Chapter One

A/N: Sorry this update took so long. I've wanted to sit down and write this but I have been so swamped with school and exams coming up soon. I just took the calculus test that'll determine my 4th quarter grade today... Ahhhh >.< Anyway, enjoy! Don't forget to vote/comment!

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Gray

I woke up in a cold sweat, hyperactive of the bangs sticking to my forehead. I shot up in a sitting position reflexively, surveying my surroundings. When I realized where I was, memories came flooding back and I breathed out a sigh of relief.

Currently underground in an abandoned subway station, I was taking cover from the pouring rain that struck last night. Sleeping on dirty concrete was just about as fun as you think, but I didn't have much of a choice.

I tried to catch my breath, make my heartbeat go back to normal. What the hell was that? I thought, staring at my shaking hands. I clenched them into fists, forcing them to stop shaking.

The memory felt so real, so tangible, like I was actually back in the Lab. Don't worry about it anymore, Gray, I reassured myself. You and Natsu escaped months ago. It was just a dream.

Natsu stirred from my side, rubbing his eyes and making a noise as he stretched out. "Gray?" He murmured in a sleepy voice. He saw my worried expression, darkened by the shadows of the subway, and was suddenly wide awake. "Are you okay?" He asked, sitting up.

"I'm fine, Natsu," I promised him, refusing to make eye contact. "I just had a bad dream."

"Are you sure?" He found my hand in the dark. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

I flashed a reassuring smile his way. "Of course," I bit my lip. "Now let's go back to sleep. It's way too early to be morning already." I sat criss-crossed and leaned my head against the grimy subway wall, too exhausted to care about what had touched the wall previously.

Natsu shrugged one shoulder half-heartedly and laid his head in my lap. He was asleep in seconds, breathing peacefully Unable to fall asleep myself, I watched him, noticing he still looked like he was in pain. I tenderly stroked his hair, and a ghost of a smile played on his lips.

I willed for sleep to come, but it never did. The dream was too harrowing, too strange to be considered just a dream. I saw the same mad scientist, whom Natsu told me is called Asano, the one who created the miracle serum into my veins and gave me wings. Twelve cages filled with starving, ravaging bird humans. Asano's command to find us.

It was just a dream, I repeated to myself.

As I listened to the steady droplets of water rhythmically pound the ground above the subway station, I realized was no hope for me falling back asleep.

- - - -

Natsu awoke a few hours later, though it felt like mere minutes as I stared into space, thinking about anything and everything.

My eyes felt dry from staying awake too long, and I closed them quickly so he wouldn't know that I never fell asleep. He sat up, placed a kiss on my temple, and stood. By the ruffle of his wings, I figured he was stretching out his wings. I waited for him to wake me up, but instead I heard his footsteps get quieter, as if he was walking away.

I opened my eyes, feeling them sting. Every part of me hurt, cramped and uncomfortable for sitting in the same position for hours on end. What was even worse, however, was the anxiety I felt upon thinking about my crazy dream.

I forced myself to push it into the back of my head. You're safe, I told myself again, probably for the thirtieth time. When Natsu disappeared up the old subway steps, I decided to go after him.

Some droplets of water dripped off the edge of the ground-level floor, pattering down and pooling on the old concrete steps. I bolted up the broken escalator, looking for a flash of wings and pink hair when I reached the top step.

"Natsu?" I called out in a low voice, not so sure why I was whispering. This part of town was practically deserted. The town was on the eastern edge of Hargeon City, the poverty-stricken, dangerous side. We wouldn't have crashed here for the night, but when it started to pour down rain we had no other choice.

Natsu hadn't heard my voice, because he was already up in the air. I watched, awe-stricken as he flipped through the air gracefully. My eyesight, which had magically grown perfect after the miracle serum injection, allowed me to spot the content expression on his face.

I wanted to go after him, to take off and join him in the clouds. However, my flying skills weren't as impressive when adrenaline wasn't coursing through my veins. After about an hour or so of flying, I realized I couldn't fly anymore without plummeting towards the ground every five minutes. It was late anyway, and it was starting to rain, so we walked a mile towards the nearest city and found shelter in the station.

I took a seat on the top step, staring into the sky as Natsu lipped in the sky and dipped towards some buildings a ways away, presumably to find food. Careful to make sure no one was nearby before I stretched out my wings, I stared at the rising sun.

As of now, Natsu and I had no idea where we were going, and our only destination was as far away from the Hakai Lab as possible. We were traveling north, instead of east, where Starlight City is. We had three goals in mind: stay out of sight, stay out of trouble, and stay alive.

