Yup, I am alive. And so is this story ~_~
Kudos to Divinion to urge me to write this. ^_^
I think I hate these emoji lol. Anyway. Sorry for the not-as-long-as-expected chapter. But, hey. That's all the contents of this chapter.
Warning: Unbetaed (Even after I made 10000 corrections AFTER posting it. #wow). Angst.
Disclaimer: I no own bby
Chapter 3
Retracing his Steps
July X795
"It's been a while, Natsu," Lucy had said to him, "I can't see you like this anymore. You need to get over it."
"Lucy," Natsu sighed, "I have tried, okay? Countless times I have tried, and I have failed."
"You haven't failed, Natsu. I know that deep down, you have forgiven Gray. In fact, you forgave him a month ago. You let it all go the moment you saw-…" Lucy bit her lip.
Natsu flinched and gazed away. His palm enclosed the pendant that dangled around his neck. He realized he tended to do that whenever he thought about Gray. After all, Gray had gifted him this sword necklace of his birthday nearly a month ago. "I know. It's just that I… I don't know how to say this to him. It's been a long time and…I don't know if he would forgive me."
"It's Gray's birthday tomorrow." Lucy said, "Just try, Natsu. Buy the cake for him. Visit the grave. Prepare yourself and just go for it." Lucy smiled slightly, when Natsu muttered, "How do you know I visit his grave, you stalker?"
"Just," Lucy gripped Natsu's shoulder, "If you can't even forgive Gray, then maybe we lost even more than just a war that day. Just try, okay? For his sake."
For Gray's sake… yeah, Natsu could do that. After all what they went through a month ago, Lucy was right. Gray deserved it.
Natsu nodded, "I will."
June X795
Gray dodged another attack from Keyes' Khakkhara effortlessly. Keyes swung his weapon and pointed it at the raven-haired male. The hooded raven landed swiftly on his feet and glared at his opponent.
"You can't run from me, human," Keyes muttered, summoning dark purple cloud that emanated an unnerving aura. "Not after the stunt you pulled today."
Gray frowned, not liking the tone of the necromancer. It was bad enough he was spotted so quickly after exiting that wretched building. He couldn't afford to get spotted by every Tartaros member just after minutes of escaping!
"What do you want?" Gray demanded.
"I can sense the dead." Keyes muttered, with Gray's attacks passing clean though him without any damages. "And I can sense the living."
Gray looked at his opponent in confusion, "What do you mean, Keyes?"
"Dead and living." Keyes continued in a monotone. "Darkness and Light."
Gray paled, realizing what the necromancer implied. Keyes observed this in delight, "I know your secret, human." Keyes muttered eerily, dark aura surrounding the whole alley. Gray stepped back when Keyes started towards him. "I know what you are. I know what you are hiding. And so would your companions of Light, when I tell them you are not what you claim to be-" Suddenly, Keyes was frozen completely from down the neck.
Gray glared icily at the now frantic movements of his opponent's ornate headpiece.
"W-What is this?" Keyes exclaimed, "When did you gain this power?"
Gray's lips curled upwards. "Who else knows about my… ventures of Light and Darkness?"
The Black Archbishop visibly gulped in fear. "Silver gave you this-… this unimaginable power, didn't he? As if he hasn't betrayed us enough-"
"He doesn't give me anything. So you're the only one who knows," Gray's smirk turned darker, much to Keyes' shock. "You did a mistake, coming to me first, Necromancer."
Gray turned around and walked away from the scene, as the necromancer imploded behind him with the ice.
21 June X795
Lucy escorted Natsu inside his house. She urged him to go and take a shower.
Lucy was worried. Natsu didn't deserve this. He wasn't a part of this. For him to suddenly become a part of their world in such a cruel manner… Lucy shook her head. She couldn't afford to think about it, to think about what happened to Gray, right now. If she did, she knew she would lose it.
Suddenly, Lucy jumped at the sharp noise beside her. She sighed in relief, realizing it was Natsu's phone ringing. Lucy reached towards it. Igneel was calling.
