Hello again, everyone~! Giving thanks to my Beta, Phoenix-Before-The-Flame, once again- and the date for the next update will be at the end of the chapter. Enjoy!

He hazily thought he was in a dream.

Listless and floating in a blank expanse. He couldn't tell if his eyes were open or not. No light existed, but he suspected he wouldn't need it.

There was nothing to see. Nothing to feel. Just a yawning emptiness that wrapped around him, held him still and deadened his limbs as it slowly crawled within, filling him with the same hollowing void. The chill of the air held barely touched his senses. Licking at the edge of his skin, the waning heat of his own body protected him from its freeze.

In that great nothingness, Natsu felt peace. It washed over him in a drowsy wave like high tide.

Then again… perhaps not.

Something tickled the edge of his senses. The faintest whisper beckoned to his conscious, an insistent prickling that demanded his attention. His head felt full, too heavy as he strained his eyes in search, weakly trying to catch sight of anything.

After a lifetime in the darkness, he saw a dim light that faintly glimmered at the edges of his half-lidded eyes; It was gentle, wiping away the darkness that covered him in sweeping waves of blue. It pulled at the hollowness carved into his chest with each calming thrum. And with each pulse the light the expanse seemed to sigh as it melted away from his vision. It slowly released its hold on him after every beat. His eyes snapped open, wide and fearful when it stopped.

Terror clawed at his heart without it.

He- he needed it back. That calming, gentle light, but when he tried to shout and beg for its return, all he received was a shot of pain ripping through his damaged throat. (It was damaged? When? How? He couldn't remember.)

Without the warm comfort of light, the dark expanse felt suffocating. It squeezed into his lungs, and forced its way past gritted teeth. It gnawed into his flesh and seeped deep into his bones. It threatened to drag his weightlessness form down into nothing, urging his eyes to close, but they couldn't, not now. Not again.

The voice, still whispering in the back of his mind, was louder now, echoing over itself in haunting commands, a maddening cacophony that ordered his awareness to stay tethered in place.

There would be no sleep. No rest. Not yet.

'You're not ready yet… I will not take you.'

The eyes of a stranger flickered in his mind, but they were hauntingly familiar in their thoughtful crinkle at the corners of their smile. Natsu choked on a gasp, inhaling sharply as air rushed through his lungs. The darkness receded, melting away bit by bit to reveal the calming light he yearned for.

His body grew heavy, dragged down and further down until reality shifted and his dark world flipped until he could no longer make sense of the endless emptiness. Only the light remained, too scorching and bright and suddenly painful.

It burned.

'It's time to wake up, Natsu.'

A slender hand covered his eyes, cool and lifeless. Another rested gently over his barely beating heart. With a jolt, a shock of magic stabbed through his system that spiraled him into the depths, forcing him back into his body.

The weight of his soul was stifling.

Cold night air forced its way into his lungs with each desperate inhale dragging its claws through his raw throat. He tried to scream, to release the tension and agony that laced his broken voice, but every attempt caused another bout of strain to tense his muscles and stab through his being like thousands of knives. Natsu thrashed and writhed, delirious from the pain and confusion that clouded his head. With shaky fingers he kicked and scratched at anything he could reach, doing what he could to distract his mind from the jolts that never ceased to attack him.

"If you're going to crowd me, the least you can do is HOLD him down!"

"He's thrashing too much-"

"Wendy, you need to hold-"

" I can't! He's moving too much!"

"Move, I'll hold him."

"Oh, thanks, Gray!"

Firm hands grasped his shoulders and another pair his ankles, trying to lock his heaving body in place. He vaguely caught the sounds of strained shouting amidst the chaos, fighting to be heard over loud sobbing. Tears burned his eyes in a never ending stream as it hit him: It was his deafening sounds. His screams and sobs shuddered out of him, mounting to a volume that rang his ears. It was all him struggling to voice his pain with words he couldn't put together.

Natsu couldn't make heads or tails of who was speaking or for what.

There was an intense pressure on his esophagus that was maddening. It drowned out the sparks of pain shooting through his veins and overwhelmed his senses. There were voices shouting garbled commands and panic he couldn't make sense of. There wasn't a single moment or source of comfort from any direction he could observe and the realization bubbled in his chest like a pile of heavy stones.

