Chapter 29

Since the moment Natsu had left to go talk to Gray, Igneel and Atlas had done nothing but read through old magic scrolls, trying to find anything that might help them figure out a way to transform Gray into an ice dragon permanently. Assuming Igneel's theory of the boy possessing a dragon soul was correct.

The scrolls represented the collective magical knowledge accrued by the red dragons since time immemorial. Some of them were so old that only the barest of magic held them together. Every generation had added their own scrolls, and it had always fascinated Atlas to trace the magic back to the dragon that had created it.

Over the years, he and Igneel had added their own discoveries to the collection, and Atlas had held the hope that given his immense magical talent, Natsu would someday do the same. Still, he knew that even if that happened, he would probably be the last red dragon to do so.

As hard as it was to accept, the fact remained that they were nearing the end of their existence. The red dragons had been the vanguard of the front lines, and they had suffered great losses to their numbers during the war. There were less than a dozen left. Natsu would more than likely never father offspring, and their line of Royals would end with him.

Atlas looked up from the massive pile of scrolls he'd been studying, finally realizing it had been quite a while since Natsu had left.

"Aren't you concerned Natsu isn't back yet?" he asked Igneel, who was immersed in his own mountain of scrolls.

"Not really," Igneel replied absently, "he and Gray had a lot to talk about. I think we both know if Acnologia had found them, he would've already come for us."

Atlas grunted in agreement. He stared at the scrolls once again in frustration.

"Is your research not going well?" Igneel peered at him.

"Not really, transformation magic is useless for all the reasons we've already discussed. Soul magic looks more promising, but once again, there's the energy problem, and I can't find a way to generate the amount of energy needed."

"I thought I told you not to worry about that." Igneel reminded him, "I'll come up with a way to get you the energy you need."

"Yes, but you haven't told me how you plan on doing that," Atlas complained.

"I have a few ideas," Igneel replied vaguely, "Have you figured out how to get a look at his soul?"

"Sure, that part's easy, we just have to get him to astral project."

"I don't think that's a skill humans are born with," Igneel pointed out, "You're going to have to teach him how to do so."

"Me?" Atlas balked at the idea, "How am I supposed to teach him that? Can't we just cast a spell on him or something?"

"Do you think he would trust anything that came from a spell he didn't cast?" Igneel replied, "Would you?"

"No," Atlas admitted grudgingly.

"Besides it would be good for the two of you to bury the hatchet. What did you do anyway?"

"Why do you automatically assume I was the one to do something?"

Igneel roared with laughter, "Are you saying you weren't?"

"Well no, but would it kill you to give me the benefit of the doubt?" Atlas groused.

"Atlas, I've known you for hundreds of years," Igneel smirked, "What did you do?"

"I wanted to show Natsu that the boy had grown and could handle seeing dragons, so I showed myself to him."

"As intelligent as you are, you can be such an idiot sometimes. Let me guess, he attacked you?"

"Something like that," Atlas grumbled, looking embarrassed.

"Yes, I rather think teaching him how to astral project will be an excellent opportunity for the two of you to put aside your differences. He'll be one of us soon enough."

"You really think we're going to pull this off?"

"We have to, for Natsu's sake."

Atlas grunted, the idea of spending time with Gray didn't please him, and he had no clue how to go about teaching a human how to astral project, but he'd figure something out.

For Natsu's sake.

0-0

Gray was a nervous wreck by the time they arrived at the cave's back entrance, although he was no less determined for them to stay together, especially after the last two weeks they'd spent together.

However, telling Natsu he wanted to live with him and moving into a cave with four red dragons were two completely different things. Especially when he knew that at least two of them disliked him.

"It's going to be fine, you're their Dragon Queen, remember?" Natsu tried to get a rise out of him, no doubt feeling his nerves through their bond.

Now that they had sorted out everything between them, Gray could feel his mate close to him at all times, and it was a wonderful feeling. They could send feelings back and forth and could communicate without speaking if they wanted. Although they hadn't done it much yet, it was reassuring to know they could.

"Atlas and Happy won't like my living here," Gray muttered.

