PART ONE. REALIZATION

September 1st, The Tower of Heaven

It was all over.

Smoke and dust rose from the shattered blue crystalline floor beneath his feet. All that came now was a soft, gentle breeze that had come from the sea about a mile below.

Natsu Dragneel was just about ready to tear down the whole damned tower with his own two hands. Even with the persisting ache in his muscles and bones, he was willing to do it. If only so he and his friends could wake up from this nightmare.

Laying half-dead on the floor below him was the unconscious figure of the former Wizard Saint who'd brought them here in the first place. Jellal was finally broken, bruised, and bloody. Locks of blue hair were now stained with dark red from the cuts Natsu had inflicted on his forehead. Only with Natsu's enhanced senses could he hear the faint heartbeat that flickered on the edge between life and death.

The Dragon Slayer contemplated on what he'd do next. The power that coursed through his body told him he could burn up the sea if he so wished. He didn't understand this power… these scales that now lined his arms and face. What was this? Some kind of power left by Igneel?

It wasn't his place to deal with Jellal any further, however. The former councilman was defeated. And if by some miracle he got back up, Natsu would finish what he started. Even after he'd killed Simon and hurt his friends… even after what he'd done to Erza.

Erza.

Natsu turned around, still holding Jellal up by his collar. He searched around the cavern of lacrima crystals for any sign of her. Immediately, he saw her standing on the opposite end, just by Simon's corpse.

She was watching him with those brown eyes of hers. Intently. Studying him as if he'd changed into a new person entirely.

He found himself smiling at her, and his spirits were lifted when she smiled back.

Instinctively, he let go of Jellal, letting the blue-haired man fall to the floor with a dull thud! He had started making his way over to Erza when he felt his legs give out. He fell to his knees, and a wave of nausea and exhaustion hit him. It was as if he'd taken a step outside of his own body. He knew he was leaning forward as unconsciousness washed over him.

But he never felt the hard surface of the tower floor. He felt a pair of arms wrap around him. And just before he finally gave in, he heard a distant, almost angelic voice whisper into his ear.

"You're really incredible… Natsu."

He awoke minutes later, the last of the adrenaline in his body kicking him awake.

Natsu immediately recognized the hard crystalline surface of the floor. He shot up onto his feet and looked sharply around the room. He was no longer the thinking human he once was, now he gathered his surroundings the same way an cornered animal would.

After seeing the limp body that once belonged to Simon, and the broken form of Jellal, he started looking for Erza.

He found her. She was floating, rather peacefully even, inside of the lacrima. Her scarlet hair floated above and around her as if she were underwater. Her eyes were closed, and there wasn't even a single worried line on her forehead.

He didn't even stop to ask why she was even in there. Natsu went into action and ran over to the giant lacrima, looking for any sort of way to get her out. As he touched the crystal, he saw the surface ripple like water. The outer edges were hardening, however. Shit! Could he get in there and pull her out? He'd just have to try.

Natsu plunged his hand into the lacrima. He almost grinned as it had accepted him, and sunk his forearm deeper into the crystal.

Erza was right in the middle of the damned thing! Almost a full body's length away from him. Natsu ground his teeth as he felt a dull stinging sensation begin to launch up his fully submerged arm. Now his shoulder was inside, and his torso would soon follow. He stepped inside of it as well to give him slightly more reach, but was careful so as to not place his head anywhere near it.

The lacrima greedily pulled at him the more he went inside. Natsu managed to keep his weight towards his back foot, however, countering it. "Come on…" He said to himself as he brushed his fingers against Erza's arm. If she felt it, she gave no sign of it. She looked like she was asleep.

Natsu took another step forward and got a firm grip on her arm. He pulled her towards him, but was dismayed when it had little effect. She'd only moved slightly closer to him, but was otherwise rooted to her spot.

The Dragon Slayer, now angry at the stupid lacrima that refused to give him his friend back, had taken another step forward. More than half of his body was now submerged. He coiled his right arm around Erza's waist and pulled her towards him with the last reserves of his strength. His muscles screamed at him as he fought against the stubborn resistance provided by the lacrima. He realized he was winning the exchange as Erza's waist made contact with his, and then began to shift onto his back foot.

