Disclaimer: Does it seem like I own Fairy Tail?
Author's Note: This was originally going to be the first in a series of one-shots, but the idea for the series changed and so I made it a one-shot on its own. I wrote this story to show to SecretDime that Natsu can be a damsel in distress, even if he doesn't do it very well.
Sleeping Beauty
"Natsu! Natsu!" The blue cat flew through the guild, a piece of paper clutched in his front paws. "Naaattttsssssuuuuuuuu!"
"What's up, Happy?" Lucy asked, watching his flight through the guild with no little curiosity.
"I found this," Happy said, waving the piece of paper in front of her. Lucy could see that it was a job request, and that the reward seemed substantial, but she couldn't see what the request actually was. It had to be something fairly hard though, to warrant such a large reward.
"Happy?" Natsu came running through the guild, searching for his furry friend.
"Natsu!" Happy cried joyfully, flying toward him, the paw with the paper in it stretched out to him. "I found at job for us."
Natsu took the flyer from him and inspected it. A broad grin spread across his face and he crumpled the paper in his fist. "Let's go," he called to Happy, as he ran out of the guild.
"Where are you going?" Lucy asked, following him out.
"To go pick some flowers," Natsu yelled back to her, never turning around.
Lucy stopped dead in her tracks, staring in shock after him.
"Did he say flowers?" A familiar male voice said, his shock evident. Lucy turned to see Gray standing beside her, watching Natsu disappear into the distance, off to hunt for flowers of all things.
Natsu examined the clearing. It had taken almost two days, and far too many train trips to reach the clearing that the job request had mentioned, the clearing with the particular flowers requested. He wasn't entirely sure why the person wanted the flowers, but given the reward, he wasn't going to really question it. Besides, if the person was going to use the flowers for some sort of harmful magic, then Natsu would just stop them as soon as he found out. There was, however, still the question of why couldn't they collect their own flowers, but maybe they were just lazy. Either way, it resulted in a profit to him.
So, he was looking for a flower with broad, dark green leaves and small petals. The request hadn't said exactly what colour the flowers would be, just that they were light in colour and the petals would soft and silky. It had also mentioned that they had an interesting and slightly alluring smell. It figured that the smell would be stronger for Natsu, what with his dragon slayer senses, and he had thought that would help him find them. What he hadn't thought of was that the clearing would be filled with flowers, each one emitting its own unique scent.
Natsu looked up at Happy, intending to ask him to help search for the flower, but Happy was curled up sound asleep in a tree and he just didn't have the heart to wake him. It had been a long journey for him too.
He crouched down and began to sift his hands through the multitude of flowers. Wherever he found one that had a soft silky texture and broad leaves, he would bring it to his nose and smell it, certain that he would know the flower when he smelled it. He spotted a pale blue flower that reminded him off the colour of ice. It had broad, dark green leaves and when he reached out to touch the petals, they were soft and silky, like a certain, annoying ice mage's hair. He shook his head, blinking rapidly, trying to get the image of him out of his mind. What was going on? Why did he keep thinking of Gray? This one pale blue flower was surrounded by other similar-looking flowers, just of different colours.
"Happy!" Natsu called, sitting up in the middle of the field of flowers, surrounded by the flowers the job had requested, and the flowers that reminded him of Gray.
Happy woke from his dreams of fish flying straight into his mouth with a start, almost falling out of the tree. He grabbed hold of the basket, as he fell down into the clearing, his landing softened by the flowers. Basket in hand, Happy wadded his way through the field of flowers to Natsu's side. As the blue cat made his way slowly towards the pink haired boy, Natsu began to carefully pluck the flowers. The request had specifically asked that the flowers be damaged as little as possible. He lay the flowers gently in the basket Happy dropped by his side and picked more, shaking his head to try and get rid of the annoying fog that seemed to be filling his thoughts, pulling images out of his memory that he would rather stayed there. He filled the entire basket, and pushed on the ground, trying to get to his feet. The scent of the flowers, spicy and sweet all at the same time, filled his mind, fogging over. As the scent grew overpowering, and the fog grew thicker, Natsu heard footsteps coming towards him and the image of dark, blue-black hair, and obsidian eyes filled his vision. Natsu crumpled into the flowers, flowers that waved gently in the soft wind.
A hooded figure stepped into the clearing, taking notice of the strange blue cat shaking the pink haired boy that had picked the flowers for the,. It was too bad to have to get another involved, but needs must. It was too dangerous for them to spend the time it would take to find and pick the flowers. Walking silently through the clearing, he picked up the basket of flowers and stopped just beside the unconscious boy. The blue cat noticed as a shadow fell over it and it looked up, clearly trying to see into the darkness of the hood. He reached down and picked up the still boy, slinging him over his shoulder as if he weighed no more than the basket of flowers. The strange blue cat grabbed hold of the end of his cloak and tugged.
