A/N: Yohohoho! This chapter was trolling me so much. I had to delete a lot of the first version I made and then create new content. So yeah... I had a huge writer's block.

Thanks richgirl555cub for the idea in your review. I incorporated some of it into this chapter and to be honest it inspired me to create some new plot material that I originally didn't consider including. So again thanks for the inspiration because this chapter turned out way better because of it :)

Guest: Thanks, I do intend on making things grow between them as the story progresses. I'm too much of a NaLu fan to not include that aspect ;)

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima.

Chapter 15: Fabulous Tears

Lucy took a sip of her drink as she glanced at Natsu, who was sitting right next to her. Physically he looked okay-ish. Well he still had his left arm in a caster, but all of his other wounds were healing at a rather fast pace, because Wendy had used her magic to support him whenever she could. Of course his wounds weren't completely gone, but she thought it was an amazing progress considering that only been a week had passed by, since he left the hospital.

Mentally however... she sighed and stared more intently on the dragon slayer. Right now he wasn't doing anything in particular. No, he was just staring sadly into thin air, not really noticing his surroundings. Like so many other times it was as if he wasn't there emotionally.

Of course he tried acting like his former self from time to time, being hyperactive and flamboyant about stupid things. But he didn't commit to it like he used to, neither did he get angry when people tried to provoke him. He would just shrug it off or turn his attention in a different direction. Well sometimes he had a few brawls with Gajeel but for some reason he seemed to avoid exchanging fists, thereby turning it into an actual fight.

If the person provoking him turned out to be Gray, he would refuse and recoil even further, because for some bizarre reason Natsu was very reluctant to fight him. The ice mage noticed the difference in the dragon slayer's behaviour rather quickly and after that tried to avoid topics that would usually ignite Natsu's anger.

It just felt wrong that they didn't fight any more, because it was obviously a vital thing in the bond between them. Besides the guild seemed more quiet and it was kind of unpleasant, because it left everyone slightly on the edge for some reason.

Maybe it was because no one dared address the dragon slayer and ask him what was wrong. Of course some tried but Natsu would just shrug (again) and say that everything was fine. Even if it was plainly obvious that he wasn't okay, no one wanted to force him to confess. Well... Erza tried a few times but it only seemed to anger him, and that made him even more stubborn. The last time Erza had tried he became so furious and started yelling at her saying: "that he was fine and that she should deal with her own fucking problems before demanding to know his".

This seemed to confuse the scarlet haired woman but she didn't push him again after that incident.

But this couldn't continue much further and they all knew it, because it was quite clear from the bags under his eyes, that he didn't get enough sleep. To make matters worse it looked like he had lost weight, making his muscles stand out underneath his skin. Well more than they usually did...

Sighing she gently poked the dragon slayer making him flinch for a second as he turned towards her.

"Hmm?"

"Did Happy tell you about what happened at my apartment last night?"

"No..." he looked up at the ceiling for a second, deep in his own thoughts before looking at her again "... no... he didn't... did... something happen?" he looked concerned as he narrowed his eyes.

"No, nothing bad happened" she waved her hands frantically in front of her, trying to empathise what she said "He offered to help me clean the table after dinner, because he wanted to show his gratitude towards me, for allowing him to stay at my apartment. Well he also said he was thankful I helped him catch some fish the other day..."

"Ohh..."

Lucy could practically feel the melancholic aura coming from the dragon slayer making her feel uncomfortable. Ever since Natsu got home Happy had been sleeping at Lucy's apartment, because the dragon slayer needed some time on his own. At first the cat was really puzzled and sad about it, but of course he didn't question him, because he couldn't say no to the dragon slayer. Especially because Happy would do almost anything if it helped in Natsu's recovery.

But even though the cat had good intentions and knew it was only a temporary situation, Happy couldn't help but feel sad sometimes. And of course Natsu felt terrible about it, because even though Happy never admitted this sadness to him, the dragon slayer could tell because of the special bond they shared with each other.

