The Red Dragon

Chapter 32

Something was wrong.

Natsu could feel it in the wild flux of emotions that had flooded his soul bond since he'd arrived at Drak Aast, but he had no way of knowing what was causing it.

He'd felt nothing unusual before he left, so he'd dismissed it as nothing more than Gray getting used to his absence. It hadn't seemed all that strange to him, given that it was the first time they'd been apart since their reconciliation. More than anything, he'd felt happy to know their bond had grown robust enough that he could make it out clearly despite the distance that separated them.

Natsu figured it would sort itself out, so he'd focused on getting through all the tasks Belserion had set aside for him. Once he'd finished those, he'd shifted his attention to transporting the dragon slayers to their requested locations and removing their memories of Drak Aast, sometimes their magic as well. The entire process had felt infuriatingly slow when there was nothing he wanted more than to get home, but at least it had provided him with a welcome distraction after his confrontation with Sting.

But through it all, he could still feel the odd shifts in Gray's mood. It made little sense to him, and it only worsened with every passing day, feeding into his fear of what Sting and Rogue's return might do to their relationship. It was maddening, like an itch he couldn't scratch, and he couldn't leave the island fast enough, impatient to discover what could be behind it.

His one attempt at asking Atlas for information had netted him nothing more than a vague Gray was moping without him. Not that he'd expected much more, Gray and Atlas weren't exactly at the chatting about feelings stage of their relationship.

Now he and Happy were finally on their way home with the remaining dragon slayers. They were still hundreds of miles from Talos, despite him casting liberal amounts of magic to speed them along. And as much as he wished they could go faster, he knew it wasn't possible. Happy wasn't used to carrying passengers for long distances, and though Natsu had tried to lighten his load, he'd insisted on taking half the passengers.

Natsu could see the strain it put on the young dragon and knew they'd have to stop for a rest soon. He kept his eyes on the ground, scouting for a place to stop, preferably one that would provide them with a water source and suitable cover.

"Let's call it a day," Natsu announced, feigning a cheerfulness he certainly didn't feel. He pointed Happy at a spot along the river they'd been following. "That seems like an excellent location to set up camp."

"I can go for a little longer," Happy protested, well aware of Natsu's desire to get home.

"I know you could, Buddy, but Gajeel is still heavy as hell, and I could use a rest." Natsu lied, hoping Gajeel wouldn't trample on his attempt to bolster Happy's self-confidence.

He descended slowly, mindful of the passengers he was carrying. A stop was probably for the best, anyway. There were many things that needed to be discussed before they arrived in Talos, and so far they had spent most of the trip in tense silence. The only real sounds having been that of Wendy's tears at being separated from Grandine once again, followed by Oliver's soft words of comfort.

That had taken him by surprise. He hadn't known they were a thing. And though it was still hard for him to think of Wendy as anything but the little girl who had been terrified of the dark, he understood those days were long past. It heartened him to see she'd wrested some happiness out of the last few years, and he'd interacted with Oliver enough times to know he was a nice guy. Not to mention brave, few men would relish the idea of dating a girl with four overprotective older brothers.

Well, three and a dragon.

That was another thing. He'd have to come clean about everything before they arrived home. He sighed, not looking forward to Gajeel and Wendy's reactions.