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Life After Near Death	By : Rhov Category: +. to F > Fairy Tail Views: 14426 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima. I make no money, I just do this for my own pleasure.

Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
"My friends, it is wise to nourish the soul; otherwise you breed dragons and devils in your heart."

― Carl Jung

Chapter 12

Dragons and Devils
Natsu sat alone at the guild hall bar with a mug in his hands. Once again he was drunk, although it was barely three in the afternoon. No one went up to him. They knew from past experience, Natsu got wild when drunk, and he tended to be destructive, even more so than normal. It was best to let him drink and brood by himself.
Lucy, Erza, and Happy sat together discussing the issue. Although he was at a table with Juvia, Gray was still within hearing distance. As he heard Natsu's name repeated many times, he became more interested in what his teammates had to say rather than the prattle Juvia was telling him.
Lucy pouted as she saw the blue Exceed frowning despondently at his fish. "Happy, how's Natsu? He looks … um … preoccupied," she said, putting it delicately. "He's always exhausted, and whenever he's here, he's drinking. Has he been resting recently?"
Happy shook his head. "No, I'm worried about him. He doesn't sleep much. He goes off alone on missions, and when he comes back, he's immediately with his girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?" Lucy asked.
"Do you mean the stripper?" Erza looked disapproving as she questioned this.
"Aye, the pretty dancing lady. When he comes back from hanging out with her, he immediately starts to drink. He keeps saying he wants to forget, but I don't know what he doesn't want to remember. Then before I know it, he's leaving on another mission, and he doesn't want me to go with him. He's going on another mission tonight."
Erza's eyes widened. "But he just returned this morning."
"And he's drunk," Lucy muttered. "He's been drinking since he got back."
Happy frowned. "Something is really wrong, but he won't talk to me. He used to always talk to me about anything. Why isn't he talking to me this time?" Happy whined sadly as tears gathered in the corners of his massive eyes.
Lucy patted his furry head and frowned in pity. "Why does Natsu keep going on missions?"
"They're not really missions," Erza explained quietly. "Wendy heard about a healing machine that is in the possession of a dark guild. The problem is, no one can find this guild. They don't have a central hub. Even if you find one member, that person likely doesn't know where the others are, and if the other members get alerted, the whole guild will go into hiding. He has to catch the right member, and he only has one shot. It's a needle in a haystack hunt, and a single mistake can ruin our chance."
"And Natsu, of all people, is doing this?" Lucy asked in surprise. "Why? He's anything but subtle. His idea of finding a needle in a haystack is to burn down the whole haystack!"
"He's driven on," Erza said, looking over at the pink-haired man. "It's almost an obsession."
Out of the corner of her eye, Erza saw Gray roll his wheelchair towards Natsu. Here was another friend who had been having a hard time lately. At least Gray was getting better, getting out more, laughing, and interacting with others. Maybe whatever the Ice-Make wizard had figured out with his own depression would help snap Natsu out of this dark pit.
"Gray," she whispered. "I hope you can deal with him now."
Gray stopped right beside Natsu. Since the Dragon Slayer sat on a raised barstool, Gray was much shorter. "Oi, Natsu!"
Natsu drank his glass in one go, feeling the burn slide down his throat. He could not look at Gray right then. "Sorry, Gray. I'm busy."
"Busy how? Getting drunk?" Gray hated having to look up and having Natsu ignore him. "Hey, look at me when you grumble."
Natsu turned his head away sullenly. Without warning, he stood up.
"Hey, wait." Gray grabbed Natsu's wrist to stop him from walking away. "Where do you think you're going, flame-brain?"
Natsu's eyes widened, and he looked back in shock. Gray was using that nickname that used to anger him, but right then it no longer mattered. He almost sounded like the old Gray again.
"Man, when was your last bath? You look like hell and smell like old shoes."
Natsu stood there, staring in shock at Gray. How he missed his teasing!
Gray smirked haughtily. "With the pathetic state you're in, I can easily beat your ass."
Natsu's eyes softened. "Gray…"
The Ice-Make wizard suddenly grabbed Natsu's hand. Natsu felt his heart give a thrilling leap at the cold touch of those nimble fingers, but then Gray froze the Fire Dragon Slayer's hand to the wheelchair.
"You're coming with me." He forcefully yanked Natsu along as he rolled out.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing, you kinky bastard? Are you suddenly into bondage?"
"What the … NO!" he shouted. "Just shut the hell up and follow me!" He rolled his wheelchair out of the guild hall.
Left alone, Juvia drifted over to Erza, Lucy and Happy. "Isn't Gray-sama so sweet, helping out like this?"
Lucy nodded. "It's definitely a change from how he normally is around Natsu."
"Not really," Erza shrugged, forking some of her cake into her mouth. She chewed thoroughly before saying anything more. "They're going to fight."
Lucy's head snapped over in shock. "What? Fight? How do you know?"
"I've known them for a long time," she said reflectively. "They'll fight, and whatever the problem is, they fix it that way."
Lucy groaned and shook her head. "I swear! Men!"
Elfman butted in out of nowhere. "Solving your issues with your fists is manly."

