Buried Emotions

Chapter Six

Gray

It's been days since anyone has seen Natsu. Even Happy, who lives with him, has yet to actually see him (excluding the one time he saw Natsu's arm as he placed an empty plate outside his door). Erza, who I'm still incredibly peeved at, convinced me to go and try to get him to at least go out side for a few minutes. And by convinced, I mean violently threatened. And by violently threatened, I mean kicked my ass and threatened to do it again.

I approach Natsu's house but don't bother knocking. Happy gave me the house key. I unlock the door and let myself in. I make a bee-line for Natsu's room, stoping at the door and placing my ear against it, listening. I can hear snoring. I pull another key out of my pocket and stick it into the lock, turning it until I hear the door unlock. Natsu stops snoring and I hold my breath, trying to stay as quiet as possible. When he starts snoring again, I slowly push the door open and creep in. Natsu is laying in his bed, the covers reaching mid torso and his arms wrapped around something, holding it tightly to his face as if he were a child. I sneak closer, trying to look at what he's holding. I can't make it out so I grab it and gently pull on it until it comes free. I turn it over and it takes me a second to realize that I'm staring at a Gray doll. Natsu suddenly starts whimpering and I can't help but think how cute he is. I place the doll back into his arms and he instantly stops whimpering. I don't know what to think about discovering this.

I poke Natsu's cheek gently with my finger. "Hey, Natsu. Get up."

Natsu's eye's snap open and he stares intently at the doll. "Di- Did you just talk?!" He asks it.

"You know, sometimes you're really dumb," I say, baffled by the inner workings of his mind.

Natsu puts the doll behind himself, trying to hide it from me. "You shouldn't be here..." he says quietly, looking away from me.

"What do you mean? You shouldn't be here," I say mockingly.

"I live here!" He bellows angrily, "I belong here!"

"You belong at the Fairy Tail too!" I shout back, my frustration starting to grow.

Natsu face soften, making him look sad as he looks away. "I- I don't know about that anymore..." I'm caught completely off guard.

"Wha- What do you mean?!" I shout, panic filling me as I grab Natsu by the shoulders. Natsu can't leave! It wouldn't be the same!

"I'm thinking of leaving..." he says, his voice cracking and tears pulling in his eyes.

"Natsu, you don-"

"Don't. I just can't right now." Natsu turns away from me but I can tell he's crying. "I don't need you trying to talk me out of this. I need to figure it out on my own."

"Take a vacation! Go fishing or- or- Travel!" I rack my brain for more ideas, anything to keep Natsu busy while I try and fix this mess.

"Don't worry," he says, wiping away his tears before turning to face me. "I'm not making a decision any time soon, but I would like some alone time to think." Natsu crawls out of his bed and heads to his door, holding it open and gesturing for me to leave.

My throats starts burning and my vision starts to blur from tears, but I do as he asks, trying not to upset him. I stop in the doorway and turn to him. "I don't want to be in Fairy Tail without you," I say as a single tear slips down my face. I don't wait for Natsu to reply. I quickly leave, headed for the Guild. I need help.

Natsu

I close the door and lean my back against it, sliding down it until I rest upon the floor. So many mixed messages. I don't know if I'm seeing what I want or if he's just being friendly? There's suddenly a knock at my door. "I told you I want to be lef-" I opened the door expecting to see Gray, but instead I am face to face with Sting.

"Is everything okay?" Sting pushes his way past me and glances around my room, his nose crinkling. "I heard shouting and crying." Sting reaches into my bed and grabs the Gray doll. "Nice taste," he states approvingly.

"Everything's fine!" I say, putting as much happiness I could into my voice.

Sting rolls his eyes at me. "If you're going to lie to me, at least dry your tears first." I reach up and feel my face, fresh with tears.

"I-" I start to cry again and my legs give out. Sting catches me before I can hit the floor.

"You know, I hope you two solve this quickly. I'm starting to get tired of having to check on you all the time," he says as he sits me onto my bed.

"Wh- what d-do you m-mean?" I ask, still sobbing as Sting sits next to me and pats me on the back sympathetically.

"Well, a few days ago, I was walking along the canal when I heard Gray yelling. I came running and got there just in time to see him shove you to the ground. He took off running, leaving you there crying. I followed you home after that, just to make sure you got here safely."

"Thanks," I mutter, my face burning. I feel so embarrassed that he saw that. Then again, so did a lot of people. I hope no one else I know saw that.

"I'm thinking we should find a way to get him to finally understand his feelings for you." Sting stands up and crosses the room, picking up a photo of Gray and me that I had set out.

"He has feelings for me?"

Sting sighs and sets the photo down angrily, crossing the room and kneeling in front of me. "You really are dense, aren't you? Yes. He has feelings for you." My heart leaps and I crack a smile. He likes me! "That's the spirit," sting says, patting my leg. "Now, we have to grab his attention somehow..."

"I told him I was thinking of leaving the Guild..." I inform Sting.

"Okay... So you have his attention, we just need to reel him in..." Sting starts pacing back and forth, his fist resting on his mouth as he thinks deeply. "Aha!" He shouts after a few minutes had passed. "Gray already thinks you might be leaving the Fairy Tail. What if we solidify that fear?"

"How?" I ask, trying to figure out where he could be going with this.

"What if Gray finds out that we are 'dating,' and over heads me asking you to join Sabertooth? Of course, we'll have to take our time convincing Gray that we're a happy couple and make him feel as though you're really considering joining us."

"Do you think that'll work!?" I ask hopefully.

"I don't know. It's risky but I think we have a pretty good chance!" Sting says confidently. I'm over come with joy and hug him. "Look at us. Already a happy couple. And what perfect timing too!" Sting points out the window at a quickly approaching Gray, Lucy, Erza, and Happy.

"What do we do?" I ask as I begin to panic.

"Just stay here like this!" Sting demands as he wraps his arms around me. I do the same and close my eyes, trying to act like I'm enjoying it as I wait for Gray.