To Be Contained || Gratsu

All Fired Up

Word Count: 755

I'm so sorry for the long wait! I hope to get my schedule up and running again soon! Enjoy~

Toraeru entered the dark room, void of liveliness as it always was. As he was about to tease the defenseless lizard, the concrete walls were suddenly illuminated with a warm, flickering heat. Fire? But that's impossible...

"I'm all fired up, now!" Natsu exclaimed, his signature grin in place, flames surrounding his unrestrained fists.

"You're weak, Salamander. What makes you think you can beat me now?"

"I've got people to fight for, and I won't let you hurt my family," the pink-haired male growled out, his elongated teeth displayed.

Toraeru shielded his eyes as the flames grew brighter and hotter. I don't understand... That shouldn't be possible!

"You never mess with Fairy Tail."

One look at the blacken walls would let anyone know: Natsu had overdone it once again.

Natsu panted slightly, overexerted from all the time spent without using his magic. He swiped the back of his hand across his forehead, wiping off the small beads of sweat. He smiled to himself, then realized; he had no idea where he was, no idea how much time had passed, and most importantly, how much his injuries stung. Pressing his hand against a bleeding wound he had forgotten about, he sat down in the charred room, the metal door wide open. He didn't know what would happen if he left. Maybe Toraeru would come back, as his captor had fled as soon as his skin started to burn. Shivering at the chill of the flooring, he curled into himself, clutching his side. What do I do now? he wondered sadly, He'll come back, and I won't be able to fight him. When will I get to see my family again?

//with Gray//

Gray fiddled with his coat sleeve, anxiously awaiting news from the research team. Warren had been keeping the ice mage in the dark, telling Levy and Hibiki information as soon as he received.

"Good news," came a voice from behind  Gray's seat. He turned, glancing back at the member of Blue Pegasus and waiting for the verdict. "We didn't have to find a location, 'cause Natsu kinda gave that to us. Who else do we know that torches buildings and roars 'like a dragon?' It was all over the archive."

"Is he okay? What happened?" Gray asked, standing up quickly.

"Working on it now," Hibiki answered sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "We are gonna head out as soon as everyone is ready. I assume you're coming with?"

The wizard nodded, throwing off a layer of clothing and joining the guildmembers waiting near the doors. Levy began filling him in on details, but he couldn't really focus on her words. Natsu, what happened? Where are you, stupid flame-brain? I've been missing you, so you better be okay.

"Gray?" the blue-haired female asked, waving a hand in front of his eyes. She sighed as he didn't even blink. Gajeel patted her head, smiling at her softly.

"Give 'im some time, small-fry." The train lurched, causing the dragon to tug on the blue strands.

"Hey!"

The exclamation snapped Gray from his thoughts, but his worries couldn't leave the front of his mind. He couldn't stand the waiting, needing to know how that fire-breather was immediately. "What are you two flirting about now?"

"We're not!" Levy defended, a blush rising to her cheeks. Gajeel just huffed, sitting next to the studious mage attempting to contain his motion sickness.

Then Gray began thinking about what Natsu's blush would look like, bringing more thoughts that he didn't need to have at that moment.

"What're you blushing about?" the iron dragon grumbled, bringing other Fairy Tail members' attention to the ice-make wizard.

The casual conversation picked up again, Gray feeling a bit more like himself as he got closer to Natsu's assumed location. However, the chatting ceased as Gajeel sniffed the air, announcing that he smelled smoke. Everyone grew fidgety, Gray opting to remove his shirt. The train soon stopped, the guildmembers exiting and looking to the dragon slayer to lead them. He muttered something about not being a dog, but picked up the source of the smoke nonetheless. He covered his sensitive nose as they drew closer, not mentioning how thick the scent of blood was becoming. 

"Here," he coughed out, turning his head away. Gray was quick to rush into the rundown building, somewhat regretting his decision to remove his shirt. He ignored the stench of burning, searching for that mop of bright salmon hair he had so missed.

Erza's shout came from a different room, and didn't sound too excited. He followed her voice, coming across a sight he didn't know would hurt quite as much as it did.