Meanwhile Natsu had pulled Lucy off somewhere private.
"Where are you taking me?" She asked.
"You'll see."
Hand in hand, she followed him to the far back of the town and up a hill until they reached an abandoned mill.
"What is this place?" She asked. "It looks awful."
"Are you kidding? It's the most amazing and romantic place in town."
"How so?"
"You'll see."
They went inside the building and he led her all the way up to the rooftops of the mill where the wheel stood. When she saw how high they were she clung to Natsu's arm fearfully.
"Getting scared?" He asked her.
"A little." She admitted.
"I understand. Happy still trembles when we first go up here, isn't that right buddy?" He said looking down at the cat riding in his satchel. "Just hold on to my hand and you'll be alright."
"Okay."
They walked on the roof until finally he stopped and sat down along with her. Where they sat it allowed them to see the entire town which was lit up with evening lanterns while the night sky was a glow with stars.
"Like the view?" Natsu asked with a smile.
"It's incredible." Lucy said awestruck. "Look at this, you can see everything from up here."
"I know. That's why it's my favorite spot. My father would bring me up here all the time."
"I can see why. I wish we had views like this back where I lived."
"Hey if you think this is awesome just wait til the fireworks start."
"Fireworks?"
"Yes. They light em up every time they have get togethers like these."
"What are fireworks?"
"You don't know what fireworks are?"
"No, can't say that I have."
"Boy where have you been all this time?"
'What are they?"
"They were invented by this foreign country, it combines gun powder and fire similar to guns but when you light the fuse it shoots them high up into the sky where they burst into color and light. It's just so amazing."
"I can't wait to see them."
It wasn't long before the townspeople started to set the fireworks off. They were unlike anything Lucy had ever seen. Bright colors were flashing in the night sky: blues, reds, greens, yellows, purples, it was like a rainbow made of bursting stars.
"They're beautiful." She said.
"I'll never forget the first time I saw fireworks." Natsu said. "It was my birthday and my father wanted to make sure that I had a memorable one. We went into town, danced in the square, ate and drank at the pub, and then when it got dark he brought me up here where I saw them. When they first appeared I thought it was magic because it seemed impossible but then Father told me how fireworks were made and it gave me a new perspective on things."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that I realized that there were these incredible things made in far off places. Places that I've never been before and that's when I realized that I wanted to be like my father. That I wanted to see the world, travel to far off places, learn what other people can do and create."
"Did you also want to steal and pillage like him?" Lucy joked.
"Hey we wouldn't have to steal and pillage if we weren't so poor. Anyway we didn't much but he did the best he could."
"You two sounded so close."
"We were." Natsu said looking down at his medallion.
"I wish my father and I could be that close."
"I bet you two could be close if you tried to."
"No. No my father is too busy with his work to spend time with me. Sometimes I wonder why he didn't just leave me at an orphanage after Mother died."
"Why would you think a thing like that?"
"Because I...I don't think he loves me anymore. If he did then he wouldn't distance himself from me so much."
"If you don't mind me asking what was his relationship with your mother like?"
"He worshipped her. She was his everything. Whenever they were together he always looked so happy."
"And was he happy with you? Before she died?"
"Yes. He would hold me in his lap and kiss me on the cheek every chance he got." She sighed. "He hasn't kissed me since her death. That's how I know that he doesn't love me anymore. He probably doesn't even care that I'm missing."
"You wanna know what I think? I think that it's just the opposite. I bet he's worried out of his mind about you."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because no one could ever stop loving someone like you. Even if they tried."
"I wish that was the case but he never let me do what made me happy. He never let me go to the beach or leave town or even leave our manor...at least in chaperoned. He just wants to keep me locked away in that Manor house forever."
"Did you ever think that maybe it's because he loves you that he does all those things?"
"How could someone do that to someone they love?"
"Hey I'm not saying that he was smart to do that but maybe he didn't do it to be mean. Maybe he did it because he was scared."
"Scared? Scared of what?"
"Maybe scared of losing you like he lost your mother? You know grief has a way of making people do crazy things. When my old man passed I went binge drinking. I was hammered every night, nothing my crew could say or do could bring me to my senses."
"How did you get over it?"
"One night I came back to the ship so drunk that I fell into the sea, when Erza jumped in to pull me out she got her foot caught on the anchor chain. We would have both drowned if Gajeel hadn't of gotten to us in time. That's what finally snapped me out of it."
"That you almost died."
"No. If it had just be me I would have kept on drinking, back then I didn't care weather I lived or died. It was the fact that I almost killed Erza that brought me back to my old self. That was something I know that I could never get over. Causing the death of someone in my family so after that horrific event I pulled myself together and took my father's place as captain. So what I'm trying to say Lucy is that when people are hurting they tend to do things that are wrong. It's no excuse for their actions but it helps you understand them more."
"You almost sound like a preacher."
"Don't let Gray know that. He's the only preacher on my ship."
Lucy laughed.
"You know I've never met anyone like you Captain Natsu Dragneel."
"Same to you Lucy Heartfilia."
They smiled at each other and sat in silence for awhile, feeling very flustered and bashful. Happy being a cat and animal, could smell the pheromones and theorized that his master needed help. So with one of his sharp claws he gave Natsu a poke in the behind.
"Yeooow!"
It caused Natsu to lean forward suddenly and his lips smacked right into Lucy's in a surprise kiss. Lucy wasn't sure how to react to this but her feelings over came her judgement and she responded to the kiss. Seeing that she wasn't angry or weirded out by this, Natsu responded back.
Now both have had their fair share of kisses. Him with several obscure women from various towns he had sailed by and her with several sons of wealthy officials her father had set her up with. But neither of them had ever felt a kiss like this.
However all too soon, Lucy realized what she was doing and broke away from him. What was she doing? She was the governor's daughter for God's sake, she couldn't have romantic feelings for a pirate.
"I...I apologise." She said. "Please forgive me...I mean...I... It's just that I...My father is the governor and you...You have to understand that I could never-"
"Yeah I know." He said trying to hide the hurt in his voice and he hid it well. He knew what she was going to say before she started. It written in her eyes. "I think that's the last firework...We better head back."
"Yes we should." She said and she avoided all eye contact with him during the whole walk back to the ship.
