Warning: Chapter contains violence, disturbing imagery, and animal death.

Chapter Forty-Two: Grin and bear it*

(February 19th, 2018 Monday Afternoon)

Sweat beat down Natsu's face as he pushed, the chilly air doing nothing to keep him from overheating. Part of him dreaded when they would take a break. His muscles seemed to ache more when he wasn't exerting himself. He groaned before spitting, wishing he hadn't forgotten his toothbrush. "My mouth tastes fucking disgusting."

Laxus spared him a glance before shaking his head, managing a strained chuckle as he said, "I'll take your word for it."

"Almost there!" Millianna called, walking alongside the car as she held onto the steering wheel, directing them to the side of the road. "Got it!"

Natsu and Laxus stopped pushing, both men hunching over the trunk of the car to catch their breath. They had been at it since they started their journey, pushing abandoned vehicles out of the way to make room for their van.

The only breaks they got from the monotonous task was when they rested or killed wandering zombies. Everyone wanted to get the mission over with, so no time was wasted if they could help it.

"Seems like it'd be easier just to walk the whole way," Gray grumbled as he headed towards their group, followed by Alzack and Kagura.

As much as Natsu detested vehicles, he had to admit they could travel faster by van than by foot. However, the roads were blocked, meaning they had little options. They were more exposed if they abandoned their vehicle, plus they would have to carry all their gear and supplies during the long journey to Hargeon.

They had collectively decided to clear a path, meaning it would be at least two weeks or more before they reached their destination, if they were lucky.

"This'll make it easier on our way back," Natsu reminded him, not that he needed it.

Gray sighed, looking back at their progress so far. "Yeah, I know."

Natsu wiped the sweat from his face before leaning on the car, wondering when they were going to call it a day.

"What time is it?" Kagura asked, prompting Alzack to look at his watch.

"Three hours 'til sundown."

"Are we camping or sleeping in the van again?" Gray asked, causing Natsu to cup the back of his neck.

Sleeping in the cramped backseat hadn't been the best for his neck or back, but it was safer than being outside at night. Then again, the pain was getting worse every day. Maybe risking it for one night would be enough to get him feeling back to some semblance of normal.

Natsu didn't get a chance to voice his opinion, the sound of gravel shifting catching his attention. Turning his head, he spotted Jet climbing over the short barrier dividing the highway from the wooded areas on either side. He walked straight to Laxus, a small smile on his face.

"There's signs for a gas station five miles up ahead. It may have food and water."

"That's good. See any of them up ahead?"

"No," Jet said, nodding behind him. "I didn't see or hear anything for at least a mile that way. Looks like we're safe here for now."

Laxus nodded before looking over his team. "If everyone's okay with it, we'll camp out. We need to secure an area before then while the others keep clearing cars. What do you say?"

Since everyone risked their lives coming on the mission, Laxus gave them an equal voice in making decisions despite being the leader. No one was forced to do something they didn't want to do.

"I don't mind camping," Gray offered, Alzack and Jet agreeing with him.

"Me either," Natsu said, looking forward to stretching his limbs.

"I'm okay with it, if Millianna is," Kagura said, causing Laxus to turn towards the girl.

He easily towered over Millianna's small frame, but she didn't show an ounce of fear. "What do you think? Can you stay up if you took a nap now?"

She nodded, a smile twitching on her face. "I can do it," she said, radiating confidence.

Laxus waited a moment, but when she didn't waver, he sighed. "Alright. Go get some sleep in the van. We'll wake you when it's time."

As Millianna scampered away, he turned towards the rest of his team. Despite the frigid cold surrounding them, everyone was burning up, and that wasn't likely to change until dark. "Okay, Kagura, Gray, Alzack. How about you three get a campsite going while we get back to work." When they nodded, he looked at Natsu. "Come on. The more we do now, the less we'll have tomorrow."

'Heard that before,' Natsu thought as he rotated his shoulders to prepare.

Jet took Millianna's place since strength wasn't his strong suit. The team of three worked on one vehicle at a time. Some were easy to deal with, some were tougher. Most vehicles had their keys in them, letting them put the cars into neutral to move it despite the batteries being dead. Manual cars worked the same way, allowing them to shift gears without needing a key.

