Frost

11

Wendy worked all day long. She was exhausted, but she was excited for Christmas the next day. She decided to get to Fairy Hills as soon as possible and sleep in. Carla stuck with her along the way home. When Wendy reached her room, she took of her shoes and plopped down in her bed, ignoring the protests her exceed companion spat about her getting in the shower before she slept. Wendy's eyes were partially closed, and Carla later gave up about the shower.

Soon, all of the lights in Wendy's apartment were off, and both the girl and the exceed were fast asleep. Until Carla's ear twitched and Wendy's heart skipped a beat, at least. Both of them sat up immediately in their beds in unison. It has only been thirty minutes since the lights had been shut off, and there was already some type of disturbance.

Wendy looked at Carla, who was looking back up at her. Together, they both made their ways out of bed and out of Wendy's bedroom to see what was going on. There was no one in the seating area, and there was no one in the kitchen. However, Wendy's eyes widened when she saw someone walk out of the dark bathroom. Carla and Wendy both screamed and watched as the dark figure approached both of them. Neither could move. But they both sighed with relief when they saw the dark figure's face with the light from outside.

"Natsu! What are you doing here?" Carla question, her arms folded across her stomach. Wendy only raised an eyebrow as she watched the dragon slayer pull something out of his pocket. It was a syringe, something that Wendy had least expected to see. She looked up at Natsu's face—full of determination. He was there to get what he wanted.

"The water was enchanted. Do you know what kind of enchantment was used?" Natsu asked. Wendy's mouth opened, but before she could say anything, Natsu added, "If you smell it, you might be able to tell."

"I'm sorry Natsu, I don't use that kind of-" Before she could finish her sentence, he was gone.

•••

Natsu was desperate. He now knew why the stuff inside the syringe smelled bad—enchanted water. If he would've known from the start that it was water, then it probably would've helped him out a lot. But right now, he was in a lot of trouble.

Everyone in the guild was looking for him, including the dragon slayers. Natsu's current hiding spot was on a roof, and he was hiding behind a chimney farthest away from the stone roads. He had recently heard Juvia and Levy talking about how ridiculous Natsu was, but he was doing this for Gray, not him.

When the dragon slayer noticed the exceeds we're flying around, he decided to move from his spot. He began to hop roofs, and he tried his best to not make a sound that would alert anyone from his guild. Soon, he found a tree and his up there. Natsu sat high enough to a point where his guild mates wouldn't see him, but low enough to a point where the exceeds couldn't see his through the leaves. He relaxed on a branch and closed his eyes. No one knew where he was.

Except for Gray.

The ice mage kept up with the dragon slayer. As much as Natsu had faith in himself to finding Gray, said male had even more faith in Natsu. Not only was he desperate to be visible again, but he was at a point to where he would absolutely go crazy if he wasn't visible by the next day. Gray sat on a branch below Natsu.

Natsu felt like he wasn't alone. After he experienced what he felt in the guild hall, he became more aware of his surroundings. "Gray, if you're there, can you please give me a sign?" Natsu whispered. The dragon slayer prayed that none of the other dragon slayer's could hear him. He didn't know what type of punishment he would get, but in the end he would be the one to say "I told you so."

Gray tried to shake a branch with his leg. He focused his energy on the object—it became easier as he practiced—and the leaves at the end of it began to swish together. Natsu smiled.

"Okay. I want you to know that I will keep searching for you no matter what. I will not give up."

•••

It wasn't Wendy who told Makarov about Natsu. It was Carla. The way the dragon slayer's voice sounded made her feel concerned for him, and she immediately went for help. Makarov gathered everyone from the guild—at least those who were awake and thriving—to search for the missing dragon slayer.

Erza and Lucy were searching together when Erza asked the celestial mage a question. "Do you think Natsu seems a bit odd about this whole investigation?"

Lucy replied immediately. "Yeah. All he's been thinking about is Gray. I don't know what's happened to him, but Natsu needs to calm down a bit." Erza nodded. She knew Lucy missed Gray like she did, but it's been a little over a month since Gray had disappeared, and he would be back soon. But with the syringe as a piece of evidence now, Erza's range of possibilities grew.

Was he poisoned? Did he get injected by a dangerous enchantment? Who even injected the enchanted water in him, and what does it have to do with his disappearance? Why is Natsu so obsessed with finding him? Erza scratched her head, and they continued walking until they reached a tree.

Both of the girls became silent as they heard the sounds of mumbling coming from above them. There was a flash of rosy colored hair that made both of their eyes widened. Natsu was hiding in a tree, and he was talking to . . . himself?

"Natsu!" Lucy called, and the mumbling stopped. Through the leaves popped a head that belonged to Natsu's. He did not look amused, but angry.

"Go away!" the dragon slayer called before hiding himself back in his tree. Erza folded her arms and looked at Lucy, who nodded. Not only moments later did Erza jump into the tree. Lucy listened to the two struggling. Soon, all was quiet, and Erza hopped out of the tree with an unconscious Natsu. Together, the two girls made their ways back to the guild hall . . .

. . . and Gray followed close behind.