Chapter Text
In the heart of an ancient forest, where the air hangs thick with the scent of moss and the whisper of rustling leaves, Natsu finds himself enveloped by nature. Sunlight filters through cracks in the branches, casting fractured beams across dew-soaked leaves. Immense rocks huddle in the shadows of massive trees. The air smells of earth and old smoke—like ghosts of forgotten campfires lingering among roots and fallen logs.
Natsu’s boots sink into the hard soil as he lunges, muscles burning from weeks of relentless training. Dirt, sweat, and blood streak his skin, but he barely notices. Happy flies beside him, wings trembling against the fresh air, tail flicking with nervous energy.
“Hey, Natsu?”
“Hm?” Natsu doesn’t look up from the rock he just blasted apart. Smoke curls around him. “Did you see that, Happy? I’m totally getting stronger.”
Happy hovers, wings barely moving, wrestling with sarcasm and concern, his heart torn between loyalty and longing. “Aye… you blew up a rock. Very impressive. The rock was very scared.”
Natsu snorts. “Shut up! That rock never stood a chance.”
Happy lands lightly on a low branch, wings disappearing as his paws touch solid wood. His tail sways listlessly behind him. For a moment, he just watches Natsu roll his shoulders and harden his stance, already gearing up for another round.
“…Hey, Natsu?”
“What now?” Natsu cracks his neck. “If this is about dinner, I already said we’re going fishing soon.”
“It’s not about dinner.” Happy’s voice softens. “Do you… ever think about going back to the guild?”
Natsu pauses mid-stretch.
“Guild?” He blinks. “What? Now? We just got here. I’m not strong enough yet.”
“I know,” Happy says quickly. “I know that.” His ears dip. “It’s just… I miss everyone. Lucy yelling at you, Erza’s scary lectures… even Gray taking his clothes off every five minutes. It’s kinda quiet out here.”
Natsu scratches the back of his head. “Quiet’s good. Means I can train.”
“It’s been months,” Happy murmurs. “You train from sunrise to… more sunrise. And when you’re not training, you’re sleeping. Or eating. Mostly eating.” He tries to smile. It doesn’t quite stick. “I’m kinda lonely, Natsu.”
That makes Natsu look at him.
Really look at him.
Happy’s ears droop. His tail, usually vibrant, now hangs half-heartedly. He barely manages to look excited for their training adventure. He just sits there, small against the bark of ancient trees.
“…Don’t you miss them too?” Happy asks.
Natsu’s shoulders drop. “Yeah,” he admits, quieter now. “I do. More than I want to say.” He clenches his fists. “But I’ve gotta get stronger. I can’t go back like this. I won’t.”
Happy swallows. “Right.”
Silence stretches between them, thick and uncomfortable. Natsu swallows whatever else he’s about to say. When he speaks again, his voice comes out rough.
“If you wanna go back… you can.” He doesn’t meet Happy’s eyes, gaze fixed on the moss-covered ground. “Go see them. Lucy’ll be happy. You can tell ’em I’m getting crazy strong.”
Happy’s tail twitches as he rubs his paws together. “You don’t want me to stay?”
“I want you here,” Natsu says immediately. His jaw tightens. “You’re my partner. My best friend.” His voice falters. “But I don’t want you stuck somewhere you’re not happy. I’m the one who chose this. You didn’t.”
Happy straightens, ears still low as he tries to reach Natsu’s eyes.
“I’ll always choose you,” he promises.
That almost breaks Natsu.
“I know,” Natsu says, finally looking up. “And that’s why you should go. I’ll still be here. Getting stronger. When we all stand together again, I won’t be weak.”
Happy’s wings slowly materialize.
“…Don’t get lonely without me, okay?”
Natsu forces a grin that doesn’t reach his eyes.
“Idiot. I don’t get lonely.”
But when Happy looks closer, he sees it—
Natsu already was.
Happy left.
The forest feels wrong without the steady flutter of wings or the constant commentary over his shoulder. Even the wind through the trees sounded distant. Natsu stands there for a long moment jaw set, with his fists clenched at his sides. He turns his back to where Happy was and exhales, heat spilling from his lungs.
If he stops moving, he’d start thinking.
And if he starts thinking—
He drives his fist forward. Fire roars to life, brighter, hotter, wilder than before. His flames are less reckless now, more controlled. They coil around his arm, answering him immediately. The last of Igneel’s power burns deep in his core, heavy and vast and still not fully his.
He doesn’t let himself linger on where it came from. Not yet.
“Again,” he mutters.
The hours blur into one another. A relentless cycle of flames detonating against stones and trees splintering, each moment stretching longer as exhaustion creeps in. Too much Fire Dragon Roars leaves his throat feeling raw. Each strike demands more control from the inferno living inside him.
Bit by bit.
Little by little.
Stronger.
But the quiet between explosions grows longer.
Natsu collapses onto the grass, flat on his back, panting. A mix of dirt, sweat, and drying blood cling to his skin. His chest rises and falls in sharp pulls as he stares up at the open, cloudless sky.
It feels too wide.
Too empty.
A dull ache settles under his ribs – not just the sharp burn of overtraining, but something heavier. Quieter. It didn’t ease when he stretched. It didn’t fade when he breathed. He scrubs a hand over his face, fingers catching in his hair. It had grown longer, wilder, tangled at the ends. A rough, uneven beard scratch against his palm. He hasn’t shaved in weeks. Maybe longer. He couldn’t really remember. It makes his jaw itch now.
