PART ONE. Realization

Early October 3rd, The Eastern Forest

Day 3

The world was still spinning.

Time had lost all meaning at the bottom of that little red canoe out on the lake.

After the first hour of hell, Natsu immediately stopped counting the minutes that passed by. He was far more preoccupied with not throwing up his guts.

As he lay face-down against the hull with a small puddle of drool swishing back and forth along his left cheek, he felt the passage of the sun wash over him. The warmth on his back came and went by as the previous day brightened and darkened. And just as the moon came out to play in the blooming night sky above… Natsu finally gathered the strength in his legs and abdomen to shuffle onto his back.

"Grrrrrrrraaagh," The Dragon Slayer had felt his joints crack and pop-the main cause being the awkward position he'd been laying in for a good long while now. Lack of proper hydration was also part of it.

And as soon as Natsu peered up into the sky above, he immediately regretted doing it.

The void above him swirled and spun into a vortex of gray clouds and a blossoming flower of light. Patterns and letters shifted up there-arranging themselves into words and shapes. He could see the wind almost, the light breeze that brushed against his now sweating face. It all simply made him even more nauseous than before…

Natsu weakly clasped a hand over his mouth, almost as a sort of message to his stomach when it drove against his ribcage like a battering ram for the umpteenth time that…

…day? Or had he only been here for half a day?

Honestly, he couldn't rightly tell the difference in his current predicament.

"Why… do… you… hate me?" He asked his stomach.

Naturally, no response came back to him except for a strong gurgle. Brrrrrrrrrrrrn.

The night sky was supposed to be something to be marveled at. Those rings of pure starlight shooting across the black, going to places unknown out in the universe.

It was a frontier. A symbol that they weren't alone. That the universe didn't revolve around them.

And that was perfectly alright.

"Do you ever wonder what the stars think about, Natsu?" Lisanna had asked him once.

How long ago had that been? Had to have been… what… three years back by this point? She'd come over to his house about once a month to help him clean up the place. He didn't care about cleanliness at the time, but Lisanna certainly did, and regarded his poor hygiene habits as unbecoming.

He didn't know why she'd made a monthly pilgrimage to his house out on the edges of town. Especially since he'd always find some new creative way to make yet another mess of his things all over again every time she came over. And, once they'd finished cleaning up his house, Lisanna would cook them a small meal from whatever Natsu had caught earlier in the day. Then she'd put Happy to sleep, and they'd go outside and watch the stars together and talk until it was time for him to walk her back to her house.

At the time, Natsu figured the question was silly. He didn't know better.

"Nah," He'd said to her, somehow recalling a stray piece of information he'd picked up from Macao back then. "They're just balls of light, aren't they? Pretty sure they don't get up to any 'thinking' at all."

"So you could say they're a bit like you, then?"

"Hey! You're lucky, you know! I would've hit you for that one if you weren't a girl."

And then Lisanna would smirk. "Ah, but I'm your wife, aren't I? So I get a free pass. That's the rule."

Why did he feel all warm in the face then?

"Rule? What rule?"

Lisanna had giggled at that. "Well, of being married, silly! You've got to treat your wife like a lady. And that's that."

"Says who?"

"Says… well… nobody really. But it's common courtesy."

"Hmmm," Natsu grumbled at the time. He still had zero clue as to what she was talking about back then. "I guess…"

The blonde laughed again. Then, she stood up and dusted off her long maroon skirt. And… she held out her hand to him. "For instance… Surely a dashing knight such as yourself would be able to walk a lady home?"

Why did she keep calling him a Knight? He was a Dragon, wasn't he?

That black curtain above… the one he'd look up at with Lisanna by his side… now it was only replaced by a void. The beyond.

How hadn't he fallen up into that great gaping hole yet?

Natsu almost snickered. Gravity was slacking on the job, it seemed.

