Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong it Hiro Mashima

I hate to see you fall down,
I'll pick you up off the ground,
I've watched the weight of
Your world come down
And now it's your chance
To move on, change the way you've lived for so long,
Find the strength you've had inside all along

Life Starts Now - Three Days Grace

Gratsu Week 2018 Day 7 - Sun

Chapter 5: Life Starts Now

"What did you just do?" Natsu whispered, even though he already knew the answer. For once in his life he wanted to be wrong. Gray could not possibly have done something that colossally stupid - sure he was just as stubborn as Natsu himself, but he would never try to kill himself to save anoth... oh. Of course he would, that was his go to plan for everything. "You promised me that you wouldn't try to kill yourself to save others." He glared at Gray.

"No, I promised you I would never cast Iced Shell again," Gray said flippantly, but the fear in his eyes showed Natsu that he was well aware of the effects the bracelets would have on him.

"You didn't have to do this." Natsu yelled angrily, even though inside he was more terrified than angry.

"Yes I did. You were too fucking stubborn to listen to reason. What other choice was I supposed to make?" Gray yelled back. He felt his body temperature begin to drop as he was separated from his magic. It was not uncomfortable yet, but it was certainly an indicator of things to come. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and glared at the fire mage defiantly. "You expected me to sit around and just watch you kill yourself, well now you're going to have to do the same."

Natsu stared at the man standing in front of him and and he began to feel the fury form itself in his stomach, working its way up his body. Hell, for a moment he actually felt warm again. He had to acknowledge how much he missed the feeling. They started walking again, each trying to control their emotions as much as possible, neither wanting to say the wrong thing. Natsu sped up - he wanted to get back to the cave as soon as possible. The temperatures in the mountain would quickly plummet once the sun went down, and while part of him wanted Gray to suffer a little so that he could learn not to be such a fucking moron, they needed to reach the cave before that happened or Gray could be in serious trouble and Natsu would not be able to help him.

"Damn you!" Natsu exploded, not able to control his anger any longer. "Why couldn't you just let me disappear? All I wanted was to be left alone. To keep you all safe."

"When are you going to get it through your thick head that there is no such thing as safe in our line of business?" Gray hissed as he rubbed his hands together to keep them warm as he walked. "We put ourselves in danger constantly; we make split second decisions that could go either way. It's what we do. If you want to keep us safe so damn much then you should come back with us and use your magic for the reason Igneel enchanted you with it. To help others."

"Shut up! You don't know the first thing about Igneel."

"You're right, I don't. But I know an awful lot about you and this isn't you. You don't run away when things go wrong, you fight and you don't stop until you have given it your all, and even then you still find a way through. I know you're hurting Natsu, but what you're doing right now, it solves nothing. Stop listening to Lahar and listen to me."

Natsu leveled his gaze, his eyes never leaving Gray. He began to see snippets of something in his head, something terrible, but it wasn't possible. Lucy was long gone, there was no way Natsu could have seen her. His next words were slow and measured. "How do you know about him? I never told anyone about that!"

Gray shivered; the cold inside of him had begun to spread. He was definitely feeling it now and it was so strange. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt cold. It was oddly fascinating. Still, he had been so distracted by the changes going on inside him that he had messed up. He decided to ignore his blunder and press on.

"Come on Natsu, we both know that if you had really wanted to disappear you would never have left a way for us to find you."

"Clearly, trusting Romeo was a mistake."

"What did you expect? He tried to follow your wishes but he was worried about you. Besides, you shouldn't be so hard on him. Even after I realized he knew something, I still had to force it out of him."

Natsu set his jaw and was about to say something when he noticed that his friend, perhaps the strongest ice mage he'd ever met, was shivering."Come on Princess, let's go. Double time. it'll help warm you up."

He grabbed Gray's arm and began to run. Gray struggled to regain his balance but ran beside him. After a few minutes he had to admit Natsu was right, running was helping to fight off some of the effects of the bracelets. They ran for several miles until neither one of them could really keep up the pace anymore. They walked the remaining miles in silence, content in each other's company.

o-o

"Erza, what are we doing here?" Happy whined as they entered the town's only weapons shop. "Don't you already own like every weapon there is?"

"If I'm unable to use my magic then I'll have to carry all of my weapons. I lack the items I will need to do so." Erza explained as she walked into the shop, her mind already calculating what items she would need to purchase. At first, she had been peeved about not being able to use her requip, but now she welcomed it as a challenge.

How many items could she carry comfortably and still be able to use them properly? There were many issues to consider. Weapons could be heavy, and good balance was of the essence to wield them properly. First she would have to decide what weapons she couldn't do without. A sword of course, a bow and arrows, a dagger - those were all essential. What type of sword would be the most useful in the most scenarios? Perhaps if she chose a lighter blade she could still carry several. How to shrink down her huge arsenal to only the most useful of weapons? Her eyes lit up as she realized she could hide weapons on her person, something she had never considered before. This had become quite the interesting puzzle.

"Can I help you, little lady?" A tall, brawny man approached Erza from behind the shop's counter. He looked her over and gave her an appreciative smile.

