Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. I do own the Solar System. Actually I don't, but how cool would that be?

Author's note: This fic was inspired by the fic The Sun and The Moon written by garryp. I really liked it, and as I read, I came up with this idea.

The Eternal Dance

For so long they had danced around each other, drawn to each other, but never able to touch. He had been there first, with his bright and blinding light that drew others towards him, and he had made himself a family from those who circled around him, a family to replace what he had lost.

The closest to him was Mercury. She danced around him the fastest, making him smile at her headlong rush. Unlike the others in his family, who always circled around him, she would dart in close, and then back away again. She tried to touch the burning gasses at his heart, but she couldn't do it, she did not have the power to do more than tug weakly at his heart.

Venus and Earth were sisters, twins, but as with all twins, one was good and the other bad. They were always shifting, always changing, but one thing remained the same. Venus was destruction, and Earth was life. Venus burned, just like he did, and Earth shone. And determined to be different from the rest, Venus danced to the same pattern, and the same rhythm as the others, but she danced in the opposite direction and was the most volatile of their family.

Earth was the good twin, the one that everyone loved. She flourished in the family, bringing them light and love and joy, even in the saddest of times. She drew others towards her, just as he had, but she did not destroy them. She nurtured them, cared for them, made them a part of the family. It was she who had drawn him to their family, this pale being, scarred from the loss of his own family, the loss of his brother, just as they were all scarred.

Then there was Mars. Fiercely protective of their family, she watched over them all, even him, and kept them safe from whatever threatened them, even when it was they who were doing the threatening. She was the big sister, the one that every looked up to. Sometimes she clashed with Venus, for in a way they were very similar. They both burned with a fire, except Venus' was destruction, and Mars' was protection. Mars was perhaps his best friend, and the one he turned to when even he didn't know what to do.

Jupiter was…different. They were slightly separate from each other, circumstances beyond his control pulling them apart. Jupiter was big, and sometimes a bully, and just like Earth, he pulled others towards him. He was surrounded by others, but only a few he called family. He had once tried to separate from their larger family, but even he couldn't escape the pull that they created together. He had returned to the family, proud head bowed in shame, his followers chasing after him, and they had welcomed him back happily. Sometimes he would flare up, his volatile surface, and hidden, swirling depths making it impossible for him to do any different, but they loved him all the same, for he was family.

Often hidden behind Jupiter's imposing form, Saturn was quieter, but just as strong as Jupiter, if not even stronger. He was surrounded by rings of beautiful, illuminating colour, and it was often thought that it was Saturn, not him, who was the true heart of their family. He believed it was true, for Saturn held them together in the hard times, the times when he would not have had strength enough; Saturn shone in the darkness and lit the way home. He had drawn them together, but Saturn had made them a family.

Uranus was a mystery, an enigma. He had hidden depths, but he never let anyone see beneath his cold surface. He was different from the rest of the family, held himself separate. Spinning around on his side while they spun on their polls, it wasn't surprising that he seemed different. The question had always been, why was he different? But it wasn't something they did, questioning the past of those who came to their family. They all had their pasts, all had their heartaches and he was no different. Despite his mysterious nature, he was a part of their family and they accepted him.

Neptune had already been in a family when he had joined their new family, but that original family had been drawn to him, and when part of Neptune's family was destroyed, the remaining part of his family bonded fully into the family that was being created. He became as important a part of the family as his sisters were, but sometimes he raged at the injustice of it all and sometimes he howled like the strongest winds. But he was strong, and he never gave up, no matter what happened. He was loyal to a fault and one of the bravest of them all. He helped defend them from attackers and invaders and was like everyone's older brother.

Pluto was the baby of the family, the tiniest member and one of the most important. He loved Pluto more than any of the others in their family, and the others knew it. But they didn't mind, they all loved Pluto too. Sometimes he seemed so far away from them, and then other times he was right there with them. He didn't fly stable. He would dart through, around, over and under the rest of them, making them laugh joyfully. Others, those outside their family derided Pluto, claiming he was unimportant. They didn't understand that Pluto was the most important member of their family. He brought them hope in the darkest of times, and most importantly of all, when they were drowning in grief, it was Pluto's charming antics that made them happy again.

Then he had joined their family. He was quiet, controlled, and cold as ice. Drawn by the force of their collective family, their power and their might, and the possibility that they would be able to repair his broken family, he had cautiously entered their family, always holding himself back. He was scarred from the loss of his family, from the self-destruction of his brother. He had patched himself back up together with bonds of ice, and he never let anyone too close, in case they melted that ice and he fell apart. So, as the centre, he shone gently upon him, not enough to melt the ice, but just enough to warm him a little.

They fought, a lot. The newcomer didn't want his warmth, didn't want to be a part of the family, but he couldn't escape their combined force, no matter how much he pulled. Eventually, he started to accept it, and become a part of their family. He began to reflect the light that was shone on him, and developed a silvery glow that was all his own. Over time, others entered their family, some left and some stayed and they all continued in their eternal dance around each other. Watching them all dance around each other, and circle around him, he wanted to get closer to that lonely figure tied up in bonds of ice of his own making. But none of them could ever touch. Pluto came the closest to touching of any of them, but even he never actually made contact. For any of them to actually make contact would have meant the destruction of all of them. The forces that held them together would also be the forces that destroyed them.

But sometimes, sometimes they came so close that it seemed like they were touching. And that was enough for all of them.

Natsu stared up at Gray as the sky went dark. He stared over his shoulder as the moon crossed across the sun, darkening the sky, covering the sun. For that moment, it seemed like the sun and the moon were touching.

Gray wrapped his arms around Natsu's shoulders, and forced them both into the ground as another shot rang over their head. The only light was that of the faint ring of sunlight still showing from behind the moon, barely enough to see the features of Natsu's face, let alone spot their attacker. Natsu's breath was warm against the cool skin of his neck and he could feel the warm, hard line of his body pressed up against his. For just a moment, he wondered what it would be like if there really was something behind their fights, something hidden deeper, a fire that was fuelled by something other than fights and competition and differing personalities. Then, the sky lightened as the sun was uncovered, and the moment was gone. They leapt to their feet, flame and ice ready to teach the idiot who had come after them what a mistake he had made. And the eternal dance continued on, forever circling, coming within reach and then backing away to circle again. Nothing changed it, and nothing ever would.

Fin

Author's Note: This is just my interpretation of the Solar System of Fairy Tail, based around the notion of Natsu as the Sun and Gray as the Moon, with the two them drawn together, which I got from garryp's fic. I know that the time line doesn't quite fit and nor does some of the other particulars, but I had to alter stuff for the story to work. The person who can match each character to the planetary body wins a cookie. Interested?