In response to his amusement, his stomach had practically jackknifed beneath his ribcage. His nerves pulsed violently, almost like he'd been shocked to his system. Natsu felt the bile sludging its way up his throat, and he knew he had to move. With strength that he shouldn't have given his present condition, he'd managed to grip a tight hold onto the starboard rail of the canoe and pull himself upwards. Natsu placed his chin up on the wood rail and let it all come right up.

And so it did! As he hadn't eaten, all there was was the usual yellow-green acrid spew that was now mixing with the cool water below him. "Rraallgh!" he groaned as a familiar acidic, and bitter taste filled his mouth again.

When there was nothing left, Natsu fell backward into the hull again, feeling as if someone had blasted him right in the middle of his forehead with a sucker punch.

What had the old man said? My dragon senses and my human senses disagree or something? Seems like a pretty lousy time to pick an argument-I can't even move my arms and legs!

How in the blazes was this so hard for him?

Natsu simmered angrily. As the canoe rocked and wobbled in the calm water, he felt another shockwave to his system-he covered his mouth again, and rested a hand over his abdomen, if only to make sure his stomach didn't actually jump out of his body.

It was confirmed now. Gramps had it out for him. All those years of collateral property damage had finally caught up with him. It's not like I'm trying to destroy everything around me, he rationalized, maybe people should just stop fighting me outside of random buildings and we could all be happy.

This was a certified tax write-off. A method of execution. This was how he, Natsu Dragneel, would go out. Drooling his guts out at the bottom of a canoe. Not at all in a blaze of glory like he imagined.

Unless…

…unless he… what… picked something out in the distance to focus on?

How am I supposed to do that when everything is spinning?

"This is bullshit…" he managed to ground out one last enraged murmur… before he finally lost consciousness.

Hmmmm.

So many choices, and yet so many things to look out for.

Just what was one supposed to do when faced with so many different variants of cake? And especially when one was always perspicacious of their waistline?

The hustle and bustle of Magnolia Town Square, at least during the autumn season, was something to behold. Merchants and tradesmen and craftsmen of all stripes and collars had arrived over the course of the last few weeks alone. It was a time-honored tradition that those living outside the city, or in nearby towns would come to visit and ply their trade for the entire city. This was also, of course, because of the upcoming Fantasia Parade. After a long and hard year, and because of the many battles which shook this town in the past-a good celebration was needed.

And on this one gorgeous Friday afternoon, Erza found herself standing outside the pastry stalls which were lined up and down Central Path, the long horizontal road where most of the city's events and parades would be held. Here was she, Erza Scarlet, standing on the west side of the most crowded street in Magnolia, wearing a conservative pale yellow sundress she'd once bought for herself a few years ago, but previously had never found the time, nor the occasion to wear it.

It was certainly a surprising change of pace. This little shopping trip.

Sure, she'd gone shopping before. But usually these outings involved some sort of purpose behind them; she'd need (or want) a new set of clothes, or armor and weapons from the local Heart Kreuz outlet here in Magnolia. She might treat herself to a few… spicy romance novels, or her preferred and beloved strawberry cake. Then of course, there was her personal blacksmith-a man by the name of Riordan. He lived just a few hours outside the city, but there wasn't a soul in Fiore who could match him in the craft. He was one of the only smiths in the kingdom who could work with enchantments on armor. She visited him about twice a month to get repairs on her gear, and perhaps have something new made for her.

But today's trip wasn't like any of that… no, not in the least.

As per Erza's aimlessness… she was currently inspecting the various baked goods which were out on display in this corner of the Farmer's Market.

There were slices of red velvet cake topped with sliced strawberries and cream cheese icing; strawberry tarts; strawberry-stuffed cupcakes; strawberry shortcake grill skewers (she still wasn't entirely sure on that last one).

And best of all?

Erza narrowed her eyes on the small bowl containing the most delicious-looking chocolate covered strawberries imaginable. It was placed out as an offering to passersby-a free sample to bring in new customers, no doubt.

