Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Before you slip into unconsciousness
I'd like to have another kiss
The Crystal Ship, The Doors
The Crystal Ship
Natsu's grip on Gray's hand tightened. Even though the blood was making that a slippery and difficult action, Natsu held on for dear life.
Chaos surrounded them; blasts and dust and ear shattering noises all the while fire was consuming structures and screams sounding as if being ripped out of people's throats. But to Natsu none of that mattered. He was sitting by a rundown wall, with Gray lying on top of him as debris fell over them every now and then.
As far as Natsu was concerned, only he and Gray existed, in a small bubble that secluded them from reality.
Gray's head was resting against the crook of Natsu's shoulder, his soft breaths fogging the air slightly as he rested all of his body weight over Natsu, one of the pink haired one's arms was banded solidly around his waist and their hands were interlocked, one last message passing through the force with which they were being held.
"Come on Gray. Don't do this…" Natsu was saying hoarsely. "You c-can't do this to me-" Natsu choked out the last words.
"It's nothing. I just have to sleep for a bit and-" Gray mumbled as his eyes slipped closed.
"No. Don't you dare!" Natsu gasped, tilting his head down so that his lips brushed against Gray's cold ones.
#
Bright white light filled Natsu's vision, blinding him and making what felt like electric current run through him.
He saw himself in an array of images, spinning around him in a dizzying manner, yet he felt stuck on one same spot by an image of himself kissing Gray – only in this image they were relaxed and content instead of pained and close to heartbroken.
He fell.
#
The ground felt too hard underneath Natsu's body. He opened his eyes only to close them instantly due to the stabs of pain that the painfully bright light that reached them. He groaned as he tried to turn to his side. His whole body ached. Natsu blinked, trying to get used to the light.
With a grunt, Natsu rolled successfully to his side and hefted himself into one arm. He assessed the place he was in. It was a large terrace, the ground being composed of big slabs of light yellow stone. To his front there was a railing – also made of the same stone – and beyond that, a very pale blue immensity lay. Breathing heavily, Natsu managed to stand up, stumbling towards the railing to sit upon it. He looked around, towards what was beyond the railing only to see that a city in a bleached yellow descended towards the deep blue sea. Natsu looked back and saw that the city continued ascending, houses looming over the terrace although the sun didn't give way to shadow.
Natsu looked back into the sea and saw something shinning in the far distance. In this place where everything was the same sun bleached pale yellow, it felt like a good place to start. Something different.
Feeling like he had reigned in his strangely ragged breathing, Natsu straightened up, only to let out a pained grunt. His body felt as if on fire – and not in a good way – at the same time that his bones sent painful waves up his spine, as if they were grinding together. Natsu leaned back against the railing, his weight no longer being supported by him. Something made him look back onto the sea and he got ready to get back up, he had to get to that bright shine in the blue. Biting his lip to stifle the noises that threatened to escape, Natsu started walking, getting to the road that seemed to be the main one and start descending. It didn't take long for him to notice that the more he walked, the more the pain ebbed away. He looked up to the previously almost white sky to notice how dark grey clouds had started covering the sky.
Instants later, rain was falling heavily. The clouds bringing up shadows that grew menacingly, yet, Natsu didn't pay them attention. No. he had stopped walking and was looking up. Feeling the water soaking through his hair and clothes, drops sliding teasingly through his skin right after having splashed playfully over him.
Natsu closed his eyes and tilted his head further back, the corners of his mouth tilting up. He knew what this was – who this was.
The cold feeling of the rain was proof enough.
Gray.
It felt as if Gray was surrounding Natsu, hugging him like he had done so many other times before.
#
Natsu held onto Gray tighter, resting his cheek against the other's, feeling the coldness.
Their hands were still linked and he tightened them, only to have them be tightened back.
Natsu let out a sigh.
#
He was running down the street, his steps echoing back at him.