However, some automatic vehicles didn't have their keys. For those, they had to get creative. With some needle-nose pliers and access under the hood, they were able to force the vehicles into neutral to get the job done.

"This wasn't what I was expecting," Laxus said as they neared the next vehicle.

"It's not too bad," Natsu tried, but even he wasn't convinced. Their last few days had been awful, and it didn't look like it would be getting any better in the near future. He could see down the long stretch of highway, and it was full of scattered cars.

Laxus merely shook his head, not responding to Natsu's obvious lie. He reached for the door, pleased when it opened. He dropped his towel on the ground since he wouldn't need it to break the window before getting to work.

Natsu sighed, looking up at the sky before glancing towards the woods where his teammates had disappeared. A faint smile appeared on his face at the thought of a roaring campfire. While he wasn't exactly cold, he couldn't deny how comforting it would be to feel some warmth that wasn't accompanying sweat.

Hours later, Natsu followed the others into the forest. Their campsite was close to the road in case they needed a quick escape, but they hadn't seen a zombie for over half the day, letting them drop their guard a bit.

The string wrapped around the surrounding trees helped calm some of the anxiety Natsu felt about sleeping outside. Empty cans were attached to the string so closely that even a bump would cause them to clank, alerting the survivors of an intruder. That combined with Millianna watching over them, Natsu felt they were decently safe.

Natsu happily accepted his dinner, which consisted of a bag of beef jerky, an expired Twinkie, and bottled water. Everyone gathered around the campfire to eat.

"This tastes like heaven," Natsu hummed, wishing the flavor would last forever.

The crackling of the fire brought a smile to his face as he stretched his hands towards the dancing flames, allowing the heat to seep into his skin. It wasn't often he felt cold, but being on the road had made him more aware of the low temperatures.

The only one who didn't seem to mind the chill was Gray, who happily sat outside without a coat, unlike the rest of his traveling companions.

'At least he hasn't started stripping,' Natsu thought, remembering waking up that morning with Gray's shirt thrown on his face, the man tearing it off sometime in the night. Sleeping in the van had its advantages, but it also caused a lot of discomfort for Natsu, but he supposed it could be worse.

"I'd want to turn into a cat whenever I felt like it!" Millianna cheered, holding up a compact mirror as she drew two red triangles on each of her cheeks with some lipstick.

"Why would you want to be a cat?" Jet asked, cocking his head. "They're not strong or anything. I guess they're kinda fast though."

Millianna shook her head before giving him a smile. "No silly, I don't need to be strong as long as I'm a cute meow meow!"

"Lower your voice," Laxus said, trying but failing to keep the edge out of his tone. Without the constant sounds caused by an active civilization, smaller sounds that usually would go unnoticed seemed much louder.

During the day it was easier to see a threat coming, but at night, especially with the trees blocking most of the moonlight, they were at a disadvantage.

Even the fire was kept low, not wanting to attract any attention from a distance.

"Sorry," Millianna whispered, causing Laxus to shake his head.

"It's fine, just be careful."

She nodded before looking at Kagura, her voice at a reasonable level. "If you had a superpower, what would yours be?"

"I hadn't thought of any," she admitted, looking down at the sheathed sword next to her. "I suppose if I had to pick something, I'd like to be better at fighting."

"That's not really a superpower," Alzack teased. "You can get better at fighting on your own. Superpowers would be more like flying or invisibility, stuff like that."

"Flying sounds interesting," Kagura said, pondering on the thought. "Yes, I think I'd choose that."

"I'd love to create magical ammo, that way I'd never run out," Alzack said, tapping the rifle beside him. "It'd sure come in handy against a bunch of those things."

"Think we'll ever see a horde?" Jet asked, causing Natsu to shiver at the thought.

"Hope not," Gray said with a frown.

"What would you want to have?" Millianna asked Gray, stopping the subject from taking a dark turn.

Gray thought about it for a moment before answering. "I think it'd be cool to control the weather. If I could, I'd make it like this all the time."

"Sounds awful," Natsu muttered, earning a glare from his best friend.

"If I could, I'd make a pile of snow fall on you right now."

