It's a deep and windless night outside. There are thousands of shining sheep in the sky and their pimp in a silver jacket. I lay in the grass and watched them graze. I couldn't sleep. I still can't understand it. There's no way I'm worthy of that kind of power. I'm just a man. What if I can't do it? What if I'm not needed in anything?

I sighed and put my hands behind my head. I was thinking about how the boys told me I'd go hunting with them to work my magic. What if I don't even give the basics? I'll be useless again. So many things I can't do. I won't be as strong as they are. I'll just be disappointed.

"What are you doing outside? You want a cold?" I open my eyes and a pair of yellow eyes bend over me.

"It's warm. And hopefully I can move around as much as I want."

"Yes. That's right." Natsu grumbled.

He lay down carefully beside me. I turned my head and looked at him.

"What are you doing?"

"I'll keep you company."

“Well okay..."

I stared into his eyes. They were magical. So playful and wild. They made me watch all the time.

We were lying there, looking at each other. Nobody said anything. We didn't need to. After a ten-minute pause, we began to talk about various serious and stupid things. Unfortunately, sleepiness caught up with me, and I slowly closed my eyes. Natsu cut off our eye contact and got up. He took me in his arms and carried me back to the house. I was already half asleep, but the smell of it kept me awake. His fragrance was a combination of salty sea breeze and sand on which the sun's harsh rays beat all day, but it also smelled the sweetness of orange blossoms and spiced ginger. He put me on the bed. After a while, the bed went under his weight. He stayed by my side as a faithful guardian before my invisible hands pulled me into that realm.

"Good night, Iruka."He whispered and kissed my hair.

….

"Don't you want to get up, Sleeping Beauty?" I peel my eyes away from me. God, it was going so hard.

"Get out of my room."

"This is my room . . . baka."

"Your. . . room?”

I look around, and there's really nothing I recognize. I lay there contemplating for a while, and then it hit me.

"Your room!!"I screamed and sprang quickly into a sitting position.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Wait. Where are my pants? Where's my shirt? What have you done to me?!"

Natsu pulled on his jeans and gagged at me. His fiery red hair was sleeked back. He looked better that way. He sat next to me shirtless. He had a perfectly sported physique. Above all, the muscles of his hand were wide and drawn out, and he had the slight outline of a six-pack on his stomach. I was beside him like bone and skin.

"I undressed you. I hope you wouldn't sleep in your clothes. "

"But..but.."

"Your stuff's over there. So get dressed. You've got to make us breakfast."And he grimaced again.

I quickly got out of bed and started pulling on my pants. Good thing he didn't strip me whole. I thought. Natsu pulled back his T-shirt and walked away. When he slammed the door shut, I quickly put on the rest and ran to make breakfast.

I made pancakes with fruit for breakfast. The boys at the table sat quietly and ate. Since Momo died, I've been able to eat with them. It's been a few weeks, but they want to keep an eye on me for eating healthy. They know full well what it's like to lose a parent and how to keep an eye on a person. It wasn't like they were standing over me guarding my every move, but they were watching over me from afar, and it helped me more than I expected. Even Fuyu let me sit at the table when they eat, so I'll take that as a pretty big gesture. At least from him. My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by his resonant voice.

"Iruka, what were you doing in Natsu's room?” Fuyu asked.

What? Oh, yeah. He saw me this morning. How do I leave my room and... put my shirt on...God, what do they think of me now? I don't want him to think something that isn't true.

"He slept at my place.'Casually, Natsu replied.

"Why?"He asked Fuyu coldly.

“Because we were talking at night and he fell asleep so I took him to my bed."

He couldn't have said it any worse.

"To bed, eh?" Fuyu said, raising one eyebrow.

"Nothing happened!"I blurted out.

They all looked at me with exactly the same surprised expression. They really looked alike now.

"Well, then you can come sleep at my place tonight, too, and we won't be doing anything."Aki said wryly.

I swelled up and, furious, took the plate from myself and the others and went to wash it.

"Inane, unbalanced teens."I was chattering at the sink.

"We heard you."They'll say at once. I growl loudly and continue to scrub plates.

"When you've cleaned up, pack up. We'll go to Taiyo." He said softly, Fuyu leaning against the doorframe again.

"Good."I've been whispering and getting on with the job.

Fuyu came and hugged me from behind. I've stopped all activities. Perhaps I had stopped breathing, too. My heart wasn't beating.

"What are you doing?"I scooped through a lump in my throat.

"Don't worry, I'm just getting napkins." It all came back to me.

God, it was so embarrassing. He was really just taking napkins out of me. And I thought he was hugging me. I'm the naive one. I hung my head and kept going.

All right, here we go. I've got everything packed. I'm told we'll be staying there for a few weeks. They have a house somewhere that we're going to live in. I put the last button on my shirt and followed the boys to the third floor. Everyone was standing there. They had no backpacks with them. It dawned on me right then that they weren't needed. Aki pulled out a gold key and said: "Open to Take to Taiyo! I'm a ferryman and I'm ordering you to open up!”

Suddenly, a keyhole appeared. Aki inserted a key and a giant golden door was revealed. They contained carved ornaments resembling flowers. In the center was a great sun that would have sucked like heat itself. The gate opened. There was pure light in it. Aki smiled a little and stepped inside. Haru and Natsu followed. It was my turn. But I was afraid. I started shaking. Fuyu grabbed my hand. I looked at him with a question in my eyes.

"Come on." He pulled my arm, and we melted into the light.