Lucy understood all too well how he felt. She also understood that he needed space and time to figure things out. It was a normal reaction for any human being, that they needed time to think things through and to heal their mental wounds. Natsu had to understand, that he wasn't betraying Happy, by sending him away. No, sometimes it's okay being selfish, because if people always used all of their time carrying other's burdens, they would suffocate and forget to take care of them self.

"As I was saying..." she turned to make sure that the dragon slayer was still listening "... he helped me clean the table and I asked him if it was alright if he washed the plates, while I put new sheets on the bed. Anyhow after a couple of minutes I heard him yelping from the kitchen and when I got there I was surprised to see that the kitchen floor was covered in pink water. At first I was confused but then I saw Happy standing at the sink with an empty bottle, that used to contain a magical potion I bought back in the days, because I had a dress I wanted to dye. Of course I had forgotten all about the potion, because it's been standing on my shelf for so long... You should have seen his face when he realised that the kitchen floor wasn't the only thing that was suddenly pink. All of his fur had turned pink too. Fortunately I had the remedy to remove the colour but it was fun, once I managed to calm Happy down and ensure him that it wasn't a permanent colour and he wouldn't become less attractive"

Lucy turned and wasn't that surprised to see that Natsu wasn't pay attention to what she was saying.

"Pink is a great colour for Happy" she smirked teasingly "Actually I think it might suit him better than another person I know"

"Mmm, hm..."

"You should swap colours"

"Huh?" Natsu blinked in confusion as he turned to stare at her "Swap colours with who?"

"Happy"

"Happy?"

"Yes"

"Mmm..." he seemed to think about it for a second before shaking his head "Naaaww, it wouldn't match with my eyes... I think I prefer it the way it is"

"Me too" she smiled towards him, making him smirk slightly in response.

"Luce... I'm sorry but I have to go"

"So soon?"

"Yeah, I'm tired. See you tomorrow, kay?"

"Okay, sleep well"

"Thanks, you too"

Lucy watched him leave the guild, making her release a breath she didn't even know she was holding. It was so damn frustrating watching her best friend acting so unusual but she didn't know what to do. She told him that he could come to her whenever he wanted to open up, but for some reason he didn't want to do that. Well not yet but he would eventually … right?

"Moooh!" she exclaimed in frustration while turning her head to search for Levy. It didn't take more than a second for her to spot the girl sitting at a desk behind a lot of books, reading in one of them with a concentrated look on her face.

"Levy?"

"Lu-chan! Perfect timing! Look at this" the blue haired girl waved her hand encouraging Lucy to approach before pointing at a page in the book.

"Hmm..." narrowing her eyes Lucy read the passage in the book a couple of times to make sure she understood what it said "... this... might take a while"

"I know, but it's the best thing I could find in my own books and from the ones I borrowed at the library"

"It's okay Levy, I'm just grateful you took your time finding something. Thank you"

"You're welcome! Good luck and please tell me if you need my help, okay?"

"Of course" she smiled encouragingly towards Levy before hugging her "Really thank you. You're amazing"

"Any time Lu-chan" she giggled while hugging her back.

After a couple of minutes of hugging Lucy removed her arms, thanking Levy once more before saying goodbye and leaving the guild. Now she knew what she had to do. It wouldn't be easy but she was determined to try.

Natsu sighed heavily as he closed the door to his house behind him.

He knew he wasn't acting like himself lately but for some reason it was hard really committing to the things he usually enjoyed or found interesting. No, it all just felt insignificant and well... bland.

To make matters worse he couldn't figure out if he wanted to be with his friends, or if he wanted to be alone. His emotions kept changing every other second and if he thought about it, it should confuse and agitate him to no end. But for some reason he didn't care. Or well he did, but then again ...he didn't?

"Mehh" shrugging he lazily strolled towards the kitchen, where he opened the refrigerator fetching a bottle of milk, removing the bottlecap in a swift movement.

Drinking the milk he took a few steps into the living room scanning it quickly to take it all in. It was a new habit for him to watch everything around him carefully, as if he wanted to make sure everything was in order. Not that it was a bad habit as such, but it was weird that he had to make sure no one, or nothing surprised him. Maybe he was slightly paranoid...?