"Hello? Son, are you there? Please tell me you are alright."
"Igneel, calm down."
"Lucy? Where's Natsu? Oh god, is he alright? And what about you, Lyon and Gray?"
"He is fine," Lucy gulped, trying to dislodge the sudden jam in her throat. "Natsu's fine, Igneel. And… so are we. Don't worry, okay? And…" Lucy looked towards the bathroom from which Natsu just emerged in a towel. "Natsu is staying with me today."
"Why?"
"He was really in shock, so we decided to go to my place. He is currently in the shower. Yeah. Don't worry, I'll tell him. Of course. Yeah, we'll stay safe. Bye, Igneel. Take care."
Lucy turned around to look at Natsu's confused face, "Why did you lie to him?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Lucy said, walking towards Natsu's cupboard to get him his clothes, "We are going to find the perpetrator of Gray's murder. Igneel doesn't have to worry about us. And we need to leave before he comes back home. He is on his way, by the way."
Lucy then sighed, looking at Natsu's expression, "Talk to me, Natsu." She saw him contemplate the words.
"I want to avenge him," Natsu muttered, "I want to kill the one who did this to Gray…"
"We all do."
"You don't understand. This… this sudden revelation, these powers, this secret you have all been keeping from me for god knows how long... it's too much for me. Especially now that Gray is...," When Lucy didn't defend herself, Natsu continued, "Ah, I don't know what to think, okay? All I can see is that scene constantly replaying in my mind and all I want to do is-"
"Natsu."
Natsu looked away and stared blankly at the wall. Lucy walked towards him and handed him his clothes. "We can't afford this, Natsu," Lucy whispered, "I know how you feel. I know what you are going through because I feel it too. I want to scream out loud. I want to curl up and cry. But I know I can't, not yet. Not until I am through with the people who did this to Gray.
"I know it is difficult for you. I know this knowledge, this power is overwhelming. But we have no other choice. We need to fight. So please, will you hold up? Will you be able to do this, for Gray?"
Natsu blinked a few times, until he nodded slightly.
Lucy sighed in relief, "Good."
The doorbell resounded throughout the house.
"That must be Lyon. I'll see to it. Wear your clothes."
Natsu bit his lip when Lucy shut his room's door behind her. He turned to look at his study desk. A box sat on top of it, with ripped gift wrapping paper.
"Ah, looks like I finally woke you up. Heh."
"What the hell are you doing here, Ice Block? It's after midnight! Why the hell are you out so late?"
"Hey, my babysitter accompanied me, okay?"
"Happy birthday, flame-head!" Lyon shouted from his car outside the gate of the house.
Gray smirked at him, his crystal eyes shining. "I guess that proves why I am here."
Natsu blinked sheepishly at Gray. "What the-…? You, Gray Fullbuster, of all the people in my life, just came over to my house at midnight to wish me happy birthday?"
Gray shrugged and smirked even wider. "Let's just say a wild blonde threatened my lovely little life if I didn't contribute my heart and soul to my best friend's eighteenth birthday." Gray made quote gestures at the word 'best.'
Natsu stared blankly at Gray. "You nearly broke my window."
"How else do you grab the attention of a fucking sleeping beauty?"
"By NOT throwing rocks at their window!" Gray shrugged again and Natsu sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I hope you have a something to make up for the bullshit you just spewed."
Natsu watched as Gray rolled his eyes. "Here."
Natsu remembered eyeing the little box wrapped in blue skeptically. "Happy birthday, flame-brain," the card on it said. Attached with it was a picture of Natsu in a tutu.
Natsu opened the box and took out the ornate piece of jewellery. A sword-shaped pendant with a sapphire crystal in the middle gleamed in the lighting of his room. Natsu bit his lip and slung the pendant around his neck. He paused and then put the pendant underneath his shirt. The cold metal on his chest somehow provided a small amount of comfort to him.