"Well, you could always try to, I don't know, apologize?" Natsu pointed out, "They're not unreasonable, and if they don't accept it, at least you tried. It's all you can do, Ice Block."

"Ugh, it's gonna be so hot, isn't it?"

Natsu laughed, "Yep, maybe I can try to do something about our room, Atlas might know of some magic to keep it cooler than the rest of the cave."

"You think so?" Gray asked, hopefully.

"Anything's possible, but he's the magic expert, not me. Now come on, let's get this over with, they're all inside."

They walked into the cave, and Gray felt awed by its size. He'd only ever been in the front rooms, and as they walked past countless passages, he could see that it would take him a while to find his way around without getting lost.

"This place is huge!"

"Yeah, all the red dragons used to live here, although most of them were already off fighting when I was little. I only ever met the ones who were close to my father."

As they got closer, Gray became more and more nervous until he felt Natsu's wing surround him in a hug.

"It's going to be okay," Natsu assured him with a smile, and with a spring in his step, he entered the main room, calling out, "We're home!"

"Natsu!" Happy ran at them, attempting to tackle Natsu in a play fight as Gray skittered out of the way.

"Hey buddy, did you miss me?" Natsu laughed, letting the younger dragon lick his snout a few times before pushing him off.

"Natsu, you're home!" Igneel entered the room, nodding at Gray in acknowledgment.

"Took you long enough," Atlas grumbled, coming in behind Igneel. "What's he doing here?"

"He's going to be living here from now on," Natsu explained, his tone of voice inviting no argument, "I would appreciate it if you could make him a bed and maybe find a way to make the temperature in our room more comfortable for him."

"I will do my best to make our Queen comfortable."

Natsu peered at Atlas in shock. Even though his tone had been full of sarcasm, he still hadn't expected him to be so agreeable. At the very least, he'd expected some kind of pushback.

"Okaaaay, uhm, thanks," Natsu replied, switching his attention to Igneel, who only gave him an indifferent shrug in response.

"Thank you," Gray bowed his head at Atlas. "I want to apologize for how I treated you, I, uhm, -"

Atlas cut him off, "There's no need to apologize. That was my fault. I thought you could handle it. I was wrong."

"Thanks?" Gray wasn't sure how else to respond to that. The dragon certainly wasn't wrong, but it didn't precisely make Gray feel like they had progressed any.

"I'll go make your room more hospitable," Atlas muttered as he left them, heading to Natsu's bedroom with Happy trailing behind him asking if he could make him a bed too.

"Did I do something wrong?" Gray wondered, confused by the dragon's behavior.

"You're fine," Igneel chuckled, "Believe it or not, that's as close to an apology as I've ever seen him get. His people skills are pretty much nonexistent, but I know he regrets causing you pain."

Gray wasn't entirely sure he believed that, but before he could give voice to his thought, he felt the heat of Igneel's gaze on him, "I trust you sorted out your differences?"

Natsu nodded, "We've reached an understanding."

"Wonderful! Make yourself at home Gray, and welcome to the family, odd as we are." Igneel lowered his head in what appeared to be an act of respect. "I'm going to go supervise Atlas before he gets too creative."

Natsu laughed heartily, and Gray tried to draw strength from it. Overall, it had gone better than he'd expected, but he knew it would be awhile before he felt comfortable in his new home.

"You should go see your friends," Natsu encouraged, "They're probably worried about you, plus you'll need to get your stuff. I can meet you at the field later to help you move it."

"They're your friends too," Gray reminded him. "Lyon and Erza know about what happened, I'm sure they'd like to see you."

"I'll think about it," Natsu replied rather unconvincingly, refusing to meet Gray's eyes.

"Natsu!" Gray demanded, waiting until the dragon met his gaze. "If I can accept you the way you are, don't you think they could too?"

Natsu remained stubbornly silent, but Gray thought he noticed a slight softening of his expression. One that signified that his mate was indeed thinking about it.

