Chapter Two
Firestorm of Ice
A/N: Thanks to SapphireTou for her use of the OCs that make up her guild Leviathan.
Capella sighed as she sat on her comfortable seat that she sat when she steered the zarachelon. Unlike most guilds, Leviathan traveled through the oceans of the world and docked with various cities throughout it. The would often take missions at whatever location they were docked with, and trade with local folks for whatever they'd picked up along the way. She smiled as she patted the shell of the beast they lived on. It was funny, before the guild started living on the zarachelon, they had been subject to sharing a guild hall with another guild, of which there were several members that were complete jerks. Luckily, Capella's bond with the gigantic zarachelon had given them the chance to build a new guild, one that moved. She was an ascetic that could clear her mind and communicate with almost any creature. That ability had allowed her to befriend the enormous beast.
The zarachelon was a huge creature that resembled a whale spliced with a turtle. The guild was a series of wooden and stone buildings that were built on the back of the creature's shell. Using some electrical magic, they lit the place up well. There were several lightning mages that made it possible with some innovative lights that one of their glass working mages had created. The zarachelon itself was a slow-moving creature, and going between ports could take a long time. Capella was able to influence the direction it went, but sometimes the thing just did what it wanted. She could ask it to stay put at port, and usually, it was fine doing just what it was asked.
Now, they were docking in the home of Fairy Tail, Magnolia. She adjusted the simple monk's outfit she wore and sighed. Fairy Tail. She looked up as Ashana, their guild master, approached her single room dwelling where she steered the creature. Her home consisted of two rooms, and only the essentials. Of course, it was entirely built around the quiet chair she used to commune with the beast they lived upon.
"We're docking soon," Capella said, yawning and running hand over her dark hair.
The two mages couldn't have been more opposite. Capella wore a simple gi while Ashana wore next to nothing. She wore a bikini top with a pair of short shorts today. Because of her magic, her body temperature ran hot. The Phoenix Mage as she was called, was always overheated. Though she as nice and warm when the temperatures outside were cold, the rest of the time she suffered from her own magic. Her unique magic did allow her to heal with those same flames, and those flames would burn anything evil they touched.
"Will you be coming to see Fairy Tail's guild with us?" she asked with a grin, flipping her red hair over her shoulder. She wore it up in a high ponytail that sometimes fell over her ample bust.
Capella sighed. "Ah, I'm not sure, they're really rough there, aren't they? I might wait here…"
"Whatever you want, I'll go see how things are going. I know Estrella wanted to talk to them about their missing dragon slayer," Ashana told her and waited as they docked with the port.
Before long, she and several of their number were heading toward the guild hall. The reputation for it to be raucous and crazy inside was something they'd prepared for.
What they hadn't prepared for was the complete opposite.
-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-
"Isn't this place usually…lively?" Estrella said as they entered what looked like tavern room.
Ashana noted that it was almost like walking into a tomb. A few people looked up they entered, but no one really paid them much attention. With the two of them were their guildmates Diamond and Itzel. Diamond normally drew attention to themselves, having bright blue hair in a rather unique hairstyle. Their hair was super short on both sides, with two long curls descending down from the temple, and a strip of longer hair that ran from their forehead down the back that was kept pulled back in a tail. They wore a fishnet shirt and a pair of loose pants. Itzel stood beside Diamond, her dark skin in striking contract to her wild looking slate gray hair that was mostly short around her face but longer in the back. Her eyes were red and alert as she looked around the hall in quiet disappointment. Both she and Diamond had looked forward to the legendary rowdiness of Fairy Tail. Itzel wore a pair of cut off shorts, a sleeveless white short and the black bandana around her neck she always had.
"The fuck?" Diamond muttered, looking around, pausing to stare at the dark haired mage in boxer shorts that passed them to go up the stairs. Everyone else but him seemed dressed. "Thought this place was supposed to be fuckin' rowdy as all hell?"
"That's what I've always heard," Ashana said as she put her hands on her hips. "This is…unusual."
They approached the bar and found no one there. Estella turned when she felt another dragon slayer.
"Gajeel?" she asked.
Gajeel looked up from where he sat sipping a drink. He glanced at her and smiled. "Oh, hey there Face Melter."
Estrella's eye twitched and she ran her hands through her short, dark hair. "Estrella, please."
"Yer the acid spitter, so there's that," he muttered.
"What's going on? Why is this place so…dull?" she said and headed toward them, her guild mates following.
"They found Natsu. The missing dragon slayer."
