Blooming
Natsu halted, smelling the familiar and soft scent of fresh flowers. He never tired of their sweet aroma, for they reminded him of his forested childhood with Igneel, and also of a certain best friend. The thought had crossed his mind before. Should he pick out flowers for her? Not wanting to appear sappy, he usually decided against it. Yet, today, he figured there must have been something in the air. Perhaps it was the brilliantly blue sky, not covered with a single opaque cloud. Perhaps it was the caress of the warm breeze, that reminded him of home, that reminded him of her. Her, who he missed so dearly. A woman’s abrupt laugh broke him out of his thoughtful daze.
“Sir, why don’t you buy some? In fact, I’ll let you have a few for no charge.” The elderly woman gestured to her wide array of colors and textures.
Natsu blushed slightly, not realizing he had been staring. Slowly walking over, he chastised himself for his future actions. Lucy would probably think that he was ridiculous, and he was horrifically unsure what type of flower to give her.
The woman smiled, the lines on her face forming soft dimples and cracks, so fragile they looked as if they would break, yet firm enough to be perennial. Perennials! Would she smile at such a hopeful type of bloom? Such an everlasting flower would surely represent her. No matter how she suffers, she withstands, she survives, she persists, and with such interminable yet unrefined grace. Natsu gave the old woman a friendly smile.
“I don’t know much about flowers and stuff, I only know them apart by smells, really. Could you show me the perennials?” he asked, narrowly moving out of the path of a strolling baker.
Turning around, the old woman searched thoughtfully, before picking up three different blooms and setting them on the front table. Natsu noticed her wrinkled hands, covered in soil and softly calloused. “When did you decide to begin tending to these plants?” he questioned, hoping he wouldn’t sound rude.
Clasping her hands together, her right thumb overtaking her left, she let out a small chuckle. “I’ve been travelling around the continents for nearly my whole life, with my wife by my side every step of the way. We met some fair obstacles, some requiring more perseverance and courage than others. Our mission was usually to carry medical supplies to those who needed them.” She sighed, a content and warm smile shaping her face. “We came by a family along the way, quite far from any major city or town. The man of the house was extremely ill, and there was nothing I, or Maria could have done for him at the house. He was quite the trooper for his children, though. Always smiled through his sickening pain when they came into the room. His wife was already gone, and I could tell how much he loathed to leave his children..but...” She paused, smoothing out the topsoil of one of the perennials with her forefinger, a small tear dripping onto the flower’s unique petal.
Natsu, becoming somewhat emotional himself, inquired her further. “What happened to him?” The hum of the city was nonexistent, as he focused on her response. He faintly heard the merry song of a Warbler as he waited.
Swallowing thickly, she allowed herself to reply. “When I asked him if he wanted to come with us to the city for any kind of medical aid, he politely refused. He said his children, those he loved, gave him the best medicine. I was confused, as was Maria, but a few moments later we experienced why he said that. Two small girls, both not even the age of eight, entered the room, cheerful smiles plastered to their faces. In their hands, they each held a small bouquet of flowers, held them as fiercely as you would hold a loved one, yet as gently as you would with a close confidant. They passed their flowers to this man, as he lay on his deathbed. The man began to cry, holding his daughters closely. He died that night. But his soul was well for all eternity, of that I am certain. ‘When peace like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll. Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well, with my soul.’ Perhaps it was not the flowers themselves which made the man so adamantly content, it was what they symbolized. They symbolized something that varies in size and shape, in series and in type. They symbolized Love. Yet, love is not simply an act, or an experience, it is a meaning. It is a definition of what is right, what is wrong, and what is real in this world. Love is tangible, for love is in these flowers, isn’t it? So, to answer your question, I realized that healing and nourishing the heart is the healing I cherished most of all. Maria and I put as much love as we can into our gardens, with the hope that someone can flow their own love into the blooming petals.” With a steady hand, she pushed one of the arrangements forward. “These are yours, dear boy.”
Natsu unexpectedly wiped his tears away slowly, briefly tasting the saltiness as he licked his lips. Now, his heart was completely invested in this endeavor for flowers to give Lucy when he returned home. After being away for nearly a month, he was brought to tears by his loneliness without her, aided by the elderly woman’s story. “Which kind are they?” he spoke softly. Almost every bloom was a coin-shaped pod, with the beans seen inside through the sunlight. One of the flowers had bloomed early, the purple shade fading into a warm cream-like tone.
“Lunaria.”
Natsu started at the name. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off.
“She is a a celestial spirit wizard, no?” She smiled. “I saw you both nine years ago, running away from the army. She held keys, and you were the one who nearly burned this town to the ground.” Despite her seemingly vindictive words, her tone was sweet. “When you become my age, you remember silly things like that. Anyway, take these already. Go on.”
Surprise still evident on his face, Natsu picked up the small pot, looking upon the blooms fondly. “Thank you so much, granny, are you sure I don’t owe you anything?”
The woman slightly winced at the word ‘granny’, but continued to smile. “Nothing at all. Love is priceless.”
Ah jeez I wrote this at 9 or 10 pm on a school night because i needed fluff and i love when i can just write the way i want to. i hope it was alright~
