Okay, so I've got 1 vote for daddy issues and... 1 vote for piano issues... hm. Oh well. I guess its papers in a hat! And drumroll please Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr CH! DADDY ISSUES FOR FIVE HUNDRED! Thank you, Tom.

IDK who Tom is.

Anyways, this may not turn into a full chapter cuz I'm exhausted but I wanted to let you guys know I'm still alive. Here goes...

"So we're set, right Mira?" Natsu said in a hushed tone as he walked down the hallway. "Everything's ready?"

He couldn't see it but he could swear he heard her signature motherly smile playing through her voice. "Yes Natsu," She said. "Everything is fine. Now, all we need to do is- Natsu?" Sensing said boy was missing she turned behind her. "Natsu what's wrong?"

Natsu stood posed in mid-step, his ear inclined down the hallway he stood infront of. She stepped towards him and slid her hand gently into his. "There's nothing sown that hallway Natsu." She said, she began tugging him along down the hall. But he wouldn't budge.

"Natsu, come on. It's an old music hall. You know this building is an old school. We don't use that hallway now, there's no one down there."

"She's down there." Natsu said with sureness and conviction evident in his voice.

"Who, Natsu?" Mira was concerned now. Natsu was one of her more delicate patients; an enigma of unequalled loyalty and devotion, stubborness and determination, humor and density. But also filled to the brim with guilt and regret, though he did well to hide it.

"Lucy."

With that one word spoken Mira's grasp on his arm loosened and he took off running towards her, wherever she was. Mira sighed lightly, shaking her head barely enough to shift her hair as she turned and walked away. She knew better than to get between Natsu and his favorite Lucy. He followed her with the loyalty and protectiveness of a dragon towards a princess. And Lucy seemed perfectly okay with such an arrangement, treating her faithful protector well.

Mira knew the reason behind Natsu and Lucy's conditions. She knew full well all of her patient's problems. But never had she seen someone so at peace with their condition as Lucy. When Natsu was first admitted she had feared for Lucy's reaction. But to her suprise, the first night Natsu had his nightmare Lucy's door was open and since then he was always welcome wherever she was.

Truly something you didn't see everyday.

Natsu stumbled as he made his way down the abandoned hallway. He felt thin cobwebs stick in his hair and tickle his face and arms. Listening to the echos from his heavy footsteps he was able to avoid running into walls and scattered objects. However he still had to catch himself afew times. The dank stench of mildew invaded his nostrils and the small break of vanilla and strawberries brought welcome relief. The faint sound of a slightly out of tune piano filtered to his ears the closer he came to the source of the scent.

Breathing heavily he stopped infront of what he assumed was a door and felt around for a handle of some sort before realising it was already open. He mentally cursed himself for his own stupidity and entered slowly, letting the scents and sounds of the room envelope him. The piano suddenly stopped with a soft chord and the muffled sobs replaced them, filling the room in a much more somber symphany.

He stepped towards the source slowly, "Lucy?" The sobbing continued. "Damnit, idiot. She can't hear you."

He felt his way through rack after rack of dusted instrument cases and rusted music stands. At one point he went down over a well placed wooden chair which crashed under his weight, most likely rotten. He cursed again and stood, grasping the head off a music stand and using it much like his walking stick back in his room, waving and bouncing it in a semicircle in front of him.

"Natsu?" Her voice filled his ears and he turned his head to her. He heard a rustle and soon her warm hand was placed over his empty one. "Natsu what're you doing?" Her voice was more hoarse than usual and he noticed how shaky her hands were. Dropping his makeshift stick he lifted his other hand to her cheek, catching the last few droplets of salty tears before her own hands bruushed them away.

"You've been crying." He said bluntly. "Why?"

She hiccuped lightly and he felt her lip begin to tremble. "I uh," She sniffled. "Can we, uh, can we take this somewhere else? My, uh, my allergies are, uh, yeah, let's just," Natsu tentatively pressed a lone finger to her lips, slightly off center but his message was still clear.

"Your room or mine?" She smiled against his finger and he removed it, allowing her to tow him out of the room and back up the abandoned hallway. "My room is closer." She said, her tone now slightly more... Lucy.

The scent changed from mold to Magnolia Blossoms, the febreeze of choice in Housekeeping. The change was welcome and when they were a few steps from her door the intercom system chimed to life. "Lucy Heartphilia to the Visitor's Center please, Lucy Heartphilia to the Visitor's Center." The pleasant voice of Bisca, the office attendant at the this time called, "Thank you."

Lucy stiffened slightly and her pace slowed. Eventually she just stopped altogether and by his mental map they were right outside her door. As if he could sense her thoughts he tightened his grip on her hand and slowly turned her to face him. He lifted a hand to her face, trying to get a feel for her emotions. She barely noticed.

Her face was tense with apprehension. Her battom lip was tucked nervously under her top teeth and her eyebrows were raised and scrunched. Feeling her eyes on him he whispeered softly, "Go."

She seemed hesitant at first, as if something was wrong and for a moment he regretted his words. Or more, word.

But before he could say more she was gone, leaving him to his own devices. And her bed. Her soft, sweet bed. His apprehensions were soon melted as he flomped onto the soft sheets of her warm mattress.

Lucy made her way down the hallway slowly, she hadn't had a visitor since, well, ever. She had no one to visit her other than her father and he certainly had no intrest in her now that she couldn't make him any money.

So, when she rounded the corner towards the Visitor's Center the man that stood there, waiting for her, took her completely by suprise.

"Hello, Lucy.

HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE. You think you know what's coming don't ya? hehe. Bet you don't.