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Chapter 13 – Waking Up

Gray woke up with a startled gasp. He was confused and couldn't locate himself. He was in a dark room but strangely he didn't feel on edge but amidst all the drowsiness and confusion he felt strangely empty. On the contrary, a sense of relaxation and safety surrounded him. Drowsily he shifted in the bed and even if his body hurt immensely he was free. He felt a bed sheet move around his lower body and a sudden shiver of cold made its way over his body. He trembled slightly while pulling the sheet to his chin. He returned to his side and sensed how warmth was coming from there. Slowly he got closer to it and snuggled into it, letting the warmth seep into him.

It didn't take long until he was asleep again.

Morning either came too early or too late for Natsu. For him it didn't matter exactly that due to the environment people would have different schedules. What mattered was that he was awake even f he was feeling tired and wanted to go back to sleep, his internal clock said that it was time to wake up and that was final!

With a tired groan he was about to get up and go to the blinds and try to fathom what time it was when he felt an unexpected weight on his chest and arm. 'Gray' he thought with what could be called rising alarm. He gulped. 'Ok, it is time for us to have a small conversation but please, don't make it today. I don't think I can handle it now…' he was praying feverously to whatever invisible forces that would listen, while carefully disentangling himself from the body of his friend. When he was free he sat on the bed and, through the darkness, couldn't help but smile, relieved 'I'm so glad we that we managed to save him…' then he downside, 'but I'm afraid of the repercussions, like this closeness that he unconsciously seeked, that this may have on the future.'

He slowly got up from the bed and, as silent as he could, he went to the window and pushed one of the blinds, opening just enough to bring the minimal clarity to the room. With the unexpected light Happy moved on his bed and moved sleep hazed eyes while stretching and mewling contently. Natsu got close to the table and sat on the chair. For some time they just looked at the peacefully slumbering form. After a while Natsu looked at Happy and in a low voice, said, "Come on, we all need a bath and you might as well be the first." Happy looked at Natsu with pleading eyes. "Nooo, Natsu, please don't. I don't like baths… the soap…" he whined. Natsu gave an exasperated sigh and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. "No can do. Come on. It'll be quick." He filled the sink with water and waited for Happy to hop on. Then he grabbed some soap he had brought from his bag and started washing Happy. They talked softly, not wanting their voices to wake Gray as Natsu had left the door open. When Happy was rinsed clean and wrapped in a fluffy towel they returned to the room. Natsu laid Happy in the bed near Gray. "I'll be taking a quick shower. Call me if he wakes or something happens." He returned to the bathroom and let a fraction of the door open, just in case. He laid the change of clothes in the counter of the sink, stripped and entered the bathtub. He washed himself quickly and was out of the bathroom in no time. During that time Gray hadn't even moved.

It was time.

Natsu sat on the bed and, grabbing his shoulder gently, gave a little shake. Gray twitched a little so Natsu continued, "Gray, wake up." He said softly. An incoherent mumble was his answer.

"Come on Gray. You have to get up before the girls arrive." His voice was slightly stronger. Gray grabbed the bed sheets harder and his face scrunched up in a grimace before his unfocused eyes opened. He blinked them two, three times and met Natsu's relieved grin.

"Hey. It's about time you woke up."

"Time? How… how long was I out?" said Gray, trying to sit up.

"Less than a day. You have to calm down that your body is weak. You were completely out cold." Natsu answered while holding Gray's back so that he wouldn't strain too much. "I think you would feel better after taking a bath. Lay down that I'm going to fill the tub." He helped him down carefully and hurried back to the bathroom.

Gray was left lying on his back. Happy hopped on his arm and this made Gray look at him.

"I'm glad you woke up. How do you feel?" he asked concernedly.

"Tired? Aching? I don't know. What the hell happened?" Gray's voice was very tired and he attempted to rub his eyes.

"I think you remember the ritual right?" Natsu was coming from the other room. Gray moved in what looked like acquiescence so he continued. "You almost got consumed – and killed – by the monster they summoned and we managed to save you." An audible gulp could be heard in the room, "Then Erza appeared and-"Gray jumped on the bed and ended sitting on it, "E-Erza?" his eyes were open wide and he looked like he had seen a ghost, sweat starting to go down his forehead.

'I can't believe I completely forgot about her. What if she tries to' a shudder ran down his spine, 'punish me? Yes, because I left for the mission and Mira tried to stop me. I don't remember at all but they said that I just escaped a near death experience. It Erza does something I'm as good as dead!' The edges of his vision started to go dark until Natsu's voice broke in, "Gray! Hey Gray! You have to breathe or you're going to faint." Only when his hands did grab his shoulders and shake him did he manage to take a sharp intake of breath. He gulped too much air at once so moments later he was coughing and doubling over on the bed. Natsu patted him on the back and said, "Come on, the bath's waiting." He got up. Gray was about to follow him, lifting the sheet when he noticed something.

Quickly he covered himself with it. "Erm, Natsu, where's my underwear?" he was blushing a little.

"Oh, right… I thought it would be rather pointless to put them on…? Given the circumstances…" Natsu was also blushing and averting his eyes. It was starting to become an uncomfortable conversation. "But it doesn't matter, 'cause you're an exhibitionist and all, right?"

Gray's gaze was focused on his hands on his lap while he answered. "… right… Well, now to the bath, right?"

"Yeah, let's go. Can you move on your own?"