Erza stiffened at the man's condescending tone, a dangerous smile taking possession of her lips as she fixed her eyes on the man who quite clearly did not know who he was talking to. He would soon learn.

Happy watched the exchange with interest - it wouldn't be the first time a man had underestimated Erza, but the results were invariably amusing.

"Yes, I'm looking for a few items I'll need to go hunting." Erza smiled sweetly and her eyes gleamed as she rattled the long list of items she would need. The man's smile began to waver uncertainly as he listened to her request. He disappeared to a room that was directly behind the counter.

Erza walked around the shop examining the displays as she waited. There was nothing that really caught her fancy, she had better weapons in her arsenal. She continued to explore until she reached a display of throwing knives. Her fingers moved to caress the smooth handles and she picked one up carefully, assessing it's balance as she held it in her hand.

She heard rustling behind her and went to put the knife down when she heard the man say, "I have all your items right here, Sweet Cheeks."

Erza spun around faster than the man could register and threw the knife at a target that hung on the wall near his head. The knife spun in midair, racing towards its intended target, hitting the bullseye and missing him by mere inches. She watched with no small amount of satisfaction as the man reacted, eyes wide open, mouth agape and body trembling as he stared at her and then at the knife that seconds earlier had been in her hand.

"My name is Erza Scarlet," Erza said in an even voice. "I'd like to add a set of these knives to my purchase." She stared him down and added with a smile that promised violence. "You never know when they might come in handy." She paused for effect before asking, "Now, what do you have in light armor?"

She could hear Happy giggling into his hand as he watched the shopkeeper scurry around, catering to Erza's every whim and treating her with deference, but she chose to ignore him as she paid for her purchase. She gave the shopkeeper instructions to have everything delivered to the inn and left the shop without looking back.

"Where to now?" Happy asked.

"I could go for some strawberry cake - shall we find a place to eat before we head back to the inn?" Erza inquired, her experience at the shop already forgotten, replaced by the excitement of discovering where she could find the best strawberry cake the town had to offer.

"Aye sir!" Happy replied and as he noticed her annoyed expression he thought better of it and corrected himself. "Aye ma'am!"

Happy flew next to Erza thinking about Natsu and how different he had seemed. Erza noticed his forlorn expression and asked, "What's the matter, Happy? You seem distressed."

"I was just thinking...do you really think Gray will be able to fix Natsu?" Happy asked the requip mage worriedly. "They fight all the time."

"I know they seem like they don't like each other a lot of the time, Happy, but deep down they share an unbreakable bond. Gray will get through to him, I'm sure of it," Erza answered with a warm smile. Once the Exceed settled himself on her shoulders she added with a grin, "Besides, if he doesn't, I do have a new set of knives I'd love to practice with." Happy started, not able to interpret whether the requip mage was being serious or not. He hoped for Natsu's sake that Gray was indeed able to get through to him. They continued to walk through the village happily talking of fish and cake.

"You think you can check on the boys after dinner?"

"Aye, ma'am."

o-o

"Are you okay?" Natsu asked as he watched his friend's teeth begin to chatter. Even though it seemed as though Gray had warmed up after their run it had not lasted long, and by the time they had reached their destination Natsu felt guilty for not staying at the inn or in a house like Erza wanted. At least then Gray would not be so miserable, even if the idiot had brought it upon himself. Natsu had already known what he was getting into thanks to his week long stay in a magic sealing stone but Gray could not have had any real idea. They managed to make it back to the relative safety of the cave before the sun went down.

"C-cold," Gray answered and began to chortle. No matter how dangerous his situation was it still amused him to be cold.

"How can you laugh like that?" Natsu marveled. "You really are an idiot, you know that?"

"I'm really cold Natsu, we need to get the fire going," Gray said as he looked around the cave, trying to remember where he had left the matches. Natsu sat at the mouth of the cave and watched as Gray grabbed one of the long matches and tried to strike it against the wall with his shaking arm. It wouldn't light no matter how many times he struck it.

"Damn it!" he yelled in frustration as he went to get another one out but managed to drop the box and all of its contents on the floor. He looked over at Natsu, a pleading look on his face. "P-please N-natsu."

Natsu looked around the cave, trying to find something that would help, when his gaze fell on Gray's blanket. He stood, grabbed it and draped it over his friend's shoulders. Gray looked at him in dismay.

"There you go, you should be nice and warm soon," Natsu said even as he knew there was no way that would really do much. He knew what he had to do, he just wasn't ready.

Gray was still as cold as he'd been but he knew that asking Natsu to start a fire right away might be too much, so he held the blanket tightly and tried to warm up his hands enough so that he could try to do it again himself.

He shivered in his blanket and tried to think of something warm. He'd never really felt warm either but this cold was more intense that anything he'd ever experienced. It had ceased to be funny and had steadily crept into worrisome. He didn't know how long he would last at this rate if he didn't find a source of warmth soon. He was deep in his thoughts when he heard Natsu say, "Lay down."

Puzzled Gray did as he was told. Natsu lay down behind him and draped the blanket over their bodies. He wrapped his arm around the ice mage and held him close trying to share his body heat. "Mavis you're cold!"

Gray started laughing again - it wasn't much, but the combination of the blanket and Natsu's body heat was making him feel a little better. His heart raced a little at Natsu's proximity as they lay there in silence.