"What?" Ashana gasped. "Where was he? Is he okay? Where was he?"
"Dark guild named Crescent Spear. He's…not okay. I don't know what exactly they brought back with them, but it isn't Natsu anymore. He's… changed."
"Ashana," came Makarov's voice. The busty woman with golden-red skin turned to look at the other guild master.
"Makarov, can I help?" she asked, frowning.
"Perhaps, come. Um, please, your other guild-mates should enjoy our hospitality. Have a drink from the bar. Estrella, Gajeel, you come with us. I would like to see if other slayers might be able to help with him. I don't know if you can get near him at all. With it being that time of year, perhaps you'll be able to get through to him," Makarov said with a deep sigh.
Makarov led them up to a room on the second floor. They were keeping the lights low and as soon as Estrella and Gajeel neared the door, both let out a low throaty growl. Both noticed that Gray, the Icemake mage, sat in a chair outside the room. Ashana and Estrella realized that he was the one in his underwear but he was now wearing a shirt and shorts. A blue cat with wings sat on his shoulder, both of them looked morose.
Estrella cleared her throat. "Oh, I didn't expect the legendary Salamander to be… um…well…" she muttered and glanced at Gajeel.
"Yeah, he's the submissive one. Surprised me too," Gajeel said with a shrug.
"What's that even mean?" Gray said from where he sat by the door. "Why is this such a big deal?"
Gajeel sighed. "Because, I told you before all this, he's gonna pick someone to mate with him, and they're his mate for life. It could be male or female, but in Natsu's case, it turns out it was a male he chose," he said with a sigh.
"He's chosen someone?" Estrella asked, eyes widening. "Before or after this guild got him?"
"Before," Gajeel confirmed. "But he got rejected, so that's why he ran off to start with."
Estrella nodded. "Rejected huh…" she muttered. "That's the worst. Like death."
"Why? If someone rejected him, why not just pick another?" Gray asked with a sigh.
"Because it doesn't work that way!" Estrella snapped. "I've spent the last three seasons looking for a mate and have yet to find anyone because if I'm rejected… It's like walking death. To have the person you give your heart to crush it." She sighed. "Who rejected Natsu?"
Gajeel cut his eyes at Gray who stared at him. "What?"
"He's oblivious," Gajeel commented as they looked at Makarov. "Master, what do you want us to do? I'm not sure I understand exactly what this guild was doing."
"The season has arrived," Makarov sighed. "The guild that had him was using him in an attempt to lure a dragon to them. They tried to convert him into a real dragon, and that's all that is left. When you see him, you'll understand."
"Why am I here this time?" a voice said from behind them.
Makarov stood and bowed slightly. "Porlyusica, we need your help. We found Natsu."
The medic stared at him. "By the look on your face it would seem you are about to give me another reason to hate people and want to return to hiding."
Makarov nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. He was kidnapped by a dark guild. And… I'm not sure that there's anything human remaining."
Porlyusica sighed and pushed open the door to the room. She blinked and stared. Estrella and Gajeel both stood behind her and stared in kind.
Natsu had destroyed the bed, shredding the mattress and building a small nest area in the corner. He had been brought food, but it was scattered and he hadn't eaten any of it. He was curled into a ball, the tail tucked tight to his body and his head lowered. He was glowering at them from across the room in his nest.
"What the…" Porlyusica whispered as she stepped in, followed by the other two dragon slayers. Natsu lifted his head, sniffing the air, the red scales glinting in the dim light. "What did they do to him?"
Makarov stood beside her. "They tried to turn him into a dragon and drag down a full dragon to use their power. His power was used like some sort of battery to keep their base between worlds where we couldn't find it. I don't know what happened that broke their hold on him finally, but he snapped, killing at least ten of their guild. I don't know if any got away. The Guildmaster wasn't there…" Makarov paused and Gajeel turned toward him, as did Gray who stood inside the door with Ashana. "He killed the Guildmaster's son, though. This may not be over."
Gajeel twitched. "Damn, he's pretty far into his heat," he muttered, stepping toward him. Natsu sat up, growling at Gajeel and Estrella, but the two dragon slayers saw that Natsu's eyes traveled to Gray immediately, who they both were nearer to.
Estrella muttered just loud enough for Gajeel to hear. "Gray hasn't realized what he's done."
"Not at all," Gajeel confirmed with a sigh. "Well, time to let him figure it out."
Gajeel turned around suddenly and grabbed Gray from behind him. Gray gasped as he was drug into the room. He was about to pull away but then to his surprise, Estrella grabbed his other arm.
