***I hope I amuse you, my dear readers. All thirty or so of you. I know I know, I'm strange, and this story is strange, but apparently not as strange as the writer. Again, that would be me. And by the way, I still do not own Fairy Tail, nor its characters or its storyline. Still figuring out what to do with this story, but at least I have managed to reduce my ranting.. a little***
He was having a reasonably calm evening. The mission he had set out on had been successful, with minor damaging to the surroundings, that being said it was sort of bad that he had managed bringing a building to the ground when the job involved cleaning it. Which he had. After destroying it.
At the moment the male was sitting at a landly inn, an inn run by an old lady that had met him countless times before when similar incidents had forced him to flee from town. She already knew his orders, a cup of tea and a bowl of whatever soup of the day she would have on the stove. Okay, so he wasn't much of a tea-drinker, the boy, but it belonged to this particular setting.
So Gray Fullbuster was sitting outside, enjoying the sun and sipping his tea when he heard the distant sound of screaming. And he might've gotten up and headed for the sound, had it not been for it heading in his direction. And fast.
And so she appeared, Lucy, a Fairy Tail mage. A fellow Fairy Tail Mage, dressed in a white dress, that was running exceedingly fast, and with good reason, seeing the Wyvern that was flying after her, just then roaring out a good amount of fire, making her shriek louder and roll out of the way, grabbing for something that looked like a whip in the process.
Then, as she stood there, ready for battle and about to strike, she suddenly started staggering, and cursed before she fell unconscious to the ground. Finally Gray was forced into action as he started running for her body, yelling in order to distract the flying beast as it was about to finish the job, cursing since he saw that he might not make it in time, when all of a sudden.. it disappeared within a ball of fire.
And Gray Fullbuster stopped. He stopped because the one to protect the fellow Fairy Tail member looked very much like a Fairy Tail member himself.
"Yo." he greeted, the Ice mage, and the Fire Mage turned to look at him, his dark eyes filled with conflicting emotions.
"You must be Gray. Leo the Zodiac have told me much about you." the boy replied, dragged a hand through his pink hair as he grimaced, looked down on the blonde again.
"I am Draco." Draco continued, and then proceeded to lift up the limp girl to his arms.
Draco. He wore a black t-shirt and white loose pants, and his hair was pink. No scarf, however. And.. he sort of looked older. In his mid twenties or so. This was NOT Natsu Dragneel, but he looked awfully like him, and so did his powers.
"What are you?" Gray asked, a bit shocked by the fact that such a being had appeared from nowhere, showing such ability and then just brushing him off. Draco. A name that meant The Dragon. And indeed did he hold the strength of one it would seem, since the Wyvern had been reduced to nothing by his flames. And the way he held the girl.. as if she was made of glass, and at the same time as if she weighed nothing at all.
"Hello, there, Lady. I'll have two bowls of that soup you got going there, 'kay?" Draco said as he sat down outside that same landly inn, the girl still in his arms, and he managed to get hold of Lucys wallet to pay for the food as he placed her, carefully as if not to wake her, next to him on the bench, her head resting on his lap.
In the meantime Gray Fullbuster, confused beyond belief, wandered back to his seat, sat down and sipped at his tea again while staring at the Dragon Slayer lookalike. The old lady just took the money offered and left to ready the orders without a word.
"Who are you?" Gray asked again, and Draco fixed his gaze on the younger male.
"I already told you, boy. I am Draco. I know I look like that other fellow you know, but I am not him." he replied, his eyes reserved.
"So you're a dragon?" Gray questioned further. The other male might not look like it, but looks had deceived before.
"No, I am not a dragon. I am Draco. I protect Lucy from harm." Draco said. The old lady came out just then, with two deep bowls of steamy hot vegetable soup by the looks of it. The same stuff Gray already had in front of him.
"Thank you," Draco said, smiled politely and the woman smiled a broad, toothless grin back, and then left back inside to continue with whatever it was that she was doing.
"I am her protector, because her protector no longer wants to protect her for some odd reason," Draco continued, back to business and almost borderline furious. It was a calm rage, telling the Ice mage that whoever this other protector was, he ought to watch out should this person ever come across him or her. Draco seemed to be a capable mage. It was something about the way he held himself, as if he was brimming with power, even though he did nothing to seem intimidating. That was partly why Gray had asked him if he was a dragon. A Dragon protecting his Princess.