Natsu hadn't really changed all that much. He was just communicating in ways that Gray wasn't familiar with. So over the last few weeks, he'd put considerable effort into learning to decipher the clues hidden within Natsu's behavior. Studying his gestures and combining them with the emotions he could feel through their bond until he felt like he had reached a better understanding than he previously had.

"Do it for Erza," Gray pushed, even though he knew it was a sore subject, "you're the only one who has come back. Don't you think you owe her some answers?"

"I don't really think she'd like what I have to say," Natsu replied and thinking over everything he'd learned Gray found he couldn't really argue that point.

"Alright, I'll leave it for now, I might as well go get their interrogation over with," Gray remarked, sticking his tongue out at Natsu when he heard him respond Better you than me in his head.

Your time will come soon enough..., Gray mock threatened. He gave Natsu the closest thing to a hug he could manage, wrapping his arms around the dragon's long neck, and smiling when he felt Natsu rubbing his head on his cheek.

After giving him a kiss on his snout that had Natsu purring, he exited the cave, beginning the long trek to the village.

Later, loser, Gray thought with a smile.

Try not to get killed, Princess.

Gray snorted at the retort, content in the knowledge that when he returned with his things, Natsu would be there to greet him.

0-0

"He's done!" Happy announced, urging Natsu to follow him to examine the results.

Natsu had removed the furniture from his room as soon as he'd realized he'd no longer be able to change back, not wanting a visual reminder of a life he could never have again. He followed Happy to his room, curious to see what his uncle had come up with.

"This is great, thank you!" Natsu praised Atlas when he saw the results of his uncle's efforts.

Atlas had made a bedroom for Gray, but he had put some thought into his interactions with Natsu.

He'd made a bed similar to the ones Natsu preferred but had crafted it so that Natsu could easily curl around it, keeping Gray close to him while they slept. He had somehow also lowered the room temperature, enough so that Gray wouldn't have to call on his magic to be comfortable.

Happy decided to move into Atlas quarters to help keep the temperature down, and probably to limit his contact with Gray. Either way, Natsu was grateful.

Atlas had also crafted additional pieces of furniture to hold Gray's things. There were shelves on a wall above a desk and chair, a wardrobe, a mirror and a dresser for his clothes. All organized in a way that would still make it easy for Natsu to move around the room.

Natsu couldn't wait to see Gray's reaction. It wasn't exactly what they'd had in mind so long ago, but it was a home they could easily share, and right now, that was more important to both of them than anything else.

He was still thinking about what it might be like when Igneel interrupted him.

"Gray is going to be gone for a while," Igneel noted, "and I've missed you. How would you like to go flying with me for a bit?"

Natsu felt the excitement creep up his spine. It was rare that Igneel asked to do stuff together.

"Sure!"

He followed his father out the back entrance, and soon they were in the air, flying side-by-side. Close enough their wings almost touched.

"Did you tell him everything?" Igneel asked, and Natsu immediately knew what he was referring to.

"Yeah, he knows about your part in what happened in Isvan," Natsu revealed, "He doesn't hold you responsible, though."

"That's a relief. Was it your idea to have him live with us?"

"No. To be honest, it shocked me when he suggested it. I didn't think it was a good idea, but Gray wants us to fulfill our vows regardless of our situation. I just hope it won't be too much for him to bear." Natsu confessed, expressing his fear for the first time.

"He's a strong man," Igneel reminded him, "I'm really quite proud of the both of you for coming this far."

Natsu still felt embarrassed over some of the decisions he'd made, but he knew he had to put them behind him. Regardless of how they'd turned out, he'd done his best to protect Gray, and he'd have to be satisfied with that.

"Where are we going?"

"Remember that place Atlas and I used to take you when you were little?"

Natsu paid more attention to where they were going and noticed the outline of the mountains where his father and uncle had taught him fire dragon magic. It was also where they'd taught him to hunt and fish, and he grew excited to experience it again, this time as a dragon.

They hunted, more for sport than out of any genuine hunger, but they ate everything anyway, finding it disrespectful to not consume what they had killed. Igneel looked tired, so Natsu suggested they rest atop one of the mountains surrounding the lake basin where they had often fished. They lay side by side, listening to the sounds of nature all around them.

