Chapter 14: A Temple Under the Sea

Cooling the hot steaming tea with a breath, Gray sat on the wooden picnic tabletop, a wide smile cresting his lips. Taking in a long draught of the sweet inviting scent of the tea in his mug. English Breakfast black tea leaves, gods, he'd almost forgotten the deep rich taste. How long had they been away from home? How long had they been in this twisted land? He frowned. It had to have been months. Gray couldn't quite recall.

So much had happened, it might as well have been years. Flexing his icemake arm, he pursed his lips thinking about the entire adventure. Lost an arm. Nearly died. But all of that paled in comparison to the biggest change in his life. He lay sprawled out on the grass, his long wild pink mane in disarray against the fresh shining grass. A smile graced his red lips, before they worked in silent words slipping in and out of his dream world. Every now and then small jetting flames licked over his inviting lips.

This world, Gray thought, was the dream. He took another long sip through the coiling white steam coming off his mug. On the grass, Natsu murmured something sleepily, but Gray cocked his head, smiling, as he heard his name come from the sleeping dragon's lips.

Today was the day that they would leave this little land of peace within the twistedness of the corrupted world. They agreed ahead of time how long they would stay, and the week had already slipped through his fingers, a free-flowing white-rapid river. If they hadn't, Gray knew, they would have stayed forever. The images of the savage evil to come flashed in his mind, but he forced them away as he took another sip.

He still had one morning before they had to worry about any of that. And he would spend it exactly the same way as he had spent every other morning in that week in paradise. He took a sip of his tea, and as the warm rich drink slid past his tongue, he just watched Natsu sleep. The flame-brain was a damn heavy sleeper he had found, snoring that would trump an army of chainsaws. But, Gray found it so endearing. The terrifyingly powerful fire dragon slept the same way he had as a kid, holding the same blissful face that he had all through childhood. Though now, he was completely naked.

His hot body, perfectly cut and defined with muscles earned through years of intense training and battles. Gods, Gray drank the last of his tea, shaking his head slowly to himself. He just didn't get tired of looking at that sight. The perfectly tan smooth skin over hard rounded pecs, down a strong taper from bouldering shoulders to a thinner v-cut waist. Then the part of Natsu he had become oh so acquainted with during the last week. He grinned, twisting to place the mug on the picnic table beside him.

Well, he stepped down, stretching with his palms in the small of his back. It was time to get ready. His pack was all but decimated from the battles, and from the long tumble down the mountainside. He bit his lip, examining the broken metal of the frame jutting out from three corners. It was barely holding together, and - Gray recalled the trip from the mountaintop – it was a pain in the ass to hike with. Literally. One of the metal bars of the frame broke free and no matter how he tried to tie it back, it stabbed him, jabbing him in the ass as he walked.

And, he mused, if it wasn't Natsu, it just wasn't worth it. Crouching over it, Gray scratched his head. No helping it, he would just have to try and fasten a makeshift pack. But, the grass beside him shimmered, and he grinned wide as a beautiful water-proof and contour-framed pack materialized. Well, that just left repacking then.

Fishing into his broken pile of worn and tattered canvas pack, Gray ran his tongue over his lip, unable to help the painfully wide smile. Damn, he had been smiling so much lately. But, he just couldn't help it. Carefully, he separated the warm white cloth, extracting it from his pack. Burying his face into the scaly scarf, Gray drifted along with the fiery scent buried in the fabric. Pine, crackling campfires, and the subtle lines of rustic eucalyptus. He wrapped it around his neck. Gods, with the scent surrounding him, it was like being tightly wrapped up in the dragon's arms all day.

Strong arms snaked around his naked torso, a hot sultry kiss pulling at the back of his neck, just underneath the scarf. Gray closed his eyes, drifting away into the fiery sensation. The burning desire that he could never have fought against. The world without Natsu by his side, it seemed so far away, burned and consumed by the fire of the amazing man. Was there life before Natsu? Gray moaned, dropping his head. "Good morning."

