When Porlyusica first heard the knocks on her door, she tried to ignore it and focus on the potion she was making. She had not been expecting any visitors, and she didn't want to deal with them either way.

The loss of Team Tenrou had hurt her more than she would have liked to admit. Even if she didn't show it all the time, she still cared about the guild. They were often moronic, bullheaded humans but she still cared.

To lose so many lives at once…

To lose Makarov…

The old woman stopped chopping her ingredients as she fell into a mournful silence. She thought of all those lost, and made sure that her quietness would be long enough to pay respects to each and every one of them.

There were so many of them, she hated it so much. Why did so many have to die? Why was the world so cruel?

One, two, three, four-

"Yo! Porlyusica! Are you home!?"

"She's always home, Jet."

"Then why hasn't she answered the door, Droy?"

…Or perhaps it would have been if there weren't annoying humans constantly trying to invade her home and bother her.

The old woman dropped her knife and turned to grab her broom (she didn't need a sharp object to be threatening) and stomped her way over to the door.

Just as the next knock began, she shoved the door open and sent whoever was in front of it tumbling backwards. "What do you want!?" She snapped as she raised her broom.

On the other side of the door, she noticed Bisca flinch at the sight of the broom, and hold up her hands in a placating manner. "We didn't mean to bother you. It's just that we have something important to show you!"

Porlyusica resisted the urge to roll her eyes or scoff as her eyes scanned the group. "What is there that could possibly be important enough for you to-"

A shock of pink hair made her gasp.

She froze and dropped her broom. Standing at the top of her staircase… No way… Was that…?

"Natsu?"

At the sound of his name, the mage gave her a sheepish smile, and turned his strangely colored gaze towards her. "Hello Porlyusica… Long time no see."

For a long moment, all she could do was stare. How was this possible? Natsu had been killed on Tenrou, just like the others, hadn't he? Was this some kind of illusion? Were her old eyes playing tricks on her?

She took a step closer as she scanned the figure. He had changed, with those strange eyes, markings, and shaggy hair, but she knew it wasn't a trick.

"You're alive…" Porlyusica whispered, her heart pounding in her chest. "How did… How did you manage to…"

Natsu still looked sheepish as he shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure, but I could give you my ideas and explain a bit about what happened while I'm here." He motioned to the guild members nearby. "They insisted I get a check up."

Usually, Porlyusica would snap at such a suggestion. She was a healer, yes, however that didn't mean she could be called for the smallest of requests. This time was different, this time she wanted to do it.

"Alright. You can come inside." She stepped out of the doorway to allow the dragonslayer in.

But as soon as the others tried to step forward, she swiftly grabbed her broom again and slashed it through the air. "The rest of you stay at the bottom of the staircase! I hate humans! Get out of here!"

With squeaks of fear, the rest of the guild members who had accompanied Natsu practically tripped over each other to escape the wrath of the pink haired woman.

Satisfied that they would listen to her demands (they would be sorry if they didn't) she took the broom with her, and returned to her house. She had a patient to tend to.

The check up started off normally, something that she could tell confused Natsu. She knew he had expected her to focus on the magical changes to him, but she was not so callous. His check up would be done in full.

As she worked, she let him tell his tale. Natsu told her about the events on Tenrou, the encounter with Acnologia, and what led to him being blinded.

Porlyusica had figured as much. She was a healer after all, she had noticed the change in him as soon as she saw him. How he focused on nothing in particular, the mother henning from his guild, and the way his eyes had looked had brought her to that conclusion right away.

Porlyusica knew she probably should have asked more about his blindness, so she felt a little guilty about what came out of her mouth next. "So then… I assume the others did not survive?"

Natsu's expression turned into a saddened one, and he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Part of me wants to hope that they're still alive, maybe they somehow survived like me… But unless they come back, we'll just have to assume that they…" He trailed off with a cringe.

The old woman nodded, before she remembered that Natsu couldn't see it, and quickly made a noise of agreement. She had the same feelings, especially now that the dragonslayer had returned. Maybe the others were alive too, but she wouldn't hope too much unless she got proof.

They fell into a silence as she continued her examination. She made the dragon slayer remove his shirt, and couldn't hide her cringe at the sight of the scars beneath it.

She was a professional, she should have been able to look upon them without fear. But as she gazed upon these wounds, wounds were caused by Acnologia, she felt nothing but sadness.

"I'm sorry, Natsu." She quietly said as she gazed over the scars across his chest, claw marks from Acnologia. "Damn that dragon. He took so much from all of us… But it seems you most of all."

Natsu's expression shared her sorrow for a moment. "He did, and it took me a long time to accept that." He let a smile appear on his face and glanced towards her. "You don't have to worry about me. I figured out a way to help myself."

