This story is basically inspired by my own experinces with the disease. Some parts are exaggerated greatly to suit the story.

Chapter 1

Natsu dashed through the dark alley, the moonlight lighting up patches of the concrete pathway before him. He jumped over a trash can and dashed by a pile of snow as he tightened his school bag around his shoulders. He turned his head around to look at the men that were after him. He saw them in the distance, hurriedly running after him, contracting and pulsating, almost changing shapes. Their black suits blended them into the darkness, but their widely grinning almost ghost-like white faces caused them to stand out.

Natsu gasped in fright and paranoia and dashed further forward, putting in every bit of strength he had left in him.

He was being followed. He didn't know by whom, or why, but some men in black suits and ties were after him. They had been since school ended. The world was a dark and twisted place. Only God knew what they would do to him should they catch him.

He looked ahead into the street, and found a streetlight in the far distance. This old projects area that was cut off from the city had no power, so that streetlight meant he was about to exit the projects and enter the main city. That was bad news, because he had entered the projects in the first place to lose his pursuers in them. But they had successfully followed him to the edge.

He only knew one thing that could stop them now. A straight confrontation. He quickly sent his hand into his pocket and drew a knife. He switched it open and the cold steel gleamed under the full moon's light. He ran further for a short distance and then came to a sliding halt over the frozen ice. He turned around, and awaited the men.

The street before him was empty. Had he lost them? He looked around, and then up. There they were. Two masculine silhouettes stood on two separate building terraces, looking down at him, while a third swiftly climbed down the side of a building. Natsu was horrified. How could they be so nimble and fast? They were definitely demons.

The third man climbed down onto the floor and dashed toward Natsu. Natsu gulped and sighed, readying himself for battle. He had taken a few close combat classes, but he didn't know if that would be of any use against such heavily trained demon assassins. He dashed towards the man.

Silence hung in the air. Dogs barked somewhere in a nearby street, and police sirens were heard approaching and then going away.

Soon, Natsu would have engaged the man in a fight. Soon. Natsu and him quickly approached each other as the time almost stood frozen. A few seconds more.

As soon as Natsu was right before the man, he quickly swung his knife blindly at the man's chest. But before the knife could make contact, the man vanished. He vanished into thin air, leaving behind smoke in his wake. Natsu stared into the smoke. Dancing, twisting, furling and unfurling. Soon, the smoke started to change colour before Natsu's eyes. It went purple, then green, and then broke into a million shades of red.

The smoke soon vanished into the cold snowy winds. Nothing was left of the man that had just attacked him. Natsu just blindly stared into the darkness, then, as if broken from his trance, he looked up at the other two men that stood on the terraces looking down at him, but they were gone too.

Natsu stepped back, dazed and confused. What was he seeing? Were these… were these men even humans? Who was after him? What were these supernatural entities? Why did they want him? What did they want from a normal schoolboy? What could they possibly need from him?

Natsu stared down the open lonely dark street before him, and could see something in the distance. A light. It was orange and red, and danced in and out. It looked like a fire burning down the street somewhere, a few hundred metres away. Natsu narrowed his eyes.

Soon, the fire started to approach him. Natsu's eyes widened as he stepped back. The fire was soon right before Natsu. Natsu realised that it wasn't a fire. It was plain white light, glowing in the darkness, twisting, contorting, pulsating, contracting and expanding, washing the dark surroundings in a glow like a small sun.

Natsu slowly approached the light. His mind was blank. He didn't have any thoughts in his head at the moment. It was completely empty. Airy. As if he didn't have a brain anymore. He slowly extended his hand into the sphere of light, and found that his hand passed right through it.

"What… what are you?"

Natsu asked. He somehow knew that this ball of light was alive. Somehow, he knew he could speak to the ball of light.

A moment of silence ensued. Natsu felt silly talking to this creature, as if he somehow realised that it wouldn't reply back.

Who was Natsu talking to? Was there anyone or anything there to talk to? Natsu shook his head and blinked his eyes.

He was back in the dark and cold surroundings. He looked around himself, as if broken from hypnosis. He felt like he had just woken up after a long sleep. But… he hadn't been sleeping at all. Just recently, he was running away from those men. Just a few hours ago, his class had ended. That light… just a few seconds ago, he was talking to that light.