"Ugh!" Natsu flinched momentarily in pain as he stepped on something he didn't notice was laying on the floor "What the...?" narrowing his eyes he stared at the now broken mug. Fortunately it wasn't that sharp so he didn't cut himself. But it still hurt feeling it shatter and crunch into pieces underneath his foot.

"God damn it, who left a fucking mug on the floor! Ugh!" He roared as a sudden anger rose inside of him making him lose control for a split second as the anger overwhelmed him. Furious he tossed the bottle of milk in his hand violently against the wall, resulting in it shattering and making the remaining milk splatter on the wall and some of his furniture.

Panting he stared at the milk for a few seconds feeling a sudden amount of regret. It was only a mug and they had a dozen of those. It was so silly becoming angry because of a stupid mug. Besides if Happy knew he spilled milk like this he would be furious because milk, just like fish, isn't something you joke about.

Damn it, now he felt terrible and like a villain from a silly story. Evil Natsu, the destroyer of milk! Beware or he might throw your milk away! The thought made him chuckle in a sad way as he walked over to the glass, removing the biggest chunks with his hands. But what would the motive for destroying milk be? Hmm... maybe humanity would grow weaker if they don't have their daily milk? Making their bones fragile?

"Auch!" he was so lost in his own thoughts he accidentally cut himself on some if the glass, making it bleed from the newly acquired wound on his index finger "Damn it" he dropped the glass from his hands before putting the finger into his mouth.

"Hmm..." for some reason he suddenly felt sad. It was irrational and had nothing to do with him cutting himself. Well at least he didn't think so... it was hard knowing for sure because his emotions were like a bundle of strings, that seemed to be bundled together in a chaotic mix of knots.

It was strange and weird because even though he felt his emotions was scattered, most of the time he didn't feel anything. But then again whenever he felt something, it was like he was going from one extreme mood to the other. Like he could get so furious he could feel it burning in his veins, making him irrational... well more than usual... Other times he felt so depressed that he wanted nothing more than to curl up on his bed and pretend to vanish from existence. Finally he could be so happy that he almost felt like he was going crazy, laughing hysterically at nothing in particular.

Grunting, Natsu sat down on the floor because he suddenly felt very tired. Well he was struggling to sleep, not because of the nightmares but thoughts just seemed to fill his mind whenever he got to bed, making him restless even though he was exhausted. Sometimes the thoughts was about random things like food, other times he thought about the creature in the cave, wondering what happened to it and what it was doing. Maybe it was all alone doing nothing... but then again... whenever he thought about the thing he wondered what they should do about it. They had to stop it, but how? When?

Well of course they had taken certain precautions by making a huge magical barrier that prevented people from entering the cave. Besides that they had people guarding the entrance making sure no one entered the cave or that the creature escaped. But was that enough? The creature was using shadows so wouldn't it be fairly easy to escape without them noticing?

A sudden knock on the door made him yelp in surprise before turning his head in the sounds direction. Who could that be? Natsu wondered for a second before the familiar scent reached his nostrils. Ohh... he got to a standing position before walking towards the door to great his visitor.

Lucy knocked on his door one more time, tripping as she waited for Natsu to open it. She was slightly anxious but hoped everything would be better once she got a chance to tell him what she learned after reading in Levy's book. But then again she was unsure how to say it...

Of course she couldn't know for sure if he was at home but it was highly plausible, because he was making it a habit to spend a lot of time there, whenever he wasn't at the guild. Well that was understandable because considering his physical and emotional trauma, he needed to be in places where he felt safe.

Lucy was so caught up in her own thoughts that she jumped slightly in surprise when the door opened in front of her, revealing a dragon slayer who was sucking on his index finger.

"Hey!" smiling she waved her hand.

"Uhm... hey?" he looked confused as he tilted his head to the side, blinking a few times with wide eyes "What are you doing here? We saw each other at the guild... uhm... half an hour ago? Is something wrong?"

"No, no not at all. I uhm..." she started fidgeting her hands nervously in front of her "I just... wanted to talk to you about something..."

