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

Chapter Twenty-Four: Frozen Inside

Natsu paced rapidly back and forth, hands clenched into fists at his side, his feet seemingly wearing a path into the plush carpet. He hadn't stopped moving since he had woken up three hours ago and found that Lucy still hadn't been found, not even after his long five hour nap where he mostly just lay in bed worrying. His body was refreshed, but his mind consisted of frantic thoughts and wild theories that made absolutely no sense but still made him worry even more.

"For the love of god, can you just sit down?" Natsu paused and glared over his shoulder at Gray, the ice wizard leaning nonchalantly against the mantle and glaring right back. "You're going to drive me insane, and it's not helping anyone."

Natsu looked away with rolling eyes before he started pacing again, shoving his fists deep into his pockets to avoid lashing out. Sure, it would get rid of the pent-up worry and aggression, but the retaliation from Erza was almost never worth it.

The same scarlet warrior sat on the couch she had occupied all day, one of her daggers laying across her lap with a whetstone sitting nearby, along with a polishing rag. Except for the occasional check in on Wendy, Erza hadn't moved all day, preferring to distract herself by taking care of the weapons she liked so much. None of them could hold a candle to those her magic could access, but they sufficed.

At Gray and Natsu's interaction, she looked up with an exhausted scowl. "Stop it, both of you. Evia is in the next room, and she definitely doesn't need to hear your bickering. Remember, we have a cover to keep up, no matter what is happening to our friends."

"This would be so much easier if Happy was here," Natsu groaned, finally collapsing on the closet couch. Which was incidentally the farthest from Erza. "I could've sent him out looking for Luce. And Wendy misses Carla a lot."

They all fell silent at the mention of Wendy, straining to hear any sound from the next room. Erza and Gray heard nothing, but the moans and struggling breaths were loud in Natsu's ears. He shifted uncomfortably, burying his face in a nearby pillow in an attempt to block out Wendy's suffering. What was the point of heightened senses if he couldn't do anything to help? He had never hated his ears before this moment.

"I can't!" He rolled off of the couch, already halfway to the door. "I'm going to look for Lucy, and I'm not coming back until I've found her."

"That's the stupidest thing I've heard today," Gray retorted, pushing away from the mantle with a shaking head. "Just because you're in love with her doesn't mean that you should just throw away common sense." Natsu glared at the ice stripper, crossing his arms. Gray couldn't help but notice that the pyro didn't refute his statement. Shit, he really does like her.

"Gray is right," Erza added, shifting to the side in order to slide the dagger back into its sheath. "People will become suspicious if you start wandering the halls in search of your servant. We both know how you feel about her, so I'll just tell it to you straight: you have to have faith that she'll come back to you, no matter what. You have to believe in her and let her do what she needs to without worrying too much. She's strong, with or without magic. Have faith."

Natsu's eyes flickered back and forth between his two friends, recognizing the truth in their words but not wanting to accept it. Finally he sighed, tugging at his hair. "I guess if you and Jellal have made it that far."

Erza spluttered, face heating even as Gray bit back a laugh. "That's not at all what I was talking about!"

"Whatever you say Erza." Gray grinned at Natsu, both glad they were able to make Erza embarrassed for the first time in forever. Their teasing was interrupted by a firm knock at the door, a sound that sent all of them rushing to fix themselves and hide anything out of place. Natsu frowned, crossing the room to open the door. There were three scents on the other side of the door, one of which he hadn't smelled in months. What the hell was going on?