Keeping Secrets

This August Day

Well, here we are, Natsu's moment of decision.

Let me just say a big part of the reason I even wrote this story is this chapter... so I hope I did the scenes/ character portrayals justice.

I hope everyone enjoys.

Some of the themes of the chapter were influenced by the song 'This August Day' by Saint Asonia... yes, I am that un-original and use music for all my chapter titles XD

KEEPING SECRETS CHAPTER 22: THIS AUGUST DAY

Natsu was awoken from his restless slumber by familiar voices.

"...I swear it was this way!"

"You said that the last three clearings we passed through. Face it, Happy, we're lost!"

"No way! I know that mountain! Natsu was trying to blow it up for like a month!"

"I think you're delusional."

"I think you're tired of walking cuz you're out of shape."

"Hey! I heard that, you stupid cat!"

Natsu shot up from where he had been laying. Happy... Gray... Lucy? His team was here? As he sniffed the air, sure enough, in addition to the three he had heard, he could also smell Erza, Wendy, and Carla. Which, if he could smell them...

"Hang on..." He heard Wendy say.

"You smell something, Wendy?" Erza asked.

"It's Natsu! This way!" Wendy exclaimed.

A smile lit Natsu's face as he heard his friends running towards him. They... came looking for me? Natsu's heart was overwhelmed with joy. He couldn't wait to see his team again, and tell them...

What, exactly?

That he'd been in Alvarez for the past year? That Zeref was his brother? That he was E.N.D.?

His joy suddenly turned to dread as he realized he had no idea what to say when his friends found him.

"Just a little further guys! He's really close!" He heard Wendy shout as their footsteps drew closer. Natsu tensed, and in a moment of panic, almost reflexively, cast the teleportation spell.

And landed on his bed back in Vistarion.

He breathed slowly and deeply, and he felt his pulse slow down. That was too close.

...Too close? Too close from having to talk to people he loved unconditionally, that he considered family? His relief turned to disgust for himself.

I should go back... and talk with them. There'll never be enough preparing to find the right words... they'll probably react the same no matter how I tell them.

He thought about how to get back. It's true, his magic was more or less drained to nothing from the jump back to Alvarez... but there was always his curse power he could use instead.

It was risky. No doubt, as a demon slayer, Gray would sense the curse power radiating from him immediately, but he hoped when his team saw it was him, he'd at least have an opening to explain things. But also, if they didn't like what he had to say, he would have no reserve power to fall back on; he'd be a sitting duck. He didn't trust Zeref, with how his brother's mental state had been the past week, to be reliable in this situation. August had been unreachable the entire past week as well.