There was one last burst of defiance from the lacrima. Natsu felt it try to drag him in as well, but with raw animal instinct, Natsu kept himself firmly planted as he brought Erza out of it.

Thhhhlop!

Natsu fell sharply onto his back, with Erza falling on top of him. They were free! He got up and rested her gently on the tower floor. "Erza? Erza?" He cradled her head in his hands. "Come on! Wake up Erza!"

There was no answer. Natsu placed his ear over her mouth and listened. A surge of relief blasted through his mind as he felt her breath softly, but slowly. She was alive!

Not wasting any time, the Dragon Slayer had looped his arms around her waist and under her knees respectively into a bridal carry. "It's alright, Erza." He told her, "Everything will be fine. I'll get us out of here." He stood up and started looking around for an exit.

He knew that the stairs that had been wrapped around the tower's exterior was not an option. No doubt it was all lacrima by now. The hole in the center of the tower would also not be particularly appealing.

How much magic did he have left in him? Could he make it to the coast? Natsu decided that he would just have to try it, as it was likely his best option. He took a step forward to the open veranda that gave him a view of the sea and the night sky above.

Below his feet, he felt the tower begin to rumble and quake. All around him, chunks of blue crystal fell from the ceiling, and the walls shook terribly. A sharp BOOM had erupted from the lower floors. Natsu realized that rather soon, this place was going to explode.

"N-N-Nat…" A voice quivered from behind him.

Natsu glanced sharply at the intrusion. He immediately narrowed his eyes at the crawling, prone figure of Jellal as he slowly made his way over to them. If looks could kill, then the blue-haired man would've been incinerated. Touch her again and I'll finish what I started, asshole.

The former councilman had looked up at him, half-alive, and with searching green eyes. Jellal coughed suddenly and spat out a large clot of fresh blood. "Natsu…" He said. "Go…"

"What do you think I'm doing?" Natsu asked rhetorically, and angrily.

Jellal didn't reply then. Instead he shifted towards the lacrima and all but dove into it as best as he could from his position on the floor. Natsu watched as the crystal accepted him as well, tugging greedily at the broken and bleeding body of the blue-haired mage. As Jellal was almost more than halfway into the lacrima, Natsu felt the quaking of the tower begin to lessen.

The Wizard Saint had looked at him once again, there was sort of tired pleading in those eyes. Natsu realized that he was no longer looking at the same man who'd tried to take his life earlier. This wasn't the man who'd coldly attempted to sacrifice Erza to appease some spirit that was haunting him. What Natsu saw was a man who knew he was about to die, but who knew that at the very least, he was going to die saving those he'd wronged. "G-Get Erza out of here. Give her a s-second chance." He said. "Give her the life she deserves…"

Natsu paused. He didn't understand what the other man had meant with that last line. As he watched Jellal give him one last nod before being fully engulfed inside the lacrima, he felt the tower stop shaking entirely. Suddenly it was completely stable, save for the soft glow that began to emit from its core.

He didn't need to be told twice. Natsu turned around and found the coastline off in the far distance. Tugging one last time at Erza so as to keep her in his grasp, he leapt off the tower and focused the remnants of his magical power into his feet, rocketing away into the night.

As he got further away from the tower, with the uneven blue structure becoming nothing more than a tall blot in the distance, Natsu felt a surge of raw magical energy spike from the tower. He ignored it however and kept going, jetting through the air.

A fantastic, almost blinding light emitted from behind them, illuminating the entire sea below him, before it had suddenly died away.

By the time Natsu had made it to the shore, the Tower of Heaven had disappeared completely.

Present: September 4th, Akane Resort

Three days later, Natsu awoke in his room back at Akane Resort.

For a few moments, he couldn't see a damned thing. It wasn't until he turned his head to the right that he saw the crack of light between the window curtains. The moon hung brightly in the night sky, beaming down through the glass and onto his face.