"I missed you, you know. When I first found out you were gone I didn't want to believe it. I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me. Erza and I, we were selfish but we never intended for you to go."

Natsu's breath caught in his chest. Gray had missed him? It was everything he'd ever wanted but it was just too late. Wasn't it? He held on tighter, afraid of his feelings but not able to deny them.

"I tried not to miss you guys," Natsu said honestly. "But I did anyway."

"You're not getting any warmer. Take off your shirt." Natsu ordered as he also took off his shirt. He pressed his chest to Gray's back trying desperately to will whatever body heat he had to his friend. Natsu lay still for a few minutes and sighed discontentedly. "This isn't working. We need to make a fire." he paused, sighing. "I need to make a fire."

"It's just fire, Natsu." Gray tried to talk him through it. "You've dealt with fire your whole life. It can't hurt you."

"Fire destroys everything in its path equally. It makes no distinction between friend or enemy." Natsu said in a hoarse whisper. "I don't want to hurt anyone else. I swore to protect."

"We all did, Natsu. But you're hurting people right now." Gray told him.

"I never asked you to do this," Natsu replied stubbornly.

"I'm not talking about me, Flame-Breath." Gray turned his body to face the green eyes that were devoid of their usual light. "I'm talking about you." He wished he could feel more as their chests were now pressed together and although Natsu looked mildly uncomfortable he did not pull away.

"You think you're keeping us safe by being here on your own, but you're not," Gray continued. "The bad things are still out there and without you there to fight with us we're that much weaker. You're the one who pushes us to fight beyond what we think is possible, I hate to admit this but you're so much more important that you give yourself credit for and if I die from this I want you to know something. It won't be your fault. I made the choice knowing full well what could happen."

"I'll try." Natsu said his eyes moving towards the fire pit he had created long ago. "I'll be right back."

He got up, making sure to cover Gray completely with the blanket. He couldn't help but notice how the ice mage was already shivering from his absence. He quickly made his way over to the matches that were strewn all over the floor. He picked one up and struck it against the cave floor, careful to protect the small ember that had sparked to life from his action. He stared at the flame, trying to rekindle the wonder fire had held for him since the moment Igneel had enchanted him with his magic. Back when every spark had signified life, love and home. He touched the small ember to some of the dried leaves that were already placed there, probably by Gray himself. He watched, mesmerized as the leaves ignited and the flames spread, devouring the sticks and any other flammable items in its path, its destruction both rhythmic and beautiful. He let its heat envelop him but he couldn't help but think back to the last fire he had set. The one that had ultimately brought him here. Before he could get lost in the past he felt an arm wrap around his shoulders, tethering him to the present and maybe hinting at his future. It was much colder than it should be and it scared him. Nothing had any business being that cold, and for the first time in months he found himself thinking of his magic with something other than distaste.

"Thank you. I know that was hard for you." Gray squeezed Natsu's shoulder before he sat down as close to the fire as he could without burning his skin. He was still covered in the blanket.

Natsu nodded absently, even though he knew Gray couldn't see him. He sat down as close to the fire as he could stand. After over two months of feeling cold the sudden heat was almost intoxicating. It loosened his tongue, made him ask questions he swore he'd never voice.

"Why did you come after me?" Natsu covered his mouth wanting to take it back.

Gray turned around and seemed to consider the question. He stared at Natsu as if he also was having an internal battle. He picked up a stick and began to scrape it against the cave floor. "It was too quiet."

"Oh." Natsu deflated, whatever crazy hope had been brewing in his breast quashed by the simple answer.

Gray realized his mistake and hurried to expand his answer. "I never realized how much of my life revolved around you until you were gone. All the things that I liked, they all involved you." He paused for a few minutes, trying to come up with a better explanation. "I don't like my life without you in it."

Natsu watched Gray play with the stick, not knowing what to say to that. "What are you saying?"

"I don't know." Gray sighed. It was the honest truth, he had no idea what it all meant. "But I think I'd like to find out."

They sat in silence for awhile until Natsu's stomach began to complain. They distracted themselves with preparing food and ate it sitting side by side, neither one quite ready to look at each other after what had been said. Thoughts and hearts raced as both men tried to make sense of what might be happening between them. Gray began to yawn and he stretched himself out on the ground and soon Natsu could hear the soft snores that he was used to from years of missions together.

He watched Gray sleep as he thought about all of the things that had happened today. Erza, Happy and Gray had come and they didn't blame him for what had happened. They still cared for him, maybe even loved him.

Could it be true? Could it really have been an accident? Soon, Natsu began to feel the sharp pain in his body that he now knew was his body rejecting Igneel's greatest gift to him. That was the part that hurt the most - in order to protect the others he'd had to reject his father. But did he really have to? Gray had said that he was causing more harm than good by following this path. That there were others that needed him, that he could still use his magic to protect rather than destroy. He wanted to believe it was true, wanted it more than anything. He didn't like being alone but more importantly, he didn't like his life without Gray in it either. He ignored the pain and focused on keeping the fire going throughout the night, well aware that Gray's life might very well depend on it.