"What?"

"It's... kind of a sensible subject... can I come inside?"

"Yeah I guess" He shrugged lazily, taking a step back and allowing her to enter.

"Thanks" she smiled genuinely while walking into the living room. Her eyes widened in horror as she watched the state of the room. It was so... dirty! Well it was usually filthy and messy but this hit the intolerable level on her scale. Must... resist... Her fingers started itching because she had a sudden urge to clean the place, but she quickly got a hold of her emotions, thanks to the small slap she gave her cheek.

"It ain't clean I know" Natsu grumbled, still with his finger in his mouth "Sorry?"

"It's okay" she turned her head towards him "what happened to your finger?"

"I kinda lost my temper and broke a bottle of milk" exhaling he pointed towards the crime scene where the bottle was shattered "And yeah... cut my finger removing the glass"

"Ohh... let me see it"

"Hmm? It's right there? You're staring at it?"

"Your finger!" she exhaled loudly while reaching her hand towards him clearly implying she wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Tsch, sure" rolling his eyes, he removed the finger from his mouth placing it reluctantly in her hand "It isn't that bad you know, it's just a scratch"

"Mmm-hm" she hummed for a second before dragging the dragon slayer to the kitchen, where she demanded that he held his finger under cold water. Natsu was staring at his bleeding finger, while Lucy reached into her back, finding some plaster.

"That's enough, now give me your finger"

"Hmm..."

"Hold still"

"Mehh..." he groaned in annoyance while looking at the ceiling for some bizarre reason.

"There! All done" Lucy smiled as she released his finger.

"Thanks..."

They stood in silence for a few seconds, both of them unsure how to break it.

"Uhm..." she rolled her thumbs against each other nervously "... we need to talk"

"Ooo... kay? Spill it"

"Let's... uhm..." holy mother of... she felt uncomfortable all of a sudden "... before that let's get rid of the glass from your... uhm... let's do this!" she exclaimed enthusiastically, raising a clenched fist above her head.

"Sure?" Slightly confused he followed her, helping her remove the glass and the milk. But for some reason that wasn't enough for the girl and soon they both ended up cleaning the entire living room. It was hard work taking hours to finish, but once it was done both of them collapsed on his couch.

"Damn I'm exhausted..." Natsu sighed stretching his arms above his head "I thought you wanted to talk, not clean"

"Yeah... sorry... it's just... hard... I don't know how to start..." her voice was so fragile it made his heart clench for a second.

"Luce... just tell me, okay? I'm here and I'm not going anywhere"

"Sure... hmm... of course... okay" she exhaled shakingly "You need stability, yeah? This thing you're dealing with right now is normal given the circumstances. I mean... the experiences you had was so painful no one could imagine how it felt like. Not really, even if we tried to. But... you need to take the things you've been through and face it somehow, because right now you're just a shell of yourself trying to endure with normal life. That's okay too, given the circumstances but you need to throw an anchor at some harbour, you know? Stop being a lonely boat at the middle of the sea because you don't need to suffer in solitude. Trust someone with your emotions because if you keep this up, you'll end up destroying yourself from within. Like I said the boat would just end up getting destroyed by the waves, because it didn't take time to go home"

Lucy took a second to look at Natsu, who was staring in front of him with a rather confused look on his face.

"You... know what I'm saying... right?"

He didn't respond and it made her stomach twist uncomfortably as a sudden sadness rushed through her body "... right?" her body was shaking trying to withhold the urge to cry.

"I know..." his voice was husky and dark as he wrapped his arms around her "I'm sorry..."

The air got caught in her throat as she responded to the gesture and hugged him back.

"No I'm sorry..." her voice was barely above a whisper but he heard it nonetheless.

"Shhh" he hushed gently while rubbing her back with his hand "Relax... if your boat needs a harbour I'm right here"

"Oy, I'm supposed to be the one comforting you"

"It takes two to... eat a tank, right?" He chuckled.

"... it takes two to tango... but yeah you're right" she giggled holding him tighter for a second, before resting her head against his chest.

