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Chapter 7
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Let us continue. Shall we begin with Natsu's first try at stalking...

Yes, I said stalking.

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"I am all fired up... Literally." Natsu per usual, was enveloped flames. His embarrassments had overtaken his usual narcissism, so 'the blush' was everywhere! Oh and I mean, 'everywhere'!

He tried to douse the flames and after a few minutes the flames vanished, leaving a trail of smoke to emit from his body. Natsu took one pitiful step and placed a shivering foot on the Path Of Gurandine. (Romaji spelling). This path was constructed by Wendy, Lady of the Winds. She created it so it would lead to and from Heaven and Hell.

"If Wendy ever found out I was using her... Runway...?" Natsu muttered. His eyes fluttered all over his surroundings. Absorbing everything. His keen sense of hearing, tracking even the slightest change in the wind patterns which would alert him Wendy was lurking around.

I was certain that the Pink Panther theme song was playing in the background as Natsu began his over exaggerated tip toes. His hands dangling in front of him, mimicking a rabbit. He stood on his toes, graceful... as a rabbit- so not that graceful!

He sniffed the air (like a rabbit) and noticed an odour lingering in the sudden shift in the breeze.

'Mortals need to keep their gasses inside their bodies' he thought as he picked up his pace. Yearning to get away from the smell. Heaven was only around the corner.

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An hour later
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Natsu began to drag his feet onto the ground as he took another step closer to Heaven.

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Another two hours later
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By this time he was crawling. His fingers clawing at the tiled path. His knees losing their balance as he slid on his own sweat a couple of times.

Did I mention he was soaking wet?(oh well then... Too soon for that, he's only seen Gray twice)

Yes, well dear Wendy, relished playing weather patterns even though it was not her appointed job.

So hail, snow and rain, well, might I say: they did not help Natsu on his journey.

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Three minutes later
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Finally, a colossal gate loomed over Natsu. The shimmering gold gate assimilating the stars' brilliance.

"What is the purpose of a ginormous gate, if anyone could get through the gaps in between?" Natsu slipped in between two large poles, they were as thick as all the tree trunks in a forests combined.

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Some say when you enter into Heaven, the earth is the sky.

What confuses you mortals is, you naturally presume Heaven is above the clouds. That is incorrect. You believe this ignorant notion, due to the fact, the Sky is the one place you cannot roam freely.

Therefore this restriction causes you to instantly imagine that everything good is where you can never reach. Since you have no experience of going there and your lives are filled with misery and no freedom.

You can only dream.

Mortals have something I, Death, envy: Hope

After all, Hope was the only thing that stayed when Pandora opened the box. Since Hope stayed with you, mortals never give up their dreams of reaching the Heavens.

So, Heaven. To put it simply: it's in another reality.

A reality that overlooks the reality you live in. So basically, a larger reality- the one Heaven and Hell are in: etc- and inside that reality is the reality you live in- The universe.

Us keepers, are assigned a specific duty in the reality you live in called- the universe. Eg: Wendy, Lady of the Winds.

Anyways I shall continue. I've been babbling on for too long.

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Natsu tread lightly on a path he often used to use. This path was one of the first in Heaven. It led to a specific place, a now cursed place.

It led to the Tree of Time.

The ironic thing is, the tree was older than time. One of the first things to exist in all and every reality. As old as dear Mavis and... Zeref.

The tree was the source of life. Without time, we would not exist. Time proved our existence.

This tree was unlike an average tree. It had three trunks. All of which coiled around one another to form a rather beguiling plait. It's branches curled downwards, hanging as it desperately tried to grasp the earth. Its diaphanous leaves were flakes of silver shaped to look like tears. Its fruits, were called Devil Fruits(one piece reference *^*). Each fruit was fashioned to look nothing like the other. Delicious as they were, we were now forbidden to eat them- you all know the story. The trees roots, entwined with the earths soil. The roots were connected to every life form in the universe. It recorded all memories of their existence. It recorded time.

The tree was weeping.

For it had long been forgotten by us all. Yet it had never forgotten us. It remembered everything and everyone.

Natsu, concealed his presence the second he entered Heaven- this took quite a lot of power and he was already weary from the journey.

However someone else hadn't hidden themselves. This person was quite close to the tree. Natsu used his keen perception and skilled sense of hearing to listen to the voice that caught the wind. Natsu forced down a smile when he realised who it was.

Natsu began to sprout wings. Dragon wings to be precise. He flapped the wings once and shot straight into the sky.

He noticed a small figure sitting in front of the tree. This was unusual since no one went near the cursed tree. The tree was forgotten. The tree was hated.

Natsu flew around the area and flew high, close to the stars to avoid being noticed. He flew around so he was coming from the opposite direction and towards Gray. He rushed into the tree and caught on a branch much higher up and perched himself on top, careful not to slide off the drooping branch.