"That's what we're about to discover…" he said moving to the edge of the bed. Placing his feet on the floor he pushed up (always covered by the bed sheet) and managed to remain up for about 30 seconds before his legs gave in and he almost fell to the floor. Natsu promptly grabbed him and held him bridal style. "I guess not." He said while walking to the bathroom. He sat Gray on the toilet while he finished the bath, pouring some medicinal soap in. "I hope the water's how you like it."

"Knowing you it will be too hot." Gray mumbled.

Natsu hoisted him and helped him to the rim of the tub, when Gray plunged his hand on the water it quickly shot up. "Too hot?" Natsu asked while reaching to the faucets as Gray just nodded.

'I should've thought better about this. I still have to unwrap the bandages.' Natsu straightened and motioned to unwrap them while the cold water fell to the tub.

"I can do this on my own, you know?" Gray said as the bandages curled on the floor. "Treating me like I'm some sort of invalid…" he mumbled while he got to the bandages on the torso. As he had to move his upper body, a grimace settled on his face.

"Let me." Natsu said exasperatedly his hands reaching to Gray, "Just let me do it. Don't be so stubborn." Gray looked at him defiantly then realized he wouldn't win this argument and decided to plunge his hand on the now cooler water. "The water's good" he said absently. Natsu threw the rest of the bandages to the floor and turned off the faucet. "How are we going to do this?"

"Don't be such a prude. Just help me enter it." He said while releasing the sheet. Natsu picked him and settled him inside the tub. A relaxed sigh left Gray's lips.

"Alright, I'm going to let you soak in there for a bit, the healing proprieties of the soap need some time to work and in the meanwhile I'll put some order on the room that the girls must be here soon. If you need something you just have to shout." He left the room, leaving a bit of the door open.

Gray leaned his head back on the tub and closed his eyes, willing his body to relax – which thankfully was helped by the water. He tried to remember the previous day, night?, hell, the last time he was awake. He tried but not much came to him, mostly flashes that somehow evoked a foreign pain to course through him. What the hell had happened? How in the world were his friends here? It was too much to absorb because as much as he remembered, on a minute he was on the floor of a temple about to be sacrificed – to which pain followed – and in the other he was waking up on a room with Natsu on his side and feeling a dull, ache of emptiness within. There was something wrong with him, he could feel it! He started getting restless, the water sloshing around him and falling to the floor. He sat up, with a plan forming. He was going to make something with his magic. Losing some time to think about what he could produce helped him calm a bit. 'I know. A sword. It's easy and I've done swords several times.' He focused and… the sword he created was small! It was more a dagger than a sword. With the shock he didn't realize that he spoke aloud,

"No way!" his strained words reverberated in the room.

Natsu had finished giving some semblance of order to the room and was chitchatting calmly with Happy while fishing in his bag for something for Gray to wear. Sounds of the water moving could be heard on the background but he didn't pay them attention as it must be Gray moving to get into a better position. Then the sounds stopped. Natsu had found spare clothes for Gray when he heard Gray say "No way!", followed by the sound of something falling to the ground. He ran to the door and found Gray, on shock and one small sword on the tiled floor, melting. "What happened?" he asked, apprehension etched on his features.

"My… my magic… I can't… I can't…" Gray's eyes were wide open and he was looking at his trembling hands. Natsu kneeled in front of him and closed his hands over his, trying to calm him down. "Gray, Gray, it's okay. It's all over now and you're safe." By now he was cupping Gray's face with both his hands, hushing him, "Everything's alright. You're safe now…"

Gray was calming down, the gentle words and reassuring presence were relaxing him, his hands also relaxing from the rim of the tub where they had clenched.

"We have to finish your bath. All these questions that surely are going through your head have an answer and when the girls get here we'll go there. For now, tip your head back 'cause your hair is a mess." Gray obliged and as Natsu massaged his scalp he could feel that something was in its rightful place.

With Natsu's help he was quickly rinsed off and covered in a fluffy towel. Natsu sat him back on the toilet and with another towel (that he brought from the room with the clothes) he dried Gray's hair and upper body. "What did I say about being treated like an invalid?" Gray pouted, his arms folded in his lap.

"Hadn't we gotten over that already? There is no shame in helping an injured comrade, better yet, an injured friend. What do you think you are?" Natsu asked with a smirk – after all, if Gray could put up his attitude he must be better, right?

"Yeah, yeah. Do you have clothes for me? I have no idea where mine are…" Natsu had finished applying the balm and dressing the bandages so he just presented the pile of clothes then busied himself with other things such as the bathtub and dirty bandages, giving Gray some privacy while being at arm's reach in case of need.

When they were done he helped Gray back to the room, now serving as a human crutch. He sat Gray against the headboard and sat himself at the foot of the bed.

"And now what do we do? I'm starting to get a little hungry." The pout was back on his face.

"We have to wait for the girls. Lucy expressly forbade me from ordering room service. And now with Erza here, I won't dare to disobey." He finished with a shudder.

"So, wait it is." Gray let his head fall back and closed his eyes. Happy lay down near his leg, offering silent comfort.

"Oh, and there's something that I have to talk to you about." Natsu was saying with a serious voice. He was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Gray opened his eyes in time to see Natsu glaring at the bedcover then sigh and run a hand through his hair as he got up to open the door.

"But I guess that's not the time to talk about it." He nodded at the door and opened it.

A/N: Here is, another chapter. Sorry for taking so long but coming to (almost) the middle of nowhere with (very) limited access to the net delayed my update. That and the heat that has fallen here, just makes me want to go to the beach or the swimming pool. Anyway, other things were to happen here but Natsu and Gray just took over and we ended with this. I hope you don't mind…

Feel free to review, the reviews make my day.