When he opened the door, he was met with a sight of Lucy and Lyon bickering.
"… can't have him tag along! All he would do is slow us down."
"Lyon, try to understand-"
"No, Lucy. He is way too inexperienced to tag along on a deadly mission."
"You can't," Natsu muttered, "You can't leave me behind."
Lyon, who was momentarily shocked, shifted his attention to Natsu. "And how would we forgive ourselves when you get yourself killed, huh?"
"Lyon, I have to do this. You can't make me sit back and do nothing. I will find them with or without your help."
"Enlighten me then, Natsu. Pray tell how you plan to do that."
Natsu glared at Lyon, "If I can tell you have been smoking, I can certainly find Gray's killer."
Lyon let out a startled laugh, "Even Lucy can point that out."
"Yeah, but she probably can't tell you that your car's air freshener had expired a month ago, or that Juvia has a shitty perfume, or the fact that you should throw away whatever is in your pocket that you bought from Cana."
Lyon opened and closed his mouth like a gasping fish. "How the hell can you possibly know that?!"
"I can smell it all."
Lyon looked at Lucy and back at Natsu. "Who the hell are you?"
Natsu blinked, "Isn't that what you are supposed to tell me?"
"You can control fire." Lucy said, "Your aura suggests you can control it, mold it, and maybe even produce it on your own if you train hard enough. Your emotions control its intensity.
"But your sense of smell is something I don't understand. It's exclusive of what your magical aura reflects and-"
"Yeah, we don't have time for this, Seer," Lyon ran his hand through his hair. He then sighed and turned to Natsu, "Alright, then. If you can track him-"
"-I can do that-"
"Then go ahead. Come with us. Just…" Lyon sighed, "Stay safe."
Natsu nodded.
"Let's go, then, before your father returns home."
"Where are we going?"
Lyon turned towards Natsu, "To the last place he visited before he came here with me: Fairy Gift shop."
Fairy Gift Shop
Gray stared at the sign board over the little hut, lost on thought. He bit his lip, before making up his mind. He then let out a sigh and looked around for one last time, checking if anyone had managed to spot him again. His paranoia was getting better of him today.
This was the second to last location he had ever wanted to be spotted at: buying a gift for none other than Natsu Dragneel.
The raven-haired man sighed again and decided to enter the shop. The bell echoed throughout the nearly-empty shop. A beautiful lady greeted him from behind the counter.
"Good evening, Mira," Gray smiled back. He watched a short old man stumbled out of the back room. The tiny man's face immediately brightened, spotting his late-night customer.
"Thank you for keeping the shop opened for me, gramps."
"Don't mention it, brat." Makarov Dreyar grinned at Gray. "Tell me, boy. What are you looking for today?"
Gray thought for a while, his mind wandering to the conversation he had had with the Leader of Tartaros a while ago. He then shook his head and looked around the cozy little shop.
"For a second, he looked like he was in anguish, thinking about something." Makarov said. "But then, that expression disappeared so quickly that I nearly thought I had imagined it."
Natsu, Lyon and Lucy sat inside the Fairy Gift Shop. The owner of the shop, Makarov Dreyar, had greeted them warmly and ushered them inside as soon as he recognized Lyon. The lady across the counter served them drinks as they four of them sat down to talk about Gray.
Natsu bit his lip and looked over towards Lyon and Lucy. The wound of losing their friend was too fresh. Natsu could see them keeping up a façade, just for the sake of the old man. But then again, Natsu wasn't any better at keeping up a pretense either. And Lucy's occasional worried glances at him proved it all the same.
Makarov continued, "I have known that brat since he was just a kid. I can see when he is trying hard to hide his inner unease. I have seen him do it since his father left him all those years ago."
Makarov sighed in disdain. "It was your birthday, wasn't it?"
Natsu looked up in surprise, "Y-Yeah."
The old man smiled slightly, "Gray was searching for a gift for you: a gift, he had said, 'that would make you reminisce him.'"
