Archive of Our Own ^beta

He could feel himself slipping, bit by bit.

It was dark…

He shouldn’t feel it, but he could and it hurt.

It was cold…

He couldn’t feel any semblance of warmth.

Slowly fading away…

He felt lost and he felt afraid..

“No one will hear you cry, no matter how much you fight it; just giving in…it’ll be easier.”

It was hopeless…

He felt so alone; even if he looked for a light, he’d never be able to find it…

“GRAY!”

FTFTFTFT

Gray Fullbuster, the ice make mage and ice devil slayer of Fairy Tail, shot forward in his bed so quickly that he found himself tumbling right out of it and hitting his nose on his bedroom floor. He cursed under his breath as he rubbed his reddening nose and tried to remember what he was dreaming about; after all, it wasn’t that often that his nightmares caused him to wake up in that manner. He stopped massaging his aching nose and pushed his sweat soaked bangs out of his face as his ice magic worked to bring his body down to its average (or slightly below average) temperature. 

Now that he thought about it, the last time his nightmares got the better of him like this was a little after the Tartaros incident. Fighting Mard Geer and his meeting with his father, along with all the other shit that he’d been through over the time he had returned from his seven year stint on Tenrou Island were enough to trigger the night terrors that he used to suffer from as a kid. It had gotten so bad after the Tartaros incident that Juvia wouldn’t leave his side for nights; not that she left his side willingly that often to begin with. 

His night terrors only started to stop haunting him after he joined up with Natsu, Lucy, Erza and the rest of Fairy Tail again. After all, the light of Fairy Tail was strong enough to fight any darkness; though the light of the guild wasn’t simply powerful on its own, it was powered by each person that was important to him as well. He blushed at the thought and shook his head back and forth; when did he turn into such a sap about this stuff? He sighed under his breath and pushed himself off the floor and into a standing position. He winced slightly at the stiffness in his joints, but he shoved it to the back of his mind. He didn’t have time to be slow anyways; if he didn’t hurry up and get his ass to the train station, Erza was going to serve his ass on a platter. 

And if the flame idiot was dumb enough, Gray might be served with a side of spicy dragon slayer.

The ice mage couldn’t help but smile to himself; this would be the first official mission that the four of them would have since Fairy Tail had been re-established. Maybe with this, it would finally feel like life could return to normal. They could forget about Zeref, Acnologia, and the potential end of the world; Gray was even willing to forget about E.N.D… even if it was for a little while. He threw his blanket on his bed and stumbled towards the bathroom so he could have a quick shower before he left; his mind lingering on a past that felt like an eternity ago, but was in reality over a year ago. 

He caught himself in the bathroom mirror as he entered and couldn’t help but pause. Only a year had passed and things have changed so much; more than he ever would have thought was possible. He shot a glance at his bare right arm where the mark of his father used to rest proudly. The mark had melted into his skin shortly after the battle with Mard Geer; permanently etching itself into the blood that ran through Gray’s veins. Of course he wanted to avenge his father by finishing his work, he wanted to find E.N.D. and he wanted to defeat him with all his being, but sometimes he wished that the most he had to worry about was Erza beating the snot out of him and Natsu losing too many brain cells.

Gray gazed into the mirror once more and took in the light bags that had taken refuge under his eyes; if he wasn’t careful they were going to become noticeable to everyone and then the guild would harass him until he told them what was wrong. The only problem that he was dealing with were his night terrors that he no longer remembered when he woke up; it wasn’t really a big issue and it wasn’t like they were impeding on his magic abilities. Even so, the guild would worry…like always…

Mira would probably ask him to sit down and have some breakfast…

Elfman would tell him that ‘a man shares his problems when he can’t handle it on his own’…

Erza would probably give him that look which said more than her actions ever did…

Happy would probably offer him some fish because to him that was the answer to everything…

Lucy would probably try and coax him into telling her about his problems…

And Natsu…

He frowned to himself as he stripped out of his boxers and stepped into the shower. He honestly didn’t know what Natsu would do. If it was a year ago, the dragon slayer would probably pick a fight with him so that he could work out all his frustrations. But, ever since they met up again it felt as though the friendship he had with Natsu was different…not bad different, per se; but still different. They were still as close as ever, but it seemed as though there was a wall between them…a wall that neither of them seemed to be willing to scale. 

