Natsu regarded the sisters across the lantern-lit table.
For a moment none of them spoke. Their story still lingered in the quiet air of the cabin, heavy with memories that were not easily set aside.
At last, Natsu offered a small, reassuring smile.
"As long as you're here," he said calmly, "you should be safe. No one's going to find you in this corner of the world."
He paused, then added simply,
"You can stay as long as you need. Until things cool down."
Tanya's golden-amber eyes shimmered.
Relief crossed her face before she managed to speak.
"Thank you," she said softly. Her voice trembled despite her effort to steady it. "You don't know what this means to us."
Beside her, Anyael nodded quickly.
"We're really grateful, Natsu," she said. "You saved us once already… and now this."
For a moment neither sister seemed sure what else to say.
Natsu only gave a small shrug, brushing the moment aside with quiet ease.
"It's nothing," he said.
Yet somewhere beneath that calm answer, a strange feeling lingered within him. Something about the two of them stirred a quiet instinct he couldn't fully explain.
An urge to protect them.
He pushed the thought aside.
The mood gradually lightened as the conversation drifted away from darker topics. Small questions and idle curiosity soon filled the cabin again.
Tanya tilted her head thoughtfully.
"How did you even get chickens out here?" she asked. "They're not exactly wandering around in these forests."
Anyael leaned forward slightly, still impressed by the earlier meal.
"And how do you cook like that without proper equipment?" she added. "That roast was incredible."
Natsu chuckled.
"I'll show you the farm tomorrow morning," he said. "The chickens come with it."
He leaned back slightly in his chair.
"As for the cooking… I made most of my tools myself. Pots, knives, cooking racks."
He gestured loosely toward the kitchen.
"The techniques mostly came from those other realities I mentioned earlier."
His grin widened slightly.
"Lots of trial and error."
The sisters laughed.
Conversation drifted easily after that. Stories surfaced one after another—small mishaps, odd discoveries, quiet moments of humor that slowly pushed the weight of the evening further away.
At one point Natsu described an unfortunate accident involving a sack of chicken feed.
"I slipped and fell right inside the pen," he explained.
"And the next thing I knew I was buried under feathers and chickens."
Anyael burst into laughter so suddenly that she knocked over her cup.
"Oh—sorry!"
She quickly bent down to retrieve it.
As she did, her eyes flicked briefly toward the floor.
Something moved.
Just for a moment.
Natsu's shadow shifted.
Not from the lantern light.
Not from anything else in the room.
It simply… moved.
Anyael blinked.
Then the shadow returned to normal.
She straightened slowly, shaking her head.
Must be tired, she thought.
Neither Tanya nor Natsu seemed to notice anything unusual.
The moment passed quietly.
Outside, the forest slowly settled into the sounds of night.
When the hour grew late, Natsu guided the sisters toward the bedroom.
"Get some rest," he said gently. "You've both had a long day."
They thanked him again before disappearing inside.
Soon the cabin grew quiet.
Natsu stepped outside onto the porch and lowered himself into the old rocking chair.
The night sky stretched endlessly overhead, scattered with quiet stars.
A cool breeze moved through the trees while insects hummed softly in the darkness.
The chair creaked back and forth.
Gradually, sleep took him.
Sometime after midnight, the stillness of the porch shifted.
A figure appeared silently before him.
Tall.
Cloaked in flowing black.
In its hands rested a long, gleaming scythe.
The figure regarded Natsu quietly as he slept.
After a moment, it leaned forward.
A pale hand brushed gently across his hair, moving a stray strand away from his eye.
The gesture was soft.
Almost tender.
Then, as silently as it had arrived, the figure vanished.
Only the night remained.
Morning came with the sharp crow of Natsu's rooster.
The sound cut cleanly through the early dawn.
Natsu stirred and stretched before rising from the chair.
The cool morning air helped shake away the last of his sleep.
Inside the cabin he moved quietly toward the bedroom.