They just sat there relaxing in each others arms and it didn't take long before they both feel asleep on his couch.

Natsu was swimming in the pool that belonged to the guild and he was having a great time. It was summer and everyone was having fun, swimming and partying, without having any worries in the world.

"This is the best!" he exclaimed before diving underneath the surface. It was so nice that it made his entrails bubble in excitement.

"Woah!" he cheered, as he broke through the surface of the water with his head "This is amazing!"

"The only thing amazing around here is me, kid" a certain metal head grumbled behind him with way too much confidence. Or so Natsu thought...

"Tsch! If you're amazing Gajeel, then the standards must have lowered considerably..." he turned around to face him , but the sight that met him made him freeze in shock "... what the..." his eyes visibly bulged as he glared at the other dragon slayer... who was wearing a purple bikini?

"What standards?" the other dragon slayer smirked teasingly as he continued "I am FA-BUUUU-LOUS! Right girls?"

Stunned Natsu watched as several girls in bunny suits suddenly spawned next to Gajeel. All of the girls were squealing loudly and had huge hearts in their eyes.

"No... way..." he whispered while glaring at the weird scenario.

"Gaaaaajeeel" Lucy sang as she rubbed her back up against said person, purring like she was a cat in heat "You're so masculine and amazing! I simply looooove that about you"

"Gehe" Gajeel smirked making his teeth sparkle for a second "I am aren't I?"

"No you're not!" Natsu growled while pointing an accusing finger at the metal head "Luce he's wearing a bikini!"

"So what?" she glared angrily at Natsu for a second, before turning her attention back on Gajeel. The way she was looking at him... it was like he was her idol or something... and it made him sick to the core for some reason. It was just wrong... ohh so wrong... on so many levels and it made him angry... but also sad...

"I am the best and most manly dragon slayer, right giiiiirls?" Gajeel purred before chuckling in a rather feminine way and flexing his muscles. As he did glistening stars suddenly appeared next to him, as if they were trying to empathise his status.

The sight made the girls scream in delight before fainting on the ground. Well... not all of them, because Gajeel caught Lucy's falling body, holding it firmly in his arms.

"You..." Natsu growled while clenching his hands "... get away from her!"

"No... I'll eat her for dinner! Yum, yum! A bunny steak is healthy" he howled in laughter.

"Like hell I'll allow that!"

He started moving in Gajeel's direction with the intention of knocking some sense into him, but for some reason the water in the pool suddenly became huge waves, making it impossible to do anything but follow the strong current.

Natsu felt anxious and dread as he watched one of the waves starting grow at a rapid pace until it was towering above his head. If it crashed it would consume everything... damn...

Time seemed to freeze as he watched the wave starting to fall down towards him. A moment later the wave collided with his body with so much force, that it was impossible for him to fight against it. He tried though, but the strong current in the wave kept him under water, making him twist and turn as the power became more profound and violent.

Damn it... cursing he felt how his lungs started to burn from lack of oxygen. Have to breathe... need air...

Natsu was about to open his mouth when he felt something warm wrap around his body and after a quick movement it pulled him out of the water.

He was heaving for air as he looked down on the thing that was captivating his body. It was... a gigantic hand? What...

Looking up he was even more surprise to stare at a gigantic version of Lucy, who was smirking teasingly at him.

"Luce...?"

"I don't care for appearances... deep inside you're beautiful too"

"Uhm...?" he blushed slightly at the comment "... really?"

"Yes" she giggled while opening the hand she used to hold him "it's right there inside of you" her thumb gently rubbed his belly, making him giggle because it kinda tickled.

"I have to have it..." her eyes started sparkling in a red colour "... yes"

"Wh..." his eyes widened in horror as her thumb suddenly transformed into something that resembled a dragon claw that was both lethal and pointy.

"I love a guy who is manly and wears a bikini"

The sentence was so random it confused him. However it wasn't that confusing that he didn't see how her claw looking thumb was aiming towards him, like a dangerous predator or snake, who are seconds away from dealing an attack. And sure enough a moment later Lucy's thumb was diving towards him. He wanted to move or make a counter attack, but the movement was so fast he didn't get time to respond. So unfortunately that meant the thumb a second later was piercing through his stomach, making blood splatter all over her hand. Or maybe claw would be the best term, huh?

