What? An update? What's Blue thinking? Seriously though, I like playing with my Playdate AU, so it's sorta gonna end up being a bunch of one shots I add to if I feel like. They'll probably parallel the main story eventually. And I know people wanted to see something with a basket of baby dragon slayers, but Gajeel, Sting, and Rogue refused to provide me with inspiration. Instead, have the story of how Natsu and Gray joined Fairy Tail in this version. And yeah, I may be messing with timelines a bit, but it's already an AU so I don't care.
Gray picked up his shirt off the ground and used it to wipe away his tears. He really hoped nobody was around to see him cry.
It had all started just after Ultear came home. Ur had introduced the girl to Gray and Leon as an older sister, her daughter who'd been missing for several years. The tearful joy of that day had quickly given over to anger; the little family soon found themselves on a mission to destroy the research facility that had taken Ultear away. When they'd gotten there though, the lab had been deserted.
A dragon had come while they debated what to do next. It wasn't Igneel, to Gray's disappointment. He wanted to see Natsu again. Instead, this dragon had been smaller, a bright copper-blue with red markings. His appearance had taken Ur by surprise.
"Incruentus." She greeted the dragon with a small bow. He nodded his massive head.
"Greetings Ur." There was something creepy and bubbly about this dragon's voice. It sounded bloody. "Igneel sent me to tell you it's time."
Ur frowned. "Already? Man Iggy... Tell him I can't. I've got two of them anyway; he'll understand."
Laughter boiled up from the dragon's chest. "He knew you'd say that. He also told me to say that Ultear is more than capable of doing for one of them, despite her father."
"What? No!" Ur flew into a rage and started cursing at the dragon in a language Gray didn't understand. At least, he assumed it was cursing. She certainly sounded angry. A small cough from Ultear broke through the tirade.
"It's okay mama. I'll do it."
Ur froze. "Ultear, no. Do you even know what you're talking about? I can't let you do it, not when I just got you back. You deserve a normal childhood."
"I already missed out on that." Ultear's eyes shone with tears, but she stood firm. "At least this way I get to be with one of my brothers. And when it's over, I won't go the same way as the rest of you. Daddy's blood will protect me."
"What's going on?" Lyon drawled. Ur bit her lip, then swept Gray and Leon up into a hug.
"We can't tell you boys, not yet. But you'll find out in time. Come on, let's find someplace to sleep for the night."
...The next morning, when Gray and Lyon woke up, Ur and Ultear were gone.
It had been several months since that day. To be honest, Gray hadn't kept track. He and Lyon had split up in search of their family. They sent letters to each other whenever they ended up in a town or city, but it was hit and miss. They rarely actually received the notes. So far, neither had found any sign of their mother or sister.
Gray continued on through the forest, wondering where the next town was. He thought the last sign had said Magnolia was coming up, but he wasn't sure if he'd gotten turned around since. The ice mage wasn't the greatest navigator.
Sounds of sobbing from a tree made Gray freeze. Literally, his first instinct was to freeze the tree. His magic was met with a cry of indignation and a gout of fire and something pink and fluffy fell from the branches. Gray recognized it instantly.
"Natsu!" Gray bowled the the smaller boy over with his desperate hug.
"Huh? Gray?" Natsu cocked his head to one side. "Where's Lyon? And Ur?"
Gray stared at his feet. "Ur left. One night she just disappeared. Lyon and I split up to look for her and Ultear."
"Ultear?"
"Ur's daughter. Our big sister. Hey, does Igneel know where they went?" A jolt of hope went through Gray, only to be immediately shot down by Natsu's crushed look.
"Igneel disappeared too. I've been looking for him everywhere." The fiery boy sniffled and buried his face in his scarf.
Marching to a nearby bush, Gray collected his pants, which had mysteriously left his body. "We'll look together," he decided, surprising Natsu. "With my eyes and your nose, I'm sure we can find them. Then we can get Lyon and figure out who's the strongest."
