To Kill A Dragon

Letting Go

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe. Drakan belongs to Surreal Software.

Chapter 31: Letting Go

"There's nothing more I can do for him."

"Can't Natsu just keep giving him his magic?", Gray asked already knowing the answer.

"Even the great Salamander has his limits. It's going to take him some time to replenish the magic he already gave.", Porlyusica answered seriously.

"I could give him some of my magic, he's my son too. It should be compatible.", Gray said.

"The compatibility is not the issue boy, it sounds like he has the ability to transform any magic into something he can use.", Porlyusica replied, "As I already told you the amount of magic Kai needs to sustain his body in this state is too great. You saw how he drained Natsu. A less powerful mage would have died. You've already witnessed his protective instincts. If you were to become weakened as well, he will expend more of his magic to protect the two of you. That is exactly what we are trying to avoid."

She gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder and walked away to go check on her other patients and continue working on the antidote for the Thunder God Tribe and Yajima.

Gray had to admit that the healer had a good point, even if it wasn't what he wanted to hear. He didn't how much of Porlyusica's prognosis to tell Natsu. He glanced over to where Natsu and Kai had gone and was pleased to see the happy expressions on both their faces as they talked with Lucy and the others. Kai held on to Natsu's hand while the girls fawned all over him.

Gray grinned to himself as he thought. 'Yep, he's going to be a handful.'

'If he lives.' That thought sobered him up quickly.

He and Natsu had bound their souls together, an act so intimate that it had even superseded a physical dragon claiming. They had made a promise to live their lives together as mates. He sure as hell was not going to let that fall apart in the course of one admittedly very long day. He chose to keep the details of Kai's predicament to himself. He was the cold, calculating one in their unlikely union. Ice. He would play his part to keep the fire, that he could no longer live without, from dying out. He plastered a smile on his face and walked over to his family and friends, burdened with his knowledge.

They agreed the infirmary was safe for now and made plans to leave a small team guarding it while the rest of the mages made their way to help fight Tiamat, or Acnologia if it came to that. To everyone's surprise Gray volunteered himself and Natsu to stay. Natsu fought the decision but had to admit to himself that he still felt weak and it was probably the best thing to do for Kai. He told himself he was only agreeing to it because Makarov would skin them alive if they returned Kai to the battle but deep down he already knew that he would do anything to keep him safe. They waved goodbye to their friends and wished them luck. Gray took command and used his Ice Make magic to mark a perimeter they could easily defend. He organized the group of mages that stayed and waited for something to happen. He didn't have long to wait.