The Red Dragon

Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The next day, Gray went to the top of the mountain where he could usually find the red dragon, but saw no sign of him. Still, he sat there and called Natsu as loudly as he could through what remained of their bond, trying to make the stubborn dragon hear him, to no avail. He repeated this for two more days, hoping to impress Natsu with his determination, but it made no difference.

"Gray?"

Gray could hear Lyon and Erza calling to him as if from a great distance, but he couldn't bring himself to answer. It was dark now, and he didn't know how long he'd been sitting there, just wondering how things had come to this. Of all the outcomes to their relationship Gray had ever envisioned, he could never have imagined something like this.

He didn't want to talk, didn't want to move. The constant self recriminations had left him emotionally exhausted and full of a sense of hopelessness. Why was Natsu so damn stubborn? He just wanted to talk to him. And as much as he hated to admit it, he missed the red dragon too.

It felt like he'd lost his two best friends.

Erza and Lyon sat on either side of him, and he sighed. "I'm fine, you guys can go home."

"You're not fine, Gray," Erza said in the calmest voice he'd ever heard her use, "You've been gone all day again, and we're worried about you. When was the last time you ate or slept?"

"I wasted that entire day, Erza," Gray groaned in frustration, "Now, I won't be able to see him for another year, and that's assuming I can convince him to come back to me."

"What are you talking about?" Lyon asked him, grabbing on to his brother's hand and squeezing it. "What happened?"

"Natsu is the red dragon."

"You're not making any sense. Did he hit you on the head or something?"

He heard a sharp intake of breath to his right and saw Erza covering her mouth with her hand.

"Natsu is the red dragon? Are you sure?" To Gray's surprise, she didn't argue with him when he nodded or try to tell him it was impossible. And although she remained quiet, he could tell that she was deep in thought.

"But why? Why wouldn't he tell us? We were all dragon crazy back then. Gods, especially Sting, he wouldn't shut up about them."

"Because of me," Gray admitted, "When Natsu and I met when we were little, he tried to tell me what he was, but I didn't believe him. It had only been a few days since Deliora had destroyed my village and killed my parents, and I got so angry at him. I hurt him, and he ran away. He told me later that when his father found out what had happened, he forbade him from telling anyone else to keep him safe."

"I knew there was more to that story than what you two were saying!" Erza blurted out before staring off into the distance.

"Poor Natsu, that must have been so lonely," She wiped her eyes quickly before her expression changed to one of annoyance, "Wait a minute. Does that mean he was going easy on us all that time?"

Gray shrugged, not having an answer to that question. Natsu had always been unbelievably strong. They might have never seen him at full power.

"I found out what this is," Gray said quietly, holding up the pendant and looking at it. He was suddenly afraid to take it off, knowing if he felt nothing this time, he was sure to break.

"Natsu made it for me. He gave it to me when he proposed," With a sad chuckle, he added, "I guess now I know why it only shocked Juvia. Natsu placed a lot of protection magic on it. It must have seen her as a threat."