Natsu looked ahead. The light was not there anymore. Its glow on the surroundings was gone, and Natsu was back in the darkness. Did that light mean something? Did it have something to do with those demons that were after Natsu?

He breathed heavily, as if he had just finished a sprint. But… he had been standing still for a long time. He looked at his hands, and found that he was holding his knife. Why… why was his knife out? He then suddenly remembered that he was trying to fight those men.

He sighed in the silence. Some snow particles fell over his skin and melted away, merging with the sweat on his body. He turned around and started to walk back in the direction he was going before. He slowly approached the streetlight. He walked out into the open road and felt relief wash over him after exiting the dark congested atmosphere of the alleys.

He walked to his right and leaned against the wall of the building, right next to the opening of the alley. A group of adults walked past him, eyeing him closely. Natsu stared back at them as they passed by him, scenting what smelled like marijuana in the air. Those guys must have been smoking. He coughed a few times. The men walked past him and started to jeer and sneer loudly when they reached a distance.

Natsu sighed as they left his vicinity. He looked down at his knife and found his anxious and frightful reflection gleaming on it against the light from the streetlamp. He looked… tired and worked up. But he didn't blame himself. He had had barely any food since that morning, and he had left for school early. And following that, running away from those men in the dark alley for almost an hour had to have worked its effect on his body.

He fished in his pocket and brought out a cigarette. He placed one end in his mouth and lit the other end with his lighter. He pulled in a deep breath through the stick, and then pulled the cigarette away from his mouth as he exhaled. The nicotine hit him fast, and his mind went numb for a while. His aching muscles halted their pain, and his breath almost felt like it was returning to him. Cigarettes would always calm him down whenever something weird happened to him. The world was a strange place. Sometimes, people would vanish from right before his eyes. Other times, he would feel as if he was talking to himself. Sometimes he would see someone in his mirror and when he would turn around, they would be gone. This used to happen to him a lot ever since he had grown up to be 17. Somewhere down the line, he had started to smoke. After every such strange otherworldly experience, he would be immediately calmed down when he smoked. He could only imagine how others had learnt to deal with such happenings.

Taking one last breath of the heavy nicotine dose, he dropped the cigarette to the ground and trampled it. He should head home, he thought. He checked the road for oncoming traffic, and when it was clear, he dashed onto the bridge over the canal.

Soon, he reached the heavily crowded commercial district. The nightlife was in full effect at that time. Natsu checked his watch. It was already 7:45 pm. He was late for home. His family must be worried, he felt. He cut through the crowds of people and dashed into any opening he could find to reach home faster. He lived in the residential area just on the other side of this commercial area.

"Hey handsome. You look like you could use a coffee."

A girl dressed in a maid costume invited him to their maid themed cafe. Natsu stared at her for a while, before shaking his head.

"I… I am fine."

He started to walk ahead.

The girl stared at his back worriedly. "Hey… are you okay?"

Natsu didn't reply.

He had never been good with people. Social etiquette… just didn't come to him as naturally as it did to others. Hanging over that was his distrust of people. He knew for a fact that everyone wanted something from him, and once they were done, they would dump him. Sometimes violently. It had never happened before, but to his defence, he had never let it happen. He would always keep his distance.

Some anime cosplayers stood in his way as he walked further. He fished around them, and through some more people that were going to the commercial district. Passing through hundreds of shops and a big mall, he reached the residential area. It was quieter and less crowded here. He would occasionally come across someone returning home from work, or someone walking their dog, but that was all fine. At least he didn't have to worry about someone from a massive crowd sticking a knife in his back.

He turned a corner, and quickly bumped into someone. His head clashed against theirs, and he had a ringing headache left after he stepped back. His eyes shut, he staggered back onto his feet and stood still, massaging his head. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at whoever he had run into.

It was a girl. She had fallen over, and currently knelt on the ground before him, her red bright hair falling over her face and her hands squeezing against her forehead.

Natsu narrowed his eyes.