The more Natsu ran, the faster he went, the whiteness of his surroundings blurred as if the shadows from the rain had returned.
Images flashed on both sides of Natsu, merging into a colourful blur, a splash of images that went too fast to be apprehended.
Natsu kept running, now not only wanting to reach his goal but also to flee from the craziness that was happening on both his sides.
His breathing was starting to get ragged, for he had already run a considerable distance although he couldn't exactly tell, given the similarity of the streets. His heart was beating loudly on his chest, his blood racing as Natsu's eyes remained fixated on the blue.
Every now and then he couldn't refrain from repeating what now felt like a mantra.
"We'll meet again, we'll meet again," he kept promising the empty streets.
After more running, something different caught his eye and he braked. His momentum threw him forward and he stumbled, falling to one knee and scratching it on the hard stone. But he didn't pay the sting any mind. He was looking into a statue.
A bronze statue of Gray.
Natsu's brows furrowed. It was a strange pose for him to be in. Gray was looking towards the top of the city, a longing look carved onto his face at the same time that large and ugly shackles were curling around his feet and climbing up his legs.
Natsu didn't like that.
Didn't like that at all so he shook his head and looked back into the sea. His goal was there and he had to get there.
And that was it.
Natsu started running again, freeing himself from the aches that had restarted to gnaw at him while he had stood still. His footsteps echoing back at him were his only company once more until the moment Natsu felt a breeze cutting through him.
Before he had noticed it, the whitened stone buildings had been replaced by fields. These golden fields were swaying to the wind in massive waves. After a while Natsu also started noticing that the fields themselves were changing quickly. From a thing green to the golden that overall permeated the world to a dark brown. It was a constant cycle of death and rebirth.
Natsu shook his head, not wanting to dwell on the thoughts that started to fill his mind.
He didn't accept it.
A shadow passed overhead and that made Natsu look up. He saw the rainclouds threatening to cover the sky once again and let out their tears onto the ground once more.
That was what Natsu felt that the rain was going to be doing this time around.
Still, he refused to think about it – besides, his goal was just there, he was close enough!
Natsu jumped from the wall that separated the city from the beach and for a few instants he felt the weightlessness of flying. He landed on the sand, his ankles sending twinges of pain up his legs, and he ran to the shore where the noise of the waves that continuously crashed against it was strangely absent. Still, Natsu paid it no mind because at that moment he saw what the shine was.
It was a ship.
But not a regular ship. This one was transparent, crystalline. And at that precise moments an array of colours started shinning off of it and actually filling it with light.
Over it, gulls flew. Their noise also absent.
"It's strange how sometimes the simple things are the one you miss the most," said a voice to Natsu's right.
The pink haired youth started and turned, only to stare at Gray.
"What the-! What are you doing here?" he asked. "You're supposed to be," he pointed out towards the ship, "there!"
"Oh, I am." Gray said with a humourless chuckle. "But I'm also here. And so are you. It's a way to let time pass as good as any other."
"No. I thought that we – wait, what?" Natsu asked, confused.
"We're both here, passing the time."
"But I thought that I had to find you and take you back. Well, at least, get to you." Natsu said, frustration underlining his tone.
"You did." Gray said in a tone that gave Natsu pause. He looked into the other's face and saw the sad look he was being thrown. "You did get me…" Gray repeated, softly.
"Then what?"
"Now we have to go." Gray said, extending his hand. "Come."
Natsu held it tightly and, with a nod, they started walking towards the ship.
###
When they were found, they were still entwined by that rundown wall, grey dust covering them and with a broken slab of stone way too close from their bodies. However, none of that mattered for Natsu and Gray lay plunged in an eternal slumber.
A/N: I had planned to write something to The Crystal Ship, a song by The Doors for quite a long while. Ray Manzarek's passing a while ago spurred me to finally write this story. This comes late but yeah, I felt like I had to write something.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed the story.
It is unbeaed for now.
Feedback is appreciated, as usual.