A heavy silence followed. Natsu gulped. He could feel the cold metal on his chest: the beautiful cross shaped ornament that Gray had gifted to him. The pink-haired boy bit his lip. Gray had known. There was no other way around it. When Gray had come to this shop, he had known that he was going to die.
Lyon smiled morbidly and spoke in a voice only audible to Lucy and Natsu, "The meeting happened before he came here, then."
Indeed, Gray must have known what was going to happen to him the next day. There could have been no other possible reason for him to be this way.
Natsu watched as the little old man frowned. "Is it true, then?" Makarov asked.
Lucy and Lyon looked at each other, "I-Is what true?" Lyon asked, worry lacing in his tone.
"Is he… is Gray-kun really dead?"
Makarov looked at the three faces that showcased various levels of shock. He frowned and looked down. "You don't have to hide from me, brats. He was like my own child."
"How do you know?" Lyon asked in a low voice. "I mean… where did you hear that from?"
"It was on the news," Anguish laced Makarov's voice. "And I was hoping it was just a speculation, because they don't have a body and-"
"Where's the TV?" Lyon demanded. Makarov stood up and asked them to follow him. Natsu stayed at the back, looking at the three as they fumbled around with the television.
"Oh my gods," Lucy murmured, looking at the news flashing.
"… eighteen-year-old Gray Fullbuster has been found dead in the suspected terrorist attack at the…" Gray's face flashed briefly on the screen before disappearing, replaced by the other presumably missing or dead people in the blast.
"This is impossible," Lucy murmured, "There's no way the media could possibly know any of this."
"Every living soul should know that Gray Fullbuster is dead." Natsu remembered. Then he realized that he had said it out loud when suddenly, Lyon and Lucy looked at him in shock.
"Thank you for your help, Mr. Makarov," Lucy forced out a smile and hurriedly escorted Natsu and Lyon outside. Natsu looked at Makarov who looked confused at their sudden departure. His gaze then landed on Mirajane. She was looking at him skeptically. The moment they made eye contact, she looked away. Distancing them from the little shop, Lucy spoke up.
"What do you mean?" she whispered, "Where did you hear that, Natsu?"
"That was what Silver had said," Natsu gulped, "Right… r-right before he-"
Natsu jumped slightly as Lyon punched a wall, successfully cracking it. "Those… those monsters! They killed my brother and now they are broadcasting his face across the world-"
"-We don't know it was them, Lyon-" Lucy stopped as soon as Lyon punched the wall again, aggravating the crack even further.
"You're right." A voice spoke from the alley, "It wasn't us."
Natsu stumbled to the back as Lucy and Lyon suddenly appeared in front of him, facing the sudden newcomer. A figure appeared from the end of the alley. The man had blonde hair and blank markings across his face. His eyes looked grave, as they stared at the three of them. Suddenly, Natsu recognized the figure standing in front of them. A cold voice echoed in his mind.
"Stop playing around and kill him already, Silver."
"Look at the camera, Dragonling. The world wants to see you."
"Your eyes indeed look pretty when you're ridden with holes."
"You…" Natsu whispered. All of a sudden, a bright, scalding aura surrounded him. An unimaginable amount of anger gripped him that only seemed to fuel his fiery aura.
"You are the one who was recording it." Natsu felt sick even as he said it out loud. Hearing this, a golden aura suddenly enveloped Lucy and a glowing sword made of ice materialized in Lyon's hand.
"Who are you?" Natsu demanded with a tight voice.
The man looked at him and smirked coldly, "I am Jackal. It's nice to finally meet you, Natsu Dragneel."
TBC
Well. I am a lazy, lazy person. It really requires me an outside motivation to actually produce something in writing, or anything in general in my life. So, do review guys! Because I know that without any outside motivation, this story, along with the others, will remain in my little folder, unfinished or even unwritten.
Also, those who follow NeuroLink: I have a writer's block. ~_~
Feedback is forever appreciated!
Kori