He closed his eyes and shook the wayward thought out of his head. He didn’t have time to be thinking about stuff like this; if he didn’t get a move on, Erza would show up at his house and drag him to the train station…regardless of whether he was ready to go or not. As he immersed himself in his shower, he couldn’t help but think that today was going to be a bad day.

FTFTFTFT

Natsu Dragneel buried his chin and nose in his muffler, with his arms folded across his chest petulantly, as he glared darkly at evil contraption that was supposed to take ‘Team Natsu’ on their mission. The request said something about fighting bandits who were terrorizing a town in the North, but he couldn’t remember anything else. He basically saw the words “fight” and “bandits” and he was all gung-ho for the job…it was only after he accepted it for the team that he realized that it was a six hour train ride and it was on the edge of the Northern Continent. 

He was on a mission from Hell.

His eyes wandered over to Wendy who was talking with Erza and Lucy while they waited for the ice princess and their train to pull into the station. He smirked to himself at the thought of the ice mage; maybe if he was lucky, Gray would be late and he’d get to watch the exhibitionist getting the snot beat out of him by Erza for once instead of the other way around. It would serve the pervy stripper right; he never got in trouble for anything; just ‘cause the bastard was good at talking to Erza.

Despite those thoughts, his smirk slowly softened into a smile as his mind wandered to thoughts of his rival and best friend. He would be lying if he said that he wasn’t happy that Future Rogue turned out to be wrong and that the ice mage truly didn’t join the Avatar guild in order to get his revenge. Although he would always believe in Gray, he was willing to admit that Juvia instilled some fear into him; fear of the ice mage turning into the thing that he wants to destroy. But he knew the ice block’s will was too strong to succumb to the darkness that lingered tantalizingly close to his heart. 

“Hey Natsu!” Lucy called him over to them, “Why isn’t Happy coming with us today?”

The dragon slayer shrugged in response to the random question,

“He said something about going fishing with Lily because Gajeel had something planned this afternoon; he didn’t really get into any details.”

“Gajeel-san?” Wendy tilted her head curiously, “Isn’t it odd for him to go somewhere without Lily; he does care about him very much after all.”

The pinkette couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled from his throat at the young mage’s innocent statement. From the blush that had spread across Lucy’s cheeks and the knowing look in Erza’s eyes, he knew that they also knew where the iron dragon slayer was spending his afternoon. He just hoped that hoped that Happy would be able to keep Lily distracted enough so that Gajeel and Levy could have their date in peace…not that he actually cared about the bastard’s love life…not at all.

“That aside,” Lucy looked to the side, “Have any of you heard from Gray this morning?”

“I haven’t,” Titania’s eyes glinted, “But if he’s not here in the next two minutes I’m going to hunt him down myself; how dare he be late for the first mission we’ve had together in a year.”

“Um, but Erza-san?” Wendy mumbled shyly, “You’ve been working with Gray-san for the past six months…”

The red haired mage’s eyes narrowed dangerously,

“That’s not the point.”

Natsu sniffed the air and smiled as he turned towards the requip mage,

“Don’t worry Erza, he’s on his way; I can smell him now.”

Erza relaxed slightly at Natsu’s announcement and she wasn’t disappointed; there was nothing sharper than a dragon slayer’s nose after all. Gray could be seen running towards the platform with his overnight bag thrown over his shoulder and the bottom of his jacket was flying in the wind as he made his way towards them. He was about to greet the ice prick when a strange scent forced him to freeze in his tracks. 

It smelled like something was rotting.

“Gray!” Erza shouted as she stormed towards the ice mage, “You’re late!”