Groggily, Natsu had sat up from the bed of pillows and thick blankets. He felt as if someone had taken a bell hammer and had blasted him right in the face with it. His head pounded with a dull, thudding pain as each second passed by.

He felt for the pillows again and remembered their touch. Back in my room then, he surmised.

Natsu gripped his forehead again as another wave of nausea washed over him. Had he fallen unconscious after he spoke with Erza on the beach? Probably. No doubt she and the rest of their friends had brought him back here.

More questions threatened to flood his mind, but something else soon took priority over them. A lurching, queasy sensation had pulsated in his stomach, and Natsu knew right then and there what was about to happen.

Hastily, he threw the blankets off of himself and all but jumped out of bed. Half-remembering where the bathroom was, he stumbled over to the opposite wall and felt for the ridges of a doorframe. When he found it, he stepped inside and felt for the porcelain sink, hanging his head over it.

It was then that he felt everything come crashing down on him. Just barely managing to stay on his feet, he vomited up the bile that had been floating around in his stomach for the last few days. A bitter acidic taste filled his mouth, occasionally crackling with unused magical residue.

When he was done, he exhaled sharply and caught his breath. His stomach gurgled and popped in response as it calmed for the moment.

Natsu searched blindly for the small lacrima lamp that would've been next to the bathroom door just above the sink. He found it and flicked it on. He nearly held up a hand to his eyes as they readjusted to the light before letting it fall back to the porcelain railing. Unconsciously, he shut the door behind him, and then looked into the mirror on the wall opposite of himself.

He laughed with a dry croak, which then gave way into a fit of coughs. Once he was stable, he looked at himself in the mirror again.

His body was practically covered with bandages. The skin on his shoulders and his chest was mostly bare, save for the purplish yellow blotches where he'd been badly bruised. His arms and waist were almost mummified, and there was a long strip coming up over his right shoulder, and another wrapped around his neck. Though he was wearing his usual puffy white pants, he knew his legs were also bandaged as well. And finally, there was a strip of white cloth coiled diagonally around his forehead and the crown of his skull.

Shit. He chuckled again, this time without coughing. He'd really had a number done on him at the tower.

The Dragon Slayer felt his stomach begin to rumble violently, he instinctively hovered over the sink and felt the acidic bile come up. He vomited again for a moment, and watched as the greenish brown fluid tinged with blue washed down into the drain.

A foul stench permeated the bathroom now. It was far more powerful due to his sense of smell being significantly more potent. As he took a step back, a cold bead of sweat ran down his forehead, and he felt his headache lessen somewhat.

Water. The one word command had come from the depths of his mind. Natsu complied readily, feeling just how dry his throat was after having not drunk anything for the last three days, with the last thing he had had being sea water. He craned his neck down under the shiny silver faucet and flipped the tap over to the right side of the sink.

He drank his fill for what seemed like minutes. A surge of relief welled within him as he got hydrated. Once he was finished, he flipped off the tap and stood upright, his other memories coming back to him.

First he was relieved. Thankful for the fact that they'd all gotten out of it safe and sound. Grateful that they'd all woken up from this nightmare…

That feeling didn't last long, however. What followed was a small, nagging tug that began to poke at the edges of his mind. Something that ate away at the sense of security he'd felt only minutes ago.

But why did he feel this way? Why? He'd asked himself.

His mind quickly answered.

His humiliating attempt at a fight with Fukuro… Simon scolding him on the exterior of the Tower… His half-baked duel against Jellal… Eating the Etherion… Saving Erza from the lacrima… All of it came back to him in waves. Denial. Disappointment. Bitterness. Shame. And most of all… Anger.

That last emotion confused him the most. Why was he so angry when he'd won? What had brought it about?

Natsu found himself unable to look into his own eyes. He looked down into the sink and stared at the last bits of green-blue sludge washing down the drain. I won, didn't I? So why does it feel like I got my ass handed to me?

A small, sinister sliver of doubt answered his internal question. Because you did. Jellal had you beat before you ate the Etherion, remember?