He wanted to roar in pain but for some reason blood started running out of his mouth, blending with the pool of blood that was pouring out of his stomach at a rather quick pace that seemed unnatural.

He wanted to say something, but his voice was caught in his throat. It was locked there like it was a huge lump and for some reason it prevented him from breathing, making him suffocate.

Why... no... please... the thoughts raced inside of his head as he watched the girl starting to laugh, revealing very sharp canines.

"... let's get rid of the glass from your... uhm... let's do this!" the girl exclaimed eagerly as she raised her hand containing Natsu towards her mouth.

It didn't take a second for him to recollect that Lucy actually uttering that specific sentence earlier and it took even less time to figure out that the girl was going to eat him. As if on cue the mouth above him opened and the next he was thrown into the air flying in the mouth's direction.

Damn it... he felt so sad and exhausted as he entered the darkness of her mouth. Any moment the girl would start chewing on him and he could only imagine how horrible that would feel...

"Natsu..." her voice sounded so faint, but he didn't pay attention to it.

"Natsu..." she called again, making him confused for a second, because her voice should be booming and loud. After all he was in her mouth.

"Wake up..."

Wake up? What?

His eyes flew open all of a sudden, and the first thing he did was jump to a standing position where he stood panting and searching for an unknown enemy.

"It was just a nightmare, calm down"

Natsu didn't hear her, but kept scanning the room, feeling how his body started to shiver from the layer of sweat that was starting to cover his body.

Lucy placed a hand on his shoulder, making him jump in surprise before grabbing her wrist rather firmly. He then turned around in a swift move to stare at the unknown person with murderous intentions.

He kept staring at her fiercely for a few seconds, not noticing how she started to tremble. But all of a sudden it all seemed to hit him.

You idiot! He screamed inside his mind, as he released her from his hold. This is just... ugh! The look of hurt in her eyes made him shiver uncomfortably. For fucks sake...

Exhaling loudly, he placed his hand above his eyes, using them as a shield so he couldn't see the sight in front of him.

"I'm sorry..." his voice was fragile and shaking from the emotions, he was trying so hard to suppress "... I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to scare you... I was just... so confused..."

"It's okay..." she sighed before continuing "... actually I'm to blame for this situation because I woke you up so abruptly from your nightmare. So it's only natural for you to be confused"

"Don't'..." he started trembling as the sadness rummaging inside of him tried pushing against his boundaries. Her voice was so filled with understanding and kindness that it hurt and the pain in him realised that, because it wanted nothing more than to shatter the thin layer in his mind he used to suppress his feelings. He wanted to tear the layer down but the feeling of regret that he hurt her, was so overwhelming it made him irrational "... please... stop being so kind"

"What?"

"I don't deserve it... you should be mad at me..."

"Why?"

"Because... I scared you..."

"But... it wasn't your fault..."

"EVERYTHING! IS MY FAULT!" he roared in anger, regretting it immediately as he felt the sad aura coming from the girl in his presence.

What was he doing? Why couldn't he do anything right? He felt weak all of a sudden, falling down on his knees as if he was starting to acknowledge that the sadness inside of him, was breaking through his thin façade.

"Damn it..." Natsu whispered, feeling absolutely horrible about himself "... why...?". He tried concealing the tears with his hands, that was still placed above his eyes, but it was a wasted effort, because they somehow managed to run through the tiny cracks between his fingers.

"Look at me..." Lucy pleaded as she sat down in front of him.

"No..."

"Please... look at me"

"I can't..."

"Why?"

"Because... I don't want to see you... worrying about me..."

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing. Worrying about other's is a good thing isn't it? Do you remember what the master told me after Jose and the Phantom Lord attacked?"

"No..."

"Well essentially he told me that one person's sadness is every person's sadness. As a guild we all share our emotions with everyone. So if you're happy, the entire guild is happy with you. If you're sad, then everyone shares your sorrow. That's the strength of our guild. We support each other in good and in bad times"

He didn't respond other than snorting a few times, trying to ignore the snot that wanted desperately to escape from his nose.