"Nuh, take responsibility, 'Ice Avatar'," she said and they both shoved him toward Natsu.
"Wait, he tried to kill me when I found him, what are you doing?!" Gray gasped as he fell flat on his stomach. He pushed up and found himself almost nose to nose with the altered Natsu.
Everyone was staring in shock, but the two dragon slayers had taken up a stance between Natsu and Gray and the rest. Gajeel turned and looked at Makarov and shrugged. "Give it a minute. Gray's the only one who can fix this."
"Natsu?" Gray asked. Natsu tilted his head to the side, his eyes bright and fiery. They glittered at bit as they stared at him. He seemed frozen.
"You rejected him once. He isn't gonna do anything unless you take responsibility and accept him," Gajeel explained and crossed his arms. "You don't get it, fuckin' idiot. Your stupid ass is the one he chose as his mate. When you turned on him, when you let him run off, he was rejected. That's why he was hurt, Gray. You did it."
Gray was still staring into Natsu's eyes. He swallowed and reached a shaking and out toward him. Natsu flinched back a little, gasping as Gray's hand neared his face.
Gray's mind was running a million miles a second. He'd done this? He'd rejected him? He hadn't even realized, never thought, that Natsu would want him. They were always fighting, always arguing, and Natsu was always… Showing off. He swallowed. How stupid was he? Of course, now it all made sense. The day he turned him away, Natsu had been hurt because he was showing off. He had been trying to show Gray how strong he was, and Gray missed it entirely. He bit his lip.
"I'm sorry, Natsu, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to reject you back then, before all this. I care about you; I care about you a lot, really. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I'll accept you if you'll have me?" he said and pressed on hand against the roughened cheek. The scales were hot to the touch, yet Natsu's human flesh was cool.
Natsu reached out one clawed hand and placed it on Gray's face and his scaled lips seemed to move into a smile, revealing the sharp teeth inside his mouth. He then leaned forward and bit Gray's arm, surprising him. Gray pulled back, yelping as the sharper teeth pierced his skin. Natsu panicked, turning and burying himself in the next he'd created. Gray came back and Porlyusica looked at the bite wound. It wasn't deep, but it had broken the skin on his forearm.
"It is all instinct," Estrella commented. "There's nothing human about him," she whispered and looked toward Porlyusica. He's more dragon than human."
"Capella?" Ashana asked from the doorway.
"Maybe. She might be able to get past the dragon or at least communicate with it," Estrella noted, looking at Gray. "He's trying to mark you as his, and he'll expect you to mark him. He's unhinged, alone, and he needs you to help him."
"I can't go getting bitten all the time, his teeth are sharp!" Gray gasped, watching as Porlyusica wrapped it.
Ashana nodded to Estrella and Gajeel. "I'll go get Capella."
-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-
"I don't understand, I told you I don't want to go to their guild hall. My calm is going to be interrupted at such a rowdy place," Capella said as Ashana pulled her along toward the guild hall.
"Please, you'll see. I told you. There's a problem with their Dragon Slayer. We need you to talk to him," she said with a frustrated tone.
Capella had never seen Ashana act like this, so she just went along. It was obvious that she didn't want to explain things, and preferred to let her see what was happening. They went into the hall and Capella saw that Itzel and Diamond were both sitting at a table with some of the Fairy Tail members quietly talking. This wasn't what she expected… Ashana led her up the stairs to a room where Makarov, a woman she vaguely recognized, and a man with a wrapped arm stood outside of. Ashana led her inside and she saw that Estrella was standing with what she guessed was another dragon slayer.
"Capella," Estrella said and nodded toward the corner of the room. "We need you to get through the dragon and try to communicate with Natsu. Or see if you can't talk to the dragon."
"What?" she asked and looked over where Natsu had gotten up and was sitting on his knees and watching them.
She stared, the horns, tail, and the patches of scales catching her attention immediately. He was also nearly nude. There was a scale patterned white scarf around his neck, but it looked like someone had tried to put a robe on him. He'd shredded parts of it with the claws he had instead of his hands. His toes were also clawed, and he looked very much like a dragon in miniature with a few human features. She had never seen anything like this, and for a split second, she was shocked into silence and inaction.
Then, it was over and she walked over to him. She sat down cross legged near him and closed her eyes, reaching for the creature that she wanted to contact. At first, all she got was barriers. The draconic consciousness was protective of him. In fact, she could tell immediately why it was so strong.