"Good morning, babe." Natsu whispered, soft and deep in Gray's ear. His hot breath brushed teasingly over his ear, sending shuddering shivers down his spine. And Natsu buried his chin in the scarf, resting it over Gray's shoulder. He squeezed his arms tighter pulling Gray into him. "So today's the day then."

"Yeah . . ."

"Mmm, sucks. Could stay with you here forever."

"Me too."

"Well once we finish this mission, we can spend everyday like this when we get back to Fairy Tail. No responsibility. Nothing. Just us."

"Sounds nice," Gray smiled. There had been a silent agreement between them not to bring up the danger that lay ahead. Ignus, the evil and overwhelmingly vile corruption of the spirit Igna, had nearly killed Gray. Had overwhelmed Natsu. And if what Igna had said was true, it was but a passing corruption by a force so evil that it left such terrifying horror in its wake. Both of them held the nagging painful thoughts deep within them. This was probably a one-way mission. There was no going home. They would just treasure what they had, together in eachother's arms.

"Hmm. New pack. I need a new pack too." And Natsu bumped his brows as another carbon-fiber framed pack appeared next to Gray's.

"That's a really big pack," Gray cocked a brow, turning a questioning glance to Natsu before he really began his morning and took the fiery dragon in a long embracing kiss. "Seriously, that's gotta be like twice the size of your old pack."

"Well, I've got a lot to carry."

"What are you talking about?" But, he blinked as the grass shimmered. He rolled his eyes, just as his cheeks burned. 5 tall bottles filled with clear viscous lube.

"Well," Natsu smiled nonchalantly, as he tucked a bottle into the pack. "I don't exactly know how long we are going to be out here, and who knows when the next time we'll be able to find some of this."

Gray rubbed his face in his palm. "We are going to be hiking into a life-threatening, dangerous area with an evil that I can't even imagine and you're packing bottles and bottles of lube."

"Yup!" Natsu replied chipperly, bouncing his head happily.

"Mmhmm, and what are we supposed to do about the mess. Can't very well clean out and up while we are in the forest.

Natsu paused, holding on to the neck of the last tall clear plastic bottle. "Melt your ice into water." A bottle with a long thin nozzle appeared on the grass, Natsu grinned.

Scoffing, Gray shook his head, though his lips bent in a smile. "Idiot."

Before the sun had barely risen into the sky, the two set out, forsaking paradise at their backs and heading into the darkness. With each day that passed, darkness swallowed the world around the two Fairy Tail mages. The trees around them, sickly, and twisted, leaned in around them as they walked, looking at any moment to grab them in their thick gnarled branches and swallow them into the earth. Light itself seemed to drain away into the murky shadowy depth of the dying forest.

By the second week they could only move with the bobbing and dancing red spotlight flame Natsu had summoned. And by the fourth week, even the light coming off of his fiery red light did little. Its breath seemed to die in the forest's grasp.

Gray cursed, his foot catching a gnarled root twisted over the forest's floor. He flew forward until fiery hands grabbed him, holding him up. "Ugh, I feel sick. I can't breath." He leaned heavily against Natsu, panting for breath. A cold sweat creeped over his brow.

Tugging at his scarf around Gray's neck, he pulled it up and over Gray's nose. "Breath through the scarf." Natsu held Gray close to him, supporting him with a hand wrapped around his waist. "The air's too thick and heavy," and, he wrinkled his nose. It smelled awful. Putrid.

"Ughh, how come you are fine?" Gray turned burying himself into Natsu's neck.

"Because I'm not as weak as you." When that failed to get a rise out his partner, Natsu swore internally. Gray just mumbled, leaning his entire weight against Natsu's side. The fact was that the air was getting to him. A drilling headache clamped his skull. His chest felt heavy, his lungs thick with the poisonous air. He sidled Gray closer to him, squeezing his hip.