He was too cramped. Too suffocated. Too… everything.

Instinct prevailed. Demanded his response. Demanded he attack. To set himself free, he summoned the vestiges of his magic, humming frantically beneath his skin. A burst of fire flared in dry heat. It forced the hands away from him as a string of curses peppered the air. Taking advantage of his new freedom, Natsu reached for his neck, clawing for relief as the last vestiges of his fire curled away from him. The magic continued to thrum beneath his skin, threatening to strike out of control once again at any second, but before he could give more power in his next attempt to clear space, another magic struck against his own.

It was an antithesis to his desperate need to escape his suffering.

"Natsu..." A comforting chill poured into his vein. It soothed over the heat that threatened to boil him. Blinking, he struggled to see through his blurry eyes and caught a vague silhouette leaning over him. Drops of water landed against his cheek and a golden curtain surrounded him from all sides. He couldn't piece together what he was looking at, his eyes swimming. But he felt shaky fingers run along his forehead, cool balm along his feverish skin. "It's okay. You can calm down now… you're okay. It- it's going to be okay, I promise."

That voice… It cut through the confusion and Natsu recognized Lucy. She firmly held his head in place, her fingers sifted through his hair as the hum of her magic matched frequencies with his own, providing a sense of calm. The pins and needles stabbing at his nerves deafened and the numbing effects of Wendy and Porlyusica finally worked through his system as strong hands quickly pulled him away from his throat. The numbing brought force an exhaustion so deep in his bones that he could hardly resist the call, eyes straining to focus on those around him.

Their scents hit him then, one by one and Natsu realized the truth to Lucy's words. He was safe. They were safe. She was safe. He'd done it then. Things were okay after all. The satisfaction of his victory was enough to lull him back to sleep, gaze lingering on Lucy's above him just enough to crack a grin.

He couldn't speak, voice too raw, too damaged, but his expression said enough.

It was all okay.

He thought he heard another voice, still tickling the back of his awareness, matching his relief.

'Yes. Safe… it's all okay now.'

He made a note to ask the identity of them later, but the memory slipped from him the moment he shut his eyes.

When Natsu finally slumped back into deep sleep, the others in Porylusica's hut heaved a sigh of relief. His thrashing had reopened multiple wounds the older draconis had hurriedly stitched and the risk of losing more blood was too great to be gentle a second time around. Especially now with fresh scratches at his neck wound, beading new lines of red.

In their haste to staunch the flow of blood on his neck, the more minor cuts and lacerations remained untended along his torso and arms.

Lucy hated it. Every second. Out of the darkness and under light, the expanse of his injuries were worse than she thought. He'd almost thrown Wendy off in her attempts to hold him down when she reacted on instinct, grasping his face in a futile hope to soothe him. At that moment, things shifted minutely. He'd froze in her touch, eyes shifting up to meet her own, glassy and unseeing. Or so she thought while her eyes misted over in unshed tears.

He'd seen her. Or something, in her posture, finally relaxing as his gaze rolled back. Natsu's body still twitched as the other two worked and Gray was awkwardly following their directions, using his strength to hold the Draconis down anytime his nervous movements threatened to go overboard once more. When the rush settled into repetitive industry, Lucy was free to fall into her own thoughts. By then, she'd been asked to sit down, lamely swinging her legs over the mattress while Natsu's head rested upon her lap.

"He's quiet, so keep him there for the time." Porly had explained and Lucy shamefully ignored the way it made her face heat up.

Now wasn't the time to get embarrassed over something so simple.

Tireless work. No time for rest. No time to slow down. Lucy desperately tried to keep her attention as they worked, flinching when needle and thread pierced his skin and pulled it taut. His ragged breathing stabbed her heart and took her breath away. But every time she began to fall into the mire of guilt, she'd be pulled back by mumbles from the Draconis, eyes flickering behind his lids.

His ramblings turned to slurred indecipherable speech, but the fresh sweat on his brow could be attested to more than just the work spent healing him. Running her fingers through his damp hair, Lucy marveled at the temperature, too warm and clammy to be a good thing.

"Does he have a fever?" She hesitantly asked, wincing when Porlyusica answered with a scathing glare.

"It's possible. I'd be surprised if he didn't." She snapped, returning to her work without a second glance, ignoring the worried knit to Lucy's brow.