He huffs out a breath that almost sounded like a laugh.
“…Man, I’m gross.”
Loneliness curls inside him, heavy and familiar, like grief he never quite buried.
Natsu abruptly sits up.
“NOPE!”
He shot to his feet, swaying slightly before steadying himself. He moves his tangled hair away from his face and winces.
“I definitely need a bath now!”
The declaration echos through the trees.
That was something he could easily fix… if he manage to locate some water somewhere close by.
He pushes his senses outward, concentrating into finding a small oasis… There! He follows the faint sound of running water, pushing through the brush until the river comes into view. Sunlight dances on the surface, turning the river into a moving ribbon. Natsu steps closer, squinting against the glare of the burning sun, and pauses. Because… he just can’t look away.
The current glides over smooth, pale stones, the clear water revealing pebbles of small rocks, rounded quartz, and smoothed amber glass. Natsu kneels, dips a hand in, and jerks back immediately. “Whoa! Cold!” he shouts, shaking his hand as water drips in droplets off his fingertips. Then he grins, eyes wide. “Man, this… is awesome!”
Dragonflies hover above the surface, wings flashing like tiny blades, too fast to catch. Natsu leans forward, trying to reach one. It darts away, and he laughs. “Hey! Don’t tease me, little guys!”
He notices the fishes gliding curiously beneath the water, their silver bodies flicking in the sun. “Whoa…” he murmurs, his voice quieter now. He leans on the riverbank, feeling the grass bend under his weight. Each blade is springy against his hands as he brushes them. And for a moment, he just lets the quiet sink in, and it feels… strange. Almost peaceful. Like it’s okay to just stand here and take it all in after everything that happened.
The breeze carries the scent of clean water and sun-warmed earth. Fresh. Natsu breathes deeply, his messy pink hair moving slightly. The cold of the river calls him again, and he chuckles, dipping both hands into the water and letting it run through his fingers. “Ah… this is really good.”
The waves shimmers, almost dancing with every ripple. Natsu’s eyes track them, his grin widening. He can almost hear the river laughing with him. “Huh… it’s like it’s alive!” he says, voice full of wonder. And just for a second, Natsu Dragneel, the guy who always charges headfirst into chaos, pauses entirely—letting the river, the sky, the breeze, the grass, and even the tiniest dragonfly remind him that some things are just… uncomplicated. They move because they want to. They shine because they can
Natsu stands there, knees awkwardly bent with his hands tracing gentle patterns—just following the rhythm of the current. A fish breaks the surface with a quick jump before splashing away.
He exhale a quiet laugh.
A dragonfly hovers near his shoulder. For a second, he stills, watching its wings catch the sunlight. The breeze slips through his hair, cool and clean.
He breathes in. Savoring it all… and then, as if the moment itself sparks a fire in his chest, too bright to stay quiet. He grins wide. He launches forward. “YOSH!” he shouts, heart hammering, arms flung wide, and—splash!
The cold river envelops him in a shocking, exhilarating embrace. Natsu surfaces with a gasp, laughter bubbling up as water streams from his hair, the chill invigorating his senses. “Hah! THIS IS AWESOME!” His chest heaves, droplets flying everywhere. The fish darts in every direction extremely startled, but Natsu doesn’t notice. The river swallows the heat from his skin with a sharp hiss. Dirt and sweat peels away, temporarily clouding the current around him. He just spins around. Letting the tide pull him along, his energy slicing the calm of the riverbank.
He glances back at the glimmering pebbles moving with the force of the movement under his feet. “Man… why did I wait so long for this?” he shouts, eyes sparkling. The sunlight catches his hair as he dives under again, surfacing with a triumphant grin. “Nothing beats this!” He scrubs at his hair, at his beard, growling under his breath as his tangles fight back.
Natsu steps out of the river, water sliding off his arms and legs in sparkling streams. His hair, usually a tangled mess, is now mostly clean. Even the stubborn debris that clung to him during his plunge are gone, and the faint scratch of his growing beard against his jaw no longer itches. He runs a hand through his hair, glowing salmon in the afternoon sun
Clean.
Or at least cleaner than two months of relentless training allowed.
He glances at the empty space beside him.
“…Heh. Bet you’d still complain about the smell, Happy.”
Only the waves of the river answer him.
The sun has started to dip, painting the sky with a golden haze. A faint, unexpected chill drifts across his wet skin.
“Ugh… yeah, okay, yeah, I need to dry off,” he mutters. Without hesitation, he stomps his feet, sparks dancing around his soles. Flames erupted on his fingers, heat snapping to life around his body.
“Alright! Time to cook myself dry!” he shouts, spinning like a small pink tornado. Fire wraps around him in a warm, playful embrace. It dances along his skin, completely chasing away the chill and toasting his damp hair until each strand is completely dry. He laughs again, the sound mixing with the whispers of the breeze and the distant birdcalls.
The warmth of his flames contrasts with the cool air, invigorating him with a sense of boundless energy. He flexes his shoulders and flicks his head back, sending a few rebellious strands of hair flying. “Ahhh… perfect! That’s the stuff!”
Natsu stands there, fire crackling faintly in his palms, the river behind him sparkling, the sky slowly starting to brush orange and pink along the horizon. The world felt alive, electric, and ready for whatever came next.
He adjusts his scarf and starts walking along the bank, flames flickering at his heels.
Tomorrow, he'll train even harder.