Her stomach groaned slightly, grrrrrrrrr. Thankfully not loud enough to make her look desperate.

It wouldn't do to gorge herself on everything here. That would not be appropriate for a woman in her position-not to mention it would be highly impolite. Surely there were other people who wanted…

She'd had her usual conservative breakfast of oats and an egg. Plenty of calories to use up before she hit her limit for the day.

Maybe just a few then, she thought to herself as she reached for the bowl containing samples of her number one favorite food coated in her number three favorite food.

Erza took two of the chocolate-engulfed delights and plucked them into her mouth at the same time.

A swirl of clashing flavours came to her then; the combination of the sweetened glazed strawberry mixed with milk chocolate was all that she asked for-Erza considered herself to be a fairly talented chef on her own, but whoever came up with that particular food combination must've been a downright genius.

Directly behind the stall of baked goods was, unsurprisingly, a bakery. The rectangular white sign over the doorway contained stylized ornate light blue lettering reading out, 'Baking At Its Best' with a small chef standing next to the last word, holding up a cake. It was charming. Quaint, even.

The bell above the door jingled open, and a short elderly woman stepped outside. The woman wore a neat and tidy dress with only a slight bit of fray at the hem, and her long gray hair was slightly thin, though still retained some of the curl from her youth. She'd looked up and down the crowded street before laying eyes on Erza. And when she did, she gave Erza a warm, grandmotherly smile.

"Why hello, Erza!" The old woman clapped her hands and approached.. "How are you, dear? And-oh, you simply look lovely today!"

"Hello, Anja. And thank you," She smiled back, but couldn't help but blush at the old woman's praise. She'd straightened her dress again. "I'm out here with a friend today, and I thought I'd pick up something to eat and say hello."

Anja had been born in Magnolia. She'd married young and ran the bakery with her husband, Fredrik. To Erza's knowledge, they'd had around nine children, and about twice that number in grandchildren. It was very clear to Erza that the old woman had had no regrets, and was outstandingly proud of the life she'd lived. A feeling that Erza very much admired and, on occasion, felt partially envious of.

Still, that did not stop her from loving the old woman almost as her own grandmother-this was reciprocated in kind, as Anja very much treated Erza like a surrogate granddaughter.

"Well, I'm happy you stopped by!" Anja gave her that toothy, energetic grin. "In fact, Fredrik and I baked up a few of those classic strawberry cakes you love so much. We'd kept one in reserve just for you, darling! But-" she leaned across the stall slightly, and gently tapped her nose, as if she were revealing a critical trade secret, "-don't tell anyone else."

Erza couldn't help but adopt the old woman's infectious positive energy. "I won't tell a soul, I promise. Could I pick it up later today? My friend and I should be back in a bit."

"Of course you can, dear. We'll always be happy to open our doors for you. Who's your friend, by the way?"

"Well," Erza started, "You know Mirajane Strauss?"

Anja's face lit up again in recognition. "Oh, indeed I do! My other granddaughter, Tiana, can't stop talking about that young lady. Always has her eyes glued on an edition of Sorceror Weekly Magazine whenever I see her. She's a really big fan, I hear. Of both Miss Strauss and that ice-wizard friend of yours-what was his name again…"

"Oh, you must mean Gray."

"Ah, yes, Gray!" The old woman nodded. "But I don't suppose you and your guild have a little something planned for the Fantasia Parade? We absolutely loved last year's show, you know."

The Knight nodded, "We do as a matter of fact. I can't reveal everything, but I can say that…"

The sun was bearing down on him.

Natsu always liked that great shining orb in the sky. He could see it better than most others, could withstand its heat without being drained of energy as the day went by. Didn't need to shy away after a perfect tan had been achieved.

Hadn't Lucy complained about something along those lines once?

Whatever, its not like it mattered now.

