Chapter 20

"Mirror Effect"

Song: The Seven Wonders, Stevie Nicks (from AHS) "If I hope and I pray, it might work out someday."

Kashi and Naomi were out walking around Death City for a girl's day. The sun was high in the sky casting hot rays onto their backs and a slight breeze cooled them off just enough to keep it from being uncomfortable. They both wore jean shorts of varying blue hues while Kashi wore her favorite black tank-top, and Naomi wore a frilly white blouse. The festival had come back to Death City, and even though Kidd had promised to take Kashi out to see it all, he had an important mission to attend to first, so he wouldn't be back until late. So Kashi called up Naomi.

She was surprised Ciel let her go so easily, but she wasn't going to ask any questions. They visited the stands that lined the sides of main street. Kashi gasped; the sheer amount of stuff went on farther than she could see. "Kidd was right; Death City sure buzzes when there's a festival!" Naomi smiled, picking up a free pinwheel. "I feel like I've been to something like this before… did we have festivals in Fairy Tail?"

Kashi nodded, drooling over a stand filled to the brim with cured meats. "Yep! At least once a year… the most popular one was your favorite; the Magnolia Festival! We hold it on the day the tree of Magnolia magically lights up like a rainbow as the sun sets."

Naomi had a picture flash in her mind. The tree looked like it had come from an alien planet; it glowed in a great variety of colors, and shone like a star in the sky. Naomi was in awe at the image, and Kashi pulled her forward. "We have a lot to see, let's go!"

The more Naomi saw, the more she remembered. The tree was most vivid in her mind, along with lots of snippets with the same pink haired boy. Natsu. Kashi smiled as they passed a lantern stand. "Natsu would buy you one every year."

Naomi stopped to look, and their intricate designs captivated her. "What are they?" Kashi shook her head. "Goodness… You light a candle in the middle and it floats into the air, eventually burning up. When hundreds of people let them go at once, it's beautiful." The owner of the stand handed each girl a lantern. "They're free!" she said. "For the annual lantern show tonight. Please, take one!" Kashi smiled and took hers, thanking the kind lady. Naomi did the same, and followed Kashi out into the nearby park. There were exotic animals and a few rides, but both were happy looking at the animals. Kashi got motion sick looking at the rollercoaster, and Naomi couldn't help but laugh at her.

They carried their lanterns all afternoon, and Naomi couldn't help but feel like a memory was on the tip on her tongue. Like she could feel the memory, but nothing was coming to her. Advertisements for a parade were all around town, so the two went to see that, too; the funniest part was seeing Soul dressed as a bellydancer; apparently, he'd lost a bet to Blackstar, and this was his punishment.

Naomi was lost in her thoughts about the lantern. How can she feel so close to someone, something, and not remember? Her thoughts were broken when a voice called from behind the two of them. Looking behind her, she saw Kidd, and a flash of the memory came in her mind. She was standing in a street, much like she was now, and heard a voice behind her. When she looked, it was Natsu. He had the biggest grin on his face, and in his hands… a lantern.

The memory was gone as quickly as it came, and Kidd gave Kashi a hug. Looking at the lanterns they both possessed, he smiled. "You guys got lanterns? Great; the sun's setting, and the lantern lighting is right after sunset." Naomi tried hard to remember more from the memory while they walked, but it was lost. She smirked, seeing a sly arm slide around Kashi's shoulders. She pretended it was like a hug and just smiled, and Naomi got another piece of the memory.

~Naomi was walking with her lantern, Natsu right beside her, while they headed to her apartment. "Why don't you just light them like everybody else?" Naomi shrugged. "I can look at each one and remember what I did for the festival that year; and that's priceless to me." A sly smirk appeared on Natsu's face, and he slid an arm around Naomi's shoulders while her hands were too busy carrying the lantern to push him away. Naomi blushed, convincing herself he was just being friendly. Kashi appeared on the street ahead of them, and she smirked. "You two on a date?"~

Naomi smiled, and had to hide a chuckle. "You two on a date?" Kashi whipped her head around, her face bright red with a blush. Kidd chuckled, bringing his arm back to his side, a blush creeping across his own face. Kashi responded with a quiet "no", and Kidd just shrugged, pretending his pride wasn't hurt. Kashi glared and crossed her arms, secretly wishing Kidd hadn't let go of her; like Natsu hadn't let go of Naomi.

The darkness crept across the sky as the sun disappeared into the horizon. The crowd got bigger in the streets, and people started lighting their lanterns. Naomi followed Kidd's instructions on how to light it, and as the clock tower hit the top of the hour, everyone pushed their lanterns into the air. Naomi watched in wonder as the lanterns lit up the sky like early stars. The sky suddenly changed to a darker shade of blue, and she realized she was back in her memory yet again.

~Looking to her side, she saw Natsu was looking down at her with soft eyes. She smiled, and hugged him. "So beautiful…" she whispered, while looking up at the midnight sky. Natsu's eyes remained fixed on her face as if in a trance, and whispered back. "Yes… Beautiful…" Natsu's arm wrapped around her, and they held each other, watching the lights get smaller and smaller. A voice called from behind them, and they broke apart from their hug faster than lightning. "Not a date, sure…" Kashi was standing behind them with a smirk. ~

Naomi blinked away her memory and looked to Kashi, who was enjoying another hug from Kidd. "Was I dating Natsu?"

Kashi looked back, confusion written all over her face. "What?"

Naomi shrugged. "I got some memories today, in flashes… it reminds me a lot of you two." Kashi blushed, and Kidd ran his fingers through his hair. Kashi stuttered. "Um, well, officially, no. But technically, yes."

Naomi smirked. "So, you two are basically dating too, then?" Kashi hid her face, and Kidd cringed. Naomi laughed, trying to hide the pain she felt in her heart. She knew what she saw between Kidd and Kashi was love… and that was mirrored by what she saw in her memories with Natsu, so, if she was truly in love with Natsu…

Then what was she going to do about Ciel?