"I think your mother would have liked it here," Igneel remarked, breaking the comfortable silence. Natsu held his breath, afraid that if he made a sound, his father would stop talking.

"There were so many things I wanted to show her, but there just wasn't enough time," Igneel sighed. "Let that be a lesson to you, son, don't put things off. You never know when your time is going to end. Human lives are fragile."

"What was she like?" Natsu couldn't help but ask, hoping that this time his father would answer.

Igneel closed his eyes, and Natsu was disappointed, thinking the topic was over. That was until he heard a grunt right before an image projected itself in front of them. One of a young man and woman running across the very field that Natsu and Gray had spent so much time on. Natsu recognized the man as the one his father had turned into when taking Utari into the village, and the woman, who wore a scarf he knew very well, was clearly the one in the picture Anna had shown him.

"I remember everything," Igneel admitted, "I know I should have shared this with you sooner, but I—I hope you can understand."

Natsu nodded absently, transfixed by what he was seeing.

They were both laughing, Igneel tackling Porlyusica to the ground. Natsu watched his parents look into each other's eyes and smile with a joy he instantly recognized. Two souls combined into one.

The image faded to be replaced with hundreds of others, each a small glimpse into his parents' life together until Porlyusica appeared before them with a swollen belly.

Igneel let these linger the longest, and Natsu watched as his mother appeared to be talking and singing to him. He observed her wonder and joy at his kicks and the awe on his father's face whenever he looked at her. After all these years, Natsu could finally sate the hunger he'd always felt for the mother he'd never known.

He knew the end was near, but he couldn't look away, watching his entrance into the world with a heavy heart, knowing the price she had paid to give him life. Tears streamed down his face as he watched his mother hold him for the first and last time. She kissed his head and whispered something to him before the image faded away.

"What did she say?" Natsu asked anxiously.

"She said, I love you," Igneel said simply, lowering his head. Natsu could see the slight shuddering of his body that announced the coming of tears his father didn't want him to see.

That was all it took to break him, years of guilt overwhelming him with a sadness he couldn't contain.

"I'm so sorry," Natsu sobbed, "I took her away from you."

"You did no such thing," Igneel chided, straightening up so that he could rub his head against his son's, their tears mingling briefly before evaporating. "Your mother knew what could happen, Natsu. She made her choice, and she never regretted it, and as devastated as I was by her death, I never regretted it either."

"We both loved you from the moment we learned of your existence," Igneel smiled through his tears, swishing his tail until it was petting Natsu's back, "And when I see her again, I'm going to tell her all about you so that she can be as proud of you as I am."

"I am so sorry for all the times I failed you over the years. I thought I was protecting you," Igneel declared, "but that was never what you needed. I realize that now, and I promise I will do everything in my power to get you what you do need. You've suffered long enough."

Natsu wasn't entirely sure what his father meant by that, but he filed it away for later, content to bask in his father's love. He closed his eyes, holding on to the image of his mother holding him in her arms.

0-0

Gray stood at the entrance to the Guard Headquarters feeling oddly nervous. He knew his decision to live with Natsu would come as a surprise to his friends, but he was still confident it was the right one. They had already spent too much time apart over the years.

The knowledge that Natsu could live for hundreds of years weighed on him deeply, and it filled him with a determination to spend as much time with him as possible. It would be a change, but he'd already made the biggest one by accepting Natsu as he was.

He was about to open the door when someone hugged him from behind. Turning his head to see who it was, he recognized Juvia and stiffened slightly.

Not this again.

"Juvia is so glad to see Gray is safe. We were so worried!"

Juvia let go of him, blushing prettily as she realized she might have overstepped.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"That's okay," Gray smiled, feeling slightly less uncomfortable now that he knew she hadn't reverted to her old ways.

He finally opened the door for both of them and waved goodbye to Juvia before entering the changing room for the male guards. He changed into his uniform after taking his first proper shower in weeks. Once he deemed himself presentable, he ventured out to look for Erza and his brother.