What irked Natsu was that the sun had gone ahead and did a complete one-eighty on him. Now as he tried to contain the stormy ocean of bile in his digestive track, the sun's everpresent gaze was just making it worse. He now knew what it meant to be 'seared' from the inside out, as he shivered violently in the hull of the canoe-same spot he'd been in for the last… what? Thirty hours? Thirty days?

Thirty years?

In any case, the most immediate concern that came to mind was the dryness of his throat.

In addition to slaking his thirst normally with water, Natsu could also do so with fire. It was, of course, an ability only he could do as a Fire Dragon Slayer. Eating fire was often a lot like chugging down a barrel of beef broth mixed with about two tons of black pepper. A very satisfying meal, as it not only refueled his magical tank, but also satiated his body with all the nutrients and calories it needed.

Unfortunately, Natsu didn't have access to any fire at the moment besides his own. And summoning up the willpower to create some simply wasn't an option when all he could do was shake and sweat uncontrollably on the floor and wait for his stomach to kill him.

As for water… well, if Natsu could move and jump out of the boat, he would.

If he could that was.

"It all… hurts…" he croaked.

As if in response, the wind had suddenly picked up again. It didn't sound calm like it usually would on a fine autumn day.

No, now it was practically howling in his ears. Almost like that blizzard had up on Mount Hakobe.

Noooooooooooooo!

The boat rocked from side to side again, Natsu couldn't stop himself from having yet another spasm. He jittered and shook and weakly wrapped his own fist against his chest. "No, no, no, no, no!"

Blast that old man! Makarov was trying to kill him now, wasn't he? Him and his stupid Wind Magic!

When the boat settled again, so had he stopped jerking about. Natsu lay flat on his back looking up at the sky.

You know what you need to do, Dragneel.

If you want out of this, you've got to focus on something in the distance.

Pfft. Easier said than done.

The great void of clear blue sky still hadn't stopped whirling all over the place. What if he lost focus of it?

Then you try again until you get it right.

But what about-

"Get. To. Work."

Had that been… Igneel's voice on the wind? Natsu gasped and swallowed down a shaky breath. As if in response to his father's voice, he'd nodded wordlessly and cracked open his eyes some more.

There… were some clouds up there. Except the moment he'd looked at one, he saw it instantly duplicate itself and watched as the twin clouds now folded into eachother, and then finally as it split apart into eight swirling tendrils of mist in the sky connected to a large moving body.

A giant squid in the sky is all kinds of wrong, he thought.

The taste of acid only got worse, Natsu tried to keep his focus on the flying calamari, yet to no avail. His stomach simply burgened against his abdomen even harder than before and he couldn't stop the bile that then came up his throat and nostrils.

"Raaaglff!" He vomited again, but this time inside the boat. And then the darkness took him away again.

Back to square one.

…They are calling,

From across the distant shore.

Why do you weep?

What are these tears upon your face?

Soon you will see,

All of your fears will pass away.

Safe in my arms,

You're only sleeping.

What can you see,

On the horizon?

Why do the white gulls call?

Across the sea,

A pale moon rises.

The ships have come to carry you home.

And all will turn,

To silver glass.

A light on the water.

All souls pass.

Hope fades,

Into the world of night.

Through shadows falling,

Out of memory and time.

Don't say,

We've come now to the end.

White shores are calling,

You and I will meet again,

And you'll be here in my arms,

Just sleeping.

And all will turn,

To silver glass.

A light on the water,

Grey Ships will pass,

Into The West.

Not even a moment after Mira finished strumming the final note on her guitar, had the entire restaurant erupted into an elated frenzy of clapping and overeager cheering.

There were even a few loud whistles amongst those seated by their own tables in the hall.

Erza couldn't help but smile and clap her hands as well. She'd been sitting directly across from Mira when the Take-Over Mage had, after being approached and receiving plenty of well-wishers and fans, decided to open up her guitar case and take up the instrument to play a tune for everyone there.

And once she got started? That was precisely when Erza figured out what the barmaid had been talking about the other day regarding passion.