Gnawing her lip in earnest, Wendy took over, voice a soft balm to Lucy's frayed nerves. "It's not much higher than his usual. Fevers are normal, but he runs hotter than most. It won't harm him anymore than he already is."

It was a small comfort, one she shared with Gray, who shared a brief glance her way before he resumed holding the Draconis' legs in place.

Silence overtook them once more laced with background mumblings of Natsu's delirium. The time for talk would come later, when every bit of damage was disinfected, stitched and bandaged. When his head was finally laid to rest against a feathery pillow, and the sheets and blankets were removed to be cleansed of their bloody stains.

Only when night was fading to morning light, was the cottage full of gentle snores from all corners of the room.

Wendy curled against her aunt, overcome with sleep hours before as the elder doctor finally succumbed to her own need for rest, slumping in their shared chair as Gray took purchase in a corner. He lazily waved a tired hand over a small trail of burns that ran up his arm, covering them in a thin layer of chill before falling to sleep. The world outside was an unknown territory to them. Erza's status, Cana's report to Makarov, the state of the forest and all those in the village, a mystery until the residents of the healing cabin would awake once more, but most of all, caught up in the head of the cottage, still nestled atop the bed, was Natsu's pained grunts of medicated sleep, and Lucy by his side, head lolled as her fingers still laid tangled in his hair.

She'd awake hours later with a stiff back from her position, but that was an issue she'd save for later. For now: they had rest.

–

The rest of the village slept, ignorant of the true events over the night after they'd been reassured by Cana and Makarov that no fires would come near, having already fizzled out in the forest above.

They went to bed with uncertainty heavy in their hearts, but trust they would learn the truth in the morning. Laxus, exhausted in ways he refused to admit, stayed at the keep, arms crossed as he feigned sleep against the stone walls. Makarov paced listlessly in the other room, having claimed he would rest and observe Natsu's status in the morning, but worry kept sleep far from the old man's grasp.

Likewise, the burly blond couldn't bring himself to relax. Anger was a constant emotion broiling inside, but behind the stormy frustration was a hint of guilt in his dark eyes. His magic was destructive. A fact he took in stride with careful discipline, tightly holding the reins on his magic at all times. And yet…. he refused to look at the very hands that could control the static. Instead his fingers dug into his skin.

He knew full well he'd used more force than necessary in his attempt to strike Kage down. As one of the warriors of the tribe, he'd seen many succumb to his abilities. Witnessing a member of his own clan struck by those damages was a different feeling entirely.

He recalled the clear accusation in Erza's voice when she asked for Kage's location. Remembered the pain of grinding his teeth as he accepted the results of their battle. Natsu had sacrificed himself for a win he failed to give and his attempt to revenge Freed, protect their home had been wasted. Grumbling, the muscles in his arms tensed to every thought that fueled his adrenaline until the copper tang of blood entered his mouth.

Flinching from the accidental bite to his lip Laxus changed tactics, pushing off from the wall to do the only thing he could deem as useful in that moment. His determined steps left sparks of magic in his wake, destined for the edge of the town. Erza said she would continue the search for Kage, but a second pair of eyes would work better. He'd already failed to catch where the danger would come from after Kage's incarceration, he refused to fail again by brooding.

Laxus ignored the festival streamers hanging limp and lifeless from the poles as he passed.

Heavy footfalls thudded into the gravel without a care for those sleeping in their homes nearby. Tension kept the night still and stagnant.

It stifled him. It was best to leave and be useful. To focus only on the task at hand and not how easily his home had been invaded, its joy snatched away in a matter of moments. Worry got him nowhere.

Which is precisely why he missed the hunched figure, resting against a stool in the shadows; their piercing, green-blue eyes spied him through the early morning haze with a vigor they hadn't had the night before.

"You're up awfully late," Freed's voice rasped from his perch, quietly observing, still as a statue. Laxus' footsteps paused, digging into the ground as he turned to meet the other, one eyebrow raised in bewilderment.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" He demanded, quickly assessing Freed's appearance from what Erza had relayed to him earlier. The man's face was gaunt, sunken in and gray as if the very loss of his energy had taken his color with it. His countenance, that was usually a scene of perfect posture, was a haggard being, barely able to stay awake with half-lidded eyes puffy and red at the corners. Laxus scoffed at the sight. "You're smarter than this, Freed, get to bed."

