There was a dull humming in my ears and as my eyes began to open all I could see was a light shining too brightly through the gap in my curtains. I roled over, hoping for the light that pierced my eyes to be less offensive if I wasn't facing it. As I began to once again settle into the possibility of sleep the humming in my ears began to grow louder and more high pitched. I pulled a pillow over my head hoping to make the shrill sounds piercing my brain dissipate, but the shrill humming wouldn't leave. I groaned and sat up, succumbing to the world of pain I would be in for the moment I became alert. As I slowly opened my eyes the pain of that intrusive light hit me again. I didn't want to go through this again. I closed my eyes, providing myself a moment of relief from the pain I was feeling, the humming still present and painful to be surrounded by. I took a deep breath in, assessing all of my senses, hoping that I would be in less pain this time around. I grabbed my ears as a bird began to chirp outside my window, but it didn't sound like a bird. All I heard was loud shrieking instead of a light chirping coming from the innocent robin outside my window.
"I'm going to be like this for a whole week? This isn't good," I looked around for Happy, calling for him and hoping he was still at home, "Happy? Oi! I need you to go to the guild for me!"
I kept my eyes shut knowing that nothing but pain would hit me if I opened them. I called for Happy again this time receiving a painfully loud reply, I had woken him up. "Natsu it's still early! Can't you go?" I winced, he was talking quietly but to me he was screaming.
I hissed, "Happy I'm going out to train by myself. I'll be back in a week, tell Lucy I can't go with her on a mission. Oh and don't stay here until I'll be back."
"Natsu~~!" My friend whined and I did my best not to let him see I was in pain. "Why can't I stay here?"
"Come on buddy. This is a great reason to stay with Carla for a whole week." I yelped out in pain when the bird began to sing again; shit, there was no way Happy didn't notice that one.
I tried opening my eyes to look at Happy, the hazy view I got of him was hazy but I could tell he hadn't missed my yelp of pain, "are you ok Natsu? Should I go get Wendy?"
I could hear him walk towards me, his paws thankfully light on my hearing. "No buddy! I'll be fine o-" the damned bird started up again, "just close that curtain for me wil ya?" He flew over to the window and closed it and I tried opening my eyes again wincing as I heard the rings slide over the metal that held up my curtain. "Thanks Happy."
I opened my eyes to see a concerned Happy, "it's happening again isn't it?"
I shushed him quickly, "not so loud! My ears! Everything's so loud!"
"You're hurt Natsu!" I hissed again, unconsciously reminding my friend that he was still too loud. He lowered his voice, "why won't you have someone look at you?"
"Because it goes away after a week every time. I'll be fine. Just tell everyone that I needed to do some private training and that I'll be back in a week."
"Lucy's gonna be mad. You promised to help her get rent money." I didn't respond. He was right, she would be mad but what else could I do? I hunched over in pain as the bird began chirping again. Happy was talking about something, loudly, and I couldn't take both noises at the same time. I felt a paw on my head and tried to strain to hear over the bird that was slowly driving me insane, "I'll be back." Happy flew over to the door and swung it open, I yelped out in pain once more closing my eyes quickly and turning away from the door. "Sorry," was all I heard as the sound of the door closing brought another wave of pain.
"Lucy! Lucy!" Lucy's head spun around as she heard a certain feline yell out her name. She smiled as she saw the cat come flying at her.
"Hey Happy! You ready for that mission? I found a good one-" she was cut off by Happy's worry filled words.
"Lucy where's Wendy! Natsu needs help!" Lucy saw tears begin to well up in Happy's eyes.
Used to Happy's tendency to overreact, she smiled softly, "Wendy left on a mission before we got back yesterday."
She was surprised to see the cat grow more upset at this, "but, but" he began to cry, "Natsu needs help! He's sick!" Lucy held Happy as he blubbered into her shirt.
"Sick? Natsu never gets sick. Are you sure?" She began to frown as Happy kept crying into her shirt, "Happy is Natsu at home?" The blue Exceed hiccuped as she tried to calm him down. He nodded still too upset to speak, "let's go Happy." Lucy kept Happy in her arms as she left the guild hoping that Happy was wrong.
As they got closer to Natsu's home Happy told Lucy what was going on. "He said that I was being really loud but I was talking as softly as I could! And – and he said everything was really bright but all the windows were covered. Lucy what are we gonna do!" He began to get upset as he recalled the startling morning he had had.
"It's ok Happy. It'll be ok. I'm sure Natsu is fine. Just try not to cry, if he's really that sensitive to sound it'll only make things worse." The blue Exceed continued his blubbering and tried to stop his crying, "be brave for Natsu ok?"
Lucy smiled at Happy with her brightest smile, "Aye sir!" Happy said with tears in his eyes. They walked in silence until they reached Natsu's home.