Mira had always been a kind individual-even when she went through her goth phase. She always seemed to make peoples' days brighter just by giving them a lopsided grin. She seemed to have a knack for it. So when she'd taken up the guitar right infront of everyone, it appeared to Erza as if Mira's natural charm and the calming, positive aura around her had been amplified a hundredfold.

Joy and happiness quickly spread to the other guests. Other women were shedding tears as they listened to Mira sing, and the men had sat back calmly and respectfully, obviously taken in by the white-haired beauty who was performing only a few tables away.

It was almost like everyone had been taken in by a charm spell all in one effortless stroke.

Charm Magic was, of course, illegal. Yet the fact that this positive intoxication was clearly not magical in nature… that was what stunned Erza the most.

Mira stood up from her seat and gave two deep bows to everyone else in attendance. "Thank you so much!" She said with a beaming grin. She started putting her guitar away into the case she'd brought along and took her seat again, returning to her plate of grilled, seasoned chicken breasts paired with salad.

The clapping and whistling finally began to die down after a few moments, and order returned to their fellow restaurateurs. Erza remembered her grilled salmon doused with lemon juice, and got back to eating her meal.

"That was a lovely performance, Mira."

"Thank you, Erza! I spent a long time practicing that song. It's one of my favorites. I read about it from this book series actually…"

Erza cut into her fillet easily, almost gripping the knife as if it were another of her swords.

What did she have to show for herself then? Erza Scarlet knew for a fact she had no desire, no skill or even the urge to play an instrument like Mira could. The old compulsion to compete with the Take-Over Mage flared up within her again. Yet, it was an unfair feeling.

She was proud that Mira could command the attention of an entire crowd like that. That she could play so well so as to hypnotize everyone around her-if only for a few minutes.

To bring light and joy into their lives like that…

…how can I do that?

Erza had usually seen herself as the one who stole joy away from others. Wasn't that what she did every time she broke up a guild-wide brawl? And yet the guild needed discipline after all.

What was there for her to do?

"-and then… Erza? Erza, are you alright?"

The Knight realized she'd been staring at her salmon. She looked up and met Mira's soft gaze. "Hmmm? Yes, yes… I'm fine."

"Well, you seemed distracted. It wasn't from the song I hope?"

"No, not at all." That was the last thing she wanted Mira to think. That she had, even in a small way, brought down someone's day. "I was…" Perhaps it would be best to change the subject. So she could collect her thoughts. "Why the guitar? I don't recall you ever playing it when we were little."

The Take-Over Mage seemed to fall silent at that, but not despondent. She carefully set down both her knife and fork and sat back in her chair.

Those full lips had pursed for a moment, before taking on a small wistful smile as she glanced out the window next to them. "It was a few years ago. After Lis-" Mira paused. "After Lisanna passed away. Weeks after that job… I couldn't even bring myself to get out of bed in the morning. Elfman… he managed to pull himself together. I don't even know how he did it, but… he did…" Erza could see it in Mira's eyes. Those dark blue orbs betrayed the awe and respect and admiration she held for her younger brother.

Now that was a feeling that Erza could understand. An emotion that she'd even felt fairly recently even. One that still pulsed whenever she recalled what happened at the Tower.

Natsu standing over Jellal, his knuckles encrusted with dried blood.

Mira continued, "I should've been there for him. I'm the oldest sibling, and it was my responsibility to take care of him. But I… I just couldn't," she admitted, looking rather ashamed. "He took Lisanna's passing far worse than I did, but he knew that we couldn't stay in the house and do nothing. We had payments to make and food needed to be put on the table, so he went and took on some more jobs. He got up every single day and went out to the guild to find work. He took care of the house; repaired the roof; he even learned how to cook for us even though Lisanna and I would usually do it. It got so bad that he also had to bring me meals because I couldn't bring myself to get up and go downstairs to eat."

In the battle that I should've been the most prepared for… that I was too weak to fight…

…he came to save me.