The raven came to a halt and threw his hands up in surrender,

“I know I am, I’m sorry.”

The red head opened her mouth to begin her reprimanding only for Lucy to step up beside her and smile at the ice mage brightly,

“It’s cool as long as you’re here, right? The train is just pulling into the station now anyway.” 

Natsu vaguely noticed that the celestial mage was right and he also noticed that Erza was glaring at her for interrupting her tirade. However, he couldn’t for the life of him actually pay attention to what was going on around him. His nose twitched as it started to burn from the rotten smell that continued to linger. His honey eyes shifted to the ice mage and he frowned when he noticed the bags that hugged Gray’s eyes. They weren’t noticeable to normal people, but to Natsu they were as obvious as a light from a lighthouse.

“Oi,” Gray’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts, “What the hell are you staring at flame brain? Jealous of what you see?”

The pinkette rolled his eyes and scoffed,

“As if ice princess; I’m more attractive than you any day.”

The ice mage raised an eyebrow teasingly,

“Sure you are; you can think that if you want to fire breath, but it won’t necessarily make it true.”

Natsu couldn’t help but relax as the two of them go lost in their banter. Maybe he was worrying about the ice princess over nothing. Plus, he found out during a night of drinking with ice mage that he had night terrors from time to time; that could explain the bags that he had under his eyes. 

“Okay boys,” Erza glared at her surrogate younger brothers, “That’s enough; it’s time to start our mission.”

The pinkette blanched as he looked at the train,

“You know, we could always walk there…”

“Don’t even start Natsu,” Lucy began to push the dragon slayer towards the locomotive, “There’s no way I’m walking three days to get to the Northern Continent.”

The raven smirked at the blonde,

“The walk isn’t all that bad; we just might have to camp in the snow for a few nights that’s all.”

“Yeah,” The celestial mage’s smile twitched, “How about no?”

Gray laughed under his breath and patted her head before he shoved passed Natsu and hopped onto the train making his way towards a compartment that he could claim as their own. The dragon slayer himself, however, found himself pushed onto the train without even knowing it. He could faintly hear Erza ordering him to pull himself together and Wendy was apologizing to him for not being able to perform Troia due to the effect of casting the spell too much, but Natsu couldn’t find himself caring…

Because the rotting smell was following Gray.

FTFTFTFT

Gray could barely keep his eyes open as he got off the train.

Being forced to listen to Natsu heave for almost 3.5 hours could take a lot out of someone as it was, but as he found himself getting closer and closer to the Northern Continent his mind wouldn’t turn off. The last time he was there, he had gone to visit the remains of his hometown so that he could make a memorial for his mother and father. At that time, he had gone alone (or at least he intended to, but Juvia had followed him), but now he was returning with his friends by his side; it was almost poetic in a way. 

“Woo!” Natsu cheered from beside him as he fell to the snow covered ground and kissed it, “I’m free!”

“Stop over-exaggerating flame brain,” Gray shook his head at his friend’s antics, “It was only a train ride.”

The pinkette looked at him flatly,

“Only a train ride? It’s more like a speeding go-kart from hell.”

Lucy laughed from the other side of him,

“Funny how he used one mode of transportation to describe another.”

Natsu puffed out his cheeks and looked away,

“Oh shut up.”

The raven smirked at his annoyed friend before he forced back a yawn; they had just arrived in the village, he could not afford to be tired. His deep blue eyes scanned the wooden houses and shops with snow topped rooves; a sense of nostalgia washed over him as he took in the structures. Hielo was as beautiful as he thought it would be; from the frosted evergreens that were in the distance to the filled cafes that were full of people laughing and talking. 

Wait a minute…

“Um,” Wendy’s soft voice reached his ears, “Doesn’t it seem a little calm to you?”

“Good eye,” Erza tipped her head towards the young blunette, “For people who are being ‘terrorized by bandits’ the people of this village seem relatively peaceful.”