As Lucy walked up to the front door she looked down at Happy reminding him to be quiet by putting a finger to her lips. As she reached the door she took a deep breath, and quietly opened the door. She looked around hoping to see Natsu smiling and asking how funny he was pulling such a prank on her and Happy. What she found was Natsu curled up on the floor, "Natsu?" she whispered as best she could."
"Close the door! Please!" The helpless and pained request startled her and it took her a moment to respond, "please I – it hurts!"
Lucy quickly but quietly shut the door, "Ok," was all she peeped out, too afraid to hurt her friend. She walked closer to him hoping to be of some comfort as she knelt down to touch him Natsu stopped her.
He slowly opened one eye and then another, staring straight into her chocolate brown eyes, "I'm fine, really. You can go home." He sat up, trying to look as un-hurt as possible.
"Natsu!" Lucy had forgotten to stay quiet, slightly annoyed with the dragon slayer for blatantly lying to her after practically crying for her to shut the door. Seeing him tense at hearing his name she quieted down before speaking again, "you're not alright Natsu yo-".
He stopped her again, this time grabbing her hand that had been reaching for his arm. His eyes were open, staring at her intensely as when he had lied to her not moments ago. "Say that again."
She blinked. Say what? "Natsu, what do you - ?"
"It's gone." Natsu had a look of shock plastered on his face.
"Gone? What's gone Natsu? Are you ok? What's wrong" Lucy began to bombard him with questions as he reacted to nothing she could see
I had been surprised to smell her before hearing her speak. I had heard someone walking much farther than normal thanks to the searingly painful and heightened hearing I was dealing with. I had tried to block the door so she couldn't get in but standing with all the pain surrounding was more challenging then expected. I had heard her step on a twig or something that snapped from the weight of her foot and it shot through me like lightening and I had fallen to the ground. Which is where I was now but I wasn't in pain. I sat there, wide eyed on the floor staring right into her eyes in pure shock.
"Say that again." I couldn't believe what was happening, was I going crazy or did she just?
She sighed almost annoyed with my reoccurring question, "say what again Natsu?! You're clearly unwell!"
I realized that she was now yelling but it didn't hurt, a blinked, "are you yelling?" I wasn't sure if the pain had made me crazy and I couldn't tell anymore or if she really had forgotten that my hearing was exceptionally sensitive in my current state.
She covered her mouth in apologetic surprise, "Eh! Sorry Natsu!" She whispered as best she could. Happy all the while looking terrified in her arms. Tears beginning to well in his eyes again.
"No. Luce it's ok! I'm ok now! I don't know why but it went away!" I stood up grinning ear to ear, ecstatic that my usual week of pure torture was inexplicably cut short.
She stared at me baffled for a moment trying to register what had happened, "huh? Are you sure? You didn't look ok a moment ago…"
She looked to the ground where I had been curled up in pain before, "I'm all better now Luce. See?" I let out a small puff of fire as proof that I was all fired up.
Her face went from surprised to happy to angry, "Natsu! How is that funny!" She gave me one of her best Lucy kicks I'd ever received.
She looked angry and upset, "Lucy that hurt!"
"Yeah well pulling pranks that makes Happy cry aren't funny!" She stood up angrily holding Happy close to her and consoling him, "you scared him to death!"
"But it wasn't a prank! This happens every year! It just went away this time. I don't know why. Tell her Happy."
I was starting to worry that my day was stilling going to be filled with pain if she kept thinking I had pulled a prank on her. "Aye! He really was! It's all true Lucy. He gets like this every year. We don't know why though."
She stared at me, scrunching her face as she began to think. "How come I didn't know about this until now?"
She eyed me knowingly, "I always just said I was in training or going on a solo mission for a week. But I'd really be here." I looked at her blankly. Telling the truth with Lucy was always best, especially in these situations.
"Hmmm. Well when Wendy gets back I want her to have a look at you," I began to open my mouth to speak but she stopped me, "no! No buts! You're getting looked at. Unless you want me to take you to Porlyusica's now."
She knew how much I hated going to that old hags place. All her stuff was super smelly and she was so mean. I sighed. "Fine. But what are we gonna do until Wendy get's back? Didn't she just go on a mission?"
"You and Happy are going straight to my place. Unless you want everyone in Fairy Tail knowing that the great Salamander has gotten sick." She smirked knowing that she had cornered me, there was no way I was going to let anyone know I had been sick. I always said I never got sick. "Now tell me more about what's going on with you. How can this happen every year?"
"I'm not sure myself but I think it has something to do with me being a dragon slayer," she looked at me skeptically, her judging gaze making me anxious to explain myself, "you see it happens every year! I don't know why or how but it only effects my sense of smile or sight or whatever. And it's different every time." I gave an awkward grin as I scratched the back of my head trying to think of a better way to explain myself.