He dug his closed bandaged fists into the wooden table top. Deciding to ignore that voice as best he could, he stepped away from the sink and glared at his reflection in the mirror. Two onyx eyes burned right back into him as he was reminded of something else during that battle with Jellal…

"Natsu Dragneel… the child of Igneel…

...I wanted to taste the destructive power of a Dragon Slayer before I destroyed you.

But this is nothing to fear at all."

Unconsciously, he'd summoned his flames into his fists. He glanced down at his hands once he realized it, and watched them burn away the bandages covering his forearms. Fuck.

He put them out. Deciding it was probably best if he went back to sleep and put it all out of his mind. Natsu found the door handle and twisted it, but not before glancing at his reflection one last time.

Nothing to fear at all.

Snarling, he practically yanked open the door and flicked off the lamp lacrima, making his way back into his room.

Just as he was about to slide back into bed, his darker thoughts were interrupted as he heard the sound of nearby snoring.

Natsu looked over to the left side of the room. Almost immediately, all of the anger, bitterness, and shameful feelings had left him right then as he finally took stock of his surroundings.

Laying outstretched on the couch in his hotel room was Lucy. She had her blonde hair bundled up into a loose bun, and was covered in a thick blanket. Resting below her, between the foot of the couch and the middle of the floor was Gray, with a pillow tucked underneath his head as he slept.

What? But…

A slight rustling sound drew his attention back towards his bed. He looked to the foot of the mattress and saw Happy curled up into a ball. He must've been dreaming of catching fish, since he was lazily swinging his paws out in the air.

It was then that he saw a pale foot out of the corner of his eyes. He followed it all the way up to the sleeping form that snoozed quietly in the chair that had been placed at the side of his bed. Locks of scarlet red hair dangled loosely from a slightly bandaged head. Erza.

She was totally passed out in the chair. Though she was wearing her pajamas, she too had a blanket to keep her warm, even if it had since fallen away from her shoulders and just above her waist.

Natsu exhaled sharply, looking at all four of them once again in realization. And… in gratitude.

Had they all come to stay with him while he recovered? They each had their own rooms, right? But why…

They don't need a reason, he told himself. His heart began to beat warmer than it had when he'd scolded himself in the bathroom. All of his bitter thoughts had quickly disappeared, replaced by a snug, homely feeling that put his mind at ease now that his friends were here, with him.

Tiredness washed over him then. He decided it was best to simply go back to sleep before his demons came back to haunt him. Natsu stepped over to the side of his bed, standing barely a few inches away from Erza. Remembering her half-fallen blanket, he took it and gently raised it up to her shoulders. The redhead seemed to snuggle more into her chair as a reaction, and seemed to clutch the blanket closer to her.

Natsu fell into his bed and lazily pulled up the covers. He stared up at the ceiling for a few moments before he finally closed his eyes and let the darkness take him away.

Two days later, they had given a final send off for Sho, Wally, and Millianna. Erza cried ugly tears while Natsu had managed to shoot off the fireworks he and Gray had prepared. They didn't do much else that evening besides having a quiet meal together before going back to their respective rooms.

Early the next morning, Natsu awoke feeling his body ache all over from just how much he'd exerted himself at the tower. The bruises that marked his chest and shoulders, as well as the various cuts had initially discouraged him from training, each came with their own pain.

The sun peeked through the curtains, and Natsu saw that there wasn't a single cloud in the crimson sky. He averted his eyes to look up at the ceiling, a newly acquired habit of his.

He heard Happy snore softly by the foot of the bed. It was looking to be a rather peaceful day today.

So why did he feel… unsatisfied? That was the right word, wasn't it?

It was certainly one way to describe how he was feeling right then and there. Dissatisfied. Uncomfortable. Restless.

Why?

Natsu had hoped that his demons might've left him permanently two days prior. Prayed that this feeling of unease would simply show itself out of his mind. Yet, much to his dismay, it hadn't gone at all. It was simply waiting for the right moment to strike.

...I wanted to taste the destructive power of a Dragon Slayer before I destroyed you.

But this is nothing to fear at all.

The taunt by itself was not what bothered him. The fact that Jellal was right, was what truly made him clench his fists in anger.

