Hi Guys,

Okay, so this is coming out a bit later than I wanted, but as long as the next few days remain pretty quiet, I should get a second chapter in during the weekend. As always, hope you guys enjoy and another chapter will be coming soon.

- Singed

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.

Lucy

Lucy sighed and slumped in her chair reliving the last hour of her life, wondering how it had all gone so wrong. She had made it to the seamstresses right on time. The seamstress was more than happy to see her and understood Lucy's concerns.

"Just sit down dear, and I'll take a look once I've finished opening up the rest of the shop." That was the last time Lucy had been able to think that her plan would work out. Just as the seamstress turned back to discuss the problem with her, a sobbing, babbling girl bust in with a wedding dress. Her heavily applied make-up was running and her hair was a mess of tangles on her head.

"Mrs. Markel! … I 'sob' I ruined my wedding dress!" More sobbing continued and Lucy could feel her hopes sink as her concern for the girl rose.

"Now Anita dear, let's take a look." Mrs. Markel pulled the wedding dress from the sobbing girl and hung it on a rack nearby. "Oh see now dear, it is just a little rip and some beads are missing. I can fix it in a jiffy."

"But my wedding is in two days!"

"Yes, and I can fix it in an hour I assure you, but Lucy," Mrs. Markel point to the blond, "was here first. Let me fix her up while you go out to have a nice breakfast and by the time you're done, your dress will be fixed."

Anita shot a glare at Lucy, then turned a large puppy-dog stare towards Mrs. Markel. "But Mrs. Markel my dress is more important and so much more expensive than this girl's! Surely she can wait while I watch you fix it!"

Mrs. Markel's brows furrowed and she placed her hands on her hips. "Anita, no one's dress is more important than another's. Your dress was more expensive, yes, but it can wait. I must get Lucy's done because it will take a few days."

"It will?" Lucy asked, surprised.

Mrs. Markel sighed and nodded. "I was able to alter it magically last time, but fabric is tricky. It holds magic easily, but it can only hold so much. If I need to alter it in any way, it will have to be by hand."

"Oh," Lucy said, suddenly feeling the need to cry. She had meant to lose the extra weight, she really had, but the time had gotten away from her.

"Now don't you worry dear. Just go into the changing room and I'll see you about the dress when you come out. As for you Anita, you really don't need to be here now. I'll let you know when the dress is complete."

"But Mrs. Markel, it must be perfect! I'm afraid I'll have to watch you work."

"That will not happen, dear. Nobody watches me work."

Anita gasped in outrage, but that was the last Lucy heard or saw as she went into the dressing room and squeezed into her dress. It did actually fit a tad bit better than the night before, but it wasn't enough. She waited a few minutes, hoping to give that awful Anita enough time to leave. Unfortunately, she was having a full-blown tantrum when Lucy stepped out of the dressing room.

"I absolutely insist Mrs. Markel! I must be allowed to watch!" Mrs. Markel yelled something back, but Lucy wasn't paying attention. She just slumped into a chair, sighing, annoyed. She wanted nothing more than to leave and come back another time, but she couldn't. Her appointment with her bridesmaids was in less than an hour now but while that awful excuse for a human being was still here, she wasn't going to get in any time with Mrs. Markel. A part of her just wanted the seamstress to give in to the selfish brat and let her watch but Lucy understood the concept of standing on principle and what Anita wanted was ridiculous.

After another fifteen minutes of the same argument, Lucy stood up to get changed and leave until her appointment, when Loki came out of nowhere.

"Well, hello gorgeous, don't you look fetching."

"Hi Loki," Lucy sighed.

"Anything I can do?" He asked, looking over at the arguing women.

"If you can get rid of Miss Too-Spoiled-to-be-Patient, that would be great." Lucy had meant it as a joke, but Loki practically pranced over to Anita and turned on the charm, hard.

"Well, aren't you a refreshing sight for my thirsty eyes. Tell me beautiful, what is your name?" Anita and Mrs. Markel were both startled at his sudden appearance, but just as Lucy had predicted, Anita was a fool for flattery.

"Oh my, what a charming man. I'm Anita Prescott." Loki took her hand and kissed it.