Both sisters were still asleep.
Sunlight filtered through the window, casting soft light across the room.
Tanya and Anyael rested peacefully, their breathing slow and steady.
For the first time in a long while, they looked completely at ease.
Natsu watched them for a moment before quietly stepping away.
There was work to do.
Not long after he stepped outside, the cabin door creaked again.
The sound stirred Tanya from sleep.
She blinked slowly as sunlight filled the room.
Beside her, Anyael still slept with one arm wrapped around her like a lifeline.
Tanya nudged her gently.
"Hey," she whispered. "Time to wake up."
Anyael groaned and buried her face deeper into the pillow.
When she finally sat up, her hair exploded in every direction.
Tanya snorted.
"Don't laugh!" Anyael protested immediately, rubbing her eyes. "You know I hate when my hair looks like this."
That only made Tanya laugh harder.
Together they helped each other up.
Tanya still needed a little support, but the worst of her weakness had already faded.
They washed their faces in the basin and straightened their clothes before stepping outside.
Natsu was already there, stacking firewood near the door.
He glanced up and smiled.
"Morning," he said. "Sleep well?"
Both sisters nodded.
Natsu crouched slightly.
"Hop on."
Tanya hesitated.
Her cheeks reddened faintly.
But she climbed onto his back anyway, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.
"Thank you, Natsu," she said quietly.
He rose easily.
"No problem."
"Now let's take a look at the farm."
They walked for several minutes before reaching the top of a gentle hill.
Tanya and Anyael froze.
Before them stretched a wide expanse of farmland.
Golden fields rippled in the morning light.
Animal pens dotted the landscape where cows grazed lazily, pigs rooted through the soil, and chickens scratched along the fence lines.
Rows of vegetables filled the lower fields.
Fruit trees lined the edges of the property.
Even a small rice paddy shimmered quietly in the distance.
The sisters stared in disbelief.
Natsu laughed.
"Close your mouths before a fly gets in."
"It ain't much."
Tanya turned to him slowly.
"Ain't much?"
She pointed across the fields.
"Natsu, this could feed an entire village!"
Anyael had already wandered toward the animal pens.
She crouched beside the pigs and began making ridiculous snorting noises that quickly had Tanya laughing again.
The chickens received the same treatment.
Soon all three of them were laughing together.
The farm tour continued across the fields.
Everywhere they looked, new crops appeared—carrots, potatoes, leafy greens, fruit vines, and orchards further uphill.
Anyael finally planted her hands on her hips.
"This is absurd," she declared.
"Who are you really, Natsu?"
"How does one person maintain all this?"
Natsu only smiled.
"Trade secret."
He guided them toward a shaded bench overlooking the fields and helped Tanya sit.
"You two can relax here," he said.
"I've got chores to finish."
Hours passed quietly.
The sisters watched him work across the fields, tending crops and feeding animals with steady patience.
There was something peaceful about the rhythm of it.
By midday Natsu returned carrying several fish from the previous day's catch.
Lunch was simple.
Grilled milkfish over open flames, lightly seasoned and served with fresh vegetables from the garden.
They ate outside beneath the warm sun.
By evening Natsu announced another meal.
"My signature dish tonight."
Curiosity immediately returned.
Soon the smell of cooking drifted from the kitchen.
When Natsu finally emerged, he carried a steaming pot.
Cream stew.
Chunks of tender chicken rested in a thick broth alongside potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms.
The aroma alone made the sisters lean forward.
Tanya lifted the first spoonful.
The stew was warm and rich, the kind of meal that spread comfort through the entire body.
She closed her eyes for a moment.
Anyael followed soon after.
Neither of them spoke for several seconds.
"This is… perfect," Tanya finally said.
Anyael nodded quietly beside her.
Across the table, Natsu watched them with a small smile.
It had been a long time since anyone had enjoyed his cooking like this.
Strangely enough…
he found that he liked it.