"Where are you taking Natsu?" It cried. Strange, a talking cat.
He thought about it for a moment, and then shrugged it off as just another peculiarity of magic. "I'm taking him to a safe location," he looked down at the little cat and the flowers surrounding them. He didn't want to spend too much time in the clearing, but they had endangered the life of this boy for their own purpose, the least he could do was give the blue cat what they needed to save him. "Go back to your guild. Find the person who is closest to this boy. They will know how to find him." He turned around, shaking the cat off his cloak, and leaving the clearing, with the flowers and the boy. He would spend no longer in this cursed clearing.
Back at the guild, Gray rubbed his temples and leaned back, placing his feet on the table, ignoring Mirajane's glare. For some reason, a few hours ago his head had just started to ache for no reason. It made no sense, given that his usual source of headache, an annoying pink-haired dragon slayer had left to pick flowers of all things!
The main doors of the guild slammed open, and Happy flew through the doors, yelling incoherently, flying around in complete panic. Gray reached up as he flew overhead and grabbed hold of Happy, holding him tight enough to stop him from escaping but lightly enough that he wouldn't hurt Happy. "Calm down, Happy and tell me what's going on."
Happy stared up at Gray, his eyes unseeing. As Gray shook him slightly, the panic began to fade and he blinked, breathing deeply. "Natsu's been stolen," he whispered.
"What do you mean, 'stolen'?" Lucy asked, sitting down beside Gray.
Gray hushed her. "Start at the beginning and tell us exactly what happened."
"We went to find the flowers, and I had a dream about fish and Natsu fell asleep and a person in a cloak took Natsu and the flowers!" Happy cried in a rush. "He said that whoever was closest to Natsu would be able to find him. But I have no idea!"
Lucy reached out and patted the blue cat on his furry little head. "I don't think he meant that kind of closeness, Happy. He probably meant whoever was the closest, emotionally, to Natsu. Who do we think that is?"
As one, the assembled guild members turned to stare at Lucy, Happy included. "Why are you all looking at me?"
"Well," Gray drawled, "it makes sense. Natsu brought you to the guild, spends a lot of time at your house, and you do almost everything together."
"He's closer to you than he is to me!" Lucy yelled at Gray. "You two have been here since you were both kids, you've fought together, gone on dangerous missions together, saved each other's lives. You're definitely closer to him than I am." She frowned as Gray flinched and rubbed his head. "What's wrong with your head?"
"I have a headache, that's all." He looked from one suspicious face to another, and pushed away from the table, trying to escape the view of the entire guild. Happy chased after him, desperation showing on his face.
"Please," Happy said, his eyes begging Gray non-verbally. "Please help me find Natsu. I can't manage without him. If you can help, please!"
Staring into those sorrowful black eyes, Gray knew you would have to be a much colder person than him to deny him. "Alright Happy. If I can help, I will."
Happy lunged towards him, throwing his short arms around Gray's neck, pressing his face into Gray's cool skin. He was shocked to feel the warm moisture of tears against his skin, and realised that Happy was crying. He must be really worried about Natsu.
"How do you think we'll find him?" Gray asked. They all thought about it for a moment, the guild falling completely silent.
"Gray," Mirajane began hesitantly. "Is it possible that your headache has something to do with Natsu?"
Gray snorted. "It normally does."
"Ha ha. Very funny." Mira rolled her eyes. "Close your eyes, Gray and concentrate."
He frowned up at her, but did as she said. What with his headache, he really didn't feel like arguing with her right now. "What am I concentrating on?" He asked, eyes closed.
"Try and find the centre of the headache, where it's coming from." Mira suggested.
"It's like all headaches, it's coming from my head."
Mira sighed in exasperation, and reached out to hit Gray across the back of the head, but froze when he made a strange noise. "What is it?"
"It's like…the centre of a storm. Somewhere in the distance, I can feel…" He frowned, searching for the words. "I don't know how to describe it. Far away, I can feel a sense of calm, an escape. It's strong enough that I think I could follow it."
A look was shared between the members of the guild.
"Anyone want to bet that if he followed that feeling he would find Natsu?" Lucy asked to no one in particular.
Happy grabbed hold of Gray's arm, and dragged him to his feet. "Come on, we have to go. Now!"
Gray let Happy pull him out of the guild, heading towards the calm that he sensed far in the distance.
"It's ironic," Lucy said, watching them leave the guild. "Gray's headache was because of Natsu, just like always."