"So because this sickness, or whatever you have or had until recently only effects parts of you that are dramatically altered by the magic that you use. You know that does sound like something that could be related but I don't know enough about the side effects of your magic to know for sure." She sighed and turned towards the door. "Why don't we go back to my place and I can call on some of my spirits to figure some of this out." She paused thinking to herself. "Hey Natsu is it okay if I talk to Levy about this? I won't tell her that anything's happened but she has a ton of books on dragon slaying magic so she could really help."
I huffed, "I'm fine Lucy! See? Whatever it was it's gone now so you don't need to worry this much."
"Natsu?" Happy was now looking at me worried. "Can't Levy help?"
I smiled knowing that his intentions were as pure as always. "Yeah buddy she can help but I don't want to worry anyone if everything is ok now." I looked at Lucy with a smile but it quickly faded when I noticed the look she had on her face. I frowned at her, knowing that I wouldn't get anywhere with her unless I agreed. "Fine."
She smiled leading us towards her apartment, pleased that she had gotten her way.
"Gah! I can't find anything! There's nothing here on dragons or dragon slayers getting sick!" She slammed the book closed angrily as she found yet another dead-end. "Are you sure Igneel never talked to you about something like this happening? Natsu?" She turned her head to find Natsu snoring on her bed. She was ready to yell at him for sleeping while she was doing all the work but decided against it. "You must have had one hell of a morning to be this tired." She walked over towards Natsu sitting next to his sleeping form. "Just what exactly has been happening to you Natsu?"
She reached her hand down and brushed a strand of hair out of his face. Natsu snorted awake, "eh? Lucy?"
"Sorry Natsu, I didn't mean to wake you up." He sat up groggily; looking like sleep would over take him despite himself.
"Did you find anything?" He rubbed his eyes
"No, I'm sorry but I have a few more books I can look at before I head over to Levy's. I was going to go now while you slept. Is that ok?"
"Mhm, are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" He lay back down, using Lucy's lap as a pillow.
She played with his hair while they spoke, "no that's ok. I won't be gone very long, besides you're obviously tired. Get some sleep and I'll be back before you know it."
He sighed contentedly, purring at the feel of her fingers in his hair, "Mkay." She smiled as she played with his hair. Enjoying the odd habit he had of purring when he was comfortable. She removed her hands from his hair, receiving an unconscious nuzzle from Natsu making her giggle lightly.
"He's grown up so much from when we first met but he still acts like a big baby." She admired the handsome features of the young man she had grown so close to. She allowed herself the tiny pleasure of eyeing him from top to bottom. She eyed his toned muscles un-ashamedly knowing he was sound asleep. She noticed how his one, unclothed arm, looked much stronger then when he was younger. The muscles had gotten significantly larger and more toned and she knew it matched the rest of his body. She looked down his torso, silently wishing he still adorned the small vest he used to wear that showed off his well-toned stomach muscles. As her eyes kept the trace of her body she stopped herself as her eyes reached the edge of his pants.
Her face turned a deep crimson as she mentally scolded herself for having such dirty thoughts towards her partner. I wonder if the rest of him is as well built as he looks? Oh, Mavis! That v-line that he has is as well sculpted as any male model I've seen. He's so, so sexy. I wonder if he's ever looked at me the way I look at him?
She shook her had, as if to shake her dirty thoughts out of her mind. Remembering the time when she thought he liked her. It had been a nightmare for Lucy when she realized nothing with him had changed. Having feelings for him now was out of the question. But a part of her couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be in a relationship with him. Would he even be a good boyfriend? I mean this is Natsu we're talking about! He'd be faithful, sure. But would he understand what being a good boyfriend to me would be? I don't even know if he notices girls like that let alone thinks about being in a relationship with one!
She sighed as she got up to leave. She knew that she loved the dragon slayer like she did all of Fairy Tail but he was more to her in some way. They were best friends and partners and they had been through life and death together. She hated when she confused her loving her family for being in love with the dragon slayer. It made her tense. Before she left she looked back at him and smiled lightly, "just this once. I'll let you sleep in bed with me tonight."
I shot up out of a dead slumber. The multitude of sounds making me wish I was back in my home in the woods. Had the city always been so painfully loud? I snapped my eyes shut as soon as the pain from the light coming hit me. I pulled my head under the blankets hoping that it would relieve me of some of the pain. Why had it come back? And where was Lucy again? Yeah Lucy, where was she? Hadn't she come back from Levy's? The pain was excruciating. Why? It was gone! I was fine! As I opened my eyes once again the light and sounds of Lucy's neighborhood hit me. The pain was too much! I could hear myself scream but it felt far away. I suddenly found myself falling back on the bed, my consciousness being ripped from me by the pain in my head.