"The dragon is the protector," she spoke out loud. "His purpose is to keep Natsu from disappearing, so he pushed Natsu away. Natsu is there, underneath the stronger presence of the draconic heritage made stronger by these men. You have to unravel the changes, one by one, but not all will go away. Most importantly, you have to get the dragon to recede, so that Natsu can live again." She paused. "He needs to have a proper mate. They've abused him in an attempt to bond him to someone else, but only his chosen mate will fulfill him." She winced, feeling too many things from this dragon presence. "The violence visited upon those men was the dragon. Revenge for their violation of the dragon slayer's body. Every year, they would repeat the rituals in a book?" She opened her eyes and saw that the room had filled with the others as well. "Ah, I can try again later, the emotions are strong."
"What do you mean that he needs his mate?" Ashana asked.
"Yes, he has one? But that's not consummated. So he feels like he's incomplete," Capella informed them as she stood up and looked them over.
"So consummate it," Gajeel said, glaring at Gray. "You said you'd take responsibility. So do so."
"Wait, what?" Gray gasped. "I can't… How…" He looked between Gajeel and Estrella. "How do I know what he wants? I don't want to do anything he doesn't want!"
"He wanted you to fuck him into oblivion five years ago, Gray, that hasn't changed," Gajeel said with an arched brow.
"He isn't wrong," Capella confirmed. Gray stared at her. "When the idea of a 'mate' came up, it was your face and images of ice. When I commune, it isn't in words, but feelings, emotions, and images. That's why I can commune with any creature. I don't use language," she said gently. "No, he wants to have you take him as a mate. Desperately. I don't know if it will help, but it may bring the human Natsu to the surface."
"Are you sure that the human Natsu wants this?" Gray asked, wringing his hands as he looked to see Natsu staring at him still.
"Human Natsu and the dragon are the same creature. Remember that, there aren't two beings inside him, the 'dragon' is just a part of Natsu." Capella put a gentle hand on Gray's shoulder. "What Gajeel says is true. There is pain and longing associated with you, and you are going to have to bond with him. He tried, and you rejected him again. He is in much pain."
"I rejected him again?" Gray gasped. "How?"
Capella touched Gray's forearm. "He tried to mark you and expected you to return it. So you'll need to answer his needs, Gray. Or if you have no such feelings, I can attempt to help him accept that."
"It isn't that I don't have those feelings for him!" he said, louder than he expected. "I mean, um, well, I do… I mean…"
"Come, let us leave them alone and sort their feelings themselves," Estrella said with a sad smile. "Capella, can you bridge them?"
Capella nodded. "I think I can. It won't be easy, the connection depends on the magic of the recipient, but sometimes I can bridge a creature to another human. It may ease your mind," Capella answered and took Gray's hand. The others exited and she once again sat beside Natsu. He stared at Gray as Capella took one of Gray's hands and one of Natsu's clawed ones and interlocked them. She closed her eyes. "Relax, Gray, and let your magic guide you."
Gray wasn't sure what to expect. He didn't expect the world to shift and to be standing on an open field with a huge red dragon that was breathing flames on everything around it.
Fear. The world echoed off the walls of his brain. That was Natsu's fear. The world tilted and there was a very fragile looking pink haired boy who was crying in the belly of a dragon. Sadness. Igneel, Gray assumed as the world began shifting again. Hatred. The word was strong and the face of a man with the dark guild's crest on his forehead was there, and leaning over Natsu's body as he tried to escape him. Revenge. The world pounded with a heartbeat as Gray saw bodies being torn apart, and a vicious version of the Natsu he remembered standing there with bloody hands. Loneliness. Natsu sat with his head tucked to his knees and tears fell from his eyes. The room was where he'd been kept.
Pain. Gray was shocked to see himself the day he yelled at Natsu and he'd run away. That was what caused him the most pain? After everything else? Love. Again, Gray saw himself, reaching out to help Natsu stand, and the image of his smiling face filled Gray's heart. Need. There was a pulsating heat around him, and Gray saw Natsu sitting in his room shaking and biting his lip until it bled. His arms were hugging himself.
I want you. I need you. I love you…
Gray's eyes flew open and he was staring into Natsu's eyes again. While he'd sat holding his hand, Natsu's face had moved closer. Capella stood up and turned to go.
"Wait!" he asked as he scrambled to his feet to follow her. "What do I do?"
"Bond him. Then you'll be connected to him, and you'll be the only one to know how to help him." Capella smiled and left quietly.
