Whatever the Cost


Chapter Three: Home


Some folk we never forget
Some kind we never forgive
Haven't seen the back of us yet
We'll fight as long as we live

-Song of the Lonely Mountain (Neil Finn)


Chapter warning: I am not good at writing Lyon. ._., and Natsu will be slight ooc. My apologies.


Gray stood before his door with a silence he'd held since he left the guild earlier that night. He stared at his door for a moment longer, his mind racing on too many things at once for him concentrate on one single thing. Absentmindedly, his hand reached into his pocket and pulled out the key to his apartment. It wasn't until he was standing in the middle of the darkened room did he realize he was finally home. He turned on the light and winced when the sudden shock of light temporarily burned his pupils. After giving his eyes a moment to adjust, he unshielded them and looked around. Immediately he noticed there wasn't a single speck of dust to be seen in the area, and he knew either Mira or Erza had come over and dusted his place while he was asleep. He made a quick mental note to thank them later.

Despite the fact he'd slept for nearly three weeks, he was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to head to his bedroom and fall asleep. He stripped himself of his shirt and pants as he headed for his bed, it's silvery sheets and blanket calling for him. 'Silver…' He instinctively rubbed the tattoo on his right arm as memories of his father rose in his mind. But exhaustion caused him to push the thoughts aside, and he stumbled over to the bed and slid under the silky blanket. He buried his face into the pillow, letting out a long sigh as he closed his heavy eyelids and let the darkness take him away into a dreamless world.


Natsu, on the other hand, was still wide awake when he reached his house and got in bed. He stared at the ceiling above as he remembered Gray's reaction from earlier.

"There isn't any cure for that, Gray. It's permanent." There had been a silence that'd fallen in the room, and Natsu studied Gray carefully by his side. He could see some shock in those blue-gray eyes. Or, well… blue-gray eye. The other eye… He stole a quick glance at it, for it was the first time he actually to get a good look at it. The iris was a hypnotizing blue – almost the color of ice when he thought about it – and rimming the outer part of the iris was a dark, blood red that contrasted the light blue. 'Its…beautiful,' Natsu thought offhandedly. Gray's hands curled into fists and he grit his teeth, pulling Natsu from his thoughts. Gray hadn't looked all that surprised by the news, he looked more…disappointed and angry, really. "You knew, didn't you…"

Gray gave a curt nod. "I knew this might be a possibility, that if I were to half-demonize myself I might end up staying that way forever. I just…hoped that it wouldn't..."

"Well, I mean, it's not that bad. It could have been worse." That certainly hadn't helped Gray's sudden foul mood. The ice mage gave out a low growl at the comment. It was obvious Natsu hadn't fully realized just how many problems Gray's new appearance would cause.

"I wanna go downstairs," Gray finally said after some time. Natsu blinked at the sudden statement.

"Well then go."

"I can't by myself, you idiot," Gray snapped back. "I haven't walked for the last eighteen days, my legs aren't going to be able to fully support my weight by themselves right away."

"Oh. Then here," Natsu grabbed Gray's left arm and placed it around the back of his shoulders. Immediately, he noticed Gray's demonized skin was colder than his normal flesh, but luckily not by much. It also had a much more tougher feeling; it was still soft but it felt like the skin would be harder to break than usual. Gray slid off the bed and immediately had to place his weight on Natsu. The pinkette wrapped his arm around Gray's waist to help support him better and tried hard not to think about how close he was to his secret love. There was a sudden awkwardness between the two, and Natsu gave a grunt to break it. "You're heavier than you look, fat-ass."

"Tch, you're one to talk. You're like a sac of lead when you get off a train."

"It's not like I can help it, we dragon slayers get motion sickness!"

"Which is pretty pathetic if you ask me," Gray mumbled under his breath.

"How about I drop you on your face and you can crawl downstairs, ya damn stripper!"

"How about you quit yelling in my ear, flame brain!" Natsu was a little taken back at how serious the last insult was thrown. Looking over, he noticed Gray had his head tilted away and a small look of pain on his features. Natsu furrowed his brows.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just…you're yelling actually hurt."

