Disclaimer: I know it, you know it, but hey, let's say it any way. I do not own any rights or even the smallest piece of Fairy Tail. Let's just take a moment and thank the great Hiro Mashima, without whom we wouldn't have such a fun story and I wouldn't have the chance to try my own writer's hand in a Fairy Tail tale.
A/N: Here we go folks. I know, I know, there have been just about a million and a half plus one fanfics pairing these two particular together, but guess what, I never have written one and have always wanted to so deal with it! Also, I am not up-to-date on Fairy Tail and never seem to get the time to catch up, so here are my apologies ahead of time for anything I get wrong. But, at the same time this is a work of my own mind and so I don't want to feel constrained in any particular way. This is a short intro, but I felt like it was at a good place to stop for the story to come. Hope you enjoy.
Chapter 1: The First Step
Natsu Dragneel shrugged on his pack, smiling faintly back down the well-worn quiet dirt path to Magnolia. Just above the tree line, the fire dragon slayer could just make out the tapering spires of his home, the castle filled with the most insane and quick tempered power maniacs he had ever known. They were without a doubt a destructive force that could not be contained, one day surely ensuing the destruction of everyone and everything. Because if a Fairy Tail wizard did anything, they would do it without any reserve, giving their all simply because they knew no other way to be. He would miss them all.
The smile he had held as he left that family wavered, faltering with every step taken, carrying him one more pace away from them. Sure, he told them all he would be back and he meant it. But for the first time since he had arrived upon the guild hall's doorstep, a small strong-headed boy raised by a dragon who had ignited his heart and soul in an eternal flame, Natsu honestly didn't know if he would be able to return. Maybe he had bitten off more than he could chew, but if there was one thing the pink-haired dragon had, it was an insatiable appetite.
At least, that was how all the members of his family had seen it when he took on the century quest. The job old-man Gildarts had failed on had become Natsu's obsession. That was the general consensus around the chaotic guild hall. He was now twenty-five, the ace of Fairy Tail, the strongest in the land. Quite simply he had no one left who could put up a challenge against him. Natsu Dragneel was remarkably single-minded, seeking always a worthy challenge he could pit himself against. Those murmurings whispered around the corners of the hall in hushed voices every time Natsu would embark upon another 10-year mission only to return before the seasons did. They inevitably reached his wolfly-keen ears despite their attempts at hiding their thoughts.
Natsu left them to believe what they would. Never did he correct them, for the true motives behind his actions were still a baffling mystery even to him. Ever since he had become the ace of the guild, there was an ever growing unease settling permanently in his belly. And he'd come to pinpoint the source of that unease in one person. His life-long friend and rival had distanced himself from Natsu on that day. No longer did he start meaningless fights just so they could end up by their old creek, dueling until the sun set and the chilling bite of frigid ice with the burning ferocity of flame faded together.
Gray Fullbuster, that droopy-eyed stripping bastard, had drifted away, spending almost all of his time away from the guild on S-class quests. Natsu had grown tired of being in the hall without anyone but the damn metal brat dragon to pick a fight with. When he was twenty-three, Natsu's unease had solidified. Not only had Gray drifted away from him, but it was on purpose. It was only a matter of time until coincidence faded to design. They never saw each other. Natsu returned home after every mission only to find that Gray had left the night before. The one time Natsu had forgone writing home in order to surprise the pervy stripper, he'd been met with a surprised yelp in those dark crystal blue eyes. Gray had immediately dashed out of the hall, snatching a job request on his way.
Tired. That was the true motivator behind Natsu's need to find a way to leave the world he knew for as long as possible. His heart was tired of the rejection. Damn it all if he had not come to be closer to that ice princess than anyone else since Igneel had left him. It felt even worse this time. He was an abandoned child again, yet this time it was not a dragon foster-father, but rather a friend who had become more than a brother to him. Natsu needed to get away from it all or else he knew that he would snap. Before that could happen, Natsu set his sight on the century quest. It was the ultimate ticket free from that irritating pain lancing through his heart at home.
