Dawn of Adventure {Book One of The Paths We've Traveled}

Chapter Seventeen: Her Special Day

Natsu leaned against the doorframe, eyes locked on the two girls in the room. His scarf wrapped around his neck, hiding the old faded scar that decorated the skin there. It was late, which was the only reason why Lucy let him risk wearing the distinct piece of clothing. Of course, if it were up to him, he would never take it off, but he couldn't argue with Lucy. He wouldn't add to her stress. Especially when her life had become so difficult recently. Especially considering the day.

Lucy sat beside Wendy's bed, a thick volume spread out across her lap. Every night that she could spare, the Celestial mage came to Natsu and Wendy's rooms and read to Wendy until the girl passed out, exhausted from the energy she expended trying to keep up appearances and make her friends believe nothing was too wrong. No one was fooled, not by the way her cough and fever had grown worse in the two and a half months they had already spent at the hellhole called Grimstone Manor.

Natsu growled to himself, head banging back against the doorframe as he turned his green eyes to the dark windows. With his heightened senses, he could make out villagers returning home, staggering home after a long day of grueling work to make the lives of the nobles at the manor easier. He hated the conditions the entire town was forced to live in almost as much as he hated vehicles. That was saying something huge.

Returning to the matter at hand, he rolled his shoulders, tugging on his scarf. Without actually saying so, all of them had expected to be here for only a few weeks, not months. And they were no closer to uncovering what was behind the lack of magic. After Erza and the stripper had found the guarded staircase and he had discovered the dullness that covered everyone except for Ajax and Verlane, their investigation had ground to a halt. Wendy was too sick, Lucy too busy, and the rest of them were at a loss for where to look next.

Lucy's voice rose and fell as she read, exhaustion underlying every word she spoke. Wendy's eyes were glazed over, but she paid attention to her friend, desperate for the distraction from the pain in every breath. Her fingers twisted in the sheets, longing to have Carla there to hold. But both Exceeds had left the previous night to inform Seck of their lack of findings over the past month. So Wendy was left clenching the blankets, attempting to control her breathing so she only took in what she needed to. It was laborious and challenging, but it had to be done if she was to last. That fear of death had plagued her for a week now, ever since she realized that, despite Evia's ministrations, her health was only declining. It made her want to cry, knowing that unless they found the cause of the loss of ethernano and soon, it was likely that she would never return to Fairy Tail again. But as she pressed a trembling hand to her guild mark, she drew strength and comfort from the emblem. The others were trying their best. And they certainly wouldn't cry if they were in her position. So she wouldn't either. She bit down on her lip to hold in the coughing fit that threatened to rack through her, determined to fight this sickness however she could while still showing her friends that she was a strong wizard, one who wouldn't bring shame to Fairy Tail by being weak.

Natsu's keen eyes took all of this in, but before he could scold Wendy for holding it all in, his ears caught the familiar sound of Evia approaching the door. Reluctantly, he pulled away and padded over to the door, Lucy's voice still ringing through his head. He could listen to her speak all day long and never grow bored. That was perhaps the thing he had missed the most while traveling with Happy during their training mission. After seeing Lucy every single day for a year, he had suddenly been without her, not hearing her laugh or yell or cry. And he knew she still held a small grudge against him and Happy for leaving without bringing her with them, but how could he tell her that he had wanted to grow so strong that no one would ever be able to harm her again, ever make her cry again, without inadvertently giving away just how much he liked her? She had saved their asses during the fight with Tartaros; without Lucy, every single member of Fairy Tail would have died, and Tartaros likely would have succeeded in erasing magic from the world. And he shuddered to think what that would have meant for him. Their goal had been to summon E.N.D. after all. What would he have become if Lucy hadn't saved him and the others?