"One day, Elfman came home with that-" Mira looked at her now, and she jutted her chin slightly down to the guitar case by her feet, "He claimed he got it as a bonus from a client. He didn't know what to do with it though, so he gave it to me."

"And you started playing it?" Erza asked, assuming what happened next.

Mira, of course, nodded. "Yes, but not right away. I remember staring at it for days while I lay in bed. But eventually, I woke up one afternoon and… just picked it up and started fiddling with the strings." She said with a wide grin as she wiggled her fingers about. "It was just me and that guitar for hours and hours and hours. I knew I was so terrible back then. But I kept at it until I fell asleep."

"The next day I woke up, and… I don't know why, but everything felt… clear. Like a massive weight had been lifted from me. For the first time in weeks, I left my room. I went outside for a walk, took a bath, did the dishes, cleaned up the house. Elfman came home and-" Mira laughed delightedly. "Oh, he was so happy that I'd gotten out of bed. You should've seen his face. Smiled like he used to do when we were kids. From there… well… I guess you could say we started putting our lives back together."

Outstanding… So the guitar had been some kind of… therapy for Mira?

Lisanna's death had been a difficult blow for everyone in the guild, and especially for the Strauss siblings. But Erza didn't know the depths to which it had impacted both Mira and Elfman personally.

Not until now at least.

"And that's why you still play it?" Erza asked, her respect for the barmaid had risen even more. "The guitar, I mean."

"Yep!" Mira's chipper tone had returned just as soon as it had left. "It's not something I need to do anymore. Now it's something I want to do. And if it could help me recover and make my life better, then I think pursuing some kind of passion can do the same for anyone else. Which brings me to you."

Erza was suddenly caught off guard, "I'm not looking to recover from something, Mira."

The blonde had shaken her head. "That's not the point, though. You don't need to be recovering from anything. It's all about learning a skill that you want to be good at, and the fact that there's a learning curve just makes it better. We're supposed to struggle to learn new things, Erza. It's just a part of being human, after all. When things are easy-to-do, or are handed to us on a silver platter, we simply don't appreciate them as much. Haven't you ever noticed that we're a lot more satisfied with our accomplishments when we have to earn them through hard work?"

Yes, Erza thought to herself, she had felt that way pretty much about her whole career as a Wizard. Hell, she'd been the youngest mage to ever attain S-Class, and at the age of 15, no less.

Still… it wasn't something Erza had ever consciously thought about. And as Mira spoke, it… did make some sense to her.

"We're able to lead more fulfilling lives when we go out of our way to master a skill, or practice a passion, or just to do something we care about. Sure, it'll be difficult, but that's kind of the point at the end of the day. And when we do that, we're able to leave behind all of the doubts and fears that we once had, and embrace each new day with purpose and light," Mira said, now holding up her fork so as to make a point. "You're too uptight, Erza. Too rigid. I see it every time you walk into the guild hall. You're not wearing your armor constantly anymore, and that's great-it's just that you don't seem to be doing anything else either. You're doing the same old things day after day. I mean, look at your team. Lucy's writing a book and she's making good progress on it; Gray doesn't talk about it much, but he likes learning about history and even discussing it at times if you ask him; and Natsu?" Mira shrugged. "Well, he loves to fight-I'd say he's probably one of the best hand-to-hand fighters we have in the guild, right up there with Gildarts."

"See what I mean, Erza?" Mira asked as she'd finished off her chicken and salad. "When you genuinely pursue something you want to do, you really begin to find out what it means to live."

Erza was astounded.

Was she too rigid? Too… uptight? Too used to doing the same things day-in and day-out?
She didn't even know what she wanted to do, outside of being a good example for her guildmates to follow.

But, by that same token, Erza knew that Mira was right.

And it was time to do something about it.

The wind was howling.

Water lapped gently against the fiery red hull of the canoe.

Afternoon came and went, and the clear blue sky had transitioned into gold, and then orange as the sun began to set in the West.