"It must be because you're half demon," Natsu stated, his voice softening. "Demons have heightened senses. It's just your left ear, right?" Gray gave a nod. "And your sense of smell, is it any better?"

"No, it's about the same."

"Hey, Gray?" He received a slight hum in response and he looked at the ground as they headed for the stairs. "About what happened during that fight… I just wanted to–"

"Gray-sama is awake!" (That shriek did wonders for his new hearing ability.) Gray was nearly tackled – yes, tackled – by nearly half the guild with Erza and Juvia at the front of the line. Despite the fact that Gray couldn't really stand on his own, he managed to dodge Juvia's hug. Erza's, however, was impossible to avoid. Her hug had him seeing stars for a moment but he let her continue to hug him anyway. Glancing around, Gray spotted Laxus and Freed across the room and let out a relieved sigh. The last time he was awake, the Raijin Tribe was still sick. Everyone in the guild looked to be in good condition, though some were still bandaged in a few places. He was shocked to see a few different things, though. Like Wendy's hair, how it was cut short. He'd come to love her long hair but the way it was now also matched her. Then there was the couples.

Levy was with Gajeel, smiling happily at him as she pointed over at Gray. She had her arm through his as she pulled him over. Elfman and Ever were side by side, stealing glances at each other whenever they could as they chatted. And Jellal was with Erza now that the redhead was done giving Gray a (painful) long hug. In his opinion, it took them all too long to finally get together. Once the guild had quieted down, Gray gave a small smile. He opened his mouth to talk when the door to the guild burst open and in came walking a very worried looking…Lyon?

"Lyon asked me to notify him when you woke up," Mira explained, her usual cheery smile on his face. "He's been in Magnolia waiting for you to get better."

"You idiot," Lyon grit out. "What the hell were you thinking?" Though the light-haired ice mage would never admit it, he deeply cared for Gray despite the fact he acted as if he despised him. They were, after all, adopted brothers "I already watched you die once–" Now that definitely caught Natsu's attention. Gray had died once before? How was that possible when the damn stripper was standing right beside him? And when did he die? Gray sweat-dropped. He forgot about that. Ever since they fought the dragons after the Magic Tournaments, Lyon had been a little protective of Gray (though he tried not to show it). "–and then I'm told you nearly died again?" Despite the fact he was yelling, Lyon wore a look of relief as his eyes landed on the younger ice mage.

"Well well, look what the cat dragged in," Gray teased, giving a smirk.

"Don't give me that. All the guilds have been waiting to hear if you're alright or not."

"They have?"

"Of course they have! Everyone in Fairy Tail has been considered heroes for saving Fiore." Confusion painted Gray's face and Lyon gave an exasperated sigh. "You really are an idiot."

"Hey!"

"But all that aside, how are you feeling?" It was the number one question everyone had on their mind. Was the demon-half affecting Gray's mentality in any way? Gray gave a halfhearted shrug.

"I feel pretty much normal."

"'Pretty much?' Why, what's wrong?"

"Are you in pain?"

"Do you feel weird?"

"No, nothing like that," Gray interrupted. "I mean, I feel fine. Just tired and a little sore." He had a feeling the wounds Silver inflicted on him during battle might scar, and he wanted to check them after he got home. It was about that moment when he realized that Natsu was still helping him stand. He tested out the strength of his legs and noticed they were better. "Natsu, you can let go now."

"O-Oh. Alright." Gray thought he felt Natsu's touch linger longer than it should have when he pulled away, but decided it was probably just his imagination. Natsu cast one glance at Gray while the ice mage looked away before pushing his way through the crowd and made his way over to the bar to where Happy was.

Gray had left twenty minutes later, and Natsu had left a minute after that. He didn't fail to notice how quiet Gray had gotten once he'd left, and he couldn't help but wonder what was on the ice mage's mind. Still, those words hadn't left Natsu's mind. "I already watched you die once." There was no way Gray died while he was in Fairy Tail, the popsicle bastard was too strong for that. Not too mention he would have heard about it. Was it before he joined, when he was still under the care of Ur? He was curious to find out, but if it had something to do with Ur, Gray wouldn't answer it so easily. Ur was a touchy subject to him at times, as was Deliora. As for his hometown… Natsu remembered asking Gray about his hometown once.