When he turned around, Gray was greeted by a watery smile. "It's me, Ice-cube. Fire melts ice."
"But then ice turns into water and puts the fire out!"
Gray launched himself at Natsu, tackling the other boy playfully. The two of them scuffled and rolled their way through the trees until they came to rest at the base of a building. Cobbled streets and towering houses stretched out before them; they'd rolled into a city.
"Where are we anyways?" Natsu broke off the fight to examine their surroundings. "I've never been somewhere like this before." A cart raced by not far from them, causing the smaller boy to leap behind Gray with a hiss.
"Seriously? You've never been in a town before?" Gray was shocked.
"Well duh. Igneel didn't exactly blend in. Or fit. This is a human place, right?"
"Yeah." Gray hitched up his backpack and gulped. "I, uh... I think this is Magnolia. I'm gonna check with the local Guild and see if they've seen Ur. Stay close to me, okay? And don't cross the roads without looking both ways first."
"Roads?"
"Paths made of rocks."
The pair slowly made their way through town. Gray kept having to coax a started Natsu out of various bushes and trees; the fire boy was scared of all the strange new things. Apparently he'd never even been to a small village before, let alone a city.
It took them most of the day to find the local Guild, Fairy Tail. When they did, they were met at the entrance by a tall, redheaded girl. She held a bokken in her hand and was carefully using it to attack a pinata. At least, until she saw them. Then she stopped and stared at the boys in confusion.
"Are you two lost?"
"Not anymore," Gray told her. Natsu stared silently from under the ice boy's arm, where he seemed to have permanently attached himself. "We're here looking for a mage named Ur. Have you seen her?"
"Nope. But you should ask Master; he'll know if she's come through."
The girl, who introduced herself as Erza, led Gray and Natsu inside, to where a little old man sat at a bar. He smiled at them as they came closer.
"Hello little ones. What can we do for you?"
"I'm Gray. Have you seen Ur? Gray rummaged around in his backpack and pulled out a picture. The Master looked at it and shook his head.
"Sorry, I've never seen anyone like that. Let me guess, you got separated from your mother?"
"Sort of," Gray sighed. "She's my teacher too though. Ur disappeared a few months ago without telling me and Lyon why, and I can't find her anywhere!" It was very hard for Gray not to cry.
"So you're Lyon? Cute name." The Master reached over and tried to ruffle Natsu's hair, which was a mistake. The pink-haired boy hissed and snapped, almost biting the old man's fingers.
"N-No! I'm Natsu Dragneel. My dad disappeared too, so Gray and I are looking together. Hey! Have you seen Igneel? He's a big dragon, all bright red and-"
"Sorry, I've never seen a dragon." The old man froze, suddenly spitting out his drink. "Wait, what? You were raised by a dragon? Natsu, did you hit your head on your way here? Dragons don't exist."
"They do too!" Gray shouted, defending his friend. "I've met Igneel and he's awesome! He and Ur were friends!"
The old man looked thoughtful. "Well, well, well, isn't that interesting." He rubbed his chin and looked from one boy to the other. "So dragons do exist, eh? Doesn't change the fact that there aren't any around here. Sorry."
Natsu slumped to the ground, Gray kneeling beside him. The small dragon slayer had his face buried in his knees. He was crying. Gray patted his friend's back awkwardly, on the verge of breaking down himself. Damn Salamander beat me to it. Well, we can't both cry at the same time; I'll have to wait.
"Why?" Natsu whimpered. "Why'd you go dad? I thought you loved me..."
"There, there." Arms wrapped around both boys, wiping away their tears. Gray had started crying despite his conviction not to. "I'm sure Igneel and Ur loved you very much. Look, how about we look after you until they come back? With the whole Guild looking out for them, I'm sure they won't take long to find. Especially if Igneel really is a dragon- he's sure to stand out."
"Thanks," Gray mumbled into the Master's shoulder. From beside him came a vaguely affirmative sob from Natsu.