The girl slowly looked up at him. "Watch where you're going…"

Natsu stared at her face. His mouth hung agape, and his eyes slightly widened as he took in her beautiful facade. She had dark long eyes that were currently narrowed in pain, a sharp nose and bright sallow cheeks, slightly red in the stark snowy weather. Her chin was small, and her jawline sharp. She looked… pretty. Natsu had never seen someone as beautiful as her before.

He just stood in place as he watched her slowly getting up. She stood almost as tall as him. She slowly arranged her dishevelled hair behind her head, and looked at him.

"Natsu…?"

Natsu narrowed his eyes. How did she know his name? Was she one of the men that were after him? Had they sent a pretty girl after him to trick him?

He slowly stepped back, and then turned around. Before he could dash into another alley, she called for him again.

"Wait. You dropped this…"

Natsu looked around again. She was extending his knife back to him. He narrowed his eyes and quickly checked his pockets. His knife wasn't with him. Did he really drop it, or had she disarmed him? How stupid was he to let go of his knife like that? And how nimble was she to have taken it from him like that? Or… maybe he had really dropped it.

He slowly extended his hand and snatched the knife away from her.

The girl stood staring at him for a while, in awe of his extremely awkward behaviour. She let it slide for a while, and smiled brightly at him.

"You still don't recognise me, do you?"

Natsu stared at her suspiciously. Was she trying to be friendly?

"No." He answered.

The girl giggled. She then slowly pulled a lock of her hair behind her ear. "I knew it. That's just like you. I am Erza. Erza Scarlet? I am in your class. Remember me now?"

Natsu furrowed his brows as he still stared at her. He couldn't say that he remembered seeing anyone like her. She looked unique. Uniquely beautiful. He had never seen someone like her before. Her name, on the other hand, sounded a bit familiar.

"I don't remember." Natsu quipped.

Erza smiled. "That's okay. Now you know."

She extended her right hand to him. Natsu looked at it. What was he supposed to do with it? Shake it? He had seen people doing it, but he never had the chance to do it himself. He usually stayed away from people.

He slowly joined his cold freezing hand with her warm and soft palm. She gently gave it a shake. Then Natsu quickly pulled his hand back. He didn't want to be in contact with her too long, no matter how pleasant it felt or how sweet she smelled. He couldn't give her a chance to strike him—considering she was one of those men. That belief, though, was slowly going away from Natsu's mind. Why would she give him his knife back if she wanted to attack him?

"So… why are you carrying a knife?" She asked, raising a brow.

Natsu looked at her up and down as he pocketed his knife. "It's… it's a lucky charm."

Erza stared at him. Then she broke into a sweet laughter. She covered her mouth with a hand.

"Really? A knife is your lucky charm?"

Natsu felt offended that she would be laughing at him. She probably wouldn't be laughing should she hear the real reason he was carrying it. He looked away and stared at the empty roads for a while. He should head home. When he started to walk away, Erza grabbed his bag and halted his walk.

Natsu widened his eyes when he realised that she was stronger than she looked. He turned his head around. She smiled at him sadly.

"Hey… I am sorry for laughing. It's just that I found it funny. Don't mind me."

Natsu stared at her. She was being weird. Or… maybe he was and she was having to be weird to sync with him. He didn't know. Is this how people normally behaved?

She walked closer to him and stood by him. "Where do you live?"

Natsu looked ahead at the crossroad. He didn't want to tell her the way to his house. He pointed straight down one of the streets.

"There."

Erza gasped happily. "Hey, that's where I live too. Come on. Let's go. You can drop me home as an apology for bumping into me. You still haven't said sorry though."

She grabbed his arm and started to pull him in the direction. Natsu realised that he had screwed himself over by telling her the wrong way to his house. But at least she wouldn't know where he lived. He looked at her happy side profile. Was she being friendly with him or was this just how she behaved? Was she always this cheery?

"So… how was school today, Natsu?"

Natsu stared at her. "It was… fine."

Erza looked at him, frowning for a while. "You don't talk much, do you?"

Natsu looked down at his feet as he walked. "Mostly only to my brother. And his wife."

Erza giggled. "Well, aren't they lucky?"

Natsu looked at her. What did she mean by that? Was she insinuating that Natsu was special?

