Disclaimer: Fairy Tail isn't mine, hence the reason Lisanna returned. *Growls*

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Natsu was hot. Too hot. Even for a fire mage, and a dragonslayer at that, he was sweating and his skin was burning. It was clear he was badly ill, but there was nobody around that could help him.

Recently, Natsu had set off on a solitary mission as Happy had left with the rest of he usual team for some other job. The job wasn't a tough one – Natsu had only taken one to occupy his time while the others were gone – but sometime in between finishing the mission and leaving the town, Natsu had fallen sick. How, he had no clue. Nothing had done anything to him that he could tell, although with such a high fever, it was a wonder he could think at all. Each step Natsu took, his head pounded. He needed to rest after going only a few meters, and the heat of his body was becoming unbearable. Whatever had happened to him, it was highly plausible it would kill him, and with his current situation, it was sure to be a slow and painful death.

Groaning as he once again got up to take a few more steps, Natsu suddenly felt such a pain in his legs and his head went so light that he fell to his knees. Realizing he wouldn't be able to move for much longer, the fire mage set out to find a river he could take water from as he wasted away.

The river was in reality only about 15 or 20 feet away from where the fire mage had fallen, and for anybody that would normally be only a few steps. Because of Natsu's current condition, however, making it even that short distance was a long and painful movement.

When he reached the water, Natsu literally felt his body go limp. The throbbing of his head and legs, the excruciating heat that was everywhere, all of it had become too much. His body could no longer stand to move or even support him after being stressed so far. Accepting the facts presented before him, Natsu murmured something indistinguishable as the world around him went black.

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When he finally awoke, Natsu had no clue as to how long he had been out. The sun was very near to where it had been when Natsu went unconscious. The shadows of the trees and surrounding greenery were also still in the same place. 'Obviously.' Natsu added with a grunt to himself. The only difference was how parched his throat felt. His head was still pounding, his legs still ached, and his body was still extremely hot. Moving to a sitting position, Natsu was hit with a dizzy spell that nearly pushed him back over. 'Only willpower would be able to keep me going.' Natsu knew. Reaching a weak arm over towards the creek that was peacefully bubbling next to him, the dragonslayer felt the coolness of the water as it rushed over his hand. That coolness was short-lived, however. The tired arm brought a cupped hand over to his dry lips and parched throat, dribbling down over him chest. The body had nothing to do but comply to what was happening around it, and Natsu saw the world go blurry before once more returning to the black.

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The next time Natsu's eyes opened, he felt that he must have died and gone to hell or the land he was in was somehow cursed and the time of day never changed, as it was still bright. But once the cloudiness cleared out of his eyes, Natsu heaved a painful sigh of relief. The light wasn't coming from the sun, instead in the now-black sky hung a moon.

Knowing he must have more water, Natsu began to move, only to discover that he could no longer feel his left leg. Worriedly looking to ensure it was still there, Natsu knew that the fever was doing things to his mind and body that he couldn't control. This time, the world went black before he could even reach the water.

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Natsu's next awakening was much, much later than the others. The sky was now filled with the oranges and reds of sunset, and only then did Natsu realize he missed the morning sun.

The grass beneath Natsu had died, leaving his already horrid state in an ever worse spiral. Any plant covered with such ferocious heat and no sun for who knows how many days would clearly die, and this grass was no exception. It was hard and dry, sticking all over the boy's sweaty, feverish body. It was itchy, and yet Natsu barely had the strength to collect his thoughts and the nearby water. Last time he had woken up, the grass was still alive, although you could tell it wasn't going to be for long. The current state of the grass meant that Natsu had been out for quite a while, and his starved stomach and dehydrated throat just added to the analogy. 'Dying like this is so stupid,' the fire mage thought to himself. 'I don't even know how I got sick. Dying this way just means nothing.'

As much as Natsu would have liked to at least have ensured his friends' happiness and safety with his life, he knew that there was nothing he could do about it now. His life was wasting away without any of his input.

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AN: Sorry for this being so short. ^.^; The next chapter will bring us back to the guild and the rest of Natsu's team, so please keep reading!

Oh, and I haven't decided whether to kill Natsu or not yet. Please review and tell me if you think he should live, die, or if I should do both. Also if you have any ideas about how he should be found, I'm open to hear them

~Master of the Hellish Yard