Gray and Natsu went outside, a far distance from the guild. Natsu followed reluctantly, knowing he could have easily broken free from a little ice, but he also liked Gray being bossy again, like how they used to act when they were younger. He had always hated when Gray attempted to order him around just because he was a "senior member" of the guild. At any normal time, Natsu would have punch Gray for freezing his hand like this, but he was too happy that Gray was talking to him again.
He soon realized Gray was heading toward the river where they always fought as children. Gray released Natsu's hand from the ice and carefully rolled down an embankment, with Natsu holding the back of the wheelchair so it would not tip over. Finally, they were both down by the water's edge.
"Pure magic, no physical fighting. Your magic against mine. Don't you dare go easy on me," Gray said, and he wheeled himself to face the Dragon Slayer. "Fire and ice: which is stronger?"
Natsu chuckled and cracked his knuckles. "When was the last time we ever did a purely magical fight?"
"I don't know if we ever have. Our challenges usually turn into fist fights. You'd have too much of an advantage in that, so purely magic."
"Challenge accepted." Natsu took a deep breath. "Fire Dragon's…"
Gray clapped his hands together. "Ice-Make…"
"… Roar!"
"… Shield!" Gray defended against the massive blast of heat. "And now: Lance!" His arms extended forward, and numerous spears shot out of the shield at the Dragon Slayer. Natsu dodged most of them and melted a few that got too close. He leaped backwards to escape the barrage.
"Nothing physical! Purely magic," Gray shouted. "That means defense, too. If you can't stand your ground and defend with your own magic, you lose."
"Bastard. Fine!" Natsu planted his feet firmly in the sandy riverbank. "In that case, I'm not moving from this spot. Fire Dragon's…"
Gray was quicker. "Ice-Make: Ice Geyser!"
Spiky towers of ice blasted up from the ground, and since he did not jump away this time, the ice imprisoned Natsu.
"Gotcha!" Gray smirked.
"… Iron Fist!" Natsu burst the ice into pieces, creating a shower of tiny shards. "This really isn't fair. I don't have many ranged attacks."
"Then maybe you should get stronger and learn a few," Gray said snarkily.
"Asshole!" Flames swirled and wrapped around both of his fists. He brought his hands together above his head. "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" The two fireballs united, grew massive, and Natsu's swung the massive globe of flames through the air before releasing it at Gray.
"Crap," Gray sneered. He could normally jump out of the way, but that was not possible this time. "Fine! I'll show you what my dad taught me. Ice Devil's…"
"Shit," Natsu cringed, worried what Gray might do with his new Demon Slayer magic.
"Instantaneous Freeze!"
The humongous ball of fire itself froze, flames and all. Natsu's mouth dropped.
"Frozen flames?" he whispered.
"Stop gaping like a caught fish or I'll shut that mouth for you. Ice-Make: Knuckle!"
A giant fist shot up from the ground and punched Natsu in the jaw. The Dragon Slayer went flying up into the air and backwards.
"N- … No way! Dammit!" Natsu spat blood out from his mouth. "Fine, you wanna really fight? No holding back at all! I don't care if you're injured. You're going down, ice princess." Fire engulfed one hand, but then the other hand crackled with yellow lightning. "Dragon Slayer's Secret Art Revision! Crimson Lotus: Exploding Lightning Blade!" He swirled around, the magic extended with his speed, and a vortex of flames and electricity swirled through the air, destroying everything in its path.
"What the hell?" Gray whispered, in awe by the destructiveness for just a second before realizing he really could get killed with an attack like that. His hands clapped together. "Ice-Make: Snow Globe!"
A bubble of ice encircled his entire body. Still, the electricity went right through the solid water and zapped him painfully. Gray cried out, and as his focus wavered, the globe shattered. He was saved from the flame, but the lightning left him numbed.
"Now I've got you where I want you," Natsu grinned. "Fire Dragon's…"
"Ice Devil's…"
"Roar!"
"Rage!"
Both breathed fire and ice from their mouths. The two elements collided and exploded in a burst of steam that pealed the bark right off a nearby tree.
Gray was too close. He was unable to leap aside, and the shockwave from the explosion hit him at full force. All he could do was raise his arms and make a quick but feeble shield of ice, no time to reinforce it. He gritted his teeth, but despite his shield, Gray was pushed backwards by the blast. His wheelchair flipped, and he slammed his head into the ground.
Natsu took this chance. He leaped on top of Gray and bound his wrists above his head.
"Surrender, bastard!"
Gray struggled to get out of his grip, but Natsu did not let him go. When it came to sheer physical strength, Natsu had some advantage. "Fine, fine. You got me," he conceded.
Natsu grinned, perched atop his foe in victory. Then slowly, his triumphant eyes softened with yearning. "I missed this," he whispered.
Gray looked up at him in surprise to hear loneliness rather than gloating. "Squinty-eyes?" he whispered.