Minutes passed before Natsu returned with an apple and a box of milk in each hand, smiling when he saw me waiting for him at the edge of the station. "Oh hey," He smiled, landing effortlessly, like dipping your toe into a pool of water. His wings folded back and he sat across from me, setting down the food. "I got breakfast. Don't ask how."

I raised an eyebrow, deciding to listen and not question him. "Alright," I chuckled, poking the straw through the top of the milk carton.

"So," Natsu crunched into the apple, "Did you sleep well?"

I swallowed nervously, shrugging my shoulders. "About as well as one can on a concrete floor," I passed of my lack-of-sleep lie with something believable, careful to choose the right words. I didn't want him to worry about some stupid nightmare, so I put on a smile and told myself that the only way I could be stronger was to not let the little things bring me down.

"I'm sorry. I know it sucks," Natsu looked guilty as he bit into his apple. "Hopefully you won't have to do that anymore. I think I know of a place we can go. Or at least I would assume we'd be welcome there."

I jolted, nearly dropping my milk box in the process. "Why didn't you say something before?" I hissed in surprise, failing to conceal my relief. "Where is it?"

"The Allegiance of Crime Fighting Partners HQ," Natsu explained. "It's this, uh, home base of sorts for various superheroes around the world. It's run by the Magnolian government, about fifty or so miles north of here."

"And we're able to stay there, no problem?" I asked. "And wait, just how big is this allegiance, anyway? There are more superheroes?"

"All over the world, Gray," Natsu nodded in conformation. "Not necessarily those who can fly like I can, but there are other government-run lab zones in different countries. The ACFP was established about thirty years ago to put a "better use" to the mutant humans coming from the experiments."

More labs? I thought with despair. Natsu noticed my disgusted expression and sighed. "Yeah, I know. It sucks. But we have to make do. The ACFP is the home of the most intelligent, strong, talented freaks you'll ever meet. We'll fit right in."

It was merely a slip of the tongue, just a lighthearted joke, but the word freaks sent a piercing arrow through my heart. It felt like that was all I could be now, just a freaky bird boy. All my plans for the future, living a normal life, had swirled down the drain.

"Gray? You okay?"

I shook my head to snap myself out of my reverie. "Wha- oh, yeah," I nodded. "I'm just tired."

Natsu didn't look entirely convinced, but he didn't press on the matter. "Anyway, let's leave. Are you gonna finish that?" He pointed to the apple still in my hand, staring expectantly at it.

"Nah," I tossed it to him lightly. "Not hungry." He caught it with ease, setting the first apple core on the ground. I watched silently as he finished the second apple, looking pleased with himself. I wondered why I didn't feel hungry. Must be the nerves, I decided after a moment of thought.

"What happens after the ACFP?" I couldn't help but ask, already thinking too far ahead into the future. "Surely we can't stay there forever."

Natsu looked at me, and when he noticed the apprehension in my voice, he reached out and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Take it one step at a time," He grinned. "The HQ is awesome anyway, and it's super safe. I doubt you'll even want to leave."

But I miss my family, I thought sadly. Due to no clocks and lack of sunlight to track the time while I was abducted, I hadn't realized I'd been trapped in the labs for almost two weeks. I wondered if my family thought if I was dead. I wanted nothing more than to fly home and burst into the house, running into the arms of my family, to assure them that I was alive and well.

"Come on," Natsu stood up and extended his hand out to me. I stared at it a moment before taking it, allowing him to pull me up to my feet. "Ready to go fly towards the next chapter of our lives?"

"I don't know if I can," I mumbled, pulling my shoulders back reflexively to hide my wings further behind my back. "Fly, that is."

"Is this some excuse to get me to carry you?" Natsu raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms flat across his chest.

I blushed, shaking my head quickly. "N-no!" I shook my hands out in front of me, laughing nervously as I averted my eyes. "I just don't want to randomly shut down and crash-land into some trees again." I lifted up an arm to show the scratches on it to make my point. The thin red marks, still fresh, were littered up and down my forearms and my legs.

"You can do it," Natsu said over his shoulder as he moved around the corner to toss the trash in an old bin. "It's only an hour or two flight. You'll be fine. Just remember what I told you; you just keep yourself in the air. The wind will propel you forward."

"I'll try," I muttered, not feeling too confident in my skills. Natsu seemed to believe in me, though, and that made me feel better.

"Come on then!" He smiled, taking off in a run. His wings fanned out on either side, rippling in colors as he ran. I took off after him, laughing bubbling up out of me. It was like a game of cat and mouse; I couldn't catch up to him, even after we took off into the air.

On to the next chapter of our lives, huh? I couldn't help but think about what he said. Hopefully it'll be one where things don't go wrong.

Though, I knew that was just wishful thinking.