Gray turned and stared at Natsu who sat still on the bedding. He took a breath. He'd seen into Natsu's mind, and he definitely had feelings for him. The most pain he suffered had been because he thought Gray had rejected him.
"You idiot, I didn't reject you, I never did. You should have just told me what was happening," he whispered as he walked toward him, stripping his clothes unconsciously as he went. He dropped to his knees in front of Natsu and put his hands on either side of his face. He leaned in and kissed the tip of the dragon slayer's nose. "Idiot."
Natsu's eyes widened and he reached up to grab Gray's face and then he leaned to nuzzle into Gray's shoulder. Gray let him, feeling him sniff at his neck. Then he flinched because Natsu was licking him. He figured if Natsu bit him again he'd do his best not to act hurt. Instead though, he heard him growl low in his throat and then whine. Gray reached his face and tipped it up.
"I'm so sorry I didn't realize, Natsu."
Natsu clutched Gray suddenly, rubbing his front insistently and Gray realized that he was aroused and for a moment, Gray had no idea what to do. Should he help him with it? Wait, he was supposed to consummate this, so did he have to… Gray sighed, having wanted to have special first time with his long-term partner, but this would have to happen in this fashion. He pushed Natsu back and pushed him gently to lay on his back. Natsu looked up with wide eyes and for a minute Gray doubted himself, but Natsu bucked his hips upward toward him, and Gray sighed, reaching down and stroking him.
Natsu whimpered and wriggled a bit but he'd thrown himself into an entirely submissive position. His legs had gone wide and his arms were over his head. He was panting and his cock was leaking a steady stream of fluid. His tail was tossed to the right side, but he could see where it connected to him just under his entrance. Gray nodded, collecting some and sliding his hand down and slipping a finger into the dragon slayer's warmth. He nearly gasped at the heat, but he supposed that he was a fire dragon slayer… He continued, rubbing and plunging first one, then two fingers into him until the muscles began to loosen enough that he thought taking him might be possible. He thought about it and decided to work a third finger into him. Doing so made him tense and whimper even louder.
Moving up between Natsu's legs, Gray held his own dripping length and stroked himself to coat the dripping fluids over it. He pressed against Natsu and then plunged forward. A rush of incredible heat felt like it was consuming him from the inside of Natsu's body and Gray felt the sudden crackling of Natsu's magic around them. So, it was true. Even though he'd seen inside Natsu's mind, seeing the dragon slayer's magic react like this was more confirmation that this was correct. He nearly jumped when Natsu's voice came from the supine slayer.
"Gray, Gray…" his raspy voice whispered again and again as Gray continued to thrust into the heat that was threatening to consume him. "Love… Gray…"
"I know, Natsu, I know," Gray panted out. "Love. You. Too."
Natsu's body arched and there was a release of his magic that was met, surprisingly, by Gray's own. Without even knowing what was happening, Gray leaned forward and bit down on Natsu's neck where it met his shoulder. Natsu came then, his essence spurting all over their bellies in a fountain heat like nothing Gray had ever experienced. It nearly burned his skin, and he compensated with his ice magic chilling him against it. The action sent Gray over with a deep groan as his own orgasm slammed into him harder than he expected. He clutched Natsu against his chest, minding the horns as he did so. He was glad they formed to his head a little. When he leaned back up, Natsu had passed out. Gray reached forward and brushed a hand over his cheek, but when he did, his hand came back covered in red scales, revealing pink flesh underneath them.
Gray found his clothes, cleaning them both up and then dressing himself. Natsu didn't have much, but he found a mostly intact blanket. He crawled into the mass of ripped up mattress with him, wrapping his arms around the dragon slayer.
-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-
When morning arrived, Gray had no idea how much work was yet to be done. Now, he had to deal with all those horrible things he had glimpsed before. The problem was when he wanted to, all he had to do was close his eyes and sense Natsu's emotional state through the bond they'd forged. At first it was pleasant and happy, but then things began to worm into the dragon slayer's consciousness.
Gray woke with Natsu shaking him, scales steadily falling off his face and neck. That was something, Gray supposed. He sat up and Natsu whimpered, still seemingly not capable of speech. He put his hands around his neck and whined. Gray sensed that he wanted something. Then the fear came roiling off of Natsu. The fear of turning on people he loved.
"You want a collar?" Gray whispered, realizing why he was holding his hands to his neck.