"It is truly I who am charmed. Now, Anita, I realize that you are here for a wedding dress and that that ring on your hand is an engagement ring, but surely your fiancé wouldn't mind if I took you to breakfast?"

"No not at all, I'm sure." Lucy rolled her eyes and her opinion of this girl dropped even lower. Either she was a cheater or she was seriously that stupid to think her man wouldn't care that someone like Loki took her out. However, she was gone in a flash and the small salon was quiet again.

"Well, that was an unexpected answer to my prayers. Now, let's look at this dress Lucy." Mrs. Markel had her standing in front of mirrors in seconds, and pinned and measured in just a few minutes.

"There," she announced fifteen minutes before her friends were set to arrive. "That should do it. You can pick it up in a few days. Now, if you don't mind. I'm going to get started on Anita's dress. Though maybe if I'm lucky, that young man's involvement will break off the wedding and I will never have to see her again."

Lucy's surprise at the savage line of the thought must have shown because Mrs. Markel just smiled. "Sorry to startle you my dear, but I know the groom's family. No one would be heartbroken if she called it off and even the groom would be relieved, though he'll never admit to it." She disappeared into the back, while Lucy went back to her dressing room.

She could never imagine being in such an engagement. She had never been more excited about something than she was about the idea of marrying Natsu. Then again, it wasn't every day that you found a man who was willing to sacrifice everything to protect you. True, he never got her flowers, but he had gotten her an entire Rainbow Sakura Tree one year, and that was enough to make up for it.

A brilliant smile brightened her face and she hurried back out to her chair. She didn't have any of her special parchment with her, but she always carried a notebook and she could quickly rewrite it later.

Letter 12 – My Special Bouquet

Hi Natsu,

I just had one of the most awful experiences with a spoiled brat in my entire life. I won't bore you with the details and I'm sure by now I've told you the story, but it also reminded me of one of the sweetest things you've ever done for me.

It was the day that the guild took off to have a picnic under the rainbow sakura trees and I was far too sick to go. I was so disappointed. When everyone left to go for the day, I actually cried myself to sleep. I had been looking forward to it for so long. I loved going on adventures with you guys but the idea of just hanging out and playing games with everyone sounded like an amazing time. I just couldn't believe my bad luck and I'll admit I threw a little extra pity party into the mix by convincing myself that everyone had forgotten about me.

So, when I heard the commotion on the streets and rallied myself enough to look out the window, I was confused at first. There, floating on a barge down the river was a rainbow sakura tree. It was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen and in an instant, I knew that you and Happy had done it. I didn't know how you'd done it, and I didn't care. It just let me know that you guys really did care for me and would do anything to make me feel happy and appreciated, not just safe and protected. Both are important, but one without the other is unbalanced. It was and still is the nicest gift anyone has ever given me. Although, I think your wedding vows will take that spot soon enough.

Love,

Lucy

Lucy sighed and closed the notebook just as Levy, Erza, Mira, Cana, and Wendy came walking in. They all greeted her with enthusiasm and she smiled, happy to see them, and that two letters were already done by 10 am.

Natsu

Natsu had made it perhaps ten steps from his front door, when a shadow crossed his path, bringing a familiar and welcomed scent. Looking up, he saw Carla and Wendy. They came in for a landing right beside him.

"Hey Wendy, what's up."

"Nothing much. Carla just got in and she wanted to come over."

"Well Happy's not here right now, but he did say something about being at the guildhall later." Well, that was easier than he'd thought it'd be. Now he didn't have to worry about forgetting to give them the message later.

"Actually, I came to see you, Natsu," Carla said, walking up to him, luckily in Exceed form. Even now, seeing Carla in her more human form kind of gave him the willies.

"Me? What for?"

Carla brought out a small beautiful flower. It had white petals but the center of the flower had so many different colors, Natsu figured it had to be magical. It was stunning and fragile, which meant that he most definitely should not be the one taking it.

"Huh, well thanks Carla, but shouldn't you be giving this to Lucy?"