They sat silent for a while, just eating their respective soups, no other sound being heard, perhaps except the wind rustling through the leafy trees, and the birds chirping and flying about. It really was a nice day. A nice and sunny day, with only a few white clouds moving swiftly over the skies. The wind had to be really strong way up there. All the while Lucy remained unconscious, though she seemed to be slowly coming to.
"You do know we're from the same guild." Gray commented after a while.
"I do. Do you?" Draco retorted. The question was odd, like the look in his eyes, reserved yet pleading for an answer Gray felt he did not know the content of.
"What does that mean?" Gray asked. Draco looked down on the girl then, a look of worry on his eyes before his eyes hardened, and he then looked up to stare at the Ice mage, mysteriously without his shirt or pants. They had been missing for a while, but it didn't matter. He was not naked, and Draco didn't CARE. The only thing he cared for, was the fact that the answer provided was not sufficient, and as such, the circle would remain broken.
"Apparently it doesn't mean anything to you. Nothing means anything to you." he spelled out to him, and then he grimaced when his hand lit fire. Still, after all this time, he had issues controlling these flames. They came with emotions. Usually violent emotions, but also with fear, and sometimes even excitement. As in joy. Rage was what would make most things go out of hand, though. And this Gray... He felt like punching his face in. A person he did not know. And what level of restraint it took not to jump up and fulfill that urge. Part of the reason would be the girl sleeping with her head on his lap.
"Draco." I stated, my eyes opening in an instant as the increasing heat woke me up.
"Lucy!" he all but yelled out as he jumped from the sudden sound of my voice, and I sat up on the bench as my muscles screamed for me to duck and attack. The Wyvern! But.. where was it? Oh... I fainted. Again. So I turned again, set my eyes into the apparent culprit. Draco was a tough nut at most times, though he oddly enough did not like getting yelled at. Especially by me.
"YOU..." I started, jabbed a finger in his chest, and he flinched. He looked like a child in the face of his infuriated mother, which again reminded me of the conversation from this morning.
"Sorry?" he started, lifted his hands in submission. He tried smiling apologetically, but I would've continued my assault had it not been for the fact that someone coughed, and I looked up.
"Gray?" I said, almost asked, though the answer was sitting just a table length away.
"Yo." he greeted in his normal manner. Well.. this was a tad awkward.
"Your clothes." I commented, and he looked down to see that indeed, most of his clothing was missing.
"Why are you here, Draco?" I asked the other guy as I resumed my task of reprimand, ignoring the other male that swore and started looking about for his missing pieces of clothing.
"You were running from a monster. I had to come rescue you!" he replied, raising his voice as he went. Yeah. Draco tended to yell at times. With me, anyways. With other he either tended to either be awfully polite, or, according to the other spirits that were with him when I wasn't around, cry. Him crying seemed rather odd to me, especially when I never really saw HIM cry. I HAD seen the other one cry though, but Draco seemed more similar to the Earthland version. Anyways, back to the argument..!
"It was a Wyvern! I've dealt with Wyverns before!" I yelled back, followed the pace and was getting quite angry as I went as well. I had it under control! Well.. sort of.
"Oh guys?" Gray tried interrupting us. He had apparently located his clothes by now. For how long they would remain on, however...
"SHUT UP GRAY!" both Draco and I yelled in unison.
"Okay..." he said, raised his hands in surrender.
"YOU. Draco. I TOLD you to keep out of it." I said, my voice not as loud but still angry.
"And I TOLD you that I REFUSE. Leo the Zodiac.." he started to say, his voice also reaching for a more normal level.
"LOKE KNOWS THE PLAN!" I yelled, back into yelling mode and cutting Draco off. Okay, so there might not be much of a plan, but it DID involve my spirits not interfering. So I hadn't exactly told them that, but they OUGHT to know!
"HE TOLD ME YOU'RE DY.." and he also started yelling, but once more I interrupted him.
"FORCED CLOSURE!" I yelled out, and he swore as he disappeared, only to be replaced by.. Phoenix.
"I told him this would happen, y'know. But like the sap he is, he worries." she commented, and then waved to Gray. She was more like Lucy Ashley, really, but at the same time, not.
"What's iceprick doing 'ere anyways? Yo Iceprick, what'r'you doing here, hm?" Phoenix continued, directed at Gray where he sat.
"Ignore her." I said simply.
"Yeah, ignore me, Iceprick. Just some family drama, 's all. Not anything you need to worry your pretty little head with." Phoenix laughed at his expression, and then turned to me. I stared at her too.
"You heard." I said.
"I heard." she replied.
