Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong To Hiro Mashima

Chapter 2

Lucy heard a knock on her door and hurried to answer it . She looked through the peephole and saw Gray standing outside her door. She quickly opened her door, excited to hear about her friend's night.

He walked in and sat down on her bed only to immediately get up and start pacing. He looked upset. That was certainly not what she'd expected.

"Is everything ok?" she asked confused about what this could mean. Just last night she had seen him kissing the guy he'd been crushing on for the last three years, she had expected him to be a little more excited.

"No, everything is not ok." Gray yelled angrily. "That son of a bitch used me, Lucy."

"What do you mean, he used you?" Lucy looked at her friend more confused than ever.

"He took me to a hotel, had sex with me and then disappeared. What else would you call that?"

"Gray, are you sure there isn't something else going on here?"

"How would I know? The bastard didn't even see fit to leave a note." Gray fumed. "At first, I thought maybe he had gone back home to study for his test but when I got there they told me he had left for Japan and was not expected back. What the hell else am I supposed to think?"

"Calm down, think about it. That doesn't sound like Natsu." Lucy said and quickly shut up when Gray glared at her. She knew Natsu would never hurt a friend on purpose. "His father must have made him go home for some reason."

"He could have at least told me he was leaving before I slept with him. Gaaaaaahh!" he groaned in frustration.

Lucy shrugged."Would you have done something different?"

Gray looked at her but had no reply to give.

"Look, I don't know why he left but I'm sure he'll get in touch with you when he can." Lucy told Gray firmly. "Now, I want to hear every detail about what happened after you got to the hotel." Lucy leered at him suggestively trying to get Gray out of his mood. "Let's go get some ice cream and you can tell me all about your wild night of debauchery."

"Lucy, I really don't want to--" Gray started only to be interrupted.

"Nonsense, I'm tired of only living vicariously through Loke. Besides I'm really curious to hear what Natsu's like in bed." Lucy insisted as she dragged her friend to the convenience store to get some ice cream.

'Lucy's right' Gray thought. There had to be an explanation for Natsu's behavior and soon he would get a call or an email explaining what it was. He waited patiently for a week to hear something, anything from Natsu, but nothing came. He finally decided to take matters into his own hands. He called Natsu's phone and was informed via an automated message that the number had been disconnected. He was more confused than ever. If he had really meant nothing to Natsu then why had he left him one of his most prized possessions.

He wanted an explanation damnit, and he was going to get one. If he couldn't get it from Natsu himself then he would just have to get it from the next best source. He made his way to the college's Multicultural Center. He knew Natsu had hung out there with a group of other Japanese students, had even gone with him on a few occasions.They were likely to know more about his absence. He saw a group of Natsu's friends seated at a table and approached them but none of them would answer any of his questions.

At a table further away from the group sat two men, one with blond hair and blue eyes, the other with longish black hair and reddish eyes. "Hey Rogue, isn't that the guy Natsu was always talking about?"

Rogue only nodded as he chewed on his hair thoughtfully. "Natsu must have finally made his move before he left."

"That's kind of a dick move." Sting opined.

"Don't judge him so harshly, you don't know his situation." Rogue snapped absently as he kept watching the guy continue to pester his friends. "He's a fool, they're not going to tell him anything." He looked away but continued to chew on his hair.

For the next week Rogue watched Gray show up at the Multicultural Center every day and continue to hound his friends. Rogue had considered calling Natsu to see what he wanted him to do but decided against it realizing Natsu was probably heartbroken enough as it was . The first few days Gray had seemed angry but today he seemed desperate. Rogue felt sorry for him but he was determined to stay out of it.

He was talking with Sting as usual when he heard the metallic sound of a chair scraping the floor and saw Gajeel, the biggest and most intimidating of Natsu's friends, grab Gray by the neck and aim his fist at the other's face.

"Look, I've had just about enough of you showing up here and harassing us with your questions. Are you stupid? How long is it going to take for you to realize we're not going to tell you anything. If Natsu wanted you to know the answers to your questions he would have told you himself."

Rogue saw the defeated look on Gray's face when he heard Gajeel's words and finally decided to take action. He knew Sting would be facing a similar situation at the end of next year and he felt guilty that he had not told his boyfriend about his impending marriage yet.

"That's enough, Gajeel" Rogue said as he grabbed the older student's fist. "I'll handle this."

Gajeel looked at Rogue as he tried to read the smaller man's intentions but Rogue just met his stare. Gajeel let Gray go and glared at Rogue one last time, a warning for him to keep his mouth shut. Rogue turned to face the very persistent man Natsu had fallen in love with.