It was several hours later when he realized that in their hurry to get to the cave before the sun came down they had forgotten to grab any kindling for the fire. They did not have enough to keep the fire going. He looked around the cave to see what else he could burn. There wasn't much, he was going to have to go outside to get more. He looked over at the still sleeping Gray with concern realizing he would have to leave him alone. He collected everything they could spare and threw it in the fire building it up as much as he could before he left. He kneeled down and kissed Gray on the forehead.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, don't give up on me." he whispered before he ran out of the a cave a slight blush heating his face.

It was pitch black outside, the only source of visible light was the small glow from the fire. He would have to try to keep it in sight or he might not be able to find his way back in the dark. His heart was in his throat, what would he do if he couldn't find things to burn? How could he get his bracelets off? Since he could no longer rely on his heightened senses he would just have to work off of memory. He soon began to shiver as the harsh cold of the mountain air began to work against his meager body heat. He ignored his discomfort and closed his eyes. He visualized the area around the cave trying to determine what direction would be the most helpful. He decided to head towards the river.

After what seemed like a long time without finding much of anything it finally dawned on Natsu that Gray must have grabbed all the debris that was nearest to the cave while he was taking care of him. He sat on a rock for a moment trying to figure out what to do. He heard rustling near him and sat very still in an attempt to not draw attention to himself. The rustling came nearer and Natsu tensed ready to strike if he was threatened when he heard words that were nothing short of a miracle.

"Where is that stupid cave anyway?"

"Happy, is that you little buddy?" Natsu called out, excited to recognize his Exceed's grumbling voice.

"Natsu?' Happy cried out with relief."Thank Mavis, I've been trying to find you for hours! I got turned around in the dark."

"Listen, Happy. You need to go get Erza as fast as you can, Gray's in trouble!" Natsu told him urgently.

"Are you under attack?"

"There's no time, just tell her if she doesn't get here soon, he's going to die."

"Die? But--"

"Go, Happy. Max Speed!" Natsu snapped and Happy recognized the desperation that was hiding underneath his words. This was serious.

"Aye, sir!" Happy yelled and he took off as fast as he could and headed back to the inn he was sharing with Erza.

"Please hurry," Natsu muttered under his breath as he ran back to the cave with the few items he had been able to collect. He almost missed the entrance, the fire inside so low that it was hardly visible. He hurried to dump the contents on the remaining embers but it did not do much.

"N-natsu?" Gray called out to him, his breathing was slow and shallow and he was shivering intensely. "I'm s-s-sorry."

"NO!" Natsu yelled at him as he stripped himself of all of his clothes save his underwear at a speed that would have impressed even Gray had he seen it. "Don't you fucking dare." He threw his clothes into the fire desperate to make it last longer.

"Hold on, Ice Princess," Natsu quickly placed himself behind Gray and held his body close. Gray's body was so cold it actually hurt him to be that close to him but he did not care. He would give him any heat he could. "Help is coming. I bumped into Happy and he went to get Erza."

"I'm s-so s-sleepy," Gray mumbled.

"I know, but I don't think you should sleep anymore." Natsu said and remembering some of their sleepovers at the guild when they were little added, "You're not going to let me win, are you?"

"W-what?"

"Remember, when we were little and we used to have those sleepovers at the guild. Whoever fell asleep last won."

"Y-you always-s could turn anything into a c-c-ontest," Gray attempted to smile but it hurt to stretch his lips.

Natsu snorted, "Me? You're just as bad."

"N-natsu?" Gray called out as his shivering intensified. His words continued to slur making it hard for Natsu to understand especially considering he yawned through half of them. "I have to tell you something."

"You can tell me later. Just focus on staying awake, will you?" Natsu's heart was beating quickly, he was worried. Gray did not look or sound good and he didn't care what the ice mage had said earlier if Gray died, it would be his fault. Gray did this to himself because of him. He could not be responsible for another of his friend's deaths. At least with Lucy, he didn't know what was happening. This time he would be forced to watch it happen.

'Erza, please hurry!' Natsu screamed inside his head.

o-o

Erza Scarlet admired herself in the mirror. She was wearing the new armor she had purchased earlier. It had not taken her long to appreciate her requip ability. Getting into the armor had been time-consuming but she had to admit it looked good. It was made of a supple leather that was covered in light chain, its pieces segmented but still sturdy enough to protect her in the unlikely event anyone would get a hit on her.

She was trying to get a feel for the weight of all the weapons she had chosen from her arsenal. Her trusty katana hung on her back, encased in its scabbard while her Wakizashi blades were on her hips, easily accessible should the need arise. She was most excited about the throwing knives. She had bought a set of six, she had placed one in each boot and divided the other four on her thighs held up by thigh straps.

She admired her new boots which not only had a compartment for the throwing knives, they also contained a secret compartment in each heel equipped with 3 blades that could be deployed by a simple stomp. Her gauntlets also had hidden compartments for knives which she could quickly access by pressing the palms just so. She had a chakram hanging off a hook on her belt. She had wanted a machete as well but even she had to admit that was a bit of overkill so she had settled for a slightly oversized utility knife that was sheathed on her belt at the small of her back to make up for anything she might have missed. She bounced up and down on her heels and moved around her room, trying to gauge the weight and balance before she added the crossbow.