"Don't ask about that," was Gray's icy reply. So Natsu never brought it up again. But he desperately wanted to ask him about it now, and about Silver. That bastard's ice had froze him solid with only a flick of his wrist. And now Gray had that power. Gray had pretty much kinda almost been Natsu's equal (not that Natsu would ever admit that aloud) before, but with that new devil slayer magic… He grinned ear from ear at the thought of having a duel with his rival. It'd be a while before he could challenge him, seeing as Gray was still wounded, but the moment he was better…

Oh yes, he was definitely looking forward to that fight.


When morning came around, Gray gave a sigh as he opened his eyes and stared at the wall of his room. He wasn't exactly looking forward to going out in public today, especially with his new appearance. He knew he didn't have any jackets with hoods at the moment and the last hooded cloak he owned got shredded and burned in a fight during a mission. He lifted his hand and stared at it. He didn't even recognize it, it was like it belonged to somebody else. 'A demon.' Dropping his arm, he gave a sigh as the smell of food cooking reached his nostrils. 'I wonder what's for breakf–'

Wait a minute.

He jumped out of bed and ran into his kitchen where he found Natsu standing at the stove with a pan in his hand, whistling a little tune as he happily cooked away. "Natsu?" Upon hearing his name, Natsu turned and found Gray standing half naked in the doorway.

"Hey there, striper! Get a good rest?"

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm cooking breakfast. I hope you like eggs on toast!" Natsu gave a bright smile as he turned back towards the stove, leaving Gray confused and slightly taken back. Natsu was…cooking? He distantly remembered the pinkette saying he loved to cook (and was rather good at it), but Gray just thought by 'cooking' he meant shoving everything in a fire until it was a crisp. He gave a shrug as he turned around and headed into the bathroom. If Natsu wanted to cook for him then he had no complaints. Upon entering the bathroom, he was once again taken back as he looked in the mirror and got a good look at his new appearance.


"So are you going to tell me the real reason why you're here?" Gray asked as he sat at the kitchen table while Natsu slid the eggs from the pan onto the toast before him.

"Jeez, you really wanna know, huh?" Natsu, despite the voice of annoyance, still wore a smile. He loved cooking, especially when it was for other people. And for the past few years, he'd only had the chance to cook for himself and Happy. So cooking for Gray was something he enjoyed immensely, even if he was his rival. "Anyway, Erza asked me to bring that to you," he motioned towards the fabric that lay on Gray's couch. The raven could tell it was a hooded cloak by just glancing at it. "She said you'd probably want it before leaving the house. Then I remembered you haven't eaten for a while so I decided to make some breakfast. Hope ya like it!"

"Uhm…Thanks, Natsu," Gray said, not knowing what else to say. As much as he loved to tease Natsu, he just couldn't bring himself to do it at the moment for two reasons. One, he wasn't exactly in the mood, and two, Natsu looked too happy at the moment. Like, really happy. He picked up his fork and cut off a piece of egg and toast, eating the small piece slowly. Natsu may be a good cook, but it was still Natsu; the guy who loved spicy, hot food. The polar opposite of Gray. The raven chewed carefully, his hand already resting on the glass of water in case he needed to douse the burn of any spices the pinkette might have added. But to his surprise, no burn came. In fact, the food was actually– "This is delicious," he complimented. He could tell Natsu added some cinnamon to the toast, but not too much where it overpowered the egg and toast. "This is really good, Natsu."

The pinkette's smile seemed to grow with every compliment. "Thanks, Gray!" He began to eat from his own plate, and Gray couldn't help but feel his cheeks heat a little from seeing the pinkette's bright smile. "So how are you feeling?" The question came when they were almost finished with their food and Gray gave a small shrug once more.

"I'm fine," he answered, taking the last bite of his food. Natsu wanted to stand up, point at him, and scream Lies!, but didn't. It was obvious to him that something was bothering Gray. And getting Gray to talk about his feelings could be like pulling teeth at times. So he let it go…for the moment. Finishing his breakfast, he put Gray's and his plate in the sink before turning to the raven.