Blowing out his cheeks, Natsu raked his fingers back through his mane of pink spiky hair which he had grown out to trail to the edge of his shoulder blades. He still wasn't exactly sure why Gray's rejection had affected him so, tearing his heart and mind apart piece-by-piece, day-by-day. But now, he wouldn't have to think about it further. There was no certainty that he would survive this venture. Indeed all clues pointed to this mission being his demise. Either way, it was the answer Natsu sought free of the chains. Even if he made it through it all whole, it would be decades at the soonest before he would return back to this home.
Righting the sleeping roll at the top of his pack, Natsu set his eyes on the path before him.
It was midday when Natsu first caught the scent in the shifting wind through the trees. He frowned deeply, closing his eyes and taking in a deep drought. Mint and pine. There wasn't a single pine tree in this forest, and, Natsu snaked his tongue over his sharp canines, he'd never smelled that particular combination with its subtleties except for one place. It was the scent of winter, settling in among the mid summer day. Gray. Why?
Throughout the day, the scent enveloped him. Twice, Natsu had suddenly veered off the path, weed-whacking through the unmolested forest floor, yet the scent had continued to follow him. Every time the wind would shift, it would carry like gold-filigree along the warm air currents. Even when Natsu had stopped for a quick breather, the scent had surrounded him, yet it always maintained its distance, never growing in strength.
It was two hours before the sun set when Natsu stopped suddenly on the path. He growled, his fist igniting in a scalding fireball. The flames licked up his muscular forearm. His black eyes shot to their corners, nose twitching. He was a dragon at the rabbit hole. Ears pricking up, he narrowed in on the source of his aggravation throughout what should have been the beginning of a calming adventure until the mission began. His arm slashed through the air as he spun on the ball of his foot. A torrent of flames coursed out from his hand, setting the wooden world ablaze.
A sharp yell rang from the trees and a wall of clear ice shot into the sky.
A feral grin spreading his lips, Natsu stalked toward the wall, his steps heavy over the burning forest floor. Throwing another fireball from his fist, Natsu watched it splash across the smooth icy surface of the wall, reflecting a passion in his black eyes.
"Hey, what the hell are you doing!?" Gray, wide-eyed, and pissed as hell, appeared behind the wall as it fell away into nothing.
"What are you doing, is the more important question." Natsu glared at the icemake mage letting his irritation spill out.
"Did you really take that century quest? Are you out of your mind, you flame-brained idiot!?"
"Hmph. What do you want, Gray?"
Gray's droopy eyes were focused. A cool tingling mist spilled out from his palms, blanketing the forest floor and squelching out the dancing flames Natsu had caused. "I'm not letting you go and get yourself killed. Damn it, Natsu, even Gildarts couldn't complete this quest! Don't be so damn reckless just because you need a challenge!"
Natsu's brow arched. This had been the first time in years he had actually heard Gray's voice. It was strange, even that small insignificant thing calmed the tight clenching pain in his chest. And that pissed him off. "So you came here to stop me from going?" His laugh barked among the solitude of the empty forest.
Shaking his head, Gray's icy eyes locked onto the fire dragon slayer's, the determination an iron pole. "Like hell I'd actually be able to convince a flame-brain like you to not do something so stupid and I know I wouldn't be able to bring you back by force now, Natsu. So, I'm coming with you!"
The pink haired wizard's eyes shot open in surprise. "What?"
"What," Gray smiled, his lips thin, his eyes like a wolf set on its target, "you got flames in you ears too, pinky?"
"Oh, you want to have a go, ice princess?" The mock-anger in Natsu's eyes couldn't even hope to hide the glee bubbling up through his body. Flames danced over his skin.
"I do, yeah, but I wouldn't want to have to explain to everyone why the ace's ass is in sling and why he couldn't even get out of the borders of Magnolia without getting beaten to a pulp."
Rolling his eyes, Natsu turned back to the trail. "Well, come along if you want. Don't know why'd you'd care anyway about a man you so clearly can't stand to even bare being around."
Gray caught up the dragon's side, and deep scowling frown heavy on his face. "Can't stand you?"
"Yeah, obviously, I haven't even seen you in two years. Don't know what I did to make you hate me. Never gave me a chance to even apologize for whatever it was. You just passive-aggressively walked away, you droopy-eyed bastard."
Gray let out a tight sigh, squeezing his temples in his hand, "idiot."