Lucy, who had stopped teasing the dragon slayer, furrowed her eyebrows thoughtfully,

“They could be trying to ignore the situation; hoping that it will go away if they act normal?”

Gray thought about the celestial mage’s theory, but couldn’t help but disagree. Even if the villagers thought they should act normal, there would still be a sense of unease and there wasn’t any of that at all. The townspeople were way to calm for people who were continuously under attack by bandits like the request implied. He unconsciously wrapped his hand around his right forearm and shifted uncomfortably; something didn’t feel right.

Apparently feeling the same as he did; the dragon slayer raised an eyebrow at Erza,

“So, what do you think we should do?”

The red head observed their surroundings for a moment,

“We continue on like the request asks of us; we observe our surroundings closely for any signs of dishonesty and act accordingly. Is everyone in agreement?”

The four of them nodded determinedly, while the requip mage placed her hands on her hips and pointed to her massive pile of luggage:

“Now that that’s settled, Natsu and Gray are going to pull my luggage and we’ll all head to the hotel. We’ll visit the mayor in the morning once we’re all properly rested.”

Gray’s mouth dropped open as he stared at her luggage,

“You’re not serious!”

Erza smiled slyly,

“Of course I am, I’m always serious.”

“So are we,” Natsu grunted defiantly, “We’re not touching that monstrosity!”

Suddenly a suffocating darkness blanketed over the two mages; a darkness that the two of them knew very well. The mages stiffened as the sound of a sword coming from another dimension reached their ears:

“You two are going to move this luggage or you’ll both be punished severely; is that clear?!”

“Yes ma’am!” Gray squeaked as he scrambled towards the luggage tower.

“Aye sir!” Natsu quaked with sweat rolling down his back as he followed the ice mage’s lead.

“Good men!” Erza smacked both of their shoulders before joining Lucy and Wendy as they made their way towards the hotel.

The boys stared at the luggage and then at each other.

“It’s been over a year and she still hasn’t changed.” Gray stated flatly.

“Yup,” Natsu snuck a small smile, “And for some reason, I couldn’t be happier.”

The raven chuckled under his breath,

“Yeah, me either.”

Simultaneously, the mages rolled their shoulders and each grabbed onto a handle and started to pull the massive mountain through the snow. For the first time in a while, Natsu and Gray were together and they were silent. No name calling was exchanged and no teasing; it was all in all a peaceful walk to the hotel…and despite this, Gray wasn’t sure if he liked it. As much as he complained about how annoying Natsu’s voice was, he secretly always enjoyed it. When Natsu was laughing obnoxiously, yelling insults and joking around, it was easy to tell that the dragon slayer was happy and loving life…but when he was silent, that was a different matter entirely.

Gray huffed through his nose,

“Oi fire brain, what the hell is wrong with you?”

“Ice princess, what the hell is going on with you?”

The ice and fire mages blinked at each other owlishly as their voices overlapped. Gray felt his cheeks turn red and he turned away from Natsu’s inquiring stare. He released one of his hands from the handle he was holding and ran a nervous hand through his hair. 

“I asked you first.”

Natsu scowled,

“Actually, I think I asked you first.”

Gray’s eyebrow twitched,

“Are you seriously that stupid; it’s obvious that I asked you first flame head!”

The pinkette pushed his forehead into Gray’s,

“Oh yeah! Then where’s the proof ice bastard?!”

The ice mage shoved the dragon slayer away from him and frowned; they really weren’t getting anywhere were they? Out of the corner of his eyes, he could tell that Natsu was thinking along the same lines as him. The pinkette’s shoulders had relaxed along with his stance and he looked as if he was ready to start pulling the luggage again (though he didn’t even realize that they stopped in the first place).

That was the thing about Natsu; the squinty eyed idiot has always had the ability to steal his attention. Whether they were screaming insults at each other or throwing fists, Natsu always managed to make everything around him disappear. It was as if the dragon slayer had an ability to create a space in which only the two of them existed. Some part of him even hoped that he made Natsu feel that way as well. 