Freed chuckled, unperturbed by the order. He made no attempt to move from his post. "I'm fine here, thanks. Besides, despite my appearance, sleep is escaping me," a yawn broke free just in time to contradict himself, but he ignored Laxus' judging gaze, "I've been upholding a barrier underground for months and attacked by a dastardly shadow fiend. Allow me to bask in the fresh air for now."

Laxus shrugged, "Fine. Not my business anyway."

"No, I daresay it's not." Freed's reply was curt and through pursed lips he softly seethed, "but I think yours is currently fretting alone while her siblings comfort her." The implication to his words was obvious, coupled with a pointed stare that bored into Laxus as his eyes swept away to avoid it.

"Don't put your nose into my business if I'm sticking out of yours." He snapped, body shifting uneasily while he forced himself to stay put. He was restless. He still wanted to patrol, to chase after Erza and catch that reprobate himself, so why was Freed attempting to stop him? "Stay there and die from a cold for all I care, I've still got to clean up your mess."

He regretted the verbal attack as soon as the words fell from his mouth, but there was no taking it back. He was too proud for apologies, and Laxus knew better than to pretend Freed would wipe all insults away at the drop of a hat. In the past, their travels had led the two to understand each other on a level deeper than most, and despite the other's calm demeanor, his ability to hold a grudge was second to none.

Through another yawn, Freed blinked his eyes repeatedly to block out tears the action summoned, gritting his teeth as he pushed himself from his seat with a huff, balancing on wobbly legs. "On second thought, perhaps I will go to bed. Telling a stubborn man like you to pay more attention to his partner was a ridiculous notion after all."

In the early morning's haze he moved slow, steps pointed as he kept his head up, blinking back the clear exhaustion that seeped into his bones. Freed didn't spare a glance to the other when he ambled past, stopping just a few feet short to deliver his parting words.

"Pardon the unsolicited opinion, but… if you keep hiding behind your responsibility and mistrust to shoulder everything on your own, it's only going to push you farther away from the rest of us. Even now, you refuse to trust others to get the job done where you fell short." Another yawn interrupted him, but it did nothing to dampen the sharp glint of anger in his sharp eyes, "That stubbornness will do you in one of these days and I won't be surprised if Mirajane dances for someone else next year; someone with more sense and care. Be careful, Laxus- or she'll leave a bull-headed fool like you behind."

Laxus stood still for quite some time, feeling off-kilter at the scathing remarks that made guilt claw at him more than his own earlier blunder did.

Freed's insults were a rarity, but he couldn't deny it had struck home. Gnashing his teeth together, he listened for the fading footsteps of the other, only walking off the main road once he was sure the enchanter had long gone. He was stubborn. He knew this. Even now, his mind kept creating reasons to rush back to the woods and ignore Freed's warnings. Kage was a slippery bastard who hid himself in the shadows and Erza was just one person. Could they risk him escaping by not sending enough to catch him?

He couldn't hold still. Each second spent not acting was another that brought Natsu's limp body to the forefront of his mind, still twitching from the full force of the sky brought down on him. The gushing blood he barely held at bay and tearful cries of the blonde who begged for the draconis' safety that he couldn't even say was assured.

They haunted him with each step further towards the trees.

He could have held back, he knew this, and realizing his over exertion of energy had been for naught rankled his nerves like sour fruit. How could anyone blame him for wanting to push it out of his mind?

Mirajane would understand that. She always had… hadn't she?

The corner of his lips curled into a self-loathing sneer, Freed's words echoing in his mind despite all other arguments. Cursing, he turned down another alley and left all thoughts of the woods behind him. Instead, he considered his own home, how it would possibly be full of three, white-haired mages desperately trying to come up with answers Makarov had yet to give them.

Freed was right. But he'd keep the admission to himself: for now.

Lucy hadn't expected Porylusica to allow them to stay through the night, let alone most of the morning. Exhaustion lived in her bones and each involuntary twitch of her body stretched stiff muscles. A weight was on her lap, Natsu's head, she surmised. He'd grown antsy in his sleep away from her and so she'd resumed her earlier position, sitting up against the wall.