She had begun to experiment with her hair, adding the steel hair sticks she had purchased at another shop. The points were sharp enough to do some major damage and as she was fumbling with their placement she heard the loud sound of knocking on her window. She looked and saw a blue blur. She hurried to open it and Happy flew inside looking absolutely exhausted.

"What took you so long?" Erza asked, mildly irritated at how long the Exceed had taken. "I was starting to worry."

"Erza, you have to hurry. Natsu said that if you didn't get there soon Gray was going to die!"

"What are you talking about?" Erza shouted as she ran around looking for her bow. She found it on the dresser and draped it over her shoulder. "Come on, there's no time to waste and you can't fly anymore. We'll have to find a mount."

She grabbed Happy and placed him on her head and tried not to flinch when he held on to one of her hair sticks. "Don't touch those, they're very sharp!"

They ran towards the front desk and asked where they could rent a mount that late in the evening. The person in charge was not able to help her and so she ran outside remembering there had been several horses at a certain weapons shop. She smiled to herself as she arrived and saw the horses still there. Surely her new "friend" would not mind, she mounted the strongest looking one and rode away in the darkness.

o-o

"Natsu?" Gray pressed on, he knew he didn't have much time left and he wanted to be able to tell Natsu so many things. Things that he had just recently discovered but explained so much. When Natsu came home with Lucy it had turned everything he knew and had taken for granted upside down. He hadn't realized why it had bothered him so, why he had felt the need to follow and spy on them in the beginning. It was so obvious now, he had been jealous of Lucy, of the attention that Natsu lavished on her. He was in love with Natsu, and if he was honest with himself he had been for a long time. The need to be with him, to touch him had always been there. He'd just never given it any thought, why would he? Before Lucy came along, he and Natsu had always been together even if it had been under the pretense of rivalry.

He needed to tell him while he still could, because thanks to Natsu's confusion on the day he'd found him he now knew that Natsu felt the same way. Gray saw the desperate look on Natsu's face and felt guilty for putting him through this again, it was the same look Natsu had when he'd thought he'd killed him. Gray never expected the effects to be so fast on him, but he had no one to blame but himself. Lisbeth had tried to warn him but he hadn't listened, too convinced of his own strength to heed the healer's warnings. How had Natsu done this for so long?

"Natsu, when I first found you, you told me something. Something important. I haven't been able to get it out of my head." He could see Natsu tense against him even though he was no longer able to feel it. He had been numb for awhile now.

"No. I don't want to hear any last words. You are not giving up."

"Natsu, I can't feel anything on my body, it won't be long now."

"No, dammit! Erza is going to be here any minute and I'm going to Fire Dragon Roast your ass back until she gets your bracelets too. Do you hear me, Gray Fullbuster? Just hold on for a bit longer!"

With that he got up and threw the blanket in what was left of the fire, at this point its potential to feed the fire was greater than any possible warmth it could offer them. He lifted Gray to his feet and put the ice mage's arm around his own neck. He bore most of the weight as one look at Gray's extremities had him wincing in sympathy. He had a bad feeling if Erza didn't get there soon Gray might never mold ice again.

"Come on. Princess. Let's go for a walk."

"Natsu, where are your clothes?"

Natsu grinned sheepishly, "I threw them into the fire."

Gray began to laugh even as he was touched by the gesture. How could he have missed this for so long? He really was an idiot!

"Gods, Natsu. I love--"

"I said no, if you want to tell me how you feel about me so damn much you'll have to survive." Natsu snapped, "I will not accept it otherwise. Now, let's walk."

"How is it that you've been able to wear these for so long and still be mostly ok." Gray wondered out loud as they stumbled along around the fire.

"It wasn't the first time." Natsu replied not thinking about his words, just talking to try to keep Gray alert.

"What do you mean?" Gray immediately asked.

Natsu sighed as he realized his mistake but plunged on regardless, at this point what did it hurt?

"Did you know that magic sealing stones have two settings?" Natsu asked his friend.

Gray shook his head, he didn't know where this was headed but a different kind of cold had seeped into his heart as his addled mind began to slowly work out possibilities.

"Yeah, it turns out when the Magic Council first started using them they contained the prisoner's magic, much like the cuffs are doing now. What they started to realize was that this was a problem for certain types of mages. Elemental mages and slayer types mostly. It didn't always happen right away, and there seemed to be a correlation to how strong they were, but eventually they would all succumb to the effects. It took them awhile to do anything about it, apparently they waited until a few of them died. So they came up with a different setting, one that allowed any mage that was negatively affected by the stone to access their magic. They could only affect the space within the cell but at least it prevented them from getting ill and dying."

"How do you know all this?" Gray asked even though he knew the answer. He felt rage pulse through his veins. If he ever saw Lahar again...

"Lahar is a talker. I imagine he was trying to intimidate me, seeing as I am both an elemental mage and a slayer," Natsu shrugged, "It doesn't really matter, what does matter is that he separated me from my magic for the whole week I was there,would have kept it up for longer if Gramps hadn't shown up. He gave me the cuffs when I was released and told me to do the right thing."

