It's been a week since all that went down with the dark guild and things seem to have returned to normal. But slowly as the day passed, I felt my mood begin to dampen. In one more week, Natsu would be released from the hospital. Only one more week that I will be able to see him. And in one more week, he will be back out there in the fight. He'll be out there once more risking his life.

I always knew that he would eventually have to leave but that the date is set, it makes it seem that much more real. And Natsu's not the only one. Juvia has been crying for three days straight about Gray leaving. Him and Natsu will be leaving on the same day, two of my good friends will be gone in one weeks time. It was hard to think of and it hurt knowing that there is a chance that I may never see them again.

Once they leave here and the war is over, what are the chances that they would actually come back to see me again? What if after this is all over, everyone leaves the hospital and I never see any of them again? They are my first true friends, the ones I consider my family. I don't know what I would do with myself if I were to lose them.

And it feels as if the time is slipping right through my fingers. All I want to do is reach out and grasp it but it slips through as if it were nothing more than water. My heels echoed through the otherwise silent halls and a sigh escaped my lips. I wasn't the only one that seemed to realize that the date was approaching quicker than we wanted. The solemn mood of all the nurses could be felt in the air.

I approached the unoccupied desk and grabbed a stack of files that were stacked neatly in my box. Flipping through them, I found Natsu's towards the middle and I paused as I stared at the release date written in bright red ink. My thought began to trail to those little moments I had spent with him. Even the perverted ones still meant something to me.

"Lucy." A tender voice called out to me and I turned to see the white haired beauty that is the head nurse. Mirajane wore a frown upon her face and I could tell that she knew what I was thinking. Her eyes held the same worry in them as my own but I still managed a weak smile. She walked forward, her while shoes clicking as she approached. Reaching out, she grabbed the folders from my hand but left Natsu's before she smiled lightly.

Without words, I knew what she was saying and I was grateful. She was giving me a chance to spend more time with Natsu. I smiled warmly at her, and thanked her graciously before she returned the smiled and walked away. I followed her retreating back with my eyes and only started to move once she disappeared around the corner.

I began to walk towards Natsu's room, a light skip in my step. I was happy that I would at least be able to see more of him before he left. And maybe even for good. I hesitated slightly before grasping the cool handle to push open the door. Upon my entrance, I noticed that he was awake and sitting on the bed, his deep eyes staring in my direction. Once he saw me, the smile that I had grown accustomed to grew upon his face and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Hey there." He greeted in his usual cheery tone but his eyes said something else. They held a sorrow in them that mirrored mine and I felt a tugging at my heart to see that. I put another smile on my face before approaching the bed and standing just a few feet from him.

"So, are you excited about being discharged in a week?" I asked without thinking. His smile faltered for a second before it returned but rather forcefully.

"Yes...and no." His voice sounded strained and my eyes immediately shot to meet his. He chuckled slightly at the surprise written on my face but that didn't stop me from staring at him. He laughed once again and I realized that I was actually going to miss that laugh. It was a nice, strong laugh that gave way to the amusement he found in whatever he was laughing at.

"I'm happy to leave because I'm not one to be confined to one place...but I don't want to leave my favorite nurse." The warmth began to flare in my face but I couldn't look away. I felt my heart flutter when he once more gave that smile I liked so much. Finally snapping out of my stupor, I took the chance to glance at his chart, avoiding all eye contact. I heard the bed squeak before the plastic clipboard was snatched from my hands.

"Hey, give that back!" I stated sounding incredibly childish as I pouted. He chuckled again, wearing the same grin as always across that smug yet handsome face of his.

"Why don't you try and take it from me?" His eyes shined with playfulness. I reached forward in an attempt to retrieve the chart but he pulled it further out of my reach. "Tsk, tsk Lucy. You have to try harder than that." He winked at me causing my already pink face the flare an uncontrollable shade of red. I shot a glare towards his before jumping to try and grab it a second time. Once more he pulled it away from me before my foot slipped and I fell onto his lap.

"Come on Luce, you can do better than that." He said with a smirk. His taunting distracted me and I didn't even realize that I had pulled myself up fully onto his lap with my legs at his sides. With my hand on his shoulder, I reached forward once more and finally managed to grasp the plastic contraption that has caused me hell and cheered in silent victory. After my short lived victory, I looked down to notice the position we were in. I was straddling him, his warm hands were on my hips and I was still sitting up from when I reached for the clipboard thus making his eyes level with my chest.

Before I could climb off him, there was a light tap on the door then it was pushed open. My eyes widened as I saw a girl with short white hair with the same bright blue eyes that Mirajane had. She looked like a younger Mira and I found myself staring at her. Both of us stood silently staring at one another with wide eyes until Natsu broke the silence.

"Lisanna?" The sound of his voice effectively pulled us from our thoughts as her eyes began trailing over me and I couldn't help but feel as if she was judging me. Suddenly something dawned on me, what if this was his girlfriend? I never really asked him about that part of his life, so what if he really is seeing someone, and she just caught us in such a position? I quickly climbed off the pink haired man who pouted in response. With a pink face, I walked over to the Mirajane look alike and held my hand out.

"Hi, I'm Lucy Heartfilia, It's nice to meet you." I stated. Her blue eyes glanced at my hand but she did not take it. They drifted over to the pinkette who was now approaching with a smile on his lips. He nodded at Lisanna in greeting before she hesitantly took my hand. The look in her eyes held something that I didn't quite understand but I didn't let it get to me. If this girl really was Natsu's girlfriend then I think she would have said something about what she just walked in on.

"I'm Lisanna Strauss, it's nice to meet you too Ms. Heartfilia." She spoke cautiously as if she were afraid of something but I didn't pry. I just met her so I wouldn't know what could possibly be getting to her. "But can I ask, what is your relationship with Natsu?"

I felt my face flare once again before Natsu began to laugh. His arm was slung around my shoulders and the warmth only added to the heat my own face provided. Is it hot in here, or is it just me? "She's my girlfriend of course!" Natsu answered. I smacked him on the back of the head before attempting the best smile I could manage.

"He's joking. I'm his nurse."

"Yeah, nurse with benefits." He snickered. I whipped around and the heel of my shoe to jam it into his bare foot. He howled in pain before falling to the floor as he clasped the swollen foot.

"Don't listen to this idiot, he doesn't know when to quit." She looked at us skeptically before sighing. I felt a wave of relief flood over me as I was worried she wasn't going to believe me. She walked over and helped Natsu to his feet and dusted him off gently. I felt a tightening in my chest that I couldn't explain as I watched them. He smiled, that same smile I like so much, at her. My heart was aching. She returned a brilliant smile of her own, showing off just how beautiful she truly was.

Now I found myself backing up and making my way towards the door. I felt like an intruder at the moment, like I didn't belong here. Watching them only served as a reminder of how temporary I really am to him. And how permanent she was. I hid my eyes behind my bangs as I turned to walk out the door. Why does this hurt so much? Why am I crying? They didn't even notice as I left the room. That's how insignificant I really am.

I was now sprinting down the halls, trying to avoid running into anyone. What is wrong with me? I almost fell as I turned the corner and ran into the one person I didn't want to meet. The older of the white haired beauties. She turned towards me and her blue eyes widened a little before a sad smile came onto her face. She held a knowing look in her eyes, something that only made my heart squeeze more.

"Lucy."

Sorry about the long awaited update. I am still dealing with the flooded basement. Apparently I am going to be stuck in this hotel until July 16th! How did three inches of water cause so much damage? Anywho, I am going to update when I can. Please let me know what you think.