He replayed their fight in his head. Over and over and over again. I threw everything I had at him, and he walked out of it without a scratch.

The child of Igneel. Natsu scoffed. What would Igneel even say if he'd watched his fight against Jellal? Nothing good, he knew that for certain.

"Natsu! How could you allow yourself to be defeated by such an inferior mage? And you have the gall to call yourself the Son of Igneel?!"

I tried, dad.

"You tried? You tried?! Does it matter if you tried? Or does it matter if you LOST?"

But I won, dad. I saved Erza and I won.

"You didn't win, boy! You lost and then you resorted to luck! Do you know who relies on luck? The dead!"

But-

"Don't go and make excuses, boy! You are the Son of Igneel! Dragons do not make excuses! They win! Excuses do not affect the outcome, so they cannot affect how you do in battle! Do you understand?!"

….

"Well? Answer me, son!"

Natsu simply continued to glare up at the ceiling. His anger towards Jellal was quickly fading away, now being redirected at not only the voices in his head… but also himself.

How could he have been so careless before? They all walked into someone else's game completely unprepared. And he, the dunderhead of the team, had been the most ill-equipped of them all. Fukuro manhandled him rather easily by taking advantage of his motion sickness, and then Jellal simply moped the floor with him.

No matter how many times the others congratulated him for his victory over a Wizard Saint, there would always be that bitter aftertaste left in his mouth. The knowledge that he hadn't actually won, but that he'd simply gotten lucky. Lucky because he hadn't been killed by eating the Etherion. Lucky because Erza had fought his opponent beforehand. Lucky because Simon had sacrificed his life to save them both.

All Natsu could do was just stand there and watch.

"What the fuck was that?" He asked himself as he replayed his performance in his head. "What could I have done differently?"

No answers came to mind. Natsu balled up his fists and snarled out of frustration. He didn't know what else to do. No solutions came to mind other than to train.

Ignoring the strain and the ache in his arms, chest, and legs, he threw up the blankets and planted his feet firmly onto the floor. He got down into a push-up position and got to work. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…

Eighty reps later and his left arm seized up on him. He cursed as he fell onto the floor and rolled onto his back, feeling the first few beads of sweat on his face soak into his bandages.

If Erza were here, she'd probably scold him for being careless enough to train without having recovered. But Natsu didn't care. He wouldn't have even cared if she was here right now. All that mattered to him was getting the voices inside of his head, outside of his head. And if he had to sweat himself to the point of exhaustion in order to do so, he would.

After a few moments, the pain went away. Natsu resumed his position so as to finish the set of one hundred and got right back to it. Eight-eight, eighty-nine, ninety-

"What are you doing?"

Natsu had stopped midway through ninety-one when he looked up at the bed. Happy was sitting upright on the mattress, rubbing the tiredness out of his eyes as he looked down at Natsu.

The Dragon Slayer opted to finish his set first. Ninety-one, ninety-two… "Training." He said with a low grunt as he went down towards the floor, his arms and chest screaming at him to stop.

"Why?" His friend had asked rather curiously. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Yeah." Natsu said, standing up from the floor with a few beads of sweat running down his forehead. He hated that he felt more out of breath than usual.

"So why aren't you resting?"

"Can't sleep."

Happy frowned. "Why not?"

The Dragon Slayer looked over at the blue cat. He bit his tongue as his patience was about to run out. He let out a long sigh. "Because I just can't, Happy. That's why." He said firmly, then moving into position so he could do his burpees.

Thankfully, Happy hadn't questioned him further.

Natsu got on with his burpees, hating each and every single rep he did. He absolutely despised burpees, but he was once told by Gildarts that "they get the job done!" It was especially worse now because of his condition. His whole body cried out in pain as he went rep after rep, and he had to stop more frequently simply because he hadn't been keeping up with his training in the last few days, so he needed to give his lungs more time to recover.

How could he sleep knowing what he knew anyway? He'd been singlehandedly demolished by some blue-haired punk who'd worshiped the spirit of a dead dark wizard practically his whole life. Knowing just how quickly Erza had been reduced to tears. Knowing that Simon had only died because Natsu had been too weak to stop Jellal beforehand.

