Cold Rooms and Hot Springs

"Natsu!"

The Dragon Slayer froze and cringed at Erza's angry voice. What had he done this time? He wasn't fighting. Gray wasn't even around. He hadn't destroyed anything that whole week. He was just sitting at the guild enjoying some flames. The redheaded warrior woman stomped up to him, and Natsu swallowed the flames roughly.

"We're supposed to head for a hot spring," she told him. "We need to leave in one hour, and Gray hasn't showed up yet."

"So let's just leave without him," Natsu scoffed.

"It's a very important invitation. The whole team is going. I need you to sniff him out and tell him to meet us at the train station as soon as possible."

"A train?" Natsu moaned sickly at just the thought of it.

"Now!" she barked. "I'll personally kill you both if you don't show up."

The Dragon Slayer yelped, "Aye, sir!" Then he scurried out the doors.

Lucy came up beside Erza and doused Natsu's flaming lunch. "An important invitation? You told me you got free tickets. Why do we have to go with Natsu, Gray, and Happy? It'd be more fun to invite Levy, Juvia, and Cana."

"I want those two boys to get along," Erza stated. "Perhaps with more outings that don't involve fights, they'll be able to talk through their differences in a civilized manner."

Happy was sitting next to Lucy. "That's really optimistic," he said, giggling a little.

"It is," Erza agreed. "Still, I feel it's my responsibility to get those two to see eye-to-eye and become better friends. A team becomes stronger when all the members work in harmony."

Juvia sauntered up. "Then Gray-sama should be on Juvia's team. We work in perfect harmony. Gray-sama and Juvia can even do Unison Raid together." She sighed with hearts in her eyes. "We held hands, combined our magic, became one... oooh Gray-sama!"

Lucy pointed out, "You and I did a Unison Raid together too. I think you must be really talented at molding your magic around others."

"Aye!" nodded Happy. "Like water fitting into different shaped containers. You'd work for anyone."

The rain woman scowled furiously. "Juvia would not want just anyone. Juvia only wants Gray-sama." She glared at Lucy. "Has Lucy and Gray-sama done Unison Raid? No! Because Gray-sama is destined for Juvia, not for you, love rival."

Erza interrupted them. "Juvia, do you happen to know where Gray is?"

Her eyes widened, but then she looked away as her cheeks went crimson. "Gray-sama... he's at home... busy, and... and..." She covered her face as steam began to hiss out. "E-Excuse me!" she cried out in a fluster, and she ran off.

Lucy pouted as she watched Juvia head to the bathroom. "I wonder what's wrong with her."

Natsu followed the scent of snow on pine trees. That was how Gray always smelled. It led him to Gray's apartment. He groaned as he realized he would have to enter the freezing room. Really, Gray's place was always like walking into an igloo, and Natsu hated the cold.

He stepped through the apartment halls to Gray's door. Even the door knocker was in the shape of a snowflake, like a warning sign that a visitor was about to enter the North Pole. With a grunt of disgust, Natsu came forward and began to raise his hand toward the knocker.

From inside, he heard heavy panting. Natsu froze at the sounds. Was Gray being attacked? Maybe he was working out. He sounded exhausted.

"Oooh... nnnngh..."