Looking down at Gray's pale face, his eyes closed, head hanging loose. His raven hair stuck to the cold perspiration on his brown. With a light touch, he swept the raven locks up. They weren't going to last much longer in the forest. Each step was becoming harder and harder to take, the soles of his boots stuck to the thick coiling ground. The stupid golden boy bastard, Igna, had said the patch of protected ground was halfway between the mountain and the lake. It had taken three weeks to get there, he thought sullenly, forcing his heavy legs to trudge forward, supporting Gray with each step. It had been nearly five weeks since they had left the wonderful paradise.

Or at least, Natsu thought it had been five weeks. There was no way to be sure. It had been three weeks since he saw the stars twinkling overhead. Then the forest consumed the sun as well. And they were left in eternal darkness, the writhing trees wrapping all around them in a hallowed succubus lover's embrace.

A creaky wooden rustle caused Natsu to jerk, whipping around, searching the darkness. He growled. They had to be close to the end. Shrugging Gray's good arm from around his shoulders, Natsu swept out his legs, carrying him close to body. Gray groaned, twisting in Natsu's arms until he buried his head against the fire dragon's hot smooth chest underneath his vest.

They had to be close. Either way, Natsu shifted Gray, balancing him better. Either way, they couldn't last another day. Flames cracked around them, burning at the twisting trees. Surrounding them in a cocoon of writing, burning fury pouring from Natsu heart, he dug into the ground. Kicking off hard, he worked himself into a run, sprinting through the forest, cradling Gray tight against his chest. The fire turned everything around them to ash. A barren path cleared through the forest as he sprinted, barreling through the dying sickly trees.

He didn't know how long he ran, his legs burning from carrying both of their weight, including their bulky packs. His lungs felt ladened with lead, weighing him down. He could barely breath. He took shallow breaths, his vision sparking with purple flares against the wall of whipping red flame in front of him.

Suddenly, that too disappeared, and Natsu collapsed onto his knees. He looked down at Gray, barely able to see through the darkness' clutch. His pale skin. Images of him blasted apart by Ignus flashed through his mind. The cave, where he had seen Gray even paler than this. He couldn't see that again. Forcing himself to his feet, Natsu bared his fangs in a fierce snarl. He set his gaze on the black wall of nothingness in front of him. And he forced his foot to slide forward.

He tumbled through the dark wall, tripping on a thin branch just an inch off the ground. Natsu had felt his toe tap against it, but he just didn't have the strength left to lift his foot over the root. His vision sparked as he fell. Slamming into the ground, Gray rolled away, out of his arms. He reached out his hand, cursing himself. But, he blinked slowly. He saw a wide stretching lake, spanning out into the horizon, shining like glass underneath a wide open starlight sky. He squinted, before the world tilted, and he slid out of consciousness.

Groaning, Natsu's eyes creaked open. "Graaay?"

"I'm right here."

Natsu sighed when he felt the hand take his. Relief washed over him like a clear ocean's kiss. It cleansed him. He looked up, his lip twitching. "Hey, babe."

"Hey." Gray smiled softly, brushing his fingers over Natsu's brow. He weaved them back through his long pink man. "Pushed yourself too far again, idiot."

"Mmm."

"That's twice now you saved my life."

"-ove oo."

"I know, shh, just sleep." Gray hugged him, tucking the fiery mane under his chin. "I love you too, Natsu." He squeezed him in a wrapping hug, and he gazed out over the still water's surface. It was shining, mirror-like, casting the stars upon the ground in a celestial touch on the earth all around them. The water glassed out as far as the eye could see, a dark stretching abyss.

Frowning, Gray looked out over the ominous water's shell. A spinning fireball raced across it, shining beacon-like over the sea. As it passed the large bowl's center, spires of an ancient stone building's castle were illuminated by the fire's piercing light through the depths. Everything was silent as Gray sat at the water's edge, hugging Natsu tight to him. He watched as the massive towering stone walls shone under the water.

Next Chapter: Golden Caves