"Gray, right?" Rogue asked him pleasantly and when the other man nodded he added, "My name is Rogue. Come with me." He motioned for Gray to follow him outside of the building.

"Do you know what happened to Natsu?' Gray asked and the hope in his voice did things to Rogue's heart that he did not want to acknowledge. He sighed wishing now that he had not gotten himself involved after all. He walked them over to a fountain that was nearby remembering that he had learned in one of his psychology courses that the sound of running water was calming. He sat down and waited for Gray to sit next to him.

"You need to let Natsu go, Gray." Rogue said before Gray could begin with his questions, "He can never be yours. You're only hurting yourself here." He looked at Gray for a moment and his eyes were drawn towards the necklace the man was wearing. He instantly recognized its significance.

"I can't just let him go" Gray protested "I --"

"Love him? Yes, you've made that much clear." Rogue pointed at the necklace, "I can see he loved you too but whatever you two shared, it's over now."

"What are you talking about? I don't understand."

"Look, Natsu has been promised to someone since he was 10 years old. They were supposed to marry after he graduated college but her father became ill so the wedding had to be moved up. Natsu tried to fight it but his father wouldn't hear of it. He had to drop out of school and go back home. They were married yesterday. He is never coming back, Gray. Do you understand now?"

"Why didn't he say anything?" Gray looked dazed by Rogue's words.

"In our country we take honor very seriously. Natsu was not happy about the marriage but it was his duty and he was honor bound to do it. That's why he never told you how he felt about you. He was determined not to hurt you. His father knows about his orientation, he allowed Natsu to go abroad for school as a way for him to have the freedom to live the way he wanted until it was time for the wedding but Natsu was never one for flings."

"Gray, he would never want you to be unhappy because of him. You should really try to move on. " Rogue patted Gray's shoulder awkwardly. "I've told you everything I can, don't come back here anymore." He left him at the fountain and made his way back inside to his friends.

Gray must have sat at that fountain for hours thinking over everything Rogue had said. That was it then, Natsu was married to someone else and there was nothing he could do about it but accept it and move on. He couldn't even find it in his heart to be angry at him anymore although that probably would have made him feel better. He got up and walked around the college until he was exhausted and then made his way to his room to sleep.

With time he did come to feel better. He thought about Natsu less and less. It was a little surreal to have him disappear after having spent so much time together. If it wasn't for the necklace that hung around his neck it would almost be as if Natsu had never existed.

At Lucy's insistence Gray began to date again but none of the relationships lasted for long. His heart was never really in them and whenever things started to get serious, he broke it off. He graduated college and started working at an environmental firm focusing specifically on the design of sustainable environments. His work took him all over the world and Gray immersed himself in it until somehow five years had passed. In all that time he never took off Natsu's necklace but lately he had begun to think it was time. Gray knew that while he allowed himself to wear it he would never give up on the man who gave it to him and he had to, as Rogue had tried to tell him all those years ago, he was only hurting himself.

o-o

Gray had just returned from a hellish trip to Germany. The clients had been difficult and the return flight had been delayed. Once they had finally gotten up in the air there had been engine trouble in flight that had caused them to make an emergency landing in Spain while they worked on the plane. By the time he had finally made it home he was jet lagged and cranky and wanted nothing more than to go to bed. He had finally lain down when there was a knock on his front door. He cursed his rotten luck and made his way downstairs to see who it was. He looked through the peephole and saw a slim white-haired woman looking at her phone and then at the number on his door. He was about to go back upstairs when his curiosity got the better of him.

He opened the door and looked at the woman to make sure he didn't recognize her. She glanced at her phone and then at him. She began to smile but then instantly looked uncomfortable. She looked down at the ground.

"Would you mind putting on some clothes, please?', the woman said.

Gray looked down at himself and realized to his embarrassment that he was in his underwear. He shrugged it off, he wanted to find out what this woman wanted with him as quickly as possible so that he could go back upstairs to get some sleep.

"Sorry about that, I just came back from a business trip and I was about to go to bed." he apologized but made no move to rectify the situation. "What can I do for you, Miss --?"

"My name is Lisanna Dragneel." the woman said and she once again looked down at her phone before looking back up at Gray, "Are you Gray Fullbuster?"

Gray startled at the name he was given, too confused to be able to say anything. He nodded at the woman.

Lisanna smiled at his reaction, she decided she would give him some time to collect himself. "I saw a coffee shop around the corner. Why don't you meet me there once you're dressed? We have a lot to talk about."