She could hear the soft breathing of Gray and Wendy, but the older woman was already shuffling about, slightly clinking pots and pans together as the familiar crackle of wood fire being brought to life met her ears. She was cooking breakfast.

These were just guesses. Lucy was too tired to open her eyes to confirm, but the familiar scent of bacon tipped her off regardless. Another twitch of her muscles and she groaned, finally peeking an eye open to blearily glance about the room. It was much the same as it was the night before, with window panes tightly shut to block out the light and springtime bugs. The healer's small hovel resembled a humanized cave, quietly urging Lucy back into the throes of sleep.

Unfortunately, the crick in her neck refused to let that sweet solace pull her back into its depths. Rolling her head from side to side, Lucy winced and wondered what insanity had compelled her to sleep as she had.

A light grunt from the wounded roma brought it all crashing back down on her.

Oh, of course she hadn't moved since he'd finally relaxed. His breathing was still uneven with a pained hitch every other breath, but his body was covered in bandages and the sheet placed upon him was far cleaner than the rags he rested upon, still stained from the previous night. She remembered being offered a chair to rest in, but she'd denied it in favor of staying in place, anxiously watching Natsu drift in and out of feverish dreams.

She was glad he was resting, despite the obvious clenching of his jaw she spied after blinking away the fatigue. From time to time, she thought his groans turned to muttering, but she couldn't make out the words. Sighing in relief, her fingers sifted through his hair, matted from the night before. There were still bits of dried blood coating his fingertips and under his broken nails. He was in dire need of a bath, but they could worry about that later.

"Ah, awake are you?"

Porly's voice startled her, sweeping her eyes towards the fireplace where the healer's eyes crinkled, peering at her from over her cooking pots. She nodded in lieu of a verbal reply, not wanting to risk waking the others. The doctor wasn't half as concerned at the concept, rolling her shoulders as she clicked her tongue.

"I'd tell you to get over here and help me, but he might start screaming again if you move and I like my quiet. So keep him there will you?" It took Lucy a couple of confused seconds to realize who she was referring to, clearing her throat as heat dusted her cheeks. "Don't tell me that embarrasses you. It's not the first time he's slept on someone's lap before, you know."

Lucy chose to ignore the lurching response her stomach gave at that, biting her lip instead. "It's not that. It's just-"

"Girl spare me the rambles," her interruption was as sharp as a knife, "I honestly don't care."

Then why did you bring it up? Lucy wanted to ask, frowning instead, a pained grunt from Natsu made her fingers loosen in his hair, belatedly realizing she'd begun to pull at the strands. Muttering a quick apology, she soothed out the hair and cleared her throat, "Thanks for letting us stay here. I know there's not a lot of space."

"Hmm, better that then you all falling down the hill and busting your heads open in the dark. It'd leave me with more on my plate to fix than just the blockhead there. Besides, you can all leave after you wake and have had breakfast."

"And Natsu?"

"I imagine Makarov will want to keep him here until we're sure he's stable." She snorted, "Knowing that old goat he's going to fret and want him to overstay just in case. Then it's back to his own hovel so I can have peace and quiet again."

"Ah," Her gaze swept back to Natsu, gnawing her lip until it felt raw, "That makes sense, I guess."

"And you? I noticed your cane is gone."

Lucy blinked, surprised, "I.. I forgot. My magic was there last night, but- "

"A good first step then." She cut her off, dexterously flipping the bacon with her bare fingers. The small burns from the night before hardly seemed to bother her, grabbing more slices to toss in the popping oil. "Make sure you don't trip over my rug when you leave then. I'm not in the mood to fix you again and I haven't a spare to lend you."

Lucy's voice lowered as her ire rose, "Are you always like this?"

Porylusica fixed her with a droll stare that overthrew Lucy's irritation, "Get used to it if you plan on staying here, girl."

Lucy's silence damned her before she could find the words to stammer out. The old doctor's eyes were sharp, catching the pull of her eyebrows that knitted in uncertainty. It spoke on a volume she wished the old woman hadn't caught.

The older woman barked a hollow laugh, shifting the pan off the flames to crack a few eggs into the sizzling mass. She didn't want to admit that Porly's eyes felt too all-seeing in that moment, leaving her drowning a silent shame.