“So,” The dragon slayer spoke again, “Are you going to tell me what’s up?”

Gray scowled,

“Are we really going to do that again?”

Natsu chuckled under his breath and shook his head,

“Nah, I’ll tell you if you tell me; I’m not the one that looks like a zombie.”

The ice mage lowered his gaze to the ground,

“It’s nothing really; I guess going on a mission in the Northern Continent makes me a little uneasy. The best things don’t really tend to happen to me here.”

The pinkette hummed,

“Yeah, I guess; but you’re here with us this time, so maybe things will be better.”

The raven raised an eyebrow,

“Well aren’t you optimistic.”

Natsu simply shrugged once more and continued pulling the luggage. Gray couldn’t understand him more than half the time and that held a lot considering their confusing relationship. The rivals who pretended to hate each other, but actually cared about each other and protected each other as if they were blood…or possibly even more. It was rare that the ice mage saw this side of Natsu, but considering where they were and what was happening, he couldn’t say he didn’t like it.

The raven opened his mouth to make Natsu fulfill his end of the bargain, but he never got the chance because they made it to the front of the hotel. Erza, Lucy and Wendy were standing inside the entrance doors waiting for them and Erza did not look pleased that she had to wait; he was willing to bet that she knew that they were fighting earlier too. 

“C’mon boys,” She shook her head disapprovingly, “We have a long day tomorrow.”

Natsu and Gray struggled through the door with the large mountain of luggage, but somehow managed to pull the monster into the lobby. Gray nearly tripped over Natsu and fell face first onto the tiled floor when the warmth of the building caused his exhaustion to spring back at him tenfold. He felt Natsu’s calloused hand wrap around his wrist and keep him on his feet.

“Hey Droopy eyes,” Natsu narrowed his eyes at him, “Are you alright?”

Gray yawned as he rubbed the back of his neck,

“Yeah, I’m just tired.”

“Well,” Lucy looked up at him in concern, “We already got the room keys; why don’t you head on up?”

The ice mage forced back another yawn and nodded his head,

“Yeah, thanks.”

He took the key from Lucy and nodded his head when she told him that their rooms were on the second floor. He heard Wendy ask him if he wanted her to check on him later, he simply told her no and started to head towards the staircase. His right arm tingled slightly causing him to rub it as he climbed the two flights of stairs. It also seemed that the closer he got to the room the hotter he got; hell, he felt like he was sweating . 

He was so out of it that he nearly passed his door when he was stumbling down the hallway. He slid his key into the door and pushed it open. He stumbled through the open door and wiped the back of his hand over his forehead. He ignored the fact that his hand was trembling and instead started to make his way towards the set of beds in the middle of the room. 

He didn’t even remember his head hitting the pillow.

FTFTFTFT

Natsu watched the retreating back of the ice mage as he sluggishly made his way up the stairs. He couldn’t stop the furrow in his brow as he realized that the rotten scent that had plagued him since Gray had joined him on the platform only seemed to grow thicker. He turned his attention to the girls in their group and he realized that they were also looking in the direction that the ice mage went in with worry on their faces. 

“Natsu,” Wendy looked up at him expectantly, “Did Gray mention anything to you when we were walking to the hotel?”

He looked at the blunette with a coy look,

“I’m guessing you overheard our conversation; eh Wendy?”

The sky dragon slayer blushed,

“I just heard him say that he was having night terrors; I didn’t mean to listen in…I’m sorry.”

Erza grabbed onto Natsu’s forearm,

“Gray’s having night terrors? I thought he was over those.”

“He stared having some before he went on this mission,” He shrugged his shoulders, “He said that it was probably because of what happened up in this area with his parents and Ur.”

“Is he going to be okay though?” Lucy asked as she chewed on her lip, “He doesn’t look well at all.”

“That’s because he’s been Claimed.”