The ice mage and the blue cat stared up at the building that towered over them and the entire forest, and Gray nodded. This was the place where the sense of calm seemed to be emanating from. Even standing there, at the base of the tower, he could feel the headache almost completely disappeared. Happy gripped his shoulder and stared up at it, as if imagining how difficult it would be to find Natsu in such a place. They had had to struggle through thick vegetation to get here, and after all this time, Happy just wanted his dragon slayer back. Even Gray was getting worried about Natsu; after all, it wasn't like him to be trapped in a place like this without doing everything he could to escape, and probably destroying the whole place at the same time.
He reached out to try the door, only to have the door open just before he touched it, inviting them to enter. Sharing a suspicious look with Happy, Gray walked through the darkened doorway, and looked around the entrance hall. The majority of the room was taken up by the large spiral staircase in the middle, with a few doorways leading off to different rooms.
"Welcome," a deep male voice echoed through the empty room. "You must be the closest one to the boy who picked our flowers. We are glad you have arrived."
"Who are you? Show yourself!" Gray looked around the room, trying to spot any sign of the person who was talking. A hooded figure emerged from the shadows to stand in front of Gray and Happy, all their features hidden by the large, black cloak.
"Come," he said, ignoring Gray's question. "Your friend is up here." He led the way up the stairs to a room a bit over halfway to the top and pushed the door open. The room was completely devoid of furniture, except for a bed, on which lay the pink haired dragon slayer they had come to find. But how had he gotten here, and why was he asleep?
"He has been drugged by the scent of the Flos Somni, the Sleeping Flower. He is trapped in an endless dream world, and only the one closest to him is able to find him, and bring him back to this world. It is why you have been led here."
"Wha-" Gray began to ask, but was cut off by the cloaked figure.
"There is no time for such questions," he said ominously. "You must hurry to restore him to this world or he will be lost forever."
"How?" Gray asked, staring down at Natsu's sleeping face. There was something so strange about seeing him so still, Gray hardly ever saw him this still. If he was sleeping, Gray was normally asleep too, if he had been fighting and knocked unconscious, Gray was normally either fighting with him, or fighting him and was knocked unconscious at about the same time. He looked so sweet, and innocent like this. Not that those were often terms he would use to describe Natsu, but they seemed to fit in this moment.
"You must establish a connection with him, and enter into his dream world. Once there, you will need to traverse the dreamscape, find the boy and convince him to return to the real world. It may be difficult, but you are the only one who can do it."
"How?" Gray repeated.
He couldn't see it but it felt like the dark figure was smiling. "The easiest way to establish a connection is a kiss."
"No way!" Gray yelled, rejecting the idea with every fibre of his being. "No way am I going to kiss him!"
"Please, Gray," Happy whispered. "You have to save him. Please."
"If you do not, he will die here," the mysterious figure said sadly.
"Alright then." Gray knelt beside the bed on which Natsu's sleeping figure lay and lent down. He hesitated for a moment, and then leaned down to tentatively touch his lips to Natsu's, his eyes fluttering closed at the contact. The thought, 'this is really messed up', ran through his mind, and then he was pulled out of his body and into Natsu's dream world.
Towers of flame surrounded him on every side, the heat intense. This fire felt hot enough to melt a human being and it wasn't even touching Gray. What would it be like to have this fire come into contact with your skin? Gray shook his head, dispelling the temptation to reach out and see if the flames actually existed or whether they were just a product of Natsu's imagination. It wasn't important what they were; all that mattered at the moment was finding Natsu and getting the hell out of there.
Shielding his eyes from the light glaring down on him, he looked around; searching for a sign that would tell him where in this hell-hole Natsu was hiding. Far in the distance he could see the shimmer of something other than fire, something much colder, and to him, more welcoming. Something he knew as well as he knew his name. Ice.
As he moved towards the patch of ice in the distance, the fire seemed to move out of his way, as if creating a path for him to safely move through. The closer he got to it, the more he could see, and when he was about what seemed to be halfway, he could see a figure kneeling on the ice. A figure with a shock of spicy pink hair.
"Natsu!" Gray yelled, running towards him.
Natsu looked up as Gray ran towards him, and smiled. "Gray. It's good to see you."
Gray froze at the edge of the patch of ice in shock. He sounded so…passive, nothing like the Natsu he knew. He stepped onto the patch of ice, stared in amazement as it formed into a structure around him. It looked sort of like the main room of the guild, but empty of people, it looked completely wrong, like a ghost guild. He crossed the floor, and crouched beside Natsu, resting a hand on his shoulder.
"Come on, Natsu. It's time to go home." Gray smiled hesitantly at the dragon slayer, completely creeped out by the peaceful look on his face.
