Chapter Three – The Bookstore

Natsu and Lucy involuntarily started the day early. They were woken up around seven due to the commotion outside. It was particularly cold that morning, much to Lucy's discomfort. They had been admiring the dancers and performers for a few hours, and went to a small café for lunch. The food was surprisingly exquisite for such a small café, but it was amazing and for a low price, just like everything else in Shizukesa. After their meal, they walked around to go through all the small shops and booths, like at an amusement park. It was well after noon, and the temperature hadn't gotten any warmer. If anything, it was colder than it was that morning. Lucy shivered as they walked down the stone path, rubbing her hands up her arms. "I should've brought a thicker jacket," she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. Natsu scoffed.

"It's not that bad," he said, nudging her with his elbow.

"Speak for yourself. How are all of these people unfazed by the temperature?"

"They're used to it?"

"Shut up." Natsu rolled his eyes and shook his head. She was being overdramatic. It's not that cold. He barely noticed it. You'd think she'd have a higher tolerance to the cold than this, considering the clothes she wears. He was a little surprised that she was actually wearing pants and long sleeves. He never thought he'd live to see the day. He snickered to himself, turning away to keep Lucy from hearing him. She did despite his efforts. "What're you laughing at?" Natsu shook his head and faced forward, a wide grin stretching across his face as he tried to stifle his amusement.

"Nothing," he lied. He could just crack himself up sometimes. He could feel Lucy's eyes staring at him, so he turned his head to look down at her. He chuckled as soon as they made eye contact, her brown eyes narrowed into a suspicious glare. He held up his hands in defense. "Honest!"

"Mmm, hmm," she hummed, unconvinced. She peeled her gaze away from him and her eyes instantly landed on something to her interest. She quickened her pace, causing Natsu to do the same to keep up with her. He followed her excited gaze, his eyes landing on the sign of a bookstore. Figures. There had to be at least one in this town, and Lucy finally found it. The two of them might be there for a while… A bell rang when Lucy opened the door, and a woman in her mid-thirties or so looked at them over her shoulder. She smiled and turned, holding five large encyclopedias in her hands.

"Good afternoon, youngsters," she said merrily. She set the books down on a table and moved her dark brown hair from her face. "Welcome to my shop. Are you looking for anything in particular?" Lucy politely shook her head.

"No, I like to be surprised," she said, stepping further into the store. The brunette nodded.

"Of course. Feel free to browse the store. If you need anything, my name is Amaya. I will answer any questions that you might have."

"Thank you, Amaya," Lucy said, already making her way into the maze of novels. Amaya smiled and nodded to Natsu as he followed behind her. He smiled and nodded back to her. She scooped the books back into her arms as if it were nothing, and continued in the direction she was headed when they entered. Lucy slowly scanned the shelves for a name that caught her interest, Natsu walking behind her. He blankly looked at each book's title. He didn't really care for literature, thought it was boring and a waste of time. He would never understand why Lucy loved reading as much as she did. No matter the book, he didn't see the point in reading whatever it was. He was just as uninterested in reading as Lucy was with watching grass grow. He thought about that statement for a moment. Did anyone find joy in watching grass grow?

Lucy had stopped to pull out a book, and Natsu, distracted with his thoughts of grass, failed to notice and bumped into her. "Sorry," he said quickly. It wasn't until she looked back to the book in her hands when he smelled it. There was something sweet somewhere near him. He sniffed and looked around, trying to find the source of the smell. He didn't know what it was, but he did know it smelled delicious. It was intoxicating. If only he could just find the source… He turned back to Lucy to ask her if she smelled anything, but then it hit him. As soon as he faced her, the smell doubled. He took a step away from her, and the scent diminished. Confused, he shook his head to clear his mind. The cold weather might actually be getting to him. He approached the shelf behind her to look through the books for no complete reason, but he couldn't get his attention off of that smell… He tried to ignore it, to block it out, but he was unable to remove his thoughts from it for even a second.

Natsu slowly looked over his shoulder at Lucy, her back to him as she read a sample of a book she picked up. The sweet scent that was emanating off of her was overwhelming his willpower. Before he knew it, he was leaning in to get a closer proximity. The smell was quickly increasing and he felt himself losing to it. This close, he could finally register what it was. Cherries...

"Hey, Natsu?" The dragon slayer came crashing back to Earthland when he heard his name and jumped back, his back coming into contact with the bookshelf behind him. Lucy turned to him, still looking down at the book. "What do you think…" She trailed off as she looked up at him. "Are you alright?" Natsu vehemently nodded his head.

"Yeah, of course," he said quickly. Lucy raised an eyebrow.

"You sure? You seem…out of it."

Why was heart his beating so fast? It was like he had just sprinted a mile. And why was his face warm? Was he…blushing? Why was he blushing? He didn't even think about it. He ran out of the store like there was a monster chasing after him. He burst out the door, his breathing heavy. He ran a hand through his hair, relieved to feel the coolness of the winter air on his face. What the hell was that? he thought to himself. What the hell was I doing? Since when did Lucy smell like that? Why is my heart beating so fast? All she did was ask me a question! What in Edolas…

Author's Note: sorry it was so short. I had terrible writer's block while writing this chapter, and I completely rushed it. Hopefully it wasn't too bad, though. At least I got it up within a short amount of time. And if it was terrible, don't stop reading because I've already written the next chapter, and I'll tell you this right now, it's gonna be good. I'm just gonna edit it, and maybe wait a few days just to torture you. *Evil laugh*

Praise is always welcome. Just don't waste your time and mine with your negativity.