To Kill A Dragon

Be Careful What You Wish For

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe.

Chapter 5: Be Careful What You Wish For

Gray Fullbuster sat by himself at the bar in the Fairy Tail Guild. It had been three days since his teammates had left for the Magic Library and he'd been left behind to wait for an offensive that had yet to materialize.

Gray had spent each day the same way, arriving at the guild hall the moment it opened its doors in the morning and staying until it closed at night. He wanted to be able to go the second they got a lead on Natsu's whereabouts. But as the hours crawled by with no news, his mood got progressively worse, covering him in a dark aura that alerted everyone to give him a wide berth.

Despite what Makarov had told him, Gray couldn't keep his mind from imagining what could be happening to his friend, and his fists once again clenched in rage at his impotence.

So he practiced his magic, hoping to keep himself distracted. Focusing his considerable will on making his creations as detailed as possible, Gray formed object after object, anything he could think of, save the one person he wanted to see the most.

Happy chose that moment to fly into the guild. The Exceed looked around and immediately headed to where the ice mage was sitting. He sat on the counter and watched Gray mold for a while before saying anything.

"Do you think he's okay?" Happy asked, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. The usually cheerful Exceed sounded much younger than his six years, waking Gray up to the fact that he wasn't the only one who felt terrible about Natsu's disappearance. They'd gotten so wrapped up in their plans to locate Natsu they'd all forgotten about the young Exceed.

Natsu and Happy were inseparable, yet Gray never once stopped to consider the guilt Happy must be feeling at not being there when Natsu was taken. He studied Happy, trying to think of something to say that would sound reassuring but coming up empty.

He started to plaster a fake smile on his face but thought better of it.

"I really hope so," Gray offered the Exceed a small smile and was rewarded with a weepy hug. He held Happy against him, patting his back and petting his soft blue fur gently, letting him get all his tears out.

He decided he'd step up and take care of Happy until Natsu returned. At the very least it would give him something else to focus on. Once Happy let go of him he suggested, "Would you like to stay with me until Natsu comes back?"

"Are you sure you want me to?" Happy looked at him hopefully, and when Gray nodded, he considered for a brief moment before agreeing, "Okay, but just until Natsu comes back."

They sat in companionable silence after that and Gray went back to molding, making sure to make some fish for Happy.

xxx

"What is that noise?" Gajeel asked irritably. The dragon slayers were all looking around the guild hall trying to pinpoint the source of the repetitive tapping they heard. No one else seemed to be aware of it. The more Gajeel focused on it, the more it sounded like it was coming from outside.

He got up to investigate, with Rogue following behind him. Gajeel opened the door, and something immediately flew inside. It looked like some kind of bird, but it was made entirely out of ice. It must have been tapping at the door with its beak trying to get inside.

The room immediately roared to life. Everyone ready for some excitement after the gloominess of the last few days. They followed the new visitor with interest wondering what it was doing there. After several sweeps of the large room, it finally stopped on the bar where Gray and Happy were sitting.