Life After Near Death

Unexplained Pain

"One thing you can't hide - is when you're crippled inside."

― John Lennon

By the end of the week, the whole guild had heard the rumor.

Natsu and Loke were seen at a strip club!

Although no one was surprised at all to know that Loke frequented a place like that, nobody could believe at first that Natsu had been there, too. Not only that, but apparently he had taken an interest in one of the dancing girls.

"Natsu?" Lucy exclaimed in shock, staring at Mira as she heard the rumor. "That idiot who has no interest in women was with a stripper?"

Gray overheard her and looked over sharply. No interest in women? What a thing for Lucy, of all people, to say!

Mira nodded. "I asked Loke, and he said it was true. Apparently, Natsu got dumped, so Loke took him there to cheer him up."

Gray jolted even harder. Natsu got dumped?

"Wait," Lucy laughed stiffly. "Dumped? Does that mean he was dating someone?"

"Hmm, I don't think so," Mira wondered, tapping a finger to her chin. "Loke said he was dumped, but maybe it was just that he confessed and the girl turned him down." Mira gave a scheming smile to Lucy. "Would you happen to know anything about that?"

"N-no!" Lucy cried out, blushing slightly. "That is, it wasn't me. He has never confessed anything to me ... other than the fact that he's hungry," she added in a mumble.

"Aw, too bad," Mira sighed. "I was hoping."

"What do you mean, too bad?" Lucy cried out, turning an even brighter shade of pink. "Hoping what?"

Gray turned away. Natsu confessed to someone? He was dumped? He hooked up with a stripper?

He rolled his wheelchair over to Elfman. "Hey, do me a favor. Pinch me."

Elfman raised an eyebrow, shrugged, and pinched Gray hard on the arm.

"Oww!" he cried out, and he saw a bruise already coming up on the spot. Damn, that was a hell of a pinch! "Okay, so this isn't some bizarre dream."

"Do you mean about Natsu?" asked Elfman.

Gray looked up sharply. "You heard?"

"I think everyone has by now. Mira has been going on and on about it. I don't see what's the big deal. Strip clubs are manly!"

Lisanna hit her big brother on the back of his head as hard as she could. "How would you know?" she shouted. "I'm telling Evergreen."

"I ... not me. I've never been in one of those clubs. Just ... they're the sort of place a man goes to, right?" Elfman said defensively, rubbing out the hit.

Lisanna slumped down. "I can't believe Natsu would, though. It just doesn't seem like him."

Gray watched the sadness on her face. Everyone knew that she and Natsu had something when they were kids. Even if it was nothing more than a cute, childish crush, it was the talk of the guild for years. People made bets about how old they would be when they finally started dating. Those rumors fell silent when Lisanna was presumed dead. Now, some still whispered, debating if Natsu would pick Lucy or Lisanna.

"Why did you turn him down?" Elfman asked. "I thought you still liked him."

Lisanna jolted and went bright red. "What? M-m-me?" she stuttered. "I didn't ... that is ... he didn't say anything to me. I wasn't the one he confessed to. Besides," she blushed coyly, "if Natsu did confess something like that to me, I ... I wouldn't ... umm..." Her voice faded with embarrassment.