AN: Thank for to those of you who read, put this on your favorites, and reviewed. Your input is appreciated. I just got internet at home, and the hellacious mess that is my life somewhat slowed down, therefore I have no excuse to not work on this story besides cowardice….which I shall overcome! Anyhoo,now that I actually CAN update this, I shall try to do so regularly. I make no promises about HOW regularly though. review please?

Chapter 2
Homeward bound

Previously…

"I had to...I wasn't getting anywhere with the guild, and leaving sounded like the best way to find out what really happened to Mom and Dad...I'm sorry I had to leave." I nodded, satisfied. "Don't do it again...we missed you..."I turned away, blushing "I missed you."

A tear welled up in my eye, but Gray wiped it away with a gentle caress. "I'm sorry… I just didn't want to get the guild caught up in my mess. I care about you guys too much, and it's my family who got killed; it's my responsibility to find out what happened.

"You can be really stupid sometimes, you know that? Fairy Tale is your family. Do you know how much Mira cried when you left? How many times we had to hunt down Natsu when he didn't come home for a few days when he set out looking for you? Do you know just how worried we were? Do you have any idea how I felt, having my best friend run away from home? Never again." So saying, he scooped me up bridal style and set out walking. I didn't say anything; just lay my cheek on his shoulder. After a few minutes, the night's activities and the alcohol I had drank conspired to knock me out. I woke up to find myself on something plush, with someone's arms wrapped around my waist.

Morning light filtered into the room from white curtains, illuminating a room with clothes strewn about. (Thankfully, I noticed, none mine) The bed squeaked as the person behind me moved. The movement was followed by a yawn, and a sleepy "what time is it?" Gray! The night came flooding back, and I rolled over to look at the ravenhead in question. "Where are we?" I tentatively asked. "Some hotel. Have to catch a train to reach fairy tale from here, and you were too heavy." I blushed, remembering how he carried me. His hair was messier than usual, and he had bags around his eyes. Gray yawned and sat up, detangling his limbs from mine. He had certainly grown in the 3 years since I left…those were definitely not there at 19. My eyes inevitably traveled lower, and I turned away, blushing furiously. "Still sleeping naked, I see." He turned scarlet and grabbed a towel and some clothes. "Be right back." He ran into an adjoining room, and she soon heard pipes running.

I sat up and examined my clothes, delighted to see that they were still, in fact, there. I wore a black bikini with a thin white dress shirt over it, and a pair of worn shorts. Looking in the cracked mirror in the corner, I groaned; my long brown curls were a complete rat's nest; I really wouldn't have been surprised if one peeked out of the knot on the side of my head. The bags under my eyes rivaled those of Gray's; the overall effect was a raccoon with a hangover. I really need a shower…My brush…my clothes! I flopped back on the bed with another groan. Most of my jewels were in the bank, and the few I carried with me were in my purse…which was sitting in the back room of the bar…Crap. I needed clothes, and I had no money. Lovely…just freaking great!

Yawning, I got up off the bed and went to the window. Outside, some crazy pink haired dude was yelling at a street vendor…something about an improperly cooked hotdog. What the…? Curious, I leaned out the window to try to hear better. They always said curiosity killed the cat, and they sure as hell weren't kidding! Overbalanced, I fell out of the window with an undignified yelp, down two stories…and on top of angry pink hair dude. "Sorry! Crap! So sorry." I kept apologizing as I jumped off of him and helped him up. "You alright? I didn't hurt you, right? Hey…You look kind of familiar…Do I know you?" The guy just stared at me, dumbfounded, for a few seconds. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other and tried to puzzle out his weird expression. When he finally spoke, it made me jump. "Celia? Is that you?" At my hesitant nod, I was immediately tackled to the ground by an overjoyed crazy person. "Um….dude….who the hell are you?" I was getting kind of creeped out. "You don't remember me?" At his puppy dog face, I wracked my brain for a name to put to the face." This might seem crazy, but you remind me of my friend from a really long time ago…Natsu." His eyes lit up as I guessed correctly, and he jumped around happily. "Holy crap! You changed a lot in 3 years! I mean, gray mentioned you, but…wow." I took another look at him. He too had filled out since I left; he was now taller and had certain sharpness to his features that wasn't there before.

"Celia? Celia!" Gray called from the room, having just finished his shower. "Down here! You'll never guess who I found!" Gray stuck his head out the window, scowling at the sight of Natsu. "Natsu, what the crap are you doing here? I thought we agreed it was best if I went and got her!" He fumed. Jumping out of the window, Gray made a slide of ice and slid down to the sidewalk. I glared at them both as they glared at each other. "Idiots. I walked away, fuming at their stupidity. "Celia! Your shirt!" I belatedly looked down and realized that I had indeed lost the item in question. Looking back, Natsu was blushing furiously, and Gray was just silently laughing. I ran back, barefoot, and grabbed my shirt from Natsu's hand. "Gimme that!" I wrestled it back on and stalked off. Boys will be boys. After a few blocks, they finally realized that I wasn't coming back and ran after me. We walked to the train station and Gray paid for our tickets. Natsu started looking green as soon as he saw the train, and I belatedly remembered his motion sickness…this ought to be a fun ride…

AN: Sorry it's so short...my muse didn't want to cooperate...