Natsu barked out a laugh, unable to stop himself from grinning. "Oh yeah, well I'd use my new fire powers to melt it before it even got close."

"Really?" Gray asked, shaking his head. "That makes no sense. Why would you want fire powers when you were going to be a firefighter. That's a huge contradiction."

Natsu's eyes narrowed as his imagation spurred him on, his volume increasing. "I'd just eat the fire! Problem solved!"

Before Laxus could scold him for yelling, Natsu shrank down, mumbling an apology.

"If you guys keep this up we're going to have to go back to the van. I don't wanna be a dick, but no one's dying just 'cause y'all can't keep it down."

"Aye sir," Natsu said while the others nodded.

After a moment of silence, Millianna turned to Laxus. "If you could have a power, what would it be?"

At first it didn't appear like Laxus heard her, the man's eyes closed as his face remained expressionless. However, after a moment, he looked her way. "If you asked me that a year ago, I woulda said the power to control lightning, hands down." A small sliver of a smile surfaced on his face as he chuckled to himself. "How cool would that be?"

Natsu almost expected Laxus to harden up and say something about wasting time on make believe stuff, but he didn't. He actually looked like he enjoyed the silly conversation, making Natsu remember that while most people had certain personality traits that defined them, that didn't mean they weren't allowed to act differently whenever they wanted.

'I wonder what people think of me? Do they see me as the loud-mouth who's always looking for a fight? Or maybe they see me as the quiet guy, or the badass with the knives? I guess it depends on who you ask...'

While he saw Laxus as a leader who was mostly serious, he realized Makarov and Freed probably saw him joking around and laughing.

'Yeah, there's no set personality for anyone.' He pondered on that for a while, enjoying his meal and the light conversations around him.

After finishing dinner, Natsu pulled out a pack of gum. He pushed two pieces into his mouth, welcoming the freshening flavor. He preferred brushing his teeth, but until he found a replacement toothbrush, he could only savor his gum until he ran out.

While chewing and blowing the occasional silent bubble, Natsu went back to thinking about personalities, wondered what other people thought of his friends. He cycled through them until he reached Lucy, figuring it was the same from all sides.

'She's the timid one.'

However, she hadn't been timid in front of him in a while. Every time he thought about her progress, he felt himself impressed all over again. A few times in the beginning he doubted she would ever recover, even if he couldn't admit it to himself. She had proven him wrong again and again, and he couldn't be happier about it.

He was proud of her.

'Hope she's doing well,' he thought, wishing he could be two places at once. While he missed her and his other friends, he knew he was where he needed to be. Well, he wasn't physically where he needed to be, too many cars delaying their mission, but he was on the right path. He didn't want to brag, but he was good at killing zombies, making him an asset to the team.

"I'm gonna go to sleep," Alzack said, standing up before stretching. He hadn't made it to his sleeping bag before Jet and Kagura went to their piles of blankets, retiring for the night.

"We should all get some sleep," Laxus said, tapping the button on his watch to light it up, a frown surfacing when he saw the time. "Millianna, remember to walk around every now and then to keep yourself awake. It's gonna be a long night."

She nodded, pulling her hood up before sitting up straighter, as if that would make her more alert. "I'm on it."

Laxus snorted before kicking some dirt on the fire, reducing it to a few dull flames. "G'night."

Natsu yawned, deciding he needed sleep as well. He took a long look around them, but he couldn't see much in the moonlight. It was mostly black with the outlines of surrounding trees. While he knew he was safe with Millianna watching them, trepidation seemed to slip in, but he did his best to ignore it as he settled into his sleeping bag.

Natsu tucked his head under the rim of the bag, trying to get as warm as possible before stretching his legs out. It wouldn't be long before summer arrived, meaning he would finally enjoy the weather.

However, that thought made him frown. If summer was right around the corner, that meant so was the one year anniversary of the outbreak. It had been over seven months since that horrid day, and help still hadn't arrived.

"It'll be okay," he whispered, readjusting so his head fit better on his pillow. "We'll be fine."

He thought he would be up for at least an hour tossing and turning, but not long after he shut his eyes, he was out, surrendering to sleep's embrace.