The four mages froze at the sound of the unexpected voice. They slowly turned towards the check-in counter to see an old man that was only a few inches taller than Gramps himself. Natsu scowled at the old man and fought the urge to douse his hands in flames.

“Who the hell are you old man?” He narrowed his eyes dangerously, “And what are you jabbering on about?”

“I’m merely telling you that your ice devil friend has been Claimed.”

Natsu felt his insides freeze, just like the day Gray’s father Silver had frozen him solid. Before he could even react, Erza had a sword in her hand and the silver blade was pointing at the old man’s throat. He could feel Lucy shifting her hands towards her keys and Wendy summoning her support magic. Natsu could feel the itch along his skin as his fire magic screamed at him to set it loose, but he couldn’t do it yet; he couldn’t afford to lose control. 

“How did you know about that?” Erza demanded her eyes boring holes into the old man’s head.

The old man raised an eyebrow and twirled his white beard in his fingers,

“I’m nearly as old as this village child; so I know of the people in it and the way that they function into their day to day activities.”

“Okay,” Lucy raised an eyebrow, “How does that relate to how you know about Gray’s magic?”

“I was getting to that young celestial mage,” The old man smiled toothily, “As I was saying, I know the people of this town and I know when strangers enter the town and take advantage of Hielo’s sacred power; the power to unseal demons.”

“But,” Wendy whispered, “Gray-san isn’t a demon; he’s a devil slayer…”

Natsu frowned as he stared at the old man when his eyes widened in comprehension,

“It’s like the dragon slayers, isn’t it.”

The old man barked a laugh,

“That’s insightful of you; I have a feeling you don’t show this side of you often.”

Lucy was staring at Natsu unblinkingly,

“I wasn’t even aware that he had this side to him.”

Natsu glared at the blonde mage in hurt; he may act oblivious, but he did have a brain damnit! His gaze shifted over to Erza who still had her blade pointed to the old man’s throat while the old man was just sitting there as if they were conversing over tea. The red headed mage stared at the old man for a moment before lowering her weapon.

“There aren’t any bandits in this town are there?”

The old man shook his head,

“Well, they’re bandits in a sense; they steal the humanity of those by forcefully awakening the demon that lies dormant within their slaying magic. Your friend is not the first that this happened to and he will not be the last; that is why I made a request to have Fairy Tail come here. However, I was no aware that there was a devil slayer in your guild or that he would be the one that would come on this quest.”

The group was silent as they took in the old man’s words; the only thing going through Natsu’s head at this moment was the Gray was in trouble. The dragon slayer’s nose twitched instinctively and the scent of rot and fear immediately swallowed his senses. Without hesitation, Natsu turned on his heel and ran towards the stairs that led towards their rooms; that would lead him to Gray. 

“Natsu-san!” Wendy yelled breathlessly, “Wait, you can’t go alone!”

“Like hell I can’t,” He said quickly, “We need to hurry; something isn’t right…what room is ours?”

“213 I believe,” She said as she caught up with him, “Erza-san and Lucy-san are keeping an eye on the old man and asking him more questions.”

“Sounds good!”

When Natsu reached the second floor, he engulfed his body in the flames that he was suppressing and charged at their bedroom door sending it flying off its hinges. His honey eyes immediately landed on the bed where a thick black fog was starting to surround Gray’s body. He ran towards the bed; he had to get to the ice princess before whatever that was attacked.

“Get the hell away from him!” He snarled as he dove at the black fog. 

He growled as he passed right through it, but he latched onto Gray’s unconscious body and pulled him off the bed and towards the door. Although he couldn’t tell by touching him, Natsu was pretty sure that the ice mage was running a fever; if the sweat that was pouring off him was anything to go by. He threw one of Gray’s limp arms over his shoulder wrapped a hand around his shirtless waist and the other behind his knees. His nose crinkled as the smell of rot got more intense.

“Wendy,” He growled as he ran towards the door, “We have to leave now.”