Natsu stared intensely. He felt the sinewy tendons in the wrists his fingers gripped so firmly, and between his thighs were the rippled muscles of the Ice-Make wizard's abdomen. Gray's chest heaved and fell with fast breaths, and Natsu could feel every movement. His own shadow cast down, shading Gray's face, yet those blue eyes caught some sunlight. They gleamed stormy silver-blue, like a winter sky. With his whole body, Natsu felt the coldness radiating around Gray, easing the flames, cooling his wild side, yet stoking up a deeper fire in his soul.
Gray began to feel uncomfortable as Natsu continued to sit there and stare at him. "H-hey, let me go," he said quietly.
Natsu backed up. "Oh. Sorry." He released Gray's wrists and climbed off of him. "I'll, um … I'll help you get back up."
Natsu uprighted the wheelchair and lifted Gray, settling him back in the seat.
"Are you all right? You didn't break your skull, did you?"
"Nah, I'm fine. This still sucks," Gray muttered. "Can't even do stupid stuff like getting into a chair on my own."
"Well, you can fight."
"I lost."
"Only because it went beyond magical and turned physical."
"Nah, if I can't even escape the aftereffects of my own magic, I count that as a loss."
"Maybe, but then I jumped on top of you, so that's physical, too." Definitely physical. Natsu knew he was going to have dreams about straddling on top of Gray now … dammit. "I don't have any good magic to bind you, so that's about all I could do to keep you down."
"Idiot. You could have burned me to a crisp in an instant. I was down, I couldn't get back up. That's the worst part of this," he said, lightly punching the armrest of the wheelchair. "If I'm flipped, I'm like a goddamn turtle."
Natsu gave him a mournful look. "Gray…"
"No! Don't! Don't you dare try coddling me. It was my loss, and I concede."
"Have it your way," he shrugged. "It was a good fight."
Gray tried to hide the happiness, but a smile still slipped out. "Yeah, it was. I haven't gone all out like that in months."
That tiny smile lit up Natsu's heart. When had Gray ever looked so sexy simply by smiling? Natsu forcefully averted his eyes before the flush of the fight turned into a blush of arousal. "You're just weaker because you stopped training," he said in understanding. "We need to find a new training regimen for you, something that works. You could specialize in long-range fighting, that way you never have to get out of your chair. Don't worry, you'll learn to compensate, and you'll get stronger. It'll take time. I can practice with you, if you want."
Gray thought about it. Natsu really was the best person to help make him stronger, but … something felt uncomfortable. When Natsu was pinning him down, Gray had felt his heart race.
"No," he muttered, unable to meet Natsu's eyes. "I think I need to focus on healing my body. Magic can come second."
"Oh," Natsu muttered, feeling stung by the rejection. "I … I can help with that, too. I am helping. I've been going around to different towns, asking about that cure Wendy heard about."
Gray arched an eyebrow. "Are you still spouting on about this? A cure for having fifteen centimeters of nerves, tendons, and muscles blasted out of my leg? How does that even work? The doctors insisted that there was no hope."
"Dunno how it works, honestly," Natsu shrugged. "It's some illegal form of regeneration magic, or something."
"Illegal?" Gray shouted. "Are you a total idiot? The last thing I want is some dark magic cast over my body. I'm screwed up enough as it is without some dark guild's godforsaken healing machine messing with what's left of me."
"The magic isn't evil. It just isn't legally approved by the Magic Council. They're interested in it, though. If it's really such a miracle machine, they want to see if it can be duplicated safely. It could save lives! Makarov got me a special permit to hunt out their guild, find it, and confiscate it for the Magic Council. Of course, if we happen to use it first―you know, to make sure it's really what we're looking for―no one can blame us for wanting to be certain."
Gray looked aside. "Do what you want. You're wasting your time, though. The leg is dead. I really should have them chop it off and give me a new one."
"Don't talk like that!" Natsu scolded.
"I'm serious. A prosthetic would at least let me walk. Actually," he admitted with a frown, "I've already talked about it with my doctor. We're setting up a date for the amputation. It'll be some time in May, since the warmer weather will make healing easier."
"No!" Natsu shouted. "Don't go chopping off your leg, not when we're working hard to fix it."
"It's not going to get better."
"You don't know that! Give me time to find this medical device, Gray."
"Fine, but you have only until May."
"Three months," Natsu muttered. "I'll need to talk to Erza." He turned and ran off.
"Hey!" Gray shouted, but Natsu had raced up the riverbank and disappeared. "He left me," Gray said in shock. "That idiot! I don't even know if I can get out of here." He began to roll slowly up the sandy sides.
Suddenly, Natsu came skidding back down the bank, ran up to Gray, and lifted the entire wheelchair up over his head. He ran laughing maniacally, spouting flames from his widely opened mouth, with Gray jostling along high above him.
"What the hell are you doing?" Gray screamed, grabbing the armrests of the chair in a death grip as Natsu bounced him down the road.
"It's strength training. Training, training!" he cheered. "Who needs weights or dragging around boulders when I can lift a stripping glacier over my head."
"Put … me … down!"

Next Chapter: "A Machine of Hope"
- 11
- 12
- 13
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Life After Near Death