He found both of them in Erza's office, where they were preparing for the daily briefing. Gray grinned, noting how close they were standing together even while talking about work.

"Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

They both looked up, their eyes widening into matching surprised expressions.

"Gray!"

They both rushed at him, and Gray soon found himself sandwiched in their embrace. He couldn't help but smile.

He was home.

Erza left for a few minutes to issue some orders but soon returned, and together they made their way to the lake where they sat on a blanket Lyon had grabbed from Erza's office.

"Were you able to talk some sense into him?" Lyon asked, studying him intently. What he was looking for exactly, Gray wasn't sure.

"It wasn't easy, but we talked sense into each other," Gray amended. His eyes met Lyon's, "We went to Isvan and back to where we first met."

"That must have been hard," Lyon observed.

"It was, but I think we both needed to see it to understand where we were each coming from so that we could move forward."

"I'd like to talk to him," Erza spoke so softly Gray almost didn't hear her.

"I know. I'm trying, but he's still resistant to the idea. I think he's embarrassed at having lied to you for so long," Gray confided, "I also think he's nervous about how you will react. He cares about you a lot, and he's already lost so much."

"That's ridiculous," Erza protested, "I don't care about that. He was only doing what his father asked. I understand that better than anyone, and Natsu is Natsu no matter what guise he's in. We've known each other most of our lives."

"Just give him some time," Gray advised, "I think he'll come around, but it's too soon to push."

"Of course," Erza agreed, "I apologize."

"It's just... he saved my life. I didn't really think about it until after you left, but if he hadn't shown up when he did—," Erza shifted her gaze towards the lake, "I never thanked him."

"Give him time," Gray repeated, "I'm sure he'll come around." He reached out to squeeze her hand and felt her squeeze back.

"So are you back for good? It feels like you're working up to something," Lyon noted, as observant as always.

"Yeah, mostly," Gray avoided looking at Lyon, "I'm moving out of town, I've convinced Natsu to let me live with him."

He waited for the protests that never came, confused until he saw Lyon and Erza gazing at each other with fond smiles.

"We expected as much," Lyon clarified with a smirk, "You've waited for him for such a long time. You should do whatever works for both of you."

"Yes," Erza agreed, "You deserve to be happy. Are you planning on staying on as a guard?"

"For now," Gray confirmed, not really knowing what the future had in store or if he'd have to move to that island Natsu had told him about at some point.

"Then we are happy to have you back. Now, since you've just returned from a two-week vacation, I'll expect you to cover some shifts for the guards that had to work extra shifts during your absence," Erza intoned, outlining his schedule for the next two weeks.

"Starting tomorrow," Erza flashed him a sheepish smile, "You may have the rest of today to move your stuff to your new home."

Gray groaned, but then again, it's not like he'd expected any different, and he was grateful that they had accepted his decision without argument. He waved goodbye and headed to his apartment to pack the things he wanted to move to his new home.

0-0

It had been an unusually hot summer, and Gray had grown dependent on the relief that the cooler temperature in their room provided him. He and Natsu spent most of their time lounging in there, as the rest of the cave was much too hot for his comfort.

Nights when he couldn't sleep, Natsu would fly them to different places, often stopping atop snow-capped mountains to let Gray revel in the cold temperatures, so different from their cave.

It was mid-August when Gray arrived home after working a double shift to find Natsu waiting for him in their bedroom. There was something in his demeanor that made Gray uneasy, and he collapsed on his bed, too worn out from the long workday and the walk back from town to do anything more than wait for Natsu to get whatever it was off his chest.

"I'm going to have to leave in a couple of days," Natsu began, narrowing his eyes as he took in Gray's exhaustion.

"What?" Gray protested, "Already?"

Natsu had mentioned that he would have to go on one of his trips to the mysterious dragon island soon, and no amount of arguing or pleading on his part would get him to agree to let him come along.

"Yes, I've already put it off for too long." Natsu admitted, "Belserion is very unhappy with me, things are happening that need my attention."

"Why can't I go with you? I can just stay with the dragon slayers."