And he simply watched the demon with the title of an Angel. His fellow Keeper of Time.

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Gray sat crossed leg a few metres in front of the tree. And he began to smile.

"How can something so beautiful and breathtaking, be hated?" He whispered. His finger out lined a root that erupted from the earth, it reminded one of a bridge.

A few birds fluttered around him before resting along side him to watch the view.

"Such a fool." He muttered before standing up. He began to trudge through the grass, making his way towards a few Tiger Lilies that stood amongst the white daisies.

Gray heard a rustle in the leaves as something moved between the branches of the tree. He knew someone was watching him. He knew for a while.

Gray leaned in and picked at the stem of a Tiger Lily before lifting one from the ground. He held it between his fingers, twirling it so it spiralled and spun. It's crimson and tangerine colours breathing in the light reflecting from the gems that scattered across the ground.

He turned around and walked back towards the tree. Once he was close he put his fist of one hand on his palm and whispered a few words.

Crystal ice blocks formed underneath him, pushing him upwards. All different lengths so it looked like stairs. Gray walked cautiously yet gracefully up each one. Stepping on one whilst another flew into the air higher than the one before.

"Hello Stalker." Gray placed the flower on Natsu's hair, tucking the stem on top of his ear. "I think the vibrant and vivid colours of the Tiger Lily express your personality well."

Nastu's head caught on fire and he simply fell out of the tree.

Once Gray let the ice disappear. He simply floated down and stood in front of Natsu as Natsu tried to regain his composure.

"T-thanks. Sorry, I'm not used to speaking to people, so..." The smile Natsu formed- thinking it would be nice and friendly- looked kinda creepy. Gray simply smirked at the weirdo who stood before him.

"Don't worry. I also don't have experience talking to people. Unless you are speaking about this water nymph called Juvia who... You know what I am going off topic. I shall stop before I bore you to death. That's what everyone says anyways..." Gray chuckled apprehensively.

"No, you will not bore me to death. I wish to hear what you have to say... Gray-san." Gray stopped. Never in his life did anyone act so kindly to him. He had only met this man twice and yet he treated him like an equal. Not some disgusting and inferior creature that everyone else presumed he was.

"Call me Gray. Thank you Natsu, if I can call you that. No one has ever treated me so well." Gray plopped down to sit on one of the roots. He tapped beside him and Natsu soon joined him.

"Gray, you have ice powers, so rumours about you being formed from Snow were true?"

"Yeah... And you're fire right? Meaning we are polar opposites!" Gray smirked once more and raised an eyebrow to see his fellow Keepers response.

"True. So does that make us enemies? You rule Heaven. I rule Hell. You're ice. I am fire." Natsu would of continued but he didn't want to offend his first friend in so long, too soon. "How about Rivals?

"I like that! Let's be rivals!... Flame brain." Gray laughed once he saw Natsu's face as it fell to the floor.

"Whats that supposed to mean?"

"Your head always catches on fire. So I naturally surmise your brain is made of fire."

"Elsa!" This time it was Grays face to be coated in trauma and disturbance. "Yeah, once you get bored in Hell... You start to watch Disney Princess movies!"

"Can I join you next time? In Hell?" Gray asked with a lackadaisical tone, unperceptive of how stupefying the question he asked was.

"Y-yeah... Hehe." Natsu replied as he answered minutes later, after he allayed the flames atop his head.

"R-really?" Gray squeaked. He was expecting a firm and utter refusal.

"Sure, Ice-Princess." Natsu smiled, for the second time now.

"How can something so beautiful and breathtaking, be hated?" He said to himself out loud.

'So previously, he spoke of me!' Natsu mused, as the presumption whirled around his mind as he wondered what this obsolete sensation was that lingered around his shattered heart.

Something he had not felt since Lisanna.

****

Forbidden love may be cliche, yet it's so common. If only they knew back then what would happen if they fell in love. Perhaps they would of avoided it... Perhaps not...

That question pesters me even today, if only they knew....

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A/N: that sad moment you realise you haven't updated in a month.

I am sooo sorry. I tried to make up for it by making this extra long! (Don't judge my grammar mistakes. It's a long chapter. I couldn't check everything!)

Anyways this is for AOTKawaiiFangirl since she said my characters are a OOC. I hope this made up for it. Since my intentions were for them to be OOC so when they met each other they could act like their true selves.

I should of explained before so sorry minnai!

Anyways, hopefully I update before another month. Maybe two weeks. Cuz this story is so hard to write. One of the... No it's the hardest story I've ever written! And it's only been 7 chapters =_=

Anyways my plan is to stop by chapter 12.

The questions I shall leave you with today is: Who is Zeref and what happens to Natsu and Gray?

Anyways ba-bye for now