Gray quickly agreed and closed the door. He made his way back to his bedroom in a daze, all manner of thoughts running through his mind. What could this woman want with him? He grabbed some clothes and quickly made his way to the coffee shop. Lisanna had already ordered and was sitting at a table waiting for him. He stood in line to order his coffee and used the time to calm himself down. Once his order was ready he walked over to her table and sat down.

"Lisanna Dragneel? Does that mean you're Natsu's wife?" Gray asked uncomfortably.

"I'm his soon to be ex-wife actually." Lisanna smiled at him and let those words sink in for a minute before continuing. "Natsu's father passed away a few months ago and we're in the middle of getting a divorce."

Gray stared at Lisanna before asking, "What could you possibly want with me?"

"I should probably explain a little. Natsu and I have known each other since we were children. We were very good friends. Even so, neither one of us wanted this marriage. It was hard for both of us to leave our lives behind to honor our parents wishes. For Natsu most of all for obvious reasons. Before we got married he told me about what happened between the two of you and how badly he felt about leaving you alone in that hotel. I'd honestly never seen him that upset before."

Gray looked away, embarrassed that a total stranger knew something so intimate about him.

Lisanna laughed at Gray's reaction, her big blue eyes twinkling with mirth. "Hey, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. I've known about Natsu for years. I wish he had approached you earlier and let himself be happy, like I had suggested at the time, but I can understand why he didn't. He was probably the smarter one out of the two of us. I was in a relationship for several years with a man that I loved. It was very hard for me to leave him behind to marry Natsu. I never stopped loving Bickslow, just as Natsu has not gotten over his feelings for you."

"I tried to get Natsu to contact you as soon as we had agreed to the divorce but he's being a stubborn idiot. Natsu believes that you have moved on from him and doesn't want to make things awkward for you. I decided I would take matters into my own hands. All I had to go on was your name and the school you went to so I hired a private investigator to find you. He's the one that gave me your address, I hope you don't mind. "

Lisanna looked at Gray and pointed at the necklace he was wearing with a kind smile. "The fact that you're wearing that makes me think he's wrong and maybe you still have feelings for him as well. Do you know he used to wear it all the time when he was a kid?"

"I don't understand, why would you do this for him? You're his wife!"

"I am his wife, but as I've already told you we never wanted to be married to each other. This is not a nasty divorce, Gray. I'm not here to try to set a trap for him. He's giving me the freedom to go back to the life I had now that everyone that wanted us to be married is dead. I love Natsu, he's my best friend, and I really feel that he deserves the same chance at happiness that he's giving me, even if he's too stubborn to go after it himself."

"Gray, you have a choice to make." Lisanna told him, "If you want to see him, I can give you everything you need to do so. If you don't, no harm done, I'll go back home and he'll never know we talked."

"Think about it?" Lisanna said seriously as she got up and hugged him. She handed him a business card attached to something. "Here's my number, call me once you have made up your mind. My flight leaves today at 5 PM. I have to go do some shopping since I told Natsu that was the purpose of my trip."

Gray watched her leave the coffee shop and get into the back of a black vehicle. He looked down at the card that was in his hand and saw that it was attached to a picture of Natsu dated only a month earlier. Gray looked at it hungrily, Natsu had not changed much physically in the last few years although his expression looked dimmer than it used to. Gray wondered if he was still at home asleep. Just that morning he had been thinking of taking the necklace off for good and now just like magic this woman had appeared at his front door to lead him to its owner. It seemed too good to be true and he wasn't sure if he should trust her. He didn't know what to do. He finally had his life in some semblance of order, did he really want to risk getting his heart broken all over again? Would he regret it for the rest of his life if he didn't? He sighed, he was way too tired to make any decisions at the moment. He walked back home and went to sleep after making sure to set an alarm.

He woke up several hours later feeling a little more refreshed. He immediately looked for the card Lisanna had given him worried that it had all been a dream. When he found it he held it in his hand and looked at the picture again, letting his mind wander. For the first time in a long while he allowed himself to really think about Natsu. He thought about all the times they had spent together as friends and of the one night of passion they had shared. When he finally made his decision he picked up the phone and dialed the number Lisanna had given him.

A/N This chapter gave me a really hard time. I couldn't decide how I wanted this to happen. It went through several variations, I think I am happy with this one, all the others were way too convoluted and I liked the idea of Lisanna trying to do something nice for Natsu. There will be one more chapter before it's done. I'm visiting family for the week so I wasn't planning on updating anything but I started this one before I left and I wanted to finish it so I could work on something different on the plane on the way home on Sunday. I have a chapter for both To Save A Dragon and How Writing Fanfic Saved Me that I am working on so if you are reading either of those stories you have that to look forward to.