"I've already told you, humans aren't welcome there."

"Then why are the dragon slayers there?" Gray pointed out, hoping to get through Natsu's stubbornness even though he'd already tried this tactic several times before.

"They're there with their parents, and I'm not even sure how much longer they'll be able to stay. That's just one of the many things that I need to deal with."

"I thought you said I was their Queen," Gray crossed his arms in annoyance.

"You are my Queen, and those close to me will respect that, but that won't get you very far on that island. If enough dragons were against it, your presence could start a civil war."

"My father worked very hard to make this truce happen. Please, Gray, don't fight me on this," Natsu's eyes were imploring as he explained his feelings.

"How long will you be gone?" Gray sighed in defeat.

Natsu's grin was instantaneous, "Only a month."

"A month?! You're not going alone, are you?" Gray charged, aware as always that Acnologia was still out there somewhere.

"No. Happy is coming with me, in case I need to bring the slayers home. Plus, he always cheers Rogue up."

"Are you going to talk to Sting?" Gray pressed his luck, knowing that this was one particular topic that usually caused Natsu to shut down, and as expected, he didn't answer.

"Fine, I won't push," Gray sighed, choosing to let it go. He wasn't too sure how he felt about Sting either, so he couldn't precisely fault Natsu for his stance. "But if you're going to be gone for a month, I demand cuddles. Now. Lots of them."

Natsu pretended to be annoyed by his demands, but they both knew he loved any physical closeness they could manage just as much as Gray did. He curled up around Gray's body, holding him as close as he could, and they spent a long night nuzzling and talking.

If only it were enough, Gray thought sadly.

0-0

Two days later, he watched Natsu take off with Happy. He'd promised to let them know when he arrived safely, although he hadn't really explained how he was going to manage that, and Gray couldn't help but worry.

It must have shown on his face because Igneel immediately attempted to assure him, "He's made that trip many times, Gray. Happy too. They'll be fine."

"I hope so," Gray replied, hating how scared his voice sounded.

"What about you?" Igneel asked, "What are your plans? Will you stay with us while he's gone?"

Gray nodded, they were in the middle of a heatwave. As hot as it was outside their bedroom in the cave was more refreshing than his apartment, plus he wanted to be close to where he could get news of his husband.

It made him nervous, though. This would be the first time he would be alone with the other dragons. Igneel always seemed happy to talk to him, but Atlas was another story. They hadn't really had much contact since he had moved in. The dragon kept to his room most of the time, making Gray wonder if it was because of his presence.

He wanted to come to some sort of understanding with the hellfire dragon, knowing it would make Natsu happy.

Swallowing the last vestiges of fear he felt toward Atlas, he bravely addressed him, letting his curiosity guide him.

"How is it that Natsu will let you know when he arrives?" he asked, wondering if it was something he could also do.

"Astral projection," Atlas answered in a bored tone.

"Astral projection?" Gray repeated with no clue what it meant. He looked at both dragons, wanting to hear more, but the combined heat they gave off was already working against him.

"Perhaps we should continue this conversation in your room," Igneel suggested kindly.

Gray nodded gratefully, immediately feeling better once they were inside his bedroom. He sat in his desk chair, peering at Atlas expectantly while he waited for an explanation.

"It's a way for the soul to separate from the body temporarily, allowing it to travel and enter the astral realm. So even if Natsu is far away, my soul can travel to him, and we can communicate briefly."

"So your soul would travel to the island?"

"No, it would meet Natsu on the astral realm."

"Perhaps you could explain it in a way that he might understand better?" Igneel suggested drily.

"Fine," Atlas huffed, turning his attention to Gray.

"All living creatures consist of two major components, the physical and the astral. Your body is the physical, it houses your soul and allows it to interact with objects in this plane. Does that make sense?"

"Sort of, but what is the soul exactly?"

"That's a little more difficult to explain, but basically it's what defines who you are. You will live and die many times throughout your existence, but you will keep the same soul. It will just move to a new body and begin the cycle again. You might change gender or physical attributes from life to life, but your most basic characteristics will always remain the same."