Birds were chirping, acorns were falling from trees, wood crackled and split apart in a distant campfire.

Natsu awoke once again, first feeling the thick sheen of sweat covering his face and neck.

Next came the pungent stench of acid and bile, coming from the small dried pool of vomit beneath him. And oddly enough, the sharp pain he felt in his abdomen had come third. It was almost like someone had plunged a dagger into his chest, and then proceeded to stab him over and over and over and over again…

…why was he out here?

Why did his stomach hate him so much?

Why was he going through all this punishment?

Why was he doing this?

Why couldn't he just loop his body over the rails and into the lake so he could sink to the bottom?

Why couldn't he just swim his way back?

Why?

Why?

Why?

"You're really incredible… Natsu."

Natsu shot open his eyes for the first time in days. He swallowed down the venom in his gut and took in his surroundings.

His stomach and whole body still wracked with nearly nerve-damaging pain, but just barely, he was able to see… a… tree?

The foggy darkened shape sat above the railing of the canoe's hull. The spine of the long trunk had reached up and up and up. Even though his vision was blurry at best, Natsu could imagine branches and red leaves protruding from the tree. Almost… almost like…

…And then suddenly he did see it.

Natsu felt his belly protest and gurgle and stab him again, but he fought through every inch of throbbing agony, every excruciating signal that was sent to his brain. He was emboldened as his sight began to clear, he'd kept his focus on that tree, the one that sat there on the shoreline, waiting for him to return.

Small bursts of energy came back to him. The unending pressure on his ribcage and abdomen started to lessen and shrink down… and Natsu found the strength to sit up.

He let out a shaky breath as he now saw the entire oak tree in all its glory. Standing upright and proud. An old beast planted close to a hundred years ago. And the world around it had stopped spinning! Had ceased to fold in on itself dozens of times just as it always did when he got into a boat or stepped onto a train. Natsu's peripheral vision steadied itself then… and he knew he'd done it!

The Dragon Slayer glanced down and patted his bare chest. He looked down and was… surprised.

Now instead of feeling like someone had shoved a hot lump of lead down his throat… now his stomach merely pinched at him. Squeezing the same way someone would squeeze a dishtowel. But it was manageable.

No! It was more than manageable, now.

Natsu didn't waste any more time. He looked again at the great oak tree by the beach and reached for the paddle next to him in the canoe. And he got right to work.

Almost as if to fight back-the wind had picked up again. Stronger this time. Stronger than any natural wind ought to be! Gramps was trying to push him back out into the lake again!

Not today! Natsu thought, now putting more force into each stroke with the wooden paddle, he scythed through the crystal waters below him, his strength more than a match for whatever gust that Makarov could throw at him. The narrowed bow of the canoe was almost like the tip of a spear, breaking through the blasted wall of wind like cutting through paper!

Natsu plunged the blade of the paddle in the water again and kept going.

Again.

Again.

AGAIN.

AGAIN!

AGAIN!

Mmmph! The canoe landed against the wet sandy shore.

Natsu threw aside the paddle and jumped out onto the beach. Nothing else mattered to him, now, not even the oak. He'd landed onto the wet sand and grasped at it, even taking up clumps of it in his hands.

Gratitude overwhelmed his entire being. For the first time in over a month, Natsu Dragneel laughed uproariously, almost like a madman. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! WOOOO!" He grinned ear-to-ear as he kissed the sand in his palms over and over, and began to jerk his arms and legs about, making sand angels on the beach. "Yes! I'm back! Thank you! Oh, thank you! I'll never take you for granted ever again!"

Moments later, when the last of his energy had left him, and he turned over on the beach so he could look up into the blooming night sky above, he smiled thankfully, and genuinely.

It was set in stone now.

His final conclusion was obvious.

If I can beat my motion sickness…

…then what else could I do?

Author's Note:

Shoutout to Annie Lennox - Ain't she just a darling?