Natsu was working with his father Igneel in the fields that day. His father was running the plow while he would put the seeds in. Igneel soon noticed that the plow had become rusty so he gave Natsu twenty-five cents and sent him down to the general store to buy a bottle of vinegar. According to Natsu's mother, nothing could clean rust off metal better than vinegar.
So down to the general store Natsu went. He had never been to the general store before but he knew the way, he had seen it on his way to church every Sunday. From what he had been told, the general store had a section that was just overflowing with candies and sweets, and he was just dying to see it for himself.
"You're to buy vinegar from that store and nothing else boy." His father had told him before he left. "Don't you get any ideas about buying candy or anything. I know how much vinegar costs and I know the change for it, you better have five cents in your pocket when you come back here."
Of course Natsu wasn't going to buy anything other than the vinegar. But what harm could there be in just looking around? And look around he did. As soon as he stepped inside the store, his eyes went to wandering all over the place. Looking at all the books, the clothes, the appilanaces, the flour, the sugar, the spices, the eggs, the milk, the shoes, the dishes, the fabrics, the candles, the toys, and the candy.
Glass jars lined on a shelf, each one full of a different kind of confection. Licorice, lollipops, bubblegum, peppermint sticks, toffee, jellybeans, caramels, taffy, and fudge. His mouth watered at the sugary sweet scent they gave off and what would he give to just have one little bite, one little lick, one little taste.
"Can I help you young man?"
There he stood. The owner of the shop. Mr. Jude Heartfilia, dressed sharply and looking so serious.
"I'd like to buy a bottle of vinegar sir." The boy said.
"Alright, wait here." He said. "We just received a shipment of it this morning. I have had time to stock it yet."
He left to retrieve the product that Natsu requested. No sooner than he had left, in walked his daughter Lucy, with a notebook in her hands. Natsu thought that she was much prettier in person.
"Excuse me." She said to Natsu. "Have you seen my father?"
"He went to find me a bottle of vinegar." Natsu said. "He'll be back."
"Good, because I broke my pencil and I can't write without it."
"What are you writing?"
"Nothing important. Just practicing my calligraphy."
"What's calligraphy?"
"It means you can write fancy. I hate practicing my calligraphy. I'd much rather write stories, like the ones Miss McGarden has written."
"Why don't you just tell stories instead of writing them? My godsister tells me stories all the time."
"Because if you write them, you can make money. You can also go places, my tutor has been up North and she's been to West too. She says that maybe someday she'll take me with her on one of her trips."
"Isn't she a little young to be doing all that traveling by herself? Isn't she like thirteen or fourteen?"
"She's not by herself. She travels with Mr. Fernandes, her professor. She says he's like family. Wait a minute, how do you know how old my tutor is?"
Natsu quickly thought of an excuse.
"People talk." He said.
"Oh." She sighed. "Do people talk about me? That is if you know who I am."
"I haven't heard anything about you from other people. But my godsister says that when you grow up, your father will only let you marry the cream of the crop. Whatever that means."
Lucy giggled.
"Wanna know a secret?" She said. "When I grow up I'm going to marry whoever I want and I don't care what my father says."
"But don't you have to listen to your parents?"
"Not when I become a woman. Miss McGarden says when I become a woman I'll be able to do whatever I want. I'll get to go places, write stories, and marry whoever I choose."
"Do you want to marry the cream of the crop?"
"I wanna marry whoever I like."
"Who do you like?"
"Don't know. So far I haven't really met any boys. Except for you that is. What's your name?"
"Natsu ma'am."
"Don't call me ma'am, call me Lucy." She corrected. "I've never seen you come in my father's store before. Do you live around here?"
"Yes I do. I live in one of the smaller houses next to the Fullbuster plantation."
"Do you live with the Locksers?"
"No. The Dragneels. Igneel Dragneel is my father."
"What does he do?"
"He just works on Mr. Fullbuster's land."
"Does he get paid?"
"Yes he gets paid. Why wouldn't he?"
"My grandfather worked for a landowner and he didn't get paid. Because of that my father doesn't take kindly to landowners."
"He'd like Mr. Fullbuster, he's really nice. You know he once bought me a spinning top for my birthday, and he lets his son play with me when we're not in school. Mrs. Fullbuster is nice too, she'll sometimes kiss me on the cheek or on the forehead."
"A landowner's kissing a servant's boy?" She said shocked at the very notion.
"What? It's nothing bad or anything. She kisses me just like my mama does. Like this."
Without thinking, he leaned over and gave her cheek an innocent, peck-like kiss. Lucy jumped back and blushed like a fever.
"Lucy!"
Natsu felt like the earth had shattered from under him when he heard the booming voice shout like that. Mr. Heartfilia came barreling into that store, his eyes more full of rage then a taunted bull.
"What are you doing kissing on my daughter boy?!" He snapped.
"Father he didn't mean any harm." Lucy said.
"You go on to your room! Now!"
Lucy quickly ran off to do as she was told.
"I'm...I'm...I'm sorry sir." Natsu stuttered. "What did I do?"
"Don't play innocent with me! You think I don't know what dirty little servant boys like you are thinking? You listen here, I'm not going to let my daughter be ruined by scum like you! If I ever catch you kissing on her again I'll take a belt you! I swear I will!"
"You let go of that child!" A voice demanded. A fair-haired young woman dressed in a pretty garmet and wearing a bonnet had stepped into the store. "You heard me, let him go!"
"You stay out of this ma'am." Jude said.
"I will not! Now you let him go now! Or I'll take a belt to you myself!"
Jude was so shocked by her behavior that he released Natsu instantly and the boy ran out of there like the devil was after him.
"You have a lot of nerve speaking to me that way ma'am." He said to her. "Just who do you think you are?"
"Mirajane Dreyar sir." She said adjusting her tone. "Wife of Laxus Dreyar."
Jude quickly changed his tone. Laxus Dreyar was among one of the finest and most well -respected lawyers in the entire country. He had never lost a case, no matter how bad the odds were. Hell, he had once sued a school board up North for covering up the fact that one of the teachers had been molesting his students and there had only been one witness to the conspiriacy. He was the last person Jude wanted to get into a lawsuit with.
"Now I apologize for making a scene sir." She said. "But it looked to me that you were about to hurt that innocent child."
"Innocent? The little pervert was kissing my daughter."
"Well surely that doesn't call for the reaction you gave him. Why he doesn't even look ten yet, I'm sure it was perfectly harmless."
"With all due respect, you're not his mother."
"And I know for a fact that you're not his father, so you have no right to lay your hands on him. But I know about you Mr. Heartfilia. I know you're a widower with only one daughter so I can understand your behavior and I've heard many say that you're a man who means well. So I'll just be on my way and act as if I didn't see anything. But I warn you, my husband does not turn a blind eye to cruelty toward children and frankly neither do I. If I ever see such a display like that again, I'll report it to him and he'll sue you for everything you've got. Good day to you sir."
She exited the store and went to join her husband in their carriage.
"A fine holiday this started out being." She thought.
"Everything okay in there?" Laxus asked helping her into the carriage.
"Yes. They didn't have the perfume I wanted." She answered.
"Well my cousin Erza should be able to brew up a copy of it for ya."
"I can't wait to see her again. We haven't seen her since the wedding, have we?"
"No. But as you know, I've been busy and so has she."
"Of course. I do hope we're not intruding."
"Nah. She's happy to get any company. Provided it's not Cousin Minerva."
The couple laughed and Laxus steered his horse toward the bayou.