Natsu walked out of the forest and towards Gray. Gray's face was blank not wanting to show emotion and waited for Natsu to stand by him. This is how every night went. Demonstrate the shout, see if Natsu could learn it, then share the knowledge. Lather, rinse, repeat.
But what Natsu couldn't get about wanting to learn these Shouts he wanted to hold Gray closer. Every time Gray taught him a new Shout that he could learn then when it came to sharing the knowledge he wanted to suck it out of Gray.
Well technically he was but Natsu wanted to seal their lips to literally suck the knowledge Gray had into his own mind. He wanted to know everything about Gray. More of his life with Isis, his training, the trips to Skyrim, everything.
The dragon in his soul was getting restless for reasons he couldn't fully comprehend. Every night when he goes to sleep after these sessions he's not greeted with the dreams of Gray in the ice cave he called home. but more of a large valley covered by cracked brown scorched earth, lava and magma, and erupting volcanoes.
A large red dragon that resembled Igneel but was what he thought the other would look like if he was younger and not as many battle scars. Its eyes were a dark smokey green just like his. The scales a magnificent dark burgundy. A cream underbelly and jaw. The wings were large with bright orange webbing between the burgundy bones and dull yellow spikes on the tips of the bones.
The dragon was huffy and agitated. Natsu figured after a few nights that this dragon was his inner dragon that spoke the dragon language that Gray often spoke. It was the voice that spoke so Natsu could understand the words of power Gray taught him.
When he asked the dragon what was wrong it sneered and turned its back to Natsu refusing to speak but one sentence to Natsu every time he asked.
"You should know why I'm agitated I'm you after all."
Then the dragon would not speak the entirety of the night. This was getting Natsu extremely frustrated at not getting answers to the questions he asks the ancient creature. So for now he just ignored it and focused on learning the words.
With Gray now standing a few paces away from Natsu as a safety precaution he centered his being and called his inner dragon. His dragon was female because he was to be a submissive dragon and being trained by Isis also had a slight affect to her.
She was gorgeous her scales were a winter ice blue that shined with rainbows when the moonlight hit them just right. The sunlight made them glow with the colors of fire. Her massive wings had almost clear webbing between the ice white bones the protrusions at their tips was a soft sky blue color. Her eyes were the color of blue ice in full moonlight.
Any dominant male dragon would fall for her beauty but with her beauty it disguised her deadliness. The spikes on her tail were clear and would be hard to see until she froze them to the coldest temperature to make them dry-ice. Being from mountains she's learned to be stealthy so as not to alert her prey to her presence by the sound of crunching snow.
It was no wonder that ice dragons were revered as the most prized to mate with not just for their beauty or hunting skills. But also for their loyalty. Most dragons after losing a mate if mated again they can still have children. Not that they would take another mate in their lifetime. Ice dragon can not produce children exempt from their first mate. Their bodies just won't.
Looking to his inner dragon she nodded and let Gray draw from her power along with his mother's power. He opened his eyes and shouted the words of the Shout.
"Wuld Nah Kest!"
Gray was surrounded by a bright yellow barrier as he was dashed forward a great distance but not out of sight of Natsu. Natsu was amazed. After waiting for a minute Gray used the same shout to bring him back to Natsu's side in less then a second.
Bending down Gray pick up a stick on the ground unknowingly giving Natsu a good view of his rear. Natsu swallowed the saliva in his throat. Gray was humming a song that Natsu never heard of. But he was shaken from his trance when Gray whispered the first word of power.
With the stick he had written the word in the dragon tongue. It now glowed and Gray stared at Natsu waiting for him to step on the word. Acting quicker then when Gray taught him Clear Skies Natsu stepped on the word. And he waited. It seemed he wouldn't be able to learn it till reluctantly his dragon spoke in his head.
"Wuld - Whirlwind."
Smiling Natsu stared at Gray. Gray simply gave a kind of half smirk half smile and clapped his hands together in mock congrats. He then started writing the last two words and then filled them with the power he knew from whispering the word. They glowed and Natsu stepped on them gaining their meaning.
"Nah - Fury."
"Kest - Tempest."
With all meanings in his head Natsu smirked and placed his hands on his hips. And Gray thought he would be able to learn the words paha. Gray figured that he learned them only because fire needed air in order to grow so logic. So he stalked closer to Natsu and grabbed his neck and waited for Natsu to open his mouth.
Natsu opened his mouth and saw the ribbons flow out of Gray's mouth into his. He felt the knowledge flow in through his mouth to his brain and then his whole being. His eyes stayed open looking onto Gray who closed his eyes. Slowly Natsu's arms lifted and firmly grabbed Gray's waist.
Gray's eyes slightly fluttered but stayed closed. Natsu leaned forward getting closer and let his tongue come out to put it so close into Gray's mouth. He was about to completely close the gap between them when the ribbons finished flowing between them and Gray slowly opened his eyes.
When he saw Natsu so close his cobblestone eyes widened and he pushed Natsu back and quickly closed his mouth and covered it with his forearm. Natsu stumbled back a few steps but regained his footing. His stared at his fingers still filling the chilly touch from Gray's skin.
Clearing his throat and looking to the side with a pastel pink blush across his nose and cheeks Gray pointed at Natsu then to the wide open. Not getting what Gray meant and Gray not wanting to look or even acknowledge Natsu at the moment kept looking at the lagoon water by his side.
Eclipse fluttered down from above them and said what Gray couldn't at the moment.
"He wants you to test it out. It's very useful for getting around quickly and for avoiding enemies. So give it a try."