A dream had barely begun forming before Natsu was ripped out of his slumber, the sound of a high-pitched scream jolting him and everyone else awake. A roar tore from the throat of a creature Natsu didn't recognize, the fire out, leaving slivers of moonlight to help guide them.

Natsu didn't have time to react, fumbling out of his sleeping bag just as something barreled past him, kicking dirt in every direction. He scrubbed at his face as his comrades around him got up, frantic yelling filling the air. They sounded just as confused as he did, their voices blending together until another scream silenced them all.

"Millianna!"

Kagura charged towards the girl, but was knocked back by a large shadow. Natsu couldn't get a good look at the thing, but he assumed like everyone else it was a zombie.

Natsu grabbed his belt beside his sleeping bag before removing a knife, ready to hack at anything that came his way. He took a step forward, but stopped when a gust of wind shook the trees above, casting more moonlight down for a moment.

He wasn't the only one to freeze, gasps heard around him when the creature was bathed in light, its black fur shimmering before darkness set in again.

"What the fuck?!" someone yelled, Natsu just as shocked as the rest.

Through the lack of light, he saw a small shadow trying to stand in front of the creature, but a large arm knocked it down before a growl bellowed out of it.

It happened so fast, Natsu wasn't sure what was real and what his imagination cooked up. Someone charged for the thing, but they were knocked down as well before he caught a glimpse of claws. As soon as Natsu saw them, they were gone, thrown downward towards the person in front of it.

Before Millianna was able to scream it turned around, fighting off the next person who came its way. The creature moved, the shadows hiding it until it struck again.

"What the fuck is going on?!"

"Where is it?!"

"How many are there?!"

"Someone get a flashlight for fuck's sake!"

Screams and growls echoed in the forest, the darkness preventing Natsu from seeing where the threat came from. He barely heard Laxus yelling, his voice snapping him out of whatever frozen state he had found himself in.

"ALZACK! SHOOT IT! SOMEONE GET HER!"

Natsu reacted before his brain could catch up, running forward only to fall to his knees beside Millianna's body. He didn't have to wonder if she was alive, a scream ripping from her throat as soon as he grabbed her.

Within seconds his hands were wet, the moonlight peeking through the trees letting him see the crimson liquid staining his skin. Her shirt was torn, her stomach and chest covered in blood.

"Shit! Shit shit shit!"

Natsu didn't know what to do. He tried grabbing Millianna again to pick her up, but she screamed, jerking from his grasp.

"MOVE!"

His head snapped to the side, seeing that large shadow coming right towards them. He panicked, his brain unable to come up with a plan.

Natsu covered Millianna with his body, shielding her from further damage. He swore he could feel the ground pounding as that thing charged, his teeth clenched as he waited for the inevitable.

The sound of gunfire deafened every sound around them until the only thing Natsu could hear was the beat of his racing heart. He waited for the attack that never came, his body flinching hard when a hand grabbed his shoulder, pulling him off Millianna.

Light shined in his face before it was directed at the girl, her blood soaking the shreds of clothes clinging to her torso.

"It's okay, it's not that bad Milli," Kagura said, pushing hair out of her sweaty face. "You're going to be alright, you hear me? Millianna? Say something please?" Her voice strained the longer Millianna went without talking, panic slipping in when the girl's eyes started closing. "No! No, stay awake! Stay with us!"

"Is it actually dead?" Laxus asked, a new flashlight shining at the creature.

Natsu's eyes widened when he looked over, his stomach sinking at the sheer size of it. He had never seen a bear up close, only at zoos, but even then they didn't look that massive.

"No," Alzack said, his voice grim. He stepped towards it before running a hand along its side. He leaned down, whispering, "Sorry," into its ear. "You didn't deserve this."

Still, he didn't want it to suffer. There was no way it was surviving the multiple gun shots littering its body, and the only merciful thing Alzack could do was put it out of its misery.

He pulled out a handgun before pushing it against the skull of the bear. He pulled the trigger, causing the faint breathing to stop, the last bit of fight leaving its body. The sound rang in everyone's ear, but it wasn't enough to stop them.

"What the fuck happened?" Laxus asked, looking back at Millianna before seeing she wasn't responding. "Damn it. Move aside."