Gray thought about that, and as he did, he noticed Atlas and Igneel holding a silent conversation he wasn't entirely sure he should interrupt.

"So the soul can leave the body?" Gray finally asked, tired of waiting.

"Yes," Igneel replied, "With enough practice, you can train your body to release its hold on the soul temporarily. It remains tethered but is free to explore on its own."

"Could I, uhm, could I do that? Talk to Natsu while he's away, I mean." Gray puzzled, the whole idea sounded a little scary to him, but it's not like he had a whole lot of anything else to do for the next month, and it would be fun to surprise him.

"How should we know?" Atlas grumbled moodily, "you'd have to try. Do you know anything about meditation?"

Gray shook his head, "Would it be dangerous?"

"No," Igneel assured him, "It's quite safe. As I said, your soul remains tethered to your body. Death is the only thing capable of breaking that connection."

"It's not a very effective method of communication, but since my telepathy can't reach him where he is, it's all we have," Igneel explained.

"I don't understand."

"Well, to communicate with Natsu, he'd have to be projecting at the same time. Usually, it would be a lot of trial and error, but Atlas taught Natsu some magic, which allows him to sort of tug at his soul to alert him when he's trying to communicate with us. Then Atlas and I can meet him on the astral plane."

"There's an astral plane?" Gray found all this fascinating, having never known about any of these things before. He wondered if Ur had been aware of this.

"You don't need to worry about any of that. I doubt you'll be able to project in this room, let alone go to the astral plane," Atlas scoffed.

Gray huffed at the disdain he heard in the hellfire dragon's voice, "I'll have you know I'm a swift learner."

"Is that so? Well then, if you can do that much, I'll teach you how to reach the astral plane myself," Atlas' contemptuous laugh echoed around them, making Gray want nothing more than to make the dragon eat his words.

But it turned out he wouldn't have to wait long to see him knocked down a peg.

"Why wait?" Igneel declared, startling the both of them, "You might as well teach him from the beginning. You could start now."

"What?!" Atlas sputtered at his brother's words, "Surely you're joking?"

It was hard to miss the glee in Igneel's eyes at his brother's reaction, and Gray smirked in response.

"Not at all, who is better suited to teach him? You teach Natsu magic all the time," Igneel reminded him.

"Yes, but Natsu listens to instruction," Atlas pointed out, "I'm not sure about this one."

"I already told you, I'm a quick learner. Assuming you are any good at teaching, that is," Gray taunted, determined to prove Atlas wrong.

"Well then, no time like the present," Igneel encouraged them, "Try not to kill each other."

It was only when he noticed the satisfied glances the two dragons flashed at each other that Gray realized he'd been had. He just wasn't sure to what purpose.

He tried not to worry about it too much. After all, if he learned how to do this, he'd be able to see Natsu while he was away, and that was surely worth it.

0-0

"Do you even know the meaning of the word relax?" Atlas snipped at Gray for the fourth time in the last ten minutes.

It so wasn't worth it.

Atlas was demanding, and he rarely handed out compliments. He was long-winded in his explanations and quick to anger. There had been at least three different occasions when Gray had wished he could freeze the hellfire's snout shut.

"How can I relax with you constantly breathing down my neck?" Gray snapped, running his fingers through his hair to calm himself down.

They engaged in a staring contest, both glaring until Atlas backed down.

"Natsu had a hard time at first too," Atlas chuckled, and it was hard to miss the affection in the gravelly voice. "He's always had a hard time sitting still, especially to do something as stupid as breathing. His words, not mine."

Gray grinned, that definitely sounded like his Flame-Brain. He willed himself to loosen up, knowing he'd make no progress until he did. Atlas was at least right about that much.

"I know you think little of me, Gray, but remember this at least. As different as we are, we share one significant thing in common. We both love Natsu very much."

"I know," was the best reply Gray could come up with, surprised as he was by the dragon's attempt to get through to him. "I'm trying."

"Alright then, Natsu got the hang of it, eventually. So will you. Let's try again, empty your mind of everything except breathing."

