Frost

32

"You know, you can be so annoying sometimes," Natsu grumbled. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his lip was in a pout. The dragon slayer was walking alongside Gajeel, who wore the cheesiest smile Natsu has ever seen. Pantherlily walked alongside in his larger form. He knew what the two were talking about, though he didn't want to bother them. The subject Gajeel was currently trying to hear from Natsu was personal, and he didn't want to interfere.

"I'm annoying? You're hiding something and won't tell me. That's annoying." Natsu sighed and looked down to the ground. The fire in his hand flickered faster as his pace quickened. Honestly, Gajeel could be such a pain in the ass sometimes. At this moment he was trying to get further and further away from him. But sometimes the dragon slayer felt bad because Pantherlily had to deal with him all by himself.

"Come on, Salamander. I can tell when there's something up with you!" Gajeel exclaimed, all though it was a lie. He hadn't noticed Natsu's feelings for Gray at all. But now that he knew—thanks to Levy—he wanted Natsu to admit it just for clarification. So far, it was not going as he had planned. It's a good thing Natsu was oblivious to the whole situation. Gajeel kept trying to get Natsu to say that he loved Gray, but nothing had worked. Here is what had happened before Gajeel does whatever he can to make Natsu say it:

"Do you love Gray?"

"Of course I do. He's my best friend!" That was so unromantic . . .

"Juvia's feelings for Gray are so intense!"

"I know, but it kind of makes sense. It's as if their magic was made for each other. It would be good for her if Gray actually returned her feelings." Was Levy lying to Gajeel to make him look like a fool? Was Natsu in denial about his feelings for Gray? Did he know that Gajeel was trying to get him to admit it and maybe Natsu was actually smarter than him? Who knows. To the iron dragon slayer, if Natsu really liked Gray he probably wouldn't have said something like that.

"If you could choose between food and Gray, what would you choose?"

"I don't know, that's kinda hard." So Natsu's love of food was equal to his love for Gray? Gajeel didn't know how high food was on Natsu's scale on things he loved, but that had to be a good sign.

"Just stop asking questions and actually talk to him," Lily finally sighed. It was painful for him to watch what Gajeel was trying to do. It had gotten to a point where he had to step in. He was afraid Natsu was starting to catch on. However, Natsu was too focused on what was ahead of him instead of what was coming out of Gajeel's mouth. And now they were in their current situation. Natsu's cheeks puffed up, and he exhaled before folding his arms over his chest. There were times when he wanted to keep things from himself. He decided he wouldn't say anything to Gajeel.

Gajeel looked at the other male. He then shook his head and continued walking forward. Of course Natsu wasn't going to talk. He either didn't know what Gajeel wanted to hear or he had some clue and didn't want to say anything about it. Gajeel decided that now might not be the time to talk about it. The fire dragon slayer, after all, was only worried about getting Gray back.

•••

"Where could he have gone?" Happy wondered out loud. He and Lucy were searching in desperation for Natsu. They came across a few groups for their own guild and a few others. When they asked if the dragon slayer had been seen around the area, the response would always come back negative. After what felt like forever—more like two hours—, the searching duo was in a mood for some food. Happy, as usual, carried raw fish around in his sack, so when they stopped to relax he ate his fish. Lucy stared at him with a frown.

"You're really gonna wave that in front of me, aren't you?" she asked. The blue exceed smiled before he took a bite. When he was done chewing, he said, "You didn't ask for any, so I assumed you didn't want some. Do you want a fishy?" Lucy folded her arms across her chest and leaned back against a tree, sliding down until she hit the ground. She thought about it for a little, wondering if she really was in the mood for fish. "Yeah, why not. Can you cook it for me?"

Happy shook his head no. The celestial mage bit the inside of her cheek, and she decided that she would go around and look for some sticks and a rock so she could start a fire.

It was times like these when she wished that Natsu was there. It would have been so much easier to start a fire for a meal, and finding Gray would have been so much better with his nose, too. Now, they had to find Gray and Natsu. Who knows, the dragon slayer might have found the ice mage by now. They could be at the guild hall. Natsu could still be searching for his best friend. But until then, they had to keep looking. Warren, who had to stay at the guild, was responsible for alerting everyone that Gray has been found.

Lucy found a rock that looked sharp enough to cut a hole in one of the sticks. She stared at it for a little, and then she continued on. After a little while, she was ready to head back towards Happy. The celestial mage stepped over fallen tree trunks and kept an eye out for thorns, but she didn't keep an eye out for the guy that was standing right in front of her path.

Lucy gasped as she walked right into him, her face smashing against his back. She dropped some of her sticks. Her heart rate increased. What in the world was he doing out in the woods? "I-I am so sorry, sir! I wasn't paying attention! I just-" Lucy looked up at him in awe. He didn't look familiar at all. Was he from around Magnolia?

The guy had a nicely groomed beard that was cut short, as well as straight brown hair the fell a little bit over his forehead. He was staring back at Lucy with a curious look. "Oh, it's no problem. Might I ask what a girl like you is doing out here?" The man's voice was gentle and low, and he gave her a kind smile.

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows as she opened her mouth to speak. "I'm looking for my friend. Uh, his cat and I are taking a break right now and I had to get sticks for a fire . . ." The man nodded, as if he were very interested in Lucy's situation. He helped her pick up the sticks that she dropped.

"Do you mind if I help you find your friend? I'm looking for a rock. It shouldn't be that hard to find because it's the smoothest thing out here, and it's about this big." He made a few gestures with his hands indicating that the size of the rock was about as tall as his torso and a few inches wider than the width of his upper body. Lucy watched him do this, and he repeated his actions a few times before giving her a nervous smile. She blushed and looked away.

"S-Sure! I don't mind at all!"

Together, the two laughed and got to know each other during their walk back to the resting site. Happy sat on a log, looking as bored as he could be, until he saw Lucy and . . . a stranger? "Is he one of your spirits?" Happy asked straightforwardly. Lucy's eyes widened, and she shook her head no.

"I just ran into him and told him about our situation. He said he could help, so that's why he's with me," Lucy explained. She looked at the man, and she couldn't help but laugh at him. His eyes were wide with bewilderment as he stared at the blue exceed. He lifted his finger and pointed it at Happy.

"The cat can talk!" Happy frowned. For him, this was going to be a looooong search.