"So that's how it is." Despite her angered tone, she managed to sound disappointed, tearing her gaze from Lucy's to focus on her work, "I didn't realize you were industrious enough to use our help then leave, but even an old woman like me can be wrong from time to time it seems."

Lucy's eyes whirled, her earlier shame shifting to agape denials, "That's not it at all! I want this place to be my home, m-more than anything!"

The crack of another egg sounded like a whip in the air, making Lucy flinch. Porlyusica tossed the empty shell aside in a pile with the rest, "Is that so? Then why the hesitation?"

She wanted to stay silent, shame and guilt burning in her lungs, all-too aware that one wrong rise in volume would awaken the others in the room. She didn't want that.

They all deserved their rest, not to wake up to Porylusica's interrogation or her own doubts, but the longer she kept her mouth shut, stubborn pride corralling her broiling emotions, the more the doctor's ire seemed to raise.

"Are you that much a fool? If you leave, you'll be caught, and who knows what will come of you then. Are you that suicidal?" She thundered, finally slamming her pan to the side, "Well?! Are you?"

Her tongue felt numb, paralyzed on words and thoughts that traveled through Lucy's mind too fast to grasp. Wildly, she looked over Gray and Wendy, still curled up in their corners, still deep in sleep. A small mercy, but Natsu twitched, body tensing as he whined again, his body heat rising from a dream currently plaguing him. His eyes rapidly moved beneath his lids, drawing her attention.

"... somethings bothering him," Lucy murmured distracted from her thoughts enough to rustle his hair once again, leaning forward to catch the mumbling words tumbling from his dry mouth. Too disjointed and hard to catch, "It's not safe for him to be talking, is it?"

"Can you really stop a man in his sleep?" Shuffling around, Porylusica began collecting a small set of wooden bowls, hidden beside the hearth, but Lucy didn't miss the derisive snort as she turned her back on the other. "As long as he's not screaming and stays quiet when awake, he'll heal. Mine and Wendy's abilities aren't to be trifled with. Now, my question. Or are you looking for another excuse to avoid giving me a straight answer?"

Lucy winced, "... I'm not wanting to hurt myself. That would be an insult to my own parents' sacrifice to protect me."

".. and what of our own?" That sharp voice grew smaller, a husky anger that filled the room in a grisled tone that spoke of experiences far beyond Lucy's years. "Do we mean so little to you?"

The words were harsh and full of a truth that left Lucy's heart clenching. A sob wrenched from her closing throat. Wet hot tears spilled down her cheeks as she shook her head, "I- I don't want you all getting hurt because of me… is that so wrong?"

"... don't insult that boy's sacrifice for you, fool."

She couldn't bring herself to reply and Porylusica didn't prompt her for further conversation. Instead she muttered beneath her breath and shambled about, settling plates full of breakfast onto a nearby table. Whatever energy the older woman had to spare on conversation was long gone as she moved to gently prod Wendy's shoulders, ushering the girl awake before roughly striking Gray across the back of his head in a swift motion. He woke with a startled yelp.

"Ah-! What the hell old lady! No mercy for the help?!"

"Get up and eat before it gets cold, I'm tired of you taking up space in my home!"

"Geez… grouchier than usual."

Lucy bowed her head, shielding her face from the room in a blanket of golden hair. That was her fault too, wasn't it?

The chatter and clanking of plates filled the room, and despite Wendy's sleepy attempts at greeting everyone, Lucy only managed a small nod of her head. Lost in thought, she missed the drop in the smaller girl's expression, moving away to eat the meal that had been prepared.

Not a second later, the wafting scent of breakfast food filled her nostrils as a plate was placed before her, hovering above Natsu's face as it broke through her curtain of hair.

It was a shame she missed the scrunching of Natsu's nose, but his increased verbal mumblings was enough to prove he'd caught the scent as well. Glancing up, her eyes met Gray's tired blues, head tilted with an encouraging smile as he held her plate aloft, waiting in silence.

"... thanks." She croaked, fingers shaking as she accepted, "I could have gotten it later."

"You've got a snuggly moron on you, don't worry about it." She almost choked on a bacon slice at Gray's answer, coughing the bite down her throat as he chuckled, "don't look so down. It's going to be okay, yeah?"