"Oh?" The old woman raised an eyebrow curiously.

Taking that as an invitation, Natsu quickly delved into an explanation.

Porlyusica wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she listened to Natsu's explanation of his magic sensing with rapt attention. She had never heard of such a maneuver, and she knew it took someone with great skill to manipulate their magic in such a way.

Some things made more sense now. Such as how Natsu knew where to motion to his guild members, and didn't flinch when she had grabbed and steered him to her patient bed.

"I may have to have you show me how you use this magic sense in the future." She said as she set her tools down. "I have never heard of anything like it. It sounds like you have mastered an entirely new art, Natsu."

The young man turned a slight pink, and rubbed his hair. "Well, I guess I did. I don't really see it as that. I'm just using magic in a different way. A more… Natural way?"

Porlyusica raised her eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, everything has magic? It's just a part of life. But when I use my powers, I'm not doing anything special. Just connecting my own natural magic to the magic in the world."

"You are too humble." Porlyusica bluntly declared. "Using magic in such a primal way is something many struggle with. Even if it is natural, it is still extremely complicated. The world is complicated, that's just the way it is; But there aren't many who can work their way past those complications."

Natsu seemed even more embarrassed, and nodded without saying anything. He looked a little uncomfortable now.

Porlyusica knew Natsu was still uncertain, so she continued. "Why do you think Dragon Slayer magic is so sacred? It is a natural art as well, from a creature of the world: Dragons. You learned from them, which is why you can use it so naturally." She looked up at her own treehouse. "You did the same thing with your magic sight. You learned from the world."

This time, the dragon slayer perked up. "Hey… I didn't think of it like that." He smiled. "I guess I did learn both my magics the natural way, huh?"

The old woman made an amused noise, and decided to switch topics and return to what she had been doing. "You are in good health, Natsu. Although you are a bit malnourished, you are still healthy and your muscle mass is returning. It seems that your guildmates dragged you here just for me to tell you to eat more."

Natsu gave her a laugh and shook his head, his expression growing tired. "I'm afraid that's not what they were most worried about." He moved his hand up and tapped at the side of his head. "They were wondering about my eyes and markings."

Porlyusica pursed her lips and sighed. She wasn't surprised, and she couldn't really blame the Fairy Tail members for it. She knew they just wanted to know if Natsu could be healed, but she had a feeling they would be disappointed.

Using her magic, Porlyusica gently explored the markings and his strangely colored eyes. She tried not to shudder at the colors as she recalled Acnologia's description.

She tried to push her healing magic through his eyes, but was surprised to find some kind of resistance. She frowned, unsure where it was coming from.

Sometimes, if a wound had already healed to a point, her magic could be rejected… But she felt as if something else was at play.

"It doesn't look good." She eventually admitted. "It isn't just a wound, Natsu. His magic is inside you. It's like a curse, a powerful one. I can't even tell if your blindness is a result of his magic or the wounds he inflicted. Your markings likely sprouted from this magic, considering they changed your skin into scales. There may be effects from this that we haven't seen yet."

For the first time since he arrived, Porlyusica saw a glimmer of anger in Natsu. He frowned, his eyebrows knitting together as he turned his head downward. "I hate him…" He growled. "I hate what he's done to me, and I hate him for taking them from us."

Porlyusica felt a similar anger, and found herself sighing in agreement. She didn't say anything else, she didn't feel the need to.

After a moment, Natsu's anger had faded away, and was replaced with a more concerned expression. "Um… Is it…" He moved his hand upwards, trailing across a marking on his cheek. "Does it really look that bad? Do I look… Freaky?"

The old woman frowned. "Who cares?" She snapped,"You survived Acnologia, Natsu. Even if your eyes are blue and black, or you have those marks, that doesn't change a thing. You're a powerful mage, you always have been, and anyone who thinks you look 'freaky' is simply insecure about themselves. Don't care about others' baseless opinions, it's a waste of energy."

Her words were harsh, but they had the desired effect. Natsu's lips turned up into a smile, and he made an amused noise. "That's good advice. I'll try to remember it next time someone says it."

Porlyusica nodded. "Good, It's high past time that someone took my advice."

Once he had put his hand down, she took another look at those eyes, and thought back in time. "If you really wanted, I could try to make you some artificial eyes, and surgically implant them. But considering that Acnologia's magic is affecting you in such a way, I cannot guarantee if it would work."

Porlyusica was surprised to see Natsu think for a moment, then close his eyes and shake his head, his pink hair swaying at the movement.

"Don't worry about it." His voice was calm and firm.

Curious, she thought. What happened to the hotheaded dragon slayer from a year ago? She decided to probe further. "I believe your guildmates will be displeased when they hear that you had another option."