She sat down in the grass and motioned for Gray to do the same. Gray was grateful for the chance to sit and cool his head. Besides Eclipse was going to help him get used to talking in the mortal tongue. He still hated talking in it. It felt foreign on his tongue without the dragon dominating a majority of his speech. But she made a valid point.
If he was going to join a guild and help others he needed to speak and she wasn't around he should speak in a tongue everyone understands. So he begrudgingly started to speak the mortal tongue more. But he figured that if Paarthurnax and the others could speak full sentences that weren't choppy he could as well.
The night wore on as Natsu practiced as well as Gray and then they left to go sleep in the shared room. When morning came it was time for all of them to leave. Gray decided to come with the Fairy Tail group to join the guild so he still saw some familiar faces. Natsu and the rest were happy that Gray wanted to join the guild.
They all boarded the train that made it to the station in Snowdin. All the snow gone and the crops springing up the villagers were happy how everything turned out and they were rewarded. Lucy was happy that they didn't destroy anything and got the full reward.
They all sat on the train and waited for it to start moving well exempt Natsu. His cheeks were already puffing out at the thought of the moving vehicle. But Gray looked just fine. Just as the train lurched forward and Natsu's head hung out the window Lucy's eyes widened when Gray just sat there calm, composed, and not hurling his breakfast.
"How are you not sick Gray?!"
Gray cleared his throat and started to speak in mortal tongue it was still a little choppy but it was much better.
"I ate some . . . ginger before we . . . left Lucy."
"Ginger?"
Natsu weakly spoke with his head out the window before his stomach had another convulsion to get rid of the food still in it. Gray just nodded and spoke again.
"It helps with . . . motion sickness."
He was steadily getting more comfortable talking in a more common tongue. Just as he said that a woman pushing a cart with snack on it was flagged down by Lucy.
"Quick do you have anything with ginger on you?!"
The lady was surprised by Lucy's outburst but nodded slowly and pulled out some cookies. Lucy bought three bags that held ten cookies each and sat them down beside her. She paid the woman and said thank you. Before she handed the cookies to Natsu to eat she took out the amount she used to pay for them out of his wallet.
Natsu gave Lucy a pained look that said 'WTF'. She simply replied with.
"That was my money I used to get you ginger cookies. You're just paying me back for them."
To sick to care and put up a fight about money Natsu nibbled on a cookie so he wouldn't get too sick. Slowly but surly the ginger was working on lessening his sickness. But the train ride was still slow and boring. When an idea struck Lucy.
"Hey Gray."
"Yes."
"Could you please sing?"
Gray widened his eyes and started to sink back into the seat he was in by Erza. The dark haired male had a small flush on across his cheeks but he looked at Natsu who was smiling wanting to hear Gray sing some more. Puffing air through his nose and silently nodded and made a small handheld dragon ice harp. Eclipse made the strings.
Gray thought of a song that he'd heard when it came to mind. It's been stuck in his head since yesterday and it was ironic because the song talked about having one last yesterday. A small smile came across his lips at the irony of it. Well might as well play that.
(The song is Just One Yesterday by Fall Out Boy. Also regular italic is Gray and bold italic and Eclipse bold underlined italic is both. But I might just put who's singing what before they sing it as well.)
He started plucking the moonlight strings and the sound of a rhythm guitar started play and he started singing. The music and his voice echoed thru out the train so everyone heard.
Gray : I thought of angels choking on their halos
Get them drunk on rose water
See how dirty I can get them pulling out their fragile teeth
And clip their tiny wings
Anything you say can and will be held against you
So only say my name, it will be held against you
Anything you say can and will be held against you
So only say my name
If Heaven's grief brings Hell's reign
I'd trade all my tomorrows
For just one yesterday
Eclipse : I know I'm bad news
Gray : For just one yesterday
Eclipse : I saved it all for you
Both : I want to teach you a lesson
In the worst kind of way
Still I'd trade all my tomorrows for just one yesterday
Eclipse : I know I'm bad news
Gray : For just one yesterday
Eclipse : I saved it all for you
Gray : For just one yesterday
Letting people down is my thing, baby
Find yourself another gig
This town ain't big enough for two of us
Both : I don't have the right name
O-o-or the right look
But I have twice the heart
Gray : Anything you say can and will be held against you
So only say my name
It will be held against you
Anything you say can and will be held against you
So only say my name
Eclipse : Name
Gray : If Heaven's grief brings Hell's reign
Both : Then I'd trade all my tomorrows for just one yesterday
Eclipse : You know I'm bad news
Both : For just one yesterday
Eclipse : I saved it all for you
Both : I want to teach you a lesson
In the worst kind of way
Still I'd trade all my tomorrows for just one yesterday
Eclipse : I know I'm bad news
Gray : For just one yesterday
Eclipse : I saved it all for you
Gray : For just one yesterday
Eclipse : If I spill my guts
The world would never look at you the same way
And now I'm here to give you all my love
So I can watch your face as I take it
All away, away, away, ay, ay, ay
Both : If Heaven's grief bring Hell's reign
Then I'd trade all my tomorrows for just one yesterday
Eclipse : I know I'm bad news
Both : For just one yesterday
Eclipse : I saved it all for you
Gray : I want to teach you a lesson
In the worst kind of way
Still I'd trade all my tomorrows for just one yesterday
Eclipse : I know I'm bad news
Gray : For just one yesterday
Eclipse : I saved it all for you
Gray : For just one yesterday
The song ended and a small crowd had appeared right in front of their sliding door. Seeing all the people who heard him sing caused Gray to blush so red steam came off his skin. At seeing all the people staring at Gray, Natsu growled low in his chest and throat.
He didn't like people gawking and looking at Gray making him embarrassed. But why didn't he like that?