"Are you coming out with us to the park later?" Happy asked as Natsu stopped momentarily to gasp for air.

"Nah." Natsu said instinctively. He didn't want to. "Not today, buddy."

"But didn't you say you wanted to get the funnel cakes there? I wanted to have some too."

"You can get them with Lucy."

Happy looked downcast at the floor. "It's not the same with her. She's so self-conscious about what she eats. I don't know why. I mean, it's not like she isn't fat already." The cat said with a straight face, almost as if he was talking about the weather.

Natsu allowed himself a small snicker. Maybe this exercise thing was working after all. "Don't let her hear you say that."

"What can she do? She can't blow up mountains like you can."

"No. But she's definitely got a temper. And it's rude to say things like that about her."

Happy nodded. "Yeah. I guess." He said. "Can we go there later then?"

The Dragon Slayer paused at that. "Don't know, buddy." How could he just go and get funnel cake after they'd all nearly died less than a week ago? He didn't know why, but the prospect of stuffing himself full so soon after making so many careless mistakes simply bothered him. He decided to deflect the question. "How about you go get some breakfast with the others? I'm not hungry, so I'll stay up here."

His friend seemed to get excited upon hearing the word 'breakfast'. Happy jumped off the bed. "Aye sir!" He said.

The rest of the day passed by rather quickly. Happy covered for him with his comrades, thankfully. And Natsu continued to brood alone in his room until it was time for bed. He stared up at the ceiling and counted to ten over and over again until he finally fell asleep.

The next day was eerily similar to the last. Natsu awoke in the morning and went straight to training. His body had recovered some of its prior strength, but he was still in pain as he continued to do his reps.

Happy had stayed with Lucy overnight. So Natsu had the whole room to himself, and was given time to reflect. And to decide on what he'd do once they returned to Magnolia. As of right now, all he could really think to do was to train both his body and his magical abilities as much as possible. But outside of that… he came up with nothing.

As he performed his fifty-seventh push up on his sixth set, however, he heard two pairs of footsteps approach his door in the outer hallway.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Natsu shot to his feet. He listened intently with his enhanced hearing. The breathing pattern was familiar… Lucy.

What does she want?

He went over to the door and opened it. Lucy stood on the other side with her closed fist half-raised to knock again. Erza stood behind her. Both of them were wearing rather conservative looking sundresses. Erza in yellow and Lucy in white. She lowered it and smiled at him.

"Hey Natsu!"

"What's up?" He asked plainly, not realizing he was shirtless save for the bandages on his chest.

"We're heading out to the beach," Erza said, having flicked back a lock of her hair. "We wanted to know if you'd like to join us."

On any other day… sure. But now?

If I stay here, I can train some more. At least train until I can't stay awake any longer, his mind had rationalized.

What would he do at the beach besides, well… keeping to himself? He wasn't in the mood to play beach games with Happy and Lucy, or to sit and tan in the sun. Hell, he didn't even care about beating the Human Popsicle (another of his nicknames for Gray) at volleyball again.

It was then that Natsu realized his friends were still in 'vacation mode'. What happened at the tower was simply an inconvenience to them. Nothing more. He didn't know whether or not to consider them lucky, or blind.

The answer came easily to him. "I'm good." He said, already closing the door. "See you guys later."

"Wait!" Lucy's plea had made him stop momentarily. "What about dinner this evening? We're all going to go to that fancy restaurant down in the lounge. Don't you want to come with us?"

"Sure," he said with a rather dismissive wave of his hand, half-thinking about the answer. His only objective was to get the both of them out of his hair.

"Okay! We'll be heading down around 8pm. See you there!"

Natsu nodded one last time to the both of them before shutting the door and going back into the small living area in his room. He heard their footsteps echo down the hall, and their voices fade away. Knowing that they were gone, he got right back to his push ups.

He had been too focused on his training to have noticed the look of concern that Erza had worn, just before he closed the door.

