Good morning/afternoon/evening (pick the right one ;) ).
Here a new Fairy Tail one-shot. I wrote the last one a long (very long) time ago but I'm currently reading the manga again and it gives me some ideas. I hope you'll enjoy the story.
Warning : No beta reader ! Be prepared for some mistakes!
This is a very angsty story. If you feel uncomfortable about it, don't read.
Pairing : Gratsu (in this story, Natsu can use END's power and stay himself without problem).
Disclaimer : I don't own Fairy Tail, otherwise, Happy would have never existed (still hate this cat).
Hope is still alive
The war was over. Alvarez had won.
Fiore was all ashes and ruins by now and it was entirely his fault. And the worst part was that he was still alive.
Why? Why was he still breathing when his friends, his family, were all mercilessly murdered, slaughtered, executed?
He had been forced to watch them climb the steps to the scaffold. Every single one of them ! One by one, in a cruel and macabre parade. Even the youngsters. Even his brother...
At some point, he had hoped that his turn would come... But it never came.
Why that ? He was also a member of Fairy Tail! He had stood up against Zeref as well!
But the emperor was quite attached to him. Or rather, he treasured the huge advantage he was unwillingly giving him. He was nothing but a useful tool that allowed him to control Natsu and END's power, and as such, he was invaluable as long as he was alive.
Of course, he had tried to stop this nonsense by taking his own life. But the Dark Mage was cunning and had used his magic, his knowledge, to make him immortal. Now, he was almost a Demon of Zeref himself and the thought made his stomach churned.
How could he have let this happen to him? How could he have been so stupid, so weak, to let himself be captured in the first place?
And above all... Why did Natsu chose his miserable life instead of their friends'?
The memory of the dragon slayer kneeling before his older brother and swearing his loyalty to him, just to save his ass, was still vivid in his mind. As long as the one who was both his rival and lover was spared, he would do anything. That was what Natsu swore. And what he did.
But Gray did not deserve such sacrifice.
For him, Natsu submitted to Alvarez and had become its murderous spear. A spear slowly rusted by guilt, whose only light was him, the hostage who got him into this mess to begin with. Once he had done what was expected of him, the dragon slayer was allowed to visit him ; it had became his sole objective. The only thing that kept him sane. That kept both of them sane. And Zeref knew it.
When Natsu hesitated or balked at executing an order, Gray paid the price. Whiplash, burning firebrand, total isolation... Every torture they could think of, except of rape. He was spared this particular torture because Natsu's instincts would get out of hand otherwise. Lucky him!
Gray's body was marked by so many scars that he had lost his stripping habit, wishing more than anything that these ugly marks remain well hidden from the world.
A sob escaped his lips as he hugged himself. Really, he was pathetic. A shadow of the proud mage he once was.
Suddenly, he heard a noise in the hallway. Someone was coming for him.
Was it Natsu ? Or was he in for another torture session?
The ice mage stared intently at the door leading outside. A door he often dreamed of knocking down to leave this gloomy bedroom that served as a prison.
Instinctively, he got into position, ready to defend himself even if he knew it was utterly useless. The thick iron cuffs wrapped around his wrists and ankles effectively canceled all of his magic. He had been unable to produce even a snowflake since he became Zeref's hostage.
With a loud noise, the door opened and Gray went stiff, instinctively lowering his eyes. If it was the emperor, he could have been punished just because he looked at his face. He couldn't afford that again, not right now. He wanted to see Natsu. He NEEDED to see him.
When the newcomer threw himself into his arms and hugged him tightly, he realized that he had nothing to fear. It was Natsu. Natsu was with him! Finally!
Slowly, Gray looked up at his lover's face. Their eyes met and he noticed that his boyfriend was on the verge of tears.
He kissed him softly and hugged him as hard as he could, as if to reassure him.
And in these arms, against this chest, he no longer wondered why he was still alive. He knew it.
He was alive for Natsu, the only being who still mattered to him in this world.
XxXxX
Thx for reading!
At first, I wanted to write a longer story but my English is not good enough for something more elaborate. I hope you like it nonetheless. Reviews are welcome (except flames). ;)