Friends Since Forgotten

Hospital Room: 2:43 am

He immediately regretted opening his eyes. The lights were dreadfully bright. But why? He didn't remember falling asleep. In fact, he couldn't remember what exactly he had been doing before he woke up. Or where he was. Or who he was.

He shot up in alarm, taking in his surroundings. There were several strange people in the room, some wore all white, and some didn't. He tried to move toward them, but couldn't seem to move. Only when his arms stung did he notice the tubes coming from his arm. Panicking, he attempted to rip them out, but the strange people in white were pushing him back down.

"Stop." He was shocked to hear how weak and alien his voice sounded. He continued to struggle against them and tried again, his throat aching under the strain.

"Stop." Tears fell onto the light blue bed sheets, darkening the spots they landed on.

Out of the strange faces, one with large brown eyes and blonde hair stepped forward. He didn't know why, but the look on her face broke his heart and his spirit. He let the strangers push him back until his head hit the pillow and he was staring at a stark white ceiling. She reached out slowly as if to touch him, voice quavering.

"Natsu?"

Ouch. A jolt of pain rammed through his head, he cried out weakly, then closed his eyes and concentrated. What did that mean? Natsu... Wait. That was the name of...someone. He had never met anyone named Natsu before. So why had his head snapped toward the sound of it?

"Who...who is Natsu?" he barely breathed.

The room was quiet for a long time, or it seemed like it. The girl's arm dropped to her side, motionless. In the silence, he looked at the small group in the corner that wasn't dressed in white. A girl with deep red hair was staring intensely out the window with her hands balled into fists so tight it looked as if the bone might come through. A boy with black hair was sitting down with his head between his legs. A large man was consoling a small girl with blue hair off to the side. I want to help them, he thought.

He turned his attention to the blonde girl again. She had flinched when he spoke, but he needed to know. He needed to know why he was here and why the other people in the room all looked so...sad. Tears rolled down her face as she answered.

"Natsu was a good friend of mine."