"Gray... Wake up, Gray!"
Happy shook Gray, but was only answered with a groan. The carpet underneath Gray lifted from the ground, pushing him to a sitting position.
"My head," mumbled Gray, holding his hand against it.
"Does it hurt?" Happy asked.
It did, too much for Gray to risk a nod. "Yeah..."
"I feel sorry for you, but I'm afraid we have other problems." The blue cat pointed above them.
Gray squinted upward, but all he saw was the ceiling of the cave. Then he realized that was the problem. "We're trapped." He wondered how there was enough light to see by, but decided it didn't really matter.
"This is all that weird old man's fault!" Happy complained.
"He wasn't an old man," said Gray. "But whoever he was, he's gone now. I wonder why he wanted that lamp so badly... It's not like it was worth much."
"I don't know, but... is your head feeling any better?"
"Some. Why?"
"I wouldn't want to surprise you if it might make your head hurt worse," Happy said with a sly little smile.
Gray looked at him curiously. "What kind of surprise? I think my head can take it."
Happy brought out the lamp and handed it to Gray.
"Furry pick-pocket," laughed Gray. "This is pretty beat up. Looks completely worthless." Headache forgotten, he examined the lamp more closely, searching for any inscriptions or other clues. He rubbed it with the side of his fist, seeing if he could get some dirt off it. Suddenly the lamp started to glow red and tremble in his hands.
"What's happening?" gasped Happy.
Gray was too preoccupied to answer. He didn't even think of dropping the lamp; instead he just instinctively hung on to it while it bucked around, a trail of smoke pouring out of the spout. The smoke formed a vaguely human-shaped cloud in front of them.
"Aaaaaaaahhhhhnnnn..."
After a moment, Gray recognized the noise coming from the cloud. It was a yawn.
The smoke dissipated, leaving a pink-haired boy hovering in mid-air. He wore a black vest, a grid-patterned white scarf and brass wristbands, and he trailed off into pink mist below his belt. "Been a long time since somebody woke me up... About ten thousand years, I think, but I always lose track of time. So who are you?"
Gray gaped at him. "Who are you?"
The boy frowned. "That's what I said, and I asked first."
Gray's astonishment turned to irritation. "That doesn't mean you get answered first."
"Come on, Gray, don't fight with the genie," said Happy. He bowed politely to the boy. "My name is Happy, and this is Gray. And this is our carpet friend, but I don't think it has a name."
The carpet made its own sort of bow.
"A genie?" Gray repeated.
"That's right," replied the pink-haired boy, nodding. "I'm a fire djinn, and my name is Natsu. I made the wrong person mad once, and now I'm stuck granting wishes to idiots until further notice."
Gray was about to retort that he wasn't an idiot, but then his brain registered the rest of what Natsu had said. "Wait, you grant wishes?"
"Yeah, but only three per person, and there's a few rules about what you can wish for. I can't kill people, bring people back to life, or make people fall in love. And you can't wish for more wishes or change your mind once I grant your wish." Natsu folded his arms and scowled. "So get wishing already. You're kind of an annoying person and I'd like you to stop being my master as soon as possible."
"Master?" snorted Gray. "If I'm your master, why are you so disrespectful? If I had a master I wouldn't call him 'annoying'."
Natsu smirked. "I can be more respectful, if you wish..."
Gray noted the emphasis on the word wish. "No thanks, I want my wishes to be good. I'm not gonna waste them making you behave."
"Maybe you aren't quite as stupid as I thought," said Natsu, shrugging. "So, what do you want instead?"
Natsu's weak attempt to trick Gray had given him an idea. The human laughed. "I doubt you can handle it. So many rules about what I can't wish for... Are you sure you didn't forget a few?"
The djinn frowned. "That's all. Should I make up some more?"
"Gray..." Happy tugged on Gray's pants leg nervously. "I don't think you should be so rude to a genie," he said in a low tone.
"Why not?" Gray said scornfully. "I'm his master, and you heard what he said. He can't kill people. What a lame genie... I bet he can't even get us out of this cave." He tossed the lamp in the air and caught it again.
Natsu looked furious. "You rubbed my lamp and woke me up, so you're my master. You're a horrible master, but I can't be rid of you until you get your wishes." With every word, the djinn's voice got louder. "So guess what! Whether you think I'm lame or not, YOU'RE GETTIN' YOUR WISHES, JERK!" His hair burst into flames.
Gray stumbled backward and fell onto the carpet.
Natsu's lower half solidified into legs and feet, covered in white knee-length trousers, a black skirt-like thing that matched his vest, and a pair of sandals. He jumped on beside Gray, hair still burning, and grabbed the carpet's edge. "Get on, Happy."
"A-aye, sir..." The blue cat quickly scrambled aboard.
"Stay down, Master," Natsu ordered as Gray tried to sit up. "So what if I can't kill anybody... You'd be surprised what you can live through." He grinned fiercely.
Gray decided he'd better keep his mouth shut this time, so he simply rolled over and got a good grip on the carpet.
Natsu pulled the carpet's front end up and it started to accelerate. "We're outta here!" the djinn yelled, sounding more cheerful than Gray would have expected.
Happy shut his eyes and clung tightly to Gray's neck as they went hurtling at break-neck speed toward the ceiling.