Natsu remained quiet for a few minutes. "I knew what I was getting into when I put the cuffs on but I didn't realize what was happening to my body until Lisbeth explained it. I just knew that Lahar was right, if I couldn't access my magic I wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else. But I was wrong. you're hurt now because of my choice, and I'm sorry for that. I do want to listen to you, I-I'm trying."

"I know." Gray sighed as he felt himself drift further away. He concentrated really hard on getting the next words out. It was too late for him but he needed to make Natsu understand. "What happened to Lucy, it really wasn't your fault. Anymore than this is your fault. We both made our choices Natsu, you can't hold yourself responsible for other people's choices. Sometimes," he tripped and fell, dragging both of them to the floor, with him landing on top. "Sometimes things just don't work out the way we want."

Gray looked into Natsu's eyes, at the pain and anguish that he saw there and he knew he would tell him how he felt regardless. He was out of time. "I loved you too, Natsu. I'm sorry."

"No, damn you!" Natsu yelled, "You can't just tell me that and go. It's not fair! Fight, please Gray... just fight for a little bit longer. Erza will get here, I know she will. She's never let us down before."

He heard a cacophony of noise outside, the stillness of the mountain air making the noise carry all the way inside the cave and he could have cried from relief.

"ERZA!" Natsu screamed with all his might. The noise came closer and he heard panted breath join the metallic jangle as running steps echoed throughout the cave. He shoved Gray's body off of him and stood quickly.

"What is it, what am I fighting?" Erza asked in the near dark of the cave.

"You have to break my cuffs. Hurry, Gray is dying!"

"What is going on?"

"JUST BREAK THEM!" Natsu shrieked as he placed his hands in front of her.

Erza's eyes narrowed at his tone but she allowed it for the moment. She removed her katana from its scabbard and aimed carefully so as to not accidentally maim her friend. She broke one then the other and watched in confusion as Natsu covered himself in his fire and grabbed Gray holding him against him in an embrace that was anything but friendly.

"Stay with me you droopy eyed bastard." Natsu sobbed "You can't go, I won't let you go! Erza break his too, please."

Erza hurriedly did as she was asked. She watched, transfixed by the scene that was playing out between her two best friends.

"DO YOU HEAR ME?" Natsu roared, "Get your no good, stripping ass back here right now or so help me when I die I'm coming after you for leaving me like this."

The only sound to be heard was the crackling of Natsu's flames as they covered both their bodies in his warmth. Erza was too confused to say anything, Happy was asleep and Natsu was holding his breath hoping against hope that they had beat the odds again. He willed Gray's limp body to respond.

"Yeah, I hear you." Gray finally replied, weakly but with his usual snark. "I'd probably hear you even if I was dead. Gods you're loud, but you're warm, and for that I'll forgive how annoying you are, this once."

"Don't you ever do anything this stupid again." Natsu managed to get out as he held his love tightly against him, surrounding Gray in his flames but keeping the heat low enough to avoid hurting him.

"Right back at you, Flame Brain."

"Does this mean we can use magic again?" Erza finally spoke.

"You sound disappointed." Gray pointed out, amused.

"Well, it's just I got all this stuff."

Both mages chuckled at her. "Would you like to go hunting tomorrow?" Natsu asked.

Erza nodded, her expression brightening considerably. "Come here." Natsu invited her to come to them. He included her in their hug and they finally sat down together, their backs against the cave wall with Natsu sitting between them acting as their personal heater. The air inside the cave was frigid and Erza handed the still sleeping Happy over to Natsu, who placed him on his lap and petted him gently.

"I missed you." Natsu admitted to Erza who smiled and put her head on his shoulder.

Gray did the same on the other side. Every moment spent in Natsu's flames made him feel more alive. He started flexing his fingers, afraid of any permanent effects to his magic. "What do we do now?"

Erza shrugged her shoulders not having a clear answer to that question. "For now I think Happy has the right idea. We sleep. We can figure things out tomorrow."

Erza fell asleep quickly but Natsu and Gray were too wired to do so right away. Their hands had already found each other and they held on, both very aware of what they had almost lost.

"So you had something you wanted to say to me?" Natsu grinned mischievously at the ice mage.

Gray snorted, "Yeah, you're an asshole."

"Hey, I just saved your life!"

"You didn't let me finish." Gray grinned, "You're an asshole, but you're my asshole, and I love you."

"Just remember you said it first." Natsu smirked cockily.

"Actually, you said it first." Gray announced. "You told me the day I found you. When you thought I was dead, I might add."

"I-I did?" Natsu stuttered, "I thought I had dreamed that."

"Nope," Gray said making a point of popping the p. "I'll be happy to claim another first though. Can I kiss you?"

Natsu nodded, his cheeks reddening at the thought. He still had Erza's head on his shoulder and a sleeping Exceed on his lap but neither of them cared. The events of the night had fueled their already overflowing emotions and some release was needed. Gray positioned himself so he could access Natsu's lips without disturbing the others. He leaned in and pressed his lips against Natsu's a tad rougher than he would have liked but the angle was awkward. Honestly he didn't care, he just wanted to feel close to Natsu, to feel alive together. Natsu responded equally fervently and continued to do so for as long as they stayed awake.

o-o

Natsu and Gray watched Erza take off running after a mountain lion, both amused by her eagerness to not use her magic. She had been surprisingly chill when they had told her they were now together. She had just smiled at them and gave them a speech about treating each other well or else while pointing one of her new throwing knives at them.