"So you see" she continued "It's okay to share your feelings with me because we're both part of the same guild. Heck, we're even part of the same team, so it's fine if you share your pain with me"

"Yeah..." he snorted more profoundly, before he started chuckling in a dark tone "... you're right... I know you are... I'm just so... confused..."

"Please, look at me"

He peeked through his fingers, earning a loud sigh from her.

"That's not enough... remove your hands Natsu..."

Grunting in defiance, he removed his hands and looked at her with huge tear filled eyes.

He felt so oddly exposed all of a sudden and for some reason his lips started trembling. As they did it suddenly became more difficult to breathe in an even rhythm, almost as if he was starting to hyperventilate. Heck, even his tears started spawning at a faster rate.

"Luce I..." he took a deep breath trying to settle his emotions, ignoring the sound of his heart beating harder and faster, until he could hear it it thundering unpleasantly inside of his skull. "... I'm so sorry" his voice cracked, because he couldn't hold it in any more. It was too difficult keeping it locked up, especially because he could practically feel how the thin layer he used to conceal his pain shattered into pieces.

Natsu didn't try to prevent it any more as heart clenching cries escaped from his mouth.

For some reason he started rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hands, as if it might soothe him or maybe it was because he, for some bizarre reason, was trying to gather the tears and push them back into his eyes. Well the reason for his actions wasn't significant, he did it without realising why.

The sorrow that was now an acknowledged and dominant feeling in his body, made him tremble uncontrollably as the emotion seemed to ravage through every fiber of his body.

"Shh... it's okay" she hushed, while wrapping her arms around him, gently manoeuvring him into the embrace.

He didn't respond to the gesture, but kept crying with both hands gently rubbing against his eyes. Well him not responding wasn't exactly true, because he did rest his forehead against her shoulder. But other than that he just focused on crying.

None of them knew how long they sat in that position, waiting for the dragon slayer to calm down. Not that it mattered, the most important thing was being there and not letting go.

Natsu felt exhausted in spite of the fact it hadn't been that long since he took a nap on the couch.

Well dealing with your emotions was hard and expressing them was even harder. He should have known that.

His body wasn't trembling any more and it was becoming easier to breathe, without the air getting caught in his throat. In fact he felt... relief... as if all of the sadness he had kept locked up had escaped through the tears he had shed. It was such a pleasant feeling he almost didn't care he had cried for so long, while being held like he was a child who needed comforting.

Almost was the keyword, because he still felt... not embarrassed, no... but something else... gratitude? Yes, definitely! But what was that word? He felt... shy? Exposed?

Natsu took a moment to take a deep breathe before placing his hands on her shoulders, staring on the thin air that was between them. He tried opening his mouth a few times to say something. Why was it so hard talking all of a sudden? His throat was slightly sore but it was weird... hmm...

"Are you feeling better?" Lucy beat him to it, making him exhale rather loudly.

"Mmm-hm" he responded while nodding his head.

"I'm glad. Just tell me if there's anything you need, okay?"

"Yeah... Luce?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks... thanks for... you know"

"You don't have to thank me"

"Maybe not... but still..."" he closed his eyes for a second as if he needed a moment to gather strength and courage "... thank you"

"Any time Natsu"

"Likewise" smirking he wrapped his arms around her, engulfing her in a tight embrace. He gently squeezed her before letting her go. Was she blushing...?

"Ahem..." he coughed as his own cheeks seemed to respond to her blush. Why was he blushing all of a sudden... wait before that...

"Hey tell me something..."

"Yes?" she tilted her head, staring at him with a curious look.

"Do... you like it when guys wear a bikini?"

"What?!"

"Well... do you?"

"No I don't! What gave you that idea?!" she was blushing more profoundly, from either being embarrassed or mad.

"You never know. I mean you're Lucy... and you're weird"

"You're the weird one here!" she exclaimed before hitting him gently on his shoulder.