Natsu's face remained passive. "Well then that's what's going to happen. It isn't their decision, and I don't mind if I'm blind, I have been for a year now."

Porlysuica found that she couldn't argue with that, not that she wanted to anyways, it saved her from wasting time building something that probably wouldn't work… And she secretly enjoyed Natsu's rational reasoning behind his decision.

"I understand." She moved aside, her hands on her hips. "But I would still like you to come see me every month or so, I want to keep an eye on Acnologia's magic and see if anything changes."

Natsu gave her a smile as he stood up. "Gotcha! I'll have someone write it on a calendar for me!"

Finished with her examination, she led Natsu outside to his eagerly waiting guild members. Though he couldn't see it, many of them had hopeful expressions on their faces. She knew what they hoped, and she couldn't be mad at them entirely for it.

Porlysuica decided to keep what she had discovered about Natsu quiet. It was his decision to tell them about having Acnologia's magic within him, not hers. But that wouldn't stop her from being blunt about anything else.

"His eyes cannot be healed. The damage is done." She declared to them. "Due to the… Nature of the injury, I am unsure if artificial eyes would work, but Natsu has refused them either way."

There were a few outraged and shocked noises from the gathered guild members. She saw Laki looking upset, Jet and Dory angry, and several others just slumped sadly.

"What?!"

"Natsu, why don't you want to try?"

"You could see again!"

Natsu waited until everyone quieted down before he held up his hand, as if trying to comfort them from afar. "You guys, it's really fine."

Laki looked the most distressed. "No it's not! Natsu, don't you want to be able to see again?"

This time, the young man sighed. There was irritation in his expression, but his voice remained calm. "Listen. I know you guys mean well. You're just worried, you want me to be back to the way I used to be. But I don't need to be healed. There's nothing wrong with me."

The small group of guild members halted their protests, and stared at the pink haired mage in confusion. Porlysuica found herself falling into a similar silence, eager to hear his reasoning.

"I may be blind, but that doesn't mean I'm suddenly a stranger. I might need help more often, or do things a little differently now, but I'm not a fragile piece of glass. I'm still me."

He gave them a gentle smile. "I can tell, you know. The way you guys tip toe around me, the way you talk about my eyes… You guys are uncomfortable with me being blind."

Porlyusica's sharp gaze caught several people shuffling their feet and slumping forward, obviously embarrassed that Natsu had called them out so easily.

Those blue and black eyes gazed upwards as he continued,"But you have to understand my side of this too. I've been like this for a year, I've grown used to it, being blind is something that is a part of me. But it's not my defining trait. I'm Natsu Dragneel first and foremost! Don't forget that!"

Porlysuica saw what he was doing, he was giving them time to get used to his blindness, but he wanted to make sure they knew that he was still their Guildmate, despite all that had changed about him.

And quite a lot has…

The guild seemed to settle somewhat as they saw their dragon slayer's perspective. Though a few still looked dismayed, she could see that they were trying to take Natsu's own words into account.

It would take time, as all wounds did, to heal. The loss of Team Tenrou was a wound that all the Fairy Tail members had. But if Porlyusica was honest, that wound had probably been infected. Thanks to the guild's loss of money and them being ignored by other guilds, they never had a real chance to mourn, so the wound never healed right.

Natsu's return reopened that wound, which could explain why they were so desperate to 'fix' Natsu, and why they were being so protective of him. But Natsu made sure to shut it down, without hurting their feelings. Yes, the wound was open again, but this time it might be able to heal properly.

Turning to her, Natsu gave a wide grin. "Thanks for the check up, Porlyusica! I'll be back in a month or so. We'll leave right away, so you can leave the broom inside!"

This garnered laughter from the guild members, who eagerly swarmed their long lost guild member as they headed back towards the city, leaving the old woman alone at her treehouse.

Porlyusica herself was in awe once again, it had been a long time since she had been surprised so many times in one day. What had happened to the brash and reckless teen she had known?

"Hmph, why am I asking such a foolish question? I already know the answer." She looked at his retreating form. "He grew up."

She saw it in those cursed eyes, the posture, his tone. Natsu's experience had been awful, but the event had changed him. He had become more cautious, gentle, and wise. He had learned, and was apparently growing more and more each day.

And what of the guild? Last time she had seen them, they had all been desolate, and heartbroken. Now they were full of life, shining as bright as the sun in the sky.

Natsu Dragneel. Back from the dead for only a few days and yet... It seems your return has already had quite the effect on everyone.

She turned her head up towards the blue sky and released a gentle sigh. "Makarov…" She whispered with a smile. "You would be very proud of him."