Was he aware of their earlier conversation?

Searching his expression, Lucy decided that no, he must have just thought her worry was for the wounded draconis on her lap. She forced a smile, taking another bite to ease his own worries.

"Yeah. I know. The worst is over." She wished she could believe her own words. A few, awkward seconds passed by with Lucy stiffly eating and Gray diligently watching. She couldn't read his intentions at that moment, but after Wendy called him to his cooling dish, he shrugged and moved on, muttering a quiet 'take care of yourself' before he left Lucy's proximity.

Maybe.. He did hear some of it? She swallowed down the rising panic with a bite of egg, grimacing at the over salted taste.

"Will we be going to see Makarov today?" Wendy asked once half her plate was cleaned, eyeing her Aunt curiously. The healer humphed, exhaling as she quickly consumed her own meal.

"He'll be coming here, I imagine." She said after a time, casting a searing glance towards Gray, "Which is why I want at least one of you gone before he gets here."

"I get it," He griped, stuffing the last of his bacon into his mouth and chewing angrily, "you're really making me feel ganged up on, Granny."

"It's only because Lucy's helping to keep Natsu calm," Wendy muttered sheepishly, "You know how she is."

"Hmph, if you know, then why are you offended? Finish your food and get out."

"Aunt Porly, please - " Wendy chastised, face flushing, "He helped a lot last night, the least you can do is be nice."

The older woman grunted, falling into a quiet agreement that only made the air more tense. Gray swallowed down the rest of his eggs in an air of indifference and the chatter ended. Lucy ate slower than the others, poking and prodding at her meal as her stomach tied into knots, refusing to feel hungry.

After a few, forced bites, she placed the plate beside her, eyes watching carefully to ensure no jostling of the bed would tip it over. Perhaps Natsu could finish it when he woke -

No, she paused on that thought. Not with a damaged throat like that. He'd be better off with liquids, she guessed. Sighing, she turned her attention back to the resting draconis, head ringing with the sharp words Porlyusica had used as a weapon against her.

Was she being unfair to him? That certainly wasn't her intention, but something was still gnawing in the depths of her mind, demanding a response from her in regards to his injuries, but she couldn't put a finger to it.

Natsu's distressed mumbles broke through her thoughts.

A sudden sweat had broken along his brow, nose and eyes scrunching together as he ground his teeth. Startled, Lucy placed her cool fingers against his cheeks, noting his temperature had spiked once again and continued to climb with each frantic inhale. He struggled to move, wincing from the strain as a low whimper escaped him. His fingers curled tightly in the sheets, tearing the fabric trapped in his grasp.

She called out to the others then, both hands now on his face, trying to soothe the creases on his forehead. Was he all right? What was happening? "Something's not right!"

Lucy dimly heard the screech of chairs toppling over, but at the same time, another whine escaped Natsu.

It was small, reminiscent of a broken child begging for comfort as wetness gathered at his eyes and dripped down passed his ears. Before the others could reach them, his whine turned into a broken, garbled cry, blood spitting from his mouth as he called out a name foreign to her ears but said with such despair it made her heart clench.

"I-Igneel," He croaked, desperation tinting his pleading tone, "help!"

As if winter had returned, a cold chill ran up Lucy's spine as Wendy, Gray froze in their steps, eyes wide.

"Don't just stand there, you two," Porylusica barked, already checking his fever and, keeping his mouth open with her gnarled fingers, inspecting the inside of his mouth as she kept his airways clear. " You boy! Ice now! Wendy, get the rest from the cellar. Hurry!"

Like the night before, the rush had began again, but Lucy's heart stammered as she looked upon Natsu's crying eyes squeezed shut. The name rang in her head, unrecognizable, but the desperate cry, the broken, empty pleading for help.

It reminded her of another time, when she was hidden beneath a broken cart, begging the slumped figures of her parents to move, anything to prove they were alive. Horror gripped her at the revelation and she robotically tried to soothe him, calling vaguely for her magic yet it stayed frustratingly out of her grasp. Questions tumbling from her mouth before she could think, "Who is that?! Whose he is asking for?!"

Undeterred from her work, but also unwilling to explain further, Porylusica snapped, "A man long dead, who else?"

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Next Update: 10/15/23
Violet Moon: 10/31/23