Carla sighed and firmly placed it into his hands. "No. This is an exceed tradition. It's good luck for the groom to gift this flower to his bride at the wedding. The flower will remain in bloom for a year. Then, once it loses its petals you plant it. In another year, it will grow again, this time with a white center and multi-colored petals. The more colors it has in its petals the longer and more prosperous the marriage."

Natsu looked at it more closely. "Wow, thanks, Carla! I'll put it into a vase right away."

"There really isn't any need, but whatever suits you, I suppose." Carla grabbed Wendy and they flew off in the direction of town. Natsu walked back in and put the flower into a cup of water since he didn't own any vases. He looked at it for a moment, utterly mesmerized, when suddenly it hit him. He knew his next piece. Sighing, he grabbed the lacrima and turned it on.

"Okay, so I haven't seen you today. But, I promise I will! I just had to record this first because Wendy and Carla just dropped off the flower and it reminded me of something. Do you remember that time I dug up that rainbow sakura and sent it downriver?" Natsu looked off into the distance, reliving that moment, that day.

He started speaking, slowly and rather softly, which was rare for him. When Lucy watched the recording later, she wondered if he was even truly aware of what he was saying.

"I remember being so happy that morning. I always loved that day. It was a day with my guildmates, but we weren't in the guildhall or on a mission. I can always goof off and start fights, but at the Hanami Party, no one is going to look down on me for it. However, I remember being extra excited because it was your first one and you were about boiling over with anticipation. I remember wishing that I could show that level of excitement without it looking un-masculine. Is that a word, probably not."

He let out a big sigh and his tone was back to normal. "Anyway, I came by to pick you up, and there you were, sick. You just had to get sick on that day. I was tempted to stay with you, but you insisted that I go and while I felt bad, I really wanted to go to the party. Plus, what could I really do? I didn't know how to nurse someone back to health. So I went, and had an absolutely miserable time."

Natsu laughed and leaned forward. "If I had known then how horrible I'd feel without you, I would have stayed behind. I mean, I'm sure you just slept most of the day, but I could have found something to do. Draw on your face, make a mess, rearrange your closet and stuff. Steal your underwear. Which, I'm not proud to say, I did do once, okay twice. Fine, at least once a month, but I never kept them. I always returned the last pair when I took a new one. At the time, I just thought it was a game. I didn't realize that it was probably my "sexual frustration" coming out. At least that was what Loki said when he caught me doing it once."

Natsu smirked and shook his head. "Anyway, I'm sure in the grand scheme of things I would have ultimately had a better time bored out of my mind with you than I did playing games and hanging out with everyone else. I just felt, guilt. Which is pretty rare for me, I don't often feel that, but with you, it seems a common occurrence. Plus I knew how disappointed you must be and I was disappointed for you. I just wanted you there. In fact, I've never wanted someone by my side that badly since … or before. Which, is saying something, what with Igneel and Lisanna. But with both of them, I was experiencing grief because I knew they were gone. You were just a short distance away, which almost made it harder."

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that that was the day I learned it is possible to miss someone that badly for such a brief moment. I dealt with it as best I could until I couldn't deal with it anymore. That was when I decided to dig up the tree and send it downriver. I didn't want to kill it, but I wanted to give you the chance to see it."

Natsu smiled and shook his head. "What you don't know though, is that Happy and I were hiding in the tree. One, to protect it from someone else, two, to make sure it got to your house and then back to where it belonged, and three to see your reaction. I remember drinking in your unguarded expression. The shock, the heartwarming realization of what you were seeing, and best of all, the sheer joy of seeing it. It made the whole day worth it and the punishment Master gave us a week later all the more bearable. He knew it was us, he just didn't have any proof until a plant wizard came by to make sure the tree was doing alright and found some of Happy's fur stuck in the branches. I never told you about the punishment or seeing your expression because for some reason admitting that I'd done it for you made me feel weird. I know you already knew, but that's different than admitting to it."

"Anyway Luce, I've got to get going. I haven't seen you yet today and I'm starting to get antsy." He smiled his biggest, most infectious grin and said, "I have to see my fiancé." With that, he signed off and ran from the home. What he didn't know what that weeks later when Lucy would watch that very section, hearing that confession and seeing that grin would ignite her own flame and she'd give her husband another memorable day, one filled with heat and passion.