As a young police officer, he had limited medical training, usually just enough to get by until the paramedics arrived. He directed Kagura to cross her legs before pulling Millianna up into her lap to elevate her. With careful movements, he cut away at the remaining fabric holding her shirt together, grimacing at her wounds.

"They're not deep," he said, his voice holding no relief. "But they're already dirty. Jet, go grab the medical kit from the van."

He looked over, eyes narrowing when he saw Jet still standing there, stunned. "Hurry!"

"R-right!" Jet stumbled before running towards the highway, Gray running after him with a flashlight so he didn't fall on his way there.

"If it's not deep then why did she pass out?" Kagura asked, struggling to remain calm. Her hands shook before she gripped Millianna's jacket, needing something to hold onto.

"Best guess? She's in shock."

"How do you treat that?" she asked with a shaky voice.

"Bringing her to a hospital, but that's not an option." He opened what was left of her shirt before pulling at the sleeves, checking for more damage.

Three long claw marks adorned her belly while two marks stretched over her chest, one resting right between her breasts. He flashed a light around them until he spotted the cooler. It was knocked over on its side after the struggle. "Natsu, get some water bottles."

"Okay," he said, his mind feeling detached from his body as he made his way over, grabbing three unopened waters for Laxus. When he got back, he saw Laxus pour a bottle over the wounds, trying to clean the dirt out.

Millianna reacted, immediately jolting before her eyes opened. "St-stop!"

"It's okay," Kagura soothed, her grip on Millianna tightening to keep her still. "He's trying to help."

"It hurts!" Tears flooded her eyes as Laxus ignored her request, knowing she needed to get her wounds cleaned. It was nothing but luck that kept her alive so far. He wasn't going to let her survive a bear attack only to die from infection.

"It's necessary," he grunted, barely content with the amount of dirt washed away.

Jet came back with the bag, pulling out the hydrogen peroxide when instructed. Millianna screamed when it was poured on her, but Kagura didn't let go, refusing to lose the only person she still considered family. "Stay strong. You can do this, Milli."

"Alzack," Laxus started, casting him a glance to make sure he was listening. "We made too much noise. You and the others need to be on guard in case anything comes this way."

"Got it," Alzack said with a nod, putting away his gun before grabbing the knife attached to his belt. "Natsu, Gray, lets walk the perimeter to make sure its safe."

"Yeah," Natsu whispered, not minding the task. It was something he had some control over, his shaky breath calmed with every step he took away from the bloody scene behind him.

After checking the surrounding area, everyone met back at the campsite. No zombies were found, but that didn't mean they weren't on their way. There was no telling how far the sound of gunfire traveled.

No one argued with Laxus when he decided it was better to sleep in the van. Clearly it wasn't safe out in the open, especially after making all that noise. It took Laxus and Alzack to bring Millianna to the van, the girl groaning in pain with every step.

"Is there any chance she's infected?" Alzack asked when they got her into the front passenger seat, Laxus already ahead of him as he went to the back to grab rope to tie her up with.

"This is just for tonight," Laxus said, speaking slowly and clearly so Millianna caught everything. "We'll untie these in the morning. Okay?"

He waited until she nodded before wrapping the rope around her wrists. He secured it to the bar under her meant to adjust the seat. It would keep her from attacking them if she turned into one of the undead overnight.

"Sorry to have to do this to you," he said as he moved away, giving her some space. "Everyone needs to keep an eye on her without touching her."

Laxus blinked twice before narrowing his eyes, shooting a glare at Natsu, Jet, and Gray. "No one should be touching her anyways. Got it?"

Without hesitation, all three men nodded. "Yes sir! Didn't plan on it!"

Millianna gave a faint chuckle before wincing, tears flooding her eyes once again.

Kagura stepped in, placing a hand on Millianna's arm. "Do you think you can make it, or should we turn back to Fairy Tail?"

"I can make it," she whispered, gritting her teeth. "It hurts, but it's not as bad as it looks. Promise."

Kagura waited a moment, looking for any signs of deceit, but Millianna didn't falter. With a sigh, Kagura stepped back, wishing there was more she could do to comfort her.

"Let's get some rest," Laxus said, exhaustion finally slipping into his voice. He moved to the driver seat while Kagura and Alzack went to the middle row of the van.

