full on laugh. He then punched the air, and then stretched his arms into the air, then crossing them behind his neck. That was about the time when a certain flying blue cat swooped down and started to fly next to Natsu. Natsu looked at Happy and smirked at him. "Hey happy, had a good night soloing?"

"Aye! Had a good night with your date?"

Natsu stared at Happy. "Yeah." He then started to glare as the cat started to giggle like a school girl. "What? Is it that weird that I went on a date? And that wasn't even a date!" He fumed, and Happy kept on giggling.

"I beg to differ."

"Oh yeah? How so?" Natsu snapped, and Happy grinned.

" 'You're my special Nakama' said with deep and loving tone." Happy pointed out, and Natsu had a full on blush which made his hair seem light.

"I didn't say that! What the hell are you going on about Happy?" Natsu fumed and glared at the cat.

Happy sighed happily. "Aye, denial." This made Natsu even angrier. "Well it isn't called the 'Festival of Enchantment' for nothing." Happy swooned, and Natsu sighed, hot steam flowing from his mouth and nostrils.