Dinner had brought a small reprieve, however.

The rest of his team had been rather animated as the meal went on. Each of them were wearing business casual attire: Gray kept a sweater along with some jeans; Lucy and Erza wore gray and black pencil skirts respectively, with the latter wearing her usual white blouse, and Lucy wearing a pink one; while Natsu had tossed aside his black and gold vest in favor of a white dress shirt and fitting black pants.

It wasn't quite the fancy restaurant that Lucy had made it out to be, but Natsu figured she might've been a bit hyperbolic so as to get her point across. Her father was one of the richest men in Fiore, after all.

Natsu, for his part, had largely kept quiet. That itself was a rather normal occurrence during mealtime, since he'd stuff himself silly with whatever food he ordered. This time however he opted to simply observe his comrades as they discussed the weather, the guild, and what jobs they would take once they all returned to Magnolia.

"...and I know I'm kind of beating a dead horse here," Lucy said with a slightly embarrassed expression. "But I do have to pay my rent by the end of the month."

Oh, there was that, too.

Natsu rolled his eyes and quietly ate the tomahawk steak he ordered for himself. It was always the same with Lucy and her rent.

"We've got you handled, Lucy." Gray said. The Ice-Make mage had just wiped his mouth after finishing one of the grilled chicken breasts on his plate. "I'm sure there's loads of jobs we can take once we get back to the guild."

"Agreed." Erza nodded firmly. "You're a valued member of our team. It is our responsibility to help you make end's meet."

Lucy, however, had sweatdropped. "Is it your responsibility to also cause needless amounts of property damage?"

"Only when the situation calls for it."

"But it happens like… 99% of the time we all go out on a job! Our rewards always get cut in half!"

Happy snickered from Natsu's side. "I don't know what you're expecting, Luceee~" He said. "You're asking three of Fairy Tail's strongest mages to not do what they do best. Right, Natsu?"

He'd been caught off guard by the question. He stopped digging his knife into the steak and looked up. Everyone else looked to him to continue the conversation.

"Uh… yeah," Natsu said with a flickering smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "What Happy said."

The Dragon Slayer went back to eating his steak, but that awkward lull in the conversation had stayed and festered between all five of them. A few uncomfortable moments passed until Gray coughed and asked something about Lucy's keys, so as to break the tension.

Natsu pretended not to notice anything had happened, but internally he was scolding himself for bringing down the mood. That wasn't at all his intention.

It felt wrong to take out his frustrations and sour mood on his teammates. It wasn't their fault that he'd made such careless mistakes at the tower. A part of him knew that they were expecting him to be the usual boisterous Dragon Slayer that he was. But all of that energy had left him the day they came back to Akane Beach. Now it had been replaced by guilt, anger, and shame.

And he didn't even understand why.

Thankfully, as he started listening once more, the conversation had regained its light tone.

"-what did she say?" Lucy asked.

Gray shrugged. "Said she'd head back to Magnolia. See about joining the guild."

"That's wonderful!" The blonde said. "I know she has a history with Phantom Lord, but I'm sure Juvia will be an excellent addition to the guild. I don't think I would've made it out of the tower if it wasn't for her."

"She said the same thing about you, actually."

The blonde had blushed. "Oh, whatever it was, I'm sure it was nothing."

"Nonsense, Lucy. You're a capable mage in your own right." Erza said. "And I agree. Juvia certainly made a difference in our fight against Jellal. I'm glad she's joining Fairy Tail, though I'm a little confused as to why she was even here in the first place."

Gray had scratched the back of his head, hiding his embarrassment and going back to his meal. It had gone totally unnoticed by Erza and Lucy. But it had not gone unnoticed by Happy.

"You liiiiiiiiiiiiike her~" Happy said suddenly, pointing his fork at the Ice-Make mage.

"No I don't! How the hell did you come to that conclusion?!"

As Natsu cut the last bit of meat off the tomahawk bone, he set down his fork and knife. Whatever scraps of energy he had left had seemingly been drained out of him. He downed the glass of water next to his plate and felt his head begin to pound with a dull pain. He sighed heavily, not realizing how loud he'd been as he gripped his forehead.