"Auch, that hurt so much... I think you broke my shoulder" he rolled his eyes dramatically "Ugh, no that was a lethal shot! I'm dying! Aaaargh!" he pretended to faint landing lazily on his back on the floor.

"... idiot..." she pouted, but soon started giggling.

"I know" he smiled genuinely towards her, but kept laying on the floor. Floor's are awesome...

They sat like that just enjoying the silence for a moment. It wasn't uncomfortable just... peaceful, being there and doing nothing.

"Natsu, can we be serious for a second?"

"Sure?"

"When I read in Levy's book, there was a description of what you might be suffering from and as I told you earlier, it's essential you talk to someone about your feelings in order to recover"

"Yeah, you said it was about me being a boat … but now that I think about it that isn't plausible, because I would be motion sick all the time..."

"... your logic is flawless..." she sighed before continuing "... what I meant to say was, there was another thing mention that might be vital, if you want to feel better"

"Ohh?"

"Yeah... it said something about gradually making you relive some of the things you've been through, so you get a natural view on your trauma. I mean it's like all the thing that happened in the past can become even more horrible inside of your head, because you might make it into more than it was"

"Huh?" he blinked in confusion not really following what she was saying.

"Okay, imagine your memories from that time was a ball of snow. When you got out of that cave it started rolling down a hill filled with snow and as time passes, it becomes bigger and bigger. Eventually it will be so big you can't control it. That's why we need to stop it from even rolling down the hill"

"So in order for me not to turn into a huge ball of snow, we need to go back?"

"That's essentially it, yeah"

"Hmm..." his stomach twisted uncomfortably "I... don't want to"

"You don't have to do it right now. Just eventually, okay?"

"But... you sure it'll help? You know going back there?"

"Yes and no. I mean the book said it was a subject where there aren't that much research. Besides it all depends on the individual. However, knowing you I think it would be a good solution, because you might get some sort of closure"

"I need to face my fears" he whispered to himself, recalling the conversation he had with Gildarts on Tenrou Island, when he was trying to take the exam to become an S-class mage. The memory gave him a new found courage and he grabbed it, like it was a shining light that could somehow remove the darkness in his soul.

"Luce, let's do it!" he raised his arm and clenched his fist in determination.

"Now?!"

"Why not? The sooner the better right?"

"But..." her voice was filled with concern as she continued "... are you ready for this? It might just worsen your condition if you're not"

"Honestly... I don't know... but then again I don't want to stay like this. If there's something I can do about it, then I have to grab that chance. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah... you're right. Okay, we should go talk to the team when you're ready for it"

"Well let's go see if they're at the guild. We can take things from there"

"Mmm!" she nodded enthusiastically and for some stupid bizarre reason the sight of her being so determined and happy made him blush. Why was he blushing... again?!

It then hit him like a lightning appearing on the clear blue sky. For some reason he was blushing more and more whenever he was together with Lucy! And he would blush at random things, he wouldn't have done earlier. For some reason an image of him kissing Lucy in the cave entered his mind, making him blush even further as if he was thinking about a guilty pleasure.

He shook his head trying to clear his mind.

Yeah, they should definitely go to the cave as soon as possible... his mind was already becoming a huge snow ball that he couldn't handle or understand...

A/N: Gajeel: you are FA-BUUUU-LOUS! And really OOC but hey it was a dream. People do crazy things there.

Bwahaha! XD

Natsu: You are so cute and oblivious I feel like pinching your cheeks! :) I know he might be slightly OOC in this chapter, but considering his emotional statement I think it's fair he is... well unstable.

Bonus info: I can't recall if I've mentioned this but Natsu is indeed suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. This is not something I know a lot about, but I have done some research and according to my knowledge there isn't that much information about which methods are best for the patient. Of course it all depends on the individual what approach is the best, but there is a thing called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) which is what I used as an inspiration for Natsu's treatment.

Ahem.. so yeah I'm off to play the new expansion of WoW! Woohoo! (if I can log on to the server, meeeh).

I hope I get a chance to update soon :) Be good out there! Hugs and kisses, Hejmdal :3