While Jet took the trunk space with the luggage, Natsu and Gray climbed into the back row where they had been sleeping since the start of the mission. Their blankets and pillows were still outside, but they weren't risking their lives for comfort.

"Why does your skin feel like it's boiling," Gray groaned, repeating the same line Natsu had heard countless times since the start of their mission.

He grumbled a few choice words under his breath before readjusting, trying to get into a better position to stretch his legs, but it was useless. Him and Gray laid across the bench seat, Natsu's feet by Gray's head and vice versa.

"Too hot," Gray whispered, causing Natsu to roll his eyes.

'Lucy doesn't mind my heat,' he thought, finding a small smile forming despite the grim situation they were in. 'She actually likes it.'

Before he could wonder how she was doing, everyone heard the moans coming from outside the van, at least one zombie wandering around. No one said a word, knowing it was better to let it go than try to engage. As long as they kept all their lights off and didn't speak, they didn't have anything to worry about.

Natsu closed his eyes, but sleep didn't find him so easily that time. His head was swarming with thoughts, cold reality setting in.

If the events from tonight taught him anything, it was that they were in way over their heads with their search and rescue mission. If they encountered that much trouble already, the chances of finding Gildarts alive were next to nothing.

'There's still a chance,' Natsu reminded himself, the stubborn optimist in him surfacing. No matter what happened he still hadn't given up hope.

They were going to survive.

One way or another.

Natsu ran his hands and arms over some nearby grass, made wet by the morning dew. He tore off his shirt, cringing when part of it stuck to his stomach from dried blood. His heart dropped when he realized once again they were in more danger than they had been since the outbreak began. He took the safety of numbers for granted.

On base they were protected, their large groups making them stronger. Now he was surrounded by only six other people, and one of them was injured.

There was a chance they could have gotten an energy boost from eating meat, but the dead bear had already been munched on by the time they woke up, three straggling zombies making it their breakfast. They took them out, then did a sweep of the area before relaxing.

Well, relaxing wasn't the right word, but Natsu wasn't too sure what right even was anymore.

He looked over his hands, deciding he would have to be fine with the faint red stain that wouldn't come off. That didn't bother him as much as the dried blood under his nails did. He did his best to pick it out, but without a nail file he was out of luck.

Natsu turned to look for Kagura, finding her a few feet away from him using the grass to clean her hands too. "Hey, do you got a nail file thingy?"

She narrowed her eyes as she met his gaze, her look sending a chill down his spine. "Why are you asking me? Do you assume I have one just because I'm a woman?"

"Wh-what?!" Natsu gaped, struggling to defuse the situation. "No, I uh, just thought you, and maybe, or..." He grimaced, deciding to come clean. Whatever punishment she thought of had to be better than the mental torment he was putting himself through. "Okay, yes, I did. Sorry."

She glared at him for a moment before a small smile broke through. Snorting, she shook her head. "Too easy," she said under her breath. "No, I don't have one. I was actually going to ask if any of you did."

"I do," Alzack said, having heard them from his position. He sat on a car near them, using the scope on his rifle to look around to make sure they were in the clear. "It's in my bag, front pocket."

"Thanks man," Natsu said, heading back to the van with Kagura beside him. He let her go first, happy when it was his turn to get the crust out from under his nails. "Sooo much better."

"Sorry," Millianna said, the girl resting in the front seat. She had to crane her neck to see him.

Natsu shook his head, giving her a soft smile. "Nah, you're good. Glad you're still kicking."

He walked over to the passenger side door before opening it, letting them talk face to face. He ignored the bruises around her freed wrists. It didn't seem to bother her, so he didn't bring it up.

"Last night," Natsu ran a hand against the back of his head before shaking it. "We really thought you were a goner."

"Me too."

His eyes widened before asking, "Really?"

With a nod, Millianna frowned, her eyes growing distant for a moment. "I shouldn't have looked, but I was curious. I heard a weird sound so I went towards it, and for a second I thought I saw a dog, but it was a cub."

"When did you figure it out?" Natsu asked, wondering where the cub went. They hadn't seen it last night, but then again, they were looking for the undead instead of an animal.