"Natsu? Are you alright?" Lucy asked, concerned. "You look a bit pale."

The Dragon Slayer felt a cold sensation wash over him then. "Yeah… I'm good." He said, then coming to a decision. He didn't want to bring down the mood any longer. "I'm gonna head up to my room. See you guys in the morning, yeah?" He asked without expecting an answer, having already gotten out of his seat.

"But we haven't gotten dessert yet, Natsu~" Happy said.

"Yeah, ash-for-brains." Gray lounged back in his seat. "Thought food was the love of your life or something."

"Not tonight, guys." Natsu shook his head, taking out a wad of jewel notes from his pocket and placing them on the table. "Here, that should cover dinner." He said, then turning and making his way out of the restaurant and into the main lobby.

The dull cigar scent of the private lounge was quickly replaced by a cold blast of fresh oxygen as he strode by the front desk and made for the elevators. He pressed the glowing yellow button that had an arrow facing up.

He watched the small number box above the doors light up and begin to count down. 10, 9, 8…

A firm but small hand had grasped his shoulder. Natsu immediately looked at it and then at its owner.

Erza stood behind him, and carefully removed her hand when he noticed her. "Natsu, what's wrong?" She asked, folding her arms and giving him a rather stern glare.

For the life of him, he didn't even know why he was completely unphased under the death stare she was giving him. Now he just looked at her as if she'd cracked a bad joke. "Nothing." He said. "Just a bit tired."

"I understand that you're still sick. But you've just been… reclusive these last few days."

"Yeah. I know."

Erza's gaze had softened. She pursed her lips and took a step forward. "What's wrong, Natsu? You haven't been yourself lately. It's…" She looked away. "It's worrying the rest of us."

Should he tell her? Natsu didn't know whether or not she would get it. He didn't completely understand the problem himself. All he knew is that he was angry for letting down Igneel. For letting Simon die, for letting Jellal walk all over him…

And for seeing Erza cry.

No. This wasn't her problem. He shouldn't make it her problem. As much as Natsu trusted Erza, he couldn't do that to her. She'd had more than enough emotional stuff on her plate. Right now, she needed time to herself, and he needed to get himself out of whatever this rut was. Perhaps he might tell someone one day soon, but for now, this was something he'd have to sort out on his own.

"No," He said with a gentle smile, placing his hand on Erza's arm. "Nothing's wrong, Erza. I'm just tired."

Ding!

He looked over his shoulder and at the elevator. The two doors opened revealing an empty car.

Natsu took his hand away and went inside. Erza followed him, but stopped at the threshold between the main floor and the car. As he clicked the button for the 8th floor, he gave Erza one last smile.

"Goodnight, Erza." He said.

"Goodnight, Natsu." Came her reply. He didn't notice her downcast look as the doors closed shut. Ding!

Once he arrived back in his room, he took a seat on the lone armchair at the head of the coffee table in the living area. On his throne of reflection, he looked at the wide landscape painting hanging on the opposite wall and went back to the demons that were plaguing his mind.

He stayed there until the early hours of the morning. Just watching the still-life wheat fields in the painting and never once moving.

Author's Note:

Hello everyone. The Son of Wanderer here.

Before we dive in, there are a few things I'd like to clear up. Some of these may dissuade you from reading further, if that is the case, then no harm done. However, for those of you who are interested, here's what NOT to expect:

A full retelling of Fairy Tail. That's not the point of this story. It's not happening. As a matter of fact, I'm going to ignore many of the arcs that happen after the Tower of Heaven.

Jellal ain't coming back. He's staying dead. Not because the pairing wouldn't work with him there, but because he shouldn't have come back in the first place. He was cooler as a villain anyway.

Zero OCs. Can't be bothered, so we're working with the original cast here.

No Battle of Fairy Tail. My version of Laxus isn't a dickhead (well, maybe just a little bit at the start).

That should be it, I believe. Without further ado, I look forward to sharing this adventure with you.

So long,

The Son of Wanderer