"A lot of your food went bad while you were sleeping, so I suggest going grocery shopping when you get the chance. Oh, and Master said take it easy for a few days if you want. Erza, Lucy, and Gajeel are taking mission to pay for your rent this month."

"Gajeel?" Gray asked, raising a brow. He wasn't expecting that dragon slayer to help him with his rent.

"Yeah, he said he wanted to repay you in some way for helping him out in that last battle."

"He doesn't have to do that," Gray mumbled under his breath. After all, Fairy Tail looks out for each other. "And you?"

"Mira asked me to watch over you for a few days," he said nonchalantly with a light shrug. "We don't know how you're going to be affected by this new…" He glanced at Gray's left side. "…look. So she wanted me to keep you company for a bit."

"I don't need a babysitter," Gray bit, sending a glare. "I'm fine, alright?"

"I didn't say babysitter, I said keep ya company!" Natsu glared back.

"I don't need this right now," Gray growled, throwing on the cloak and pulling the hood on, and heading for the front door.

"Huh? Hey! Wait, Gr–" The raven shut the door on the pinkette and made sure to keep his left hand in his pocket. He got a few glances but otherwise was left alone as he walked through town. That is, until he heard the familiar steps of a dragon slayer approach him. "Hey, stripper! What the hell was that?! Hey! Don't ignore me!"

"Natsu, I'm really not in the mood for a fight, alright?" Gray managed to grit out.

"Well I wasn't going to fight with you, I was just trying to tell you why Mira sent me here and you kinda flipped out on me." Flip out? No, that wasn't flipping out. Flipping out was freezing the pink bastard and running through town without a hood on while yelling like a maniac. The raven gave a thick sigh, using his right hand to massage his temple. Natsu noticed the action and gave a worried look. "Hey, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just a small headache is all."

"If you want, I can grab you some medicine to help it go away." The raven stopped and turned to face Natsu, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"You're being awfully nice to me," he pointed out. "The Natsu I know would have tried to pick a fight with me already. So the question is, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," the pinkette answered immediately. "I'm just doing what Mira told me to do. She can be just as scary as Erza ya know." The memory of what Mira did to Erza when they lost the rock-paper-scissor contest to find out which Fairy Tail team had been the winner in the tournaments made the pinkette shiver for a moment. Gray continued to stare at Natsu a moment longer, knowing there was another reason the pinkette was hanging around but didn't know what it was. He turned and continued his way towards the grocery store, Natsu right behind him as they walked in silence. Whatever the reason, he could find out later. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to get some groceries and get back home.


"Mira, are you sure it was a good idea to send, of all people, Natsu to look after Gray?" Lucy asked, a look of worry on her features at just the thought of the two trying to get together on their own. "Doesn't it seem counterproductive in a way?"

"No, of course not," Mira chirped back, drying a mug before setting it back on the shelf.

"But they fight all the time!" Lucy replied. "That's not 'watching over Gray', it's 'fighting Gray every chance he gets'!"

"Don't be silly," Mira, again, chirped. Lucy face-planted on the bar's surface, letting out a small groan. "Natsu cares deeply for Gray, if he thinks there's something wrong with Gray, he won't fight him. Unless a fight is what Gray needs."

"And the same applies to Gray," Erza injected, taking a seat next to Lucy. "If Gray thinks there's something wrong with Natsu, he can get him to talk about what's bothering him."

"It seems like they won't confide in anybody else," Mira smiled. "As long as I can remember, if either of the two had any problems, they always helped each other out."

"Exactly. Now, Lucy, are you ready for our mission? Gajeel's already outside waiting for us."

"Yeah, I am. I'm still a little worried about those two being together though." Lucy gave a sigh as she walked out of the guild and looked up at the sky. Something was nagging her at the back of her mind, and it made her worry even more. "I feel as if something bad is going to happen soon…"


Just wanna say thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far. ^^ The cooking idea came from one of the filler episodes, Natsu Devours a Village. Natsu claims he's a good cook, especially when it comes to flambés. XD But yeah, hope this isn't too disappointing or anything. Like I said, I welcome criticism as long as you don't slaughter me with it. ^^ So please review! Please?

~»roo the ice elemental psycho«