"This morning," Millianna confessed with a groan. "Everything happened so fast last night, and I kept passing out. My head wasn't clear until this morning, and that's when I realized what it was. I mean, why else did a bear attack me? She must have thought I was a threat to her kid."

"I thought bears hibernate during the winter?" Natsu asked, only for Millianna to shrug.

"I have no clue. I really wish I never approached it. The poor thing died because of me."

Natsu's teeth clenched when he saw the shine come to her eyes, the girl on the verge of crying. "Hey, don't beat yourself up. It's not like you knew what was gonna happen. It was an accident."

"Yeah, but it still happened." Millianna swallowed thickly before rubbing at her face, the lipstick on her cheeks smudged beyond repair.

"You'll be more careful next time," Natsu offered, giving her a fake smile in hopes of raising her spirits. "Or maybe next time you should play dead, see if that really works?"

Millianna sniffled, doing her best to keep her tears from falling. "When it knocked me down, I thought I died. I've heard that whole, all the air leaving your lungs thing, but I never thought it was really a thing until that happened. I thought I'd never breathe again."

Natsu's smile faltered, unable to come up with something to cheer her up. Talking about death wasn't a subject he found comforting, especially with them so far away from Fairy Tail.

'If we die out here, no one would know.'

"Your stomach," he started, needing to direct his mind elsewhere. "How're you feeling? Any better than last night?"

Kagura and Gray walked over at that moment, their own conversation put on hold when they saw her wide awake.

Millianna gave him a shrug, leaning against the seat. "It hurts, but I can... bear it."

Natsu's jaw dropped, unsure if he heard her correctly. It was Gray who asked the question burning in Natsu's head, sounding in disbelief as he asked, "Is... is that a pun?"

Millianna would have burst into a fit of laughter at their shocked faces if it hadn't been for the surge of pain coursing through her body at the sudden movement. She put a hand over the bandages on her stomach, a forced grin working its way over her face. "Maaaaybe."

Natsu couldn't help but laugh, finding the girl funnier than he originally thought. "That was great!"

Kagura shook her head, sighing as she pushed Natsu out of the way. "Seriously though, are you alright? On a scale of one to ten how much does it hurt?"

Natsu decided to break off after he heard Millianna say, "Right now, five." He grabbed his pack of gum before popping two pieces, using that to freshen up.

His plan was to chew it for a while before eating a sleeve of crackers for breakfast, but within minutes of chewing he accidentally bit down on his tongue harder than he ever had before.

He opened his mouth and held his breath, trying with every ounce of strength he had to keep from crying. His body went rigid when his vision blurred, tears swimming in his eyes.

'No, don't do it. It's fine. It doesn't even hurt that ba—'

When the first tear fell, Natsu lost it, allowing himself to cry. He couldn't spit, afraid of moving his tongue. Instead he let his excess saliva fall from his open mouth. He kept expecting to see blood. From how much pain he was in, he was sure he bit a chunk of his tongue clean off.

However, his bleeding wasn't that extreme, merely dotting up at the wound. His tongue began to swell just as Jet walked past him, stopping in his tracks before looking back. "You alright?"

Natsu shook his head, careful not to move his tongue as much as he spoke. "Bi meh thongue," he slurred, not realizing how silly he sounded until Jet started laughing. He couldn't help it, too afraid of talking normally in case it hurt.

"Damn. Millianna got attacked by a bear and you're acting like a bigger bitch than her."

Before Natsu could retort, Kagura walked up, a death glare plastered on her face. She hit Jet on the side of the head with lightning speed.

"Ow!" Jet grabbed his head, taking a step back. "What was that for?!"

Kagura's voice came out like a growl, no trace of patience to be found. "Calling her a bitch, asshole!"

"Wh-what?!" Jet shook his head before wincing. "No, I meant to insult Natsu, I didn't mean—"

"Both of you shut up and apologize," Laxus said, stepping up before giving everyone a hard stare. He crossed his arms over his chest. "This isn't the time to be childish. Every minute we're out here we're in danger, and we can't be at each other's throats over stupid shit."

He looked back and forth between them before settling his gaze on Jet. "I don't care if you meant to be a dick or not. Jokes like that aren't funny."

He looked to Kagura. "I understand you're angry but you can't resort to violence. You two need to control yourselves and save your energy for the mission. Got it?"