"And if you, EVER, attempt to hide anything like that from me or any of the others again... I will kick that pretty little arse of yours. You hear me? I'll even throw in some of the techniques from you know who." she threatened cooly, and then she seemed to calm down.
"Now I have places to be, 'parently, but you seem pretty well taken care of here, so it's ok. Eat some soup, sis. It's gettin' cold." Phoenix continued. I saw a smile playing on her lips. So she knew about the conversation earlier today, huh...
"So long, Iceprick." she greeted Gray once more, and then there were just the two of us. Me and Gray.
"What was that about?" Gray asked me after staring at the spot where the other me had been sitting.
"Phoenix doesn't like people that much. And Draco... He's complicated. He didn't say anything strange to you, did he?" I replied, and Gray furrowed his brows.
"He looks a lot like Natsu." he commented instead of answering me.
"Yeah.. that's complicated too." I said, and picked up my spoon. The soup might be cold, but I was still hungry. Starving, in fact.
"Look, I know you got a past..." Gray started.
"I do." I confirmed.
"And we all got a past.." he continued.
"I know that too." I agreed. I knew that very well.
"But we're family. If you need help..." he let that one hang there for a while, and I gulped down a few more mouthfuls of soup, finished the bowl.
"I used to be in a lot of trouble, you know. All the time." I replied, and I smiled as I said it, but let the smile falter the moment after.
"But we always pulled through. Fought ourselves to the limit and beyond. Finished with a bang, and somehow came out of it alive, and victorious. And it would earn me and most of my friends some time at the hospital, but we'd be alright..." I stopped.
"Was that what earned you a home call from Kirk?" Gray asked, and I chuckled, though I didn't let the smile that came with it linger.
"You heard about that, huh. Didn't see you at the guild that day." I replied. He chuckled too, and moved over to my table. Sat back down.
"News travels fast, and Kirk only visits the worst of us. There's a bet going around the guild about what brought you to the hospital in the first place." he said, and now I laughed.
"Yeah, they do that, don't they." I said, let go of my gloominess as I lit up again at the prospect of all the silly things going on at my guild.
"Mhm. Care to give me a hint? Was it while fighting a Wyvern?" he looked at the sky as if the very mention of Wyverns would summon another to the spot where the other had been.
"Nope. It wasn't all that fancy that one." I replied.
"Then what?" Gray asked. I looked at him, furrowed my brows.
"There was an explosion at the Festival in Hargeon. You know that, right?" I began, decided to go for the truth. Gray deserved that.
"Yep. Wasn't there, but that was a disaster. It was a miracle no one died, or even got hurt, well, except from a few cuts and bruises." he said, laid the foundation. So no one got hurt. Well, almost no one.
"Yeah... the house with the fireworks exploded. And I.. was in that house. I know. Stupid move. I don't really remember that much. Just that I was in that house... and then the dream.. and my mom... and then my partner was beside me, begging me with his eyes to breathe while I bled out on the ground..." I disappeared into a daze as I recalled that. My mother talking to me. Telling me that.. that making him raise another grave would break him.
And I recalled waking up this morning, wondering if all this struggling was worth it. It WAS worth it. I KNEW it was worth it. For if he was to raise another grave, it WOULD break him. Even if he didn't know it. And speaking of not giving up...
"You were in Hargeon?" Gray asked, surprised.
"Yes. I go there every now and then. Now I need to get on with my mission though." I got up, stretched my tired arms, touched my black leather glove.
"From the looks of it your mission is over, isn't it? With the wyvern gone and all?" he waved aimlessly into the air, indicating the general area where it had been.
"My mission wasn't defeating the wyvern. My mission was to find a treasure in a cave. The wyvern was sort of a.. complication. Mind tagging along? I'll give you half my reward," I said, tempted him with my reward, and he looked at me with some kind of fascination.
"You do that a lot? Take on hard missions like this?" he asked.
"It had a reward of 30.000 jewels. I didn't really think a treasure hunt would involve Wyverns." I retorted, and Gray shook his head.
"I'll tag along." he agreed, then.
"Good," I said. I already knew that I needed the help for this one. Draco wouldn't be appearing again for a while. Because he knew. He knew.
He knew that if he did, he might kill me.
***I like cliffhangers. This isn't the worst I've done, but I do tend to do it a lot none the less. I guess I'll be seeing you again in the morrow. Oh, and feel free to message should you find particular elements of the story more than average confusing or nonsensical. Should this involve this Saga, I will have to say that the 3rd Saga isn't done yet, so some explanations might be coming in time.***