Happy had done his perfunctory "They liiiiiiike each other!" and this time Gray did nothing to correct him. He just smiled and nodded, which made the Exceed smile widely. Gray still felt bad about upsetting the little Exceed earlier. They walked to the river to wash up and wait for Erza. Happy immediately produced a fishing rod from his small green pack and began to fish as he cheerfully caught Natsu up on everything that had happened at the Guild since he had left including who had missed him the most, Romeo and who had missed him the least, Gajeel.

Natsu laughed and Gray took the opportunity to ask him if he was coming back to Fairy Tail.

"I'd like to." Natsu replied seriously. "I made a mistake, I can see that now. I should have talked to all of you about how I was feeling instead of running away. I won't make that mistake again. Do you think Gramps will take me back?"

Gray just rolled his eyes at him and then laughed at Happy saying that Gramps would have him to deal with if he didn't. Gray could not wait to go home and put this whole episode behind them. To start anew and explore a life together. After everything they had been through, they deserved it.

He felt Natsu stiffen next to him and saw his face become uncertain.

"What's the matter?" Gray asked, having learned from years of experience that Natsu could scent people from far away, but it was more than that. This was not how Natsu usually reacted.

"There are people coming towards us."

"And?" Gray stared at his boyfriend's face, could he even call him that yet?

"Lahar is with them." Natsu looked at Gray's face and didn't like what he saw. Gray looked murderous and the air around them had dropped enough that Natsu had to call on some of his magic to stay warm. Happy looked from one to the other not sure what was going on but catching the sudden tension. He put his fishing pole down and went off in search of Erza, sensing her cool headedness would be needed.

Gray moved towards the cave leaving a path of frost behind him as Natsu hurried behind him.

They stood in front of the cave, a squad of mages from the Magic Council's Custody Enforcement Unit, led by Lahar himself, with Doranbolt at his side. Lisbeth stood off to the side looking apologetic and Gray suddenly understood what had happened. The healer had tried to save them from themselves by reporting the illegal usage of magic sealing cuffs. Gray had not asked where Erza had gotten the extra pair from but he knew they were meant for the exclusive use of the Magic Council. It was just bad luck that they had sent Lahar after them, or maybe the sonofabitch had requested it once he learned Natsu was involved. He seemed to have it out for the Fire Dragon Slayer.

After everything he had learned about Lahar's actions Gray had no desire to even pretend to be polite. He attacked first, freezing the Captain's hands to keep him from using his Jutsu Shiki magic against him, he then froze him to the ground to keep him from moving. He deliberated which of his many spells he wanted to use on him, happy that he had managed to avoid any permanent damage to his hands as a result of his hypothermia. Dornabolt tried to get involved but Natsu lit his hand in flames as a warning that he would involve himself if needed. Gray could not make up his mind and he decided it would be much more satisfying to just punch him when Lahar spoke.

"What is your problem with me exactly?"

"What is my problem with you?" Gray sputtered, "You tortured Natsu nonstop for a week. You toyed with him when he was vulnerable and you made him believe he was a danger to others."

Natsu watched as if from a distance, many scenes of that week in custody replaying in his head. His self doubt began to take over him again, but he fought it off. He had promised Gray that he would listen to his words, not Lahar's. He kept his gaze on Doranbolt ensuring he didn't come at Gray. The other soldiers stood and watched but received no orders.

"That's enough Gray!' Erza interrupted. "Kindly remove your ice and don't interrupt the Magic Council's business here. Remember, you are a Fairy Tail wizard. I apologize for my colleague's behavior. What is your business here, Lahar?"

Gray reluctantly dispelled his ice and had to be content with glaring at the Captain of the Custody Enforcement Unit.

"We've come to arrest Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster for illegal possession of a Magic Council restraint device." Lahar reported in a monotone voice.

"Are you for real?" Gray sputtered, "You're going to arrest Natsu for using the device you gave him?"

"What did you say?" Erza asked Gray.

"He removed Natsu from his magic for an entire week, knowing full well what it would do to him and then gave him the cuffs when they released him and told him to do the right thing."

"Did he now?" Erza's fingers were twitching towards the chakram that was hangin on her belt. She had been dying to use it. She tried to think of the Master, and the guild but all she could think of was Natsu feeling alone, scared and guilty and removed from his magic and Lahar taking advantage of that. She could not control the righteous indignation that coursed through her very veins at the injustice.

Doranbolt was able to see the change in Erza's stance and debated what to do. In the end he could not justify Lahar's behaviour. Lahar would have to go up against Erza on his own.

"Erza don't do anything you're going to regret." Lahar warned. "The Magic Council has no problem with you at the moment."

"How dare you?" Erza yelled and by this point she had lost it, Lahar's actions reminded her too much of how Jellal had been treated when he had been in the Magic Council's custody. "You are a member of the Magic Council, you're not supposed to use your power to torture your prisoners."