Natsu nodded and growled at him. Gray stood up, seeing he'd stripped again in the night and dressed. He needed to figure out how to deal with him. Just as he was about to leave, a knock on the door announced someone's arrival. He opened it to find Lucy with a couple plates of food. She smiled at him.
"Hey, did you two…you know?" she asked, looking over at Natsu who was snarling at her. "Is he… why is he doing that?"
"I think he's jealous that you're near me," Gray said as he took the trays and took them over where Natsu was sitting. He sat down and started eating from his. Natsu just glared at his before he kicked it and crawled away from it. Lucy sighed.
"He hasn't eaten since he got here. I don't know what to give him."
Gray looked at him and realized that he was starving. "Why won't you eat, Natsu?" he demanded in a tone that made Lucy look at him. It was demanding and very unlike Gray.
Natsu crawled back toward them and poked at the cooked eggs and ham and growled, shaking his head.
"He wants raw meat," Gray said suddenly. He blinked. "Oh, that's disgusting," he muttered as he turned and looked at Lucy. "Um, I guess try raw meat? I don't know if that's safe, but he is more dragon than human right now…"
Lucy cringed, but picked up the upset tray and left again. When she returned with a piece of raw beef, she didn't get it sat down before Natsu grabbed it from the tray and tore into it with his teeth. Lucy stepped back.
"It won't be necessary forever," Gajeel said as he leaned against the open door. "Once the dragon aspects fade, the need for raw meat will as well. I was hoping that wasn't something he needed, but apparently, it was."
"He had to eat rats," Gray said quietly. "When he was thinking about food, that image was strong. He caught them and ate them because for the last year he was starving more than not…" Gray was getting used to this strange ability to commune with him.
Gray stood up and looked at Gajeel. "Stay with him, I'm going to get something he wants."
Gajeel got a glare but Natsu didn't do anything but curl into a ball in the corner when he finished the meat. Gajeel just shook his head and waited. Lucy got up and left in a hurry right after Gray. Gajeel could tell she was upset by his condition. After a few minutes, Gray returned with a bag. He sat it down and then pulled out a pair of pants and a vest like Natsu had always worn.
"Natsu, you must dress."
Despite the initial growl, Natsu got up and crawled over toward him. Gray got the vest on him, then managed the pants, but he ended up having to cut the back for his tail to fit. Natsu picked at the vest, and Gray imagined being without clothes for five years meant clothes felt really strange on his body. Once he'd dressed him in pants and a vest, Gray pulled out a blue colored leather collar. Unlike the metal one that had left Natsu's neck scarred, this one was soft and more symbolic than anything. Natsu needed a symbol for being controlled. This would work. He buckled it around his neck and Natsu bounced on his knees as he touched it with claws. If Gray didn't miss his guess, the claws seemed less sharp. He looked up as he heard someone come in.
"Gray, Ashana and Porlyusica are going to see if they can't undo some of the magic that caused this problem. Would you like to stay or leave?" Makarov asked as he walked up beside where Gray was kneeling in front of Natsu.
"I'll stay." Gray looked at Natsu who seemed about ready to retreat from the two women. "No, you let them heal you."
Natsu nodded slowly, and sat still. Ashana stood behind him and placed her hands on either side of his head. She closed her eyes and flames descended out from her hands and over Natsu. He flinched but of course her flames only hurt evil things. Porlyusica knelt in front of him and placed her hands on his hands and closed her eyes, concentrating on undoing the changes caused by the rituals. The two of them, as well as Levy and Lucy, had spent the entire night researching the notes in the ritual book they had brought back. Reversing everything looked to be impossible, but some of it could be helped.
Interestingly, it was Natsu's tail that began to shrink, and the patches of scales continued to fall off his body. After a near hour, both the mages stepped back and Natsu fell over in a dead sleep. The tail was gone, and his hands and feet had returned to nearly normal appearance. The horns, though, had remained, and his teeth were still sharp and fanged. His nails were still somewhat claw like, but they no longer looked more like dragon's feet than hands. The same was for his feet.
"I think that is the most we can do for the moment. His mind…" Porlyusica said with a sigh. "That we can do nothing about. I have a feeling that will be up to you."
Ashana patted Gray on the head. "Please, don't be hard on yourself," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I sense that you want to do so already. That won't help him." '
Gray nodded and watched them go, followed by Levy and Lucy who had come by in the middle. But it was his fault. He'd rejected Natsu and because of it, he ended up with that horrible dark guild. And the leader was still out there. A leader with a dead son, one that Natsu had killed. The fear that blossomed in Gray's belly was great.