Gray moved to his bed, figuring if he was going to remain seated for so long then he might as well get comfortable. Emptying his mind of any extraneous thought, he closed his eyes and focused on his breathing.

Time had ceased to exist. There was only the briefest of gasps as one breath flowed into the next. Gray had never considered how exhausting breathing was, one breath following another, over and over with no end in sight. A simple action, quickly taken for granted until you had to account for every one.

He thought he felt something shift inside him but couldn't risk the distraction. There was an audible gasp next to him, and he opened his eyes slowly. He couldn't remember getting up, but there was Atlas encased in his flames as always, although Gray felt they looked different somehow.

Atlas pointed at Gray's bed, confusing him, but he complied, turning his head to see what the dragon wanted him to see. He saw his body sitting on the bed, which seemed a strange thing for it to do without him.

The moment he realized he'd finally projected himself out of his body, he felt himself careening back into it.

"I did it?" Gray asked, puzzled by what had just happened.

Rather than answer him, Atlas yelled. "Igneel! You need to get in here."

Gray was still trying to suss out why Atlas was acting so strangely when Igneel hurried in.

"Is something wrong?"

"Just the opposite. You were right," Atlas paced around the room. "Tiamat's tits, we might pull this off after all!"

"Did he see it?" Igneel asked, looking just as excited as Atlas until Gray couldn't take much more.

"See what? Will one of you tell me what the hell you're going on about?"

"If you can do it again, you'll see for yourself," Atlas smirked in challenge.

It took a long time to quiet his racing heart, but he found it wasn't as hard to fall into the rhythm he'd achieved earlier now that he understood what to do. It still took a rather long time to feel that shift once again.

Once he did, he opened his eyes, feeling more confident now that he'd achieved this once already.

He saw both Igneel and Atlas standing away from him, although they looked almost shimmery, like what he imagined ghosts would look like. Atlas smiled at him encouragingly, which was already surreal, considering how the hellfire dragon had been acting all day.

But Igneel was gawking at him, eyes almost bulging out of their sockets. Gray went to rub his neck as he often did when he was confused, only to find that his neck seemed longer than usual.

He looked down at himself and startled. He felt his soul move back towards his body, but he actively fought it. As much as he was having trouble believing what he saw, he wanted to get a clearer picture.

Gray moved until he found himself in front of the mirror that hung above his dresser. He could rather understand Igneel's reaction now, seeing as he was having a somewhat similar one himself. The face he had seen reflected at him more times than he could ever care to count was nowhere to be found. In its place there was the face of what could only be an ice dragon staring back at him.

About the only thing he recognized was the eyes, which looked much the same as they always had, despite being almost comically large in his alarm. Spiky horns made of ice protruded from his navy blue colored head, and as Gray lifted his hand to touch them, he realized his hands had somehow transformed into talons.

That was too much for him to handle. He slammed back into his body so hard it fell back on the bed.

"What the hell was that?" Gray spluttered, quickly standing up and moving away from the two fire dragons.

"What did you do to me? What kind of magic was that?" He yelled at Atlas. His heart was racing so fast he swore he could hear the blood traveling through it.

"I didn't do anything," Atlas protested.

"Gray, listen to me," Igneel interrupted, keeping his voice level. "He really did nothing but teach you the barest minimum of how to astral project. I am sorry we had to trick you, but I needed to know whether my hunch was right."

"What hunch?" Gray's eyes darted from one dragon to the other. "What are you talking about?"

"When you came here looking for Natsu, you didn't set off any of the protection sigils we had on the entrances. Sigils that are designed to alert us of a human entering the cave. At first, I thought that was because you were soul bonded to Natsu, but I realized it wasn't possible. Natsu had damaged your bond so much that the sigils wouldn't have been able to detect his soul at all."

Gray peered at Igneel uncomprehendingly.

"So there had to be another reason," Igneel gazed at him with concern, "Why don't you sit down? This is a lot to take in."

Gray shook his head, "Just tell me what this means."

"It means you have a dragon soul," Atlas explained, for once getting straight to the point. "You are a dragon that was reborn as a human."