She had grabbed all of her new throwing knives and started throwing them in Lahar's general direction careful to not actually hit anyone. She was so enraged that she accidentally stomped on her foot causing the secret compartment in her boot to activate deploying all three blades at Lahar's legs, accidentally stabbing him with one. Lahar had been so shocked by her behavior he hadn't even called on his magic to defend himself.

"That's enough, Erza!" Natsu finally interceded by standing in front of her and grabbing her arm before she could throw the chakram she had just grabbed from her belt. Lisbeth ran to treat the screaming Lahar. "He's not worth it.'

"They can arrest me if they want to, but Lahar knows they won't be able to hold me. Gramps is aware of what he did, and if he chooses to he can lodge a complaint with the Magic Council. The only reason he didn't is because I asked him not to."

He looked at Lisbeth and added, "I appreciate your concern, thank you."

He grabbed Gray's hand as Happy settled himself on his head. He looked at Erza. "I'm ready to go home now."

"Home." Erza smiled and after getting a quick nod from Doranbolt while the healer was still tending to Lahar they hurried away. The Magic Council knew where to find them if they changed their minds.

"I can't believe you didn't let me attack him and then went after him yourself." Gray grumbled as Erza smiled at him sheepishly.

"I'm sorry."

"No, that was fun to watch." Gray waved off her apology. "It's not often we get to see you lose it."

Natsu nodded in agreement, although he was still quiet. He was ready to move on but there was still something he needed to do.

"Do you think we can stop and visit Lucy on the way home?" Natsu asked, his face downcast.

"Of course." his two friends responded. They walked home in somber silence.

o-o

"Can I see them one more time?" Lucy asked the women standing next to her.

"Of course, dear." Layla Heartfilia replied "But they won't be able to see you."

"That's ok, I just want to know that they are ok."

"Are you excited to be a Celestial Spirit?" Layla asked.

"It seems they'll let just anyone become one now apparently." Aquarius groused good naturedly as she ruffled Lucy's hair.

Lucy smiled blissfully, surrounded by the two women she thought she'd lost forever.

"Aquarius, why didn't you tell me my mom was a Celestial Spirit?"

"You would have wasted your life trying to find her key, just like you were getting ready to do for me." Aquarius replied, harrumphing. "A waste of time, if you ask me. You were meant for other things. Besides it all worked out in the end."

"I guess it did." Lucy said thoughtfully.

"I found them, they're actually visiting you." Layla smiled beatifically. "What nice friends, they look just like you described in your letters!"

"You read those?" Lucy asked with tears in her eyes, her mother had read all her letters, had shared all her adventures with her.

Layla just smiled at her and gave her a hug. "I kept an eye on you whenever I could.

Through her tears Lucy peered down at her friends. When her mother had said they were visiting she'd thought of her house, although of course that did not make sense. It felt strange to be looking down at her grave when she had barely accepted that she had died. It was stranger still seeing her friends talking to a slab of granite and have that represent her.

She looked at Natsu and caught her breath. He looked terrible, he was thin and he looked so vulnerable. She could only imagine what her death had done to him. She began to notice other things. Gray standing behind Natsu his arms wrapped protectively around him. She laughed to herself, of course how had she not seen it before! The way they were with each other, it all made sense now. She let go of Natsu in her heart and wished the two men well. Even though she saw tears in Natsu's eyes while he talked she knew they would be alright. She thanked him for everything even though he couldn't see or hear her.

She watched Erza stare sadly at the place they would now always associate with her. Her face reflecting the gloominess of the day. They might never know she was better than okay . She wished she could have said goodbye to them, her friends. The people who had made her life both miserable and the happiest she had ever been since her mother had died and she hoped that someday she could help them in their adventures again.

Until then there was one thing she could do. She looked at her mother wanting to know if it was okay. Her mother nodded and Lucy used her new magic to disperse the clouds and have the sun shine down over her friends. She smiled as she saw their faces brighten and bid them goodbye perhaps for the last time.

Natsu looked up at the sky and decided to take it as a signal that Lucy had forgiven him. He turned around and kissed his boyfriend. Gray hummed contentedly. They walked hand in hand towards the Fairy Tail Guild. Natsu excited to get his mark back. He was ready to embrace his new life. There would be no more hiding from himself, or from those he cared about. It was finally time for him to walk in the sun again.

The End.

A/N I'm so sorry for how long this chapter took me but it is rather lengthy so there is that. I hope you like it. So many people became involved in this chapter, giving ideas or input. I'd like to thank Selenba and Miyu for helping me come up with parts of this chapter. Selenba and I felt Lahar needed to get some sort of consequences so you can thank her for that. SplendidlyImperfect got to listen to me complain and whine so I should really thank them cause no one needs that. As for Erza, I hope you forgive me but I had so much fun setting her up to then not be able to do anything. Haha!

I will mostly be going on hiatus in September to work on When We Take Different Paths @ftlgbtalesn writing event going on in October. I will try to get an update of To Save A Dragon out before them. I'm afraid I've overextended myself a bit, but I'm really enjoying this group. Check us out on tumblr, instagram, twitter, google plus or or our website. Search for Fairy Tail LGBTales. Thank you so much for reading. Please let me know what you think in the comments.