The blunette nodded her head and started to follow him out the door only to run into what felt like a wall. Natsu stumbled backwards under Gray’s added weight, but managed to keep himself standing. He glared at the supposedly open doorway only to curse under his breath as runes started to float across the opening. 

“N-Natsu-san…” Wendy whispered worriedly.

“What is it Wendy?” 

“Gray-san’s arm,” She stared at the ice mage; eyes wide, “It’s…it’s turning black .”

The dragon slayer felt the world drop from underneath him as he looked down at the ice mage’s arm and noticed that it was indeed turning black. The same black that overtook his body when he half-demonized himself to protect the both of them from Mard Geer’s memento mori and the same black that danced across his skin when he infiltrated the Avatar guild.

“Don’t worry,” The dragon slayer tried to ease her thoughts, “This has happened before, Gray can control it; he’s going to be fine.”

“Ha,” A deep voice said from the other side of the room, “Your friend is far from fine , in fact, his journey has only just begun.”

Natsu tightened his hold on Gray and backed up towards the sealed door; Wendy close behind him.

“Who are you?” He demanded.

“My name is Giuseppe Grimaldi,” The stranger announced arrogantly, “And who are you?”

The pinkette’s glared at the man as he appeared from the fog that was once floating above Gray’s bed. The man had graying dark hair and harrowing yellow eyes; Natsu couldn’t tell his age, not that it mattered. What did matter was that the smell of rot that clung to the man’s body like a cloak; the smell that had been stalking Gray.

“I’m Natsu Dragneel,” The dragon slayer responded defensively, “and I’m a member of Fairy Tail.”

Grimaldi’s yellow eyes glinted,

“From Fairy Tail huh? So, Natsu Dragneel from Fairy Tail, why would such a strong and bright guild like yours harbour such a creature as the one you are holding?”

The dragon slayer barred his teeth as he felt the palms of his hands heating once more,

“Gray is not a creature you asshat! He’s just as human as we are.”

The man laughed loudly; his hands grasped around his middle. Natsu felt Wendy press close to him; her figure shaking slightly as she watched the insane man. He felt his stomach churn as he noticed that the black skin that was once on Gray’s forearm had slowly started to spread up his shoulder; what was this man hoping to accomplish by awakening the demon that supposedly lied dormant inside of the ice mage?!

“Human,” Grimaldi wiped a fake tear from his eye, “You seriously think that thing is human; I know what demon this vessel houses and it’s one of the most dangerous in existence. Absolute Zeroth the ice devil; the very reason why the forbidden magic Iced Shell was even created.”

Natsu felt his chest tighten at the mention of the very spell that had claimed the life of Gray’s teacher and had nearly claimed Gray’s as well. The dragon wanted to laugh; this was irony at its finest…painful irony. Natsu shifted his grip on Gray and lifted his eyes to the man standing in front of him again.

“If the demon is the most dangerous of them all,” He hissed, “Then why the hell are you trying to unseal it?!”

“You really are dense aren’t you,” Grimaldi shook his head, “I awaken the demons so I can kill them; I won’t let something like Deliora happen to this continent ever again!”

Deliora .

Again with that damned demon; would it never leave Gray alone? He opened his mouth to tell the asshole in front of him where to shove it, but was cut off when he felt a presence appear behind him; a presence that wasn’t welcome. 

“Wendy!” He shouted to get her attention only for the girl to scream as she was forcefully pushed down to the floor by one of the men that appeared behind them.

Natsu whipped around to head butt the other who was trying to grab onto him only to feel the man kick at the back of his knees in mid turn; quickly sending Natsu to his knees. The dragon slayer cursed and inhaled to at least try and perform a Fire Dragon’s Roar only for the man in charge of handling him to wrap his elbow around his neck and cut off his airways. He choked as the man put pressure on his trachea and tried to head butt him anyway only for him to be distracted by Grimaldi grabbing onto Gray and pulling him out of his lax arms.

“No!” He choked, “Give him back! Give him