"Yes," Kagura said, knowing she crossed a line. She looked at Jet before sighing. "I'm stressed but that doesn't give me the right to take it out on you. Sorry."

Jet looked past Kagura towards Millianna, seeing her concerned face. He frowned, speaking to her instead of the woman in front of him. "I apologize. I didn't mean to offend anyone."

"Escep me," Natsu grumbled, walking off to get some space. He rubbed at his eyes before slowly closing his mouth, swearing off gum for at least the rest of the week.

After a few minutes, the pain subsided, leaving behind a dull throb. He tested out his tongue, whispering some words before swishing it in his mouth, finding the limits he had to deal with. It wasn't as bad as he originally thought. He could even talk normally as long as he did so carefully.

"This is gonna be a longer mission than we thought," Gray said, startling Natsu.

He looked over his shoulder, seeing his friend standing behind him.

Natsu opened his mouth to talk, but stopped when he saw something faint floating in the air. He didn't get a chance to say anything before more small white flakes fell from the sky, the man not realizing the temperature had dropped that low.

He looked at Gray, stunned for a second before whispering, "Are... are you making it snow?"

"What?" Gray's eyes widened before bursting into laughter. "Of course not! Dumbass! Did you hit your head or something? I don't have superpowers!"

Natsu couldn't help but laugh too, realizing how ridiculous he sounded. "Right."

"Let's wrap it up," Laxus called, letting everyone know it was time to get back to work. "Jet! You, Natsu, and Gray head to that gas station. See if there's anything we can use now for Millianna. Kagura, you and me are gonna pack up the stuff from the campsite before it gets snowed on."

Natsu sighed before looking at Gray, giving him a weak smile. If there was a chance they weren't making it back from their mission, he at least wanted to do as much living as he could before that time came. "What do ya say, Ice Princess? Wanna race?"

In preparation for this chapter, I ate a sleeve of crackers that expired four months ago for breakfast to see how it would be. It wasn't too bad, still tasted pretty good, even had some of the buttery flavor it usually had when not expired. I also ate two expired Twinkies while proofreading, haha.

One benefit of working at a grocery store is I get to take home expired food and experiment with them. I'm keeping some for the long haul, that way I can see how things taste years expired instead of just days or months. And really, they're more like 'best by' dates, meaning they're still edible, they just don't taste as good or as fresh as they would have if consumed before that date. But some things definitely expire, so I gotta be careful so I don't get sick.

Also, I bit my tongue really hard the other day and honestly I wanted someone else to suffer like me, so there you go Natsu! A bloody swollen tongue just like mine! Mwahahaha!

People on the mission: Natsu, Gray, Kagura, Jet, Alzach, Laxus, and Millianna. In case anyone was confused.

Thank you so much for reading! I did quite a bit of research about bear attacks for this chapter, but if you see something that's inaccurate let me know! I'm not a bear expert like Dwight Schrute! :P

Thank you for all your amazing support! I can't believe how many people are favoriting and following this story! Like, it seriously blows my mind every time I look at it! Currently there's 1,154 people following and 942 people favoriting. Mind=Blown! Thank you for taking time to actually read what I wrote! That's incredible! Shout out to the awesome people who reviewed last time: SistershoOk, Lodemai04, shootingstarssel, Mrs I don't care, Shonix13, Michiamotippete, Letavia, Screeney, Kitty9453, Guest, missb, deboome, itsxoi, Doginshoe, sthokat, Perfect Memories, Guest, slmo, Jazminee18, valerioux, Wolfcry77, CrazyZaika, CathJorda, ipromiseimnotatotaldweeb, stranger1999, Guest, Jellal Frenandes, n. kukurichan, positive vibes only, Stavroula99, ElementalMiko12, Duchixx, AtomicAdri, Animeforlife1412, Emoelmo41212, iaga. isabella, LoveroftheWord, car213, Kayytrrray, Guest, Guest, WhatAnimeHasTaughtMe, Sashiee27, Kawaii. Purple. Potato(x2), Guest, and Guest! I smiled every time I got a notification that someone reviewed! So thank you!

Up next, Chapter Forty-Three: Under the moonlight