Erza explained when she found him looking at her. "Well, don't they say that when a person who doesn't talk much talks to you, you have great luck?"

Natsu weighed her words. He had never heard of that. Maybe it was a childish rumour in more socially adept circles. Which he didn't care for much, by the way.

Natsu felt awkward walking silently by her. He stole a glance at her beautiful face, and found it ripe with a bright yet subtle smile. Her hair danced in the gentle snowy winds, and a few snow particles were lodged in her silky locks. His heart beat faster. As if he just realised that he was walking with her. With this absolutely stunning girl. That she was talking to him.

"How… how was… your school?"

Erza looked at him, smiling slyly. "Look who's trying to be friendly all of a sudden."

She giggled. "It was fine. The same old. Gray with his inherent habit to strip. Lucy with her wealth. Juvia with her undying love for Gray…"

Natsu felt confused. Who were all these people? He had never heard nor seen them. He would usually keep his head down in class.

Erza looked at him, narrowing her eyes. "You do know them, don't you?"

Natsu stared at her. He wanted to lie. But somehow, he found himself wanting to be honest with her. Almost as if he could be honest with her. It was a relieving feeling.

"No… I don't."

"You share the same class as them, Natsu. Don't you want to have friends?"

Natsu felt flustered. "I… I don't know how to make friends."

Erza halted. Natsu walked past her, and then turned around and looked at her. She had a flash of a sad expression on her face for a while. She thought for a moment, and then spoke.

"Okay. The first thing we do tomorrow is to introduce you to these people. I know they would want to be your friends."

Natsu gawked at her. Making new friends… he didn't think he would be comfortable with it. Somehow, he felt the slightest bit of comfort with this girl, but he knew not everyone would be as… unique… as her.

"Uh… not tomorrow…" he mumbled.

Erza thought for a moment. "Oh. That's okay. At least be my friend then."

Natsu looked at her. Friends with her? Is this all it took to make a friend? Just happening upon each other in a dark street and him getting his knife returned to him? What defines a friend? What was a friend? Was it just a word or did it have a special meaning to it? Was he… friends with her now?

"Uh… okay."

"Great." Erza said. "Well, this is my house. We are here."

Natsu looked at the house that she pointed to. It was a beautiful two story house. Beautiful… just like her.

Natsu nodded. "O…okay."

Erza looked at him for a while. "When dropping someone off, you say, 'Good night', or 'See you'."

Natsu nodded slightly, confused. "Okay… see you."

Erza giggled and opened the gate to her house. She shut the gate behind her and looked at Natsu through the grates. She waved her hand up in the air. "Yep. See you tomorrow, Natsu."

Natsu stood still. He didn't know what to do.

Erza looked like she didn't expect him to do anything. She just turned around and knocked on the wooden door to her house.

Her red hair flowed gently in the winds, and her bag hung low near her waist. Natsu just stared at her back. An urge to say something else… anything… gripped him. Why did he want to continue to talk to her? He knew that she would forget about him come tomorrow. So… why did he want to keep being friends with her? What was wrong with him? What were these foreign feelings in his heart?

"Uh… Erza…"

She turned around.

Natsu felt nervous. "I… I am sorry for bumping into you. I hope you didn't get hurt."

Erza gazed at him, surprised that he had said all that by himself, without someone prompting it. The whole time she had known him that night, he had only talked in one or two words. She smiled gleefully. "No, Natsu. Tis but a scratch, as they say."

The door behind her unlocked. She turned to look at it, and then faced Natsu again. "Well, see you tomorrow."

Natsu nodded.

Erza turned and headed into the door and locked it behind her.

Natsu stood in the cold lonely night all by himself, staring at the house. He then quickly realised that it would probably be considered creepy if he stood there like that, so he turned around and started to backtrack his route to reach his home.

But… something was different about him. And about the world. It was as if the world had changed somehow. For the better? Everything… looked a bit different to him. Slightly slanted. Pinkish in colour. As if he was wearing a purple filter over his eyes. What was going on?

Was it because of… her? Her sweet smiles? Her cheerful giggles? Her angelic voice? Her… unmatched beauty?

His heart beat out of his chest. A feeling he had never experienced before.