Life After Near Death

Broken Heart

"Stab the body and it heals, but injure the heart and the wound lasts a lifetime."

— Mineko Iwasaki

Natsu was unsure how long this strange existence lasted. Sometimes, he could hear. Sometimes, only smells came to him. Sometimes, what made it to his brain was so bizarre, he was not even sure if it was real or dreams. Sometimes, it felt like someone came to visit him and stayed only a few seconds, and other times it felt like they stayed for days on end. Time, space, reality, everything swirled and blended and distorted.

Finally, there was light to the darkness. A hand grabbed his, and he managed to squeeze back.

"Erza! Get the doctor."

"Lucy?" Natsu whispered. His vision was blurry, and his eyes felt dry.

"You collapsed. It's been three days."

Only three?

"They said your heart stopped. What happened?"

What happened? He remembered the volleyball game and the pain in his chest. If Lucy did not know, it meant Erza was still keeping this a secret.

"Don't bother him with questions," Erza told her. "He just woke up. I'm sure he's more confused than we are. Please go tell Master that he's awake, then go let Happy know. We promised to tell him right away."

"Oh, yes!"

Natsu saw a yellow blur leave, and a red blur came over in its place.

"Are you awake enough to hear me?"

Natsu kept trying to blink the blurriness from his vision. "Maybe. What happened?"

"You had a heart attack, a massive one."

"So, everyone knows?" he asked weakly. "Gray knows? About me? My heart? What I did?"

"No," she said with sadness and worry for him and this obsession of keeping secrets. "They only know you had heart trouble, nothing else. I had to tell Master the whole story, but the others don't know anything beyond that your heart stopped for a while."

"Thanks," Natsu whispered in relief. "Water."

"Wait for the doctor. You might have trouble swallowing."

A minute later, the doctor arrived and examined him with the help of a nurse. Erza stepped out to give them room and to wait for Makarov.

"Mister Dragneel," the doctor said as Natsu eagerly drank water. "We had to induce that coma to protect your brain from damage, but you're not out of danger yet. We've monitored you this whole time, and we decided to wait for you to regain consciousness before discussing actions."

"Actions?" he asked, sipping his cup.

"Were you aware of your heart condition?"

He froze and looked up sharply.

"I talked to two healers who know you, an elderly lady and a young wizard girl. Both said you did not have a heart condition just a few months ago, but the young girl said you've complained about pain in your chest for a few weeks now. From what I've seen, I really don't understand how your heart failed so suddenly, and so young, considering you're in impeccable health otherwise."

"How bad is it?" Natsu asked sternly.

The doctor was startled by the severity of those narrow eyes. "There are no artery blockages, no plaque buildup, just the muscles of the heart are ... fatigued. Dangerously so. It's a condition called takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Basically, extended periods of severe stress—either mental or physical—produce increased levels of certain chemicals and enzymes which..."