"But we are home," Natsu said, gesturing around him to the empty guild.
"No we're not," Gray said, pulling him to his feet. "Look around you, this place is totally empty and it's silent. This is not our home."
Natsu frowned at him. "But it is home. It feels like home."
Gray forced Natsu to stare him in the eyes. "If it were home, then the rest of the guild would be here. Lucy would be here, Erza and Mirajane, the Master, they would all be here. And Happy, what about Happy? How can this be home, Natsu, if Happy isn't here?"
Natsu appeared to be thinking about what he had said, thinking intently. "You're here, and that makes sense if this is home, but Happy isn't. You're right, Happy should be here."
"He's waiting for you, we're all waiting for you. All you have to do is wake up. Just wake up," Gray pleaded with him, knowing that his tone was close to begging but not caring.
"But how do I wake up?" Natsu stared deep into Gray's eyes, as if the answer he was searching for was hidden there.
"I guess, just want to wake up. This is your dream world after all."
The two boys held each other's gaze for a moment, then Natsu inclined his head slightly, and narrowed his eyes, concentrating.
Gray opened his eyes to find himself staring down into wide black eyes, and realised he was still kissing Natsu! He jerked back, and they stared at each other for a moment, before Natsu was nearly thrown out of the bed by the force of Happy slamming into him, crying joyfully. He laughed, wrapping his arms around the little blue cat, and looked across the room at the cloaked figure that stood there watching them.
"You," Natsu spat, leaping to his feet and across the room to grab the figure by the edge of his cloak. "What the hell was with that request? You didn't mention that the flowers gave of a bloody sleeping gas! What did you want them for, anyway?"
The figure pulled out of Natsu's grasp, and gestured for them to follow him as he walked out of the room and continued up the stairs. Natsu stomped after him, Happy flying around his head, still caught up in the joy of having his best friend back, and Gray followed after them, shaking his head.
They reached the top of the stairs, and the figure opened the one door leading off the landing for them. Entering the smallish room, they were instantly surrounded by the most beautiful smell Gray had ever smelled in his entire life. He could tell by the dumbstruck look on Natsu's face that he felt the same way.
The figure moved into the room to stand by the teapot that hung over a low fire and threw back his hood. The old man grinned cheerfully at them, revealing more than a few missing teeth. "Those flowers you collected for me make the most wonderful tea," the old man explained to them. "Lovely and refreshing, and just so delicious. I used to collect the flowers myself, but it takes time, and if you spend too much time in the clearing, the scent of the fresh flowers will send you into a dream state, from which you can only be woken by someone close to you. And unfortunately, all the people I am close to are dead," his face fell for a moment, before becoming bright and cheerful again. "So that's why I send out the job request, because when you live in a guild, there is always someone close to you." He smiled broadly at the two boys, then bent down, and picked a bag off the floor. "This is your reward," he said, holding it out to Natsu.
"Are you insane?" Natsu yelled. "This whole thing was for some tea?"
"Natsu!" Gray muttered out of the corner of his mouth. "Shut up and take it so we can get out of here."
Grumbling unhappily, Natsu took the reward from the old man. They both bowed, and said farewell to the old man, Gray wishing him well with his tea. Just before they reached the doorway, the old man called out to them.
"You know," he said, "if ever you run out of cash, you could just bring me some more flowers. After all, you can never have too many flowers."
Natsu spun around, a snarl on his face and fire dancing around his fingertips. Gray grabbed hold of him and pulled him out into the landing.
"Let's get out of here, sleeping beauty," Gray hissed softly. Natsu stuck his tongue out at him at the name, but began down the steps; Happy perched happily on his shoulder.
As they left the tower, and began the long journey back to the guild, Natsu hesitantly brought up a topic he'd rather avoid. "Gray, about that kiss…"
Gray raised a hand for silence, and didn't look at Natsu. "Let's just forget it ever happened, okay?"
"Sure," Natsu agreed, and they continued towards home, fighting through the thick vegetation, each of the boys knowing that as soon as they were alone, they would be revisiting and recreating that kiss in far more detail. Far more detail.
Fin
Author's Note: To my knowledge, there is no such thing as a Sleeping Flower; however the name I used is a combination of the Latin for flower, and for sleep. I think. Let me know if I'm wrong and I'll fix it up. Hope you like this, and if you read the original, hope you think this one's better. And yes, Natsu and Gray are planning to do exactly what you think they are. (The impossibility of that generalised statement appeals to me, in that I know that not everyone is going to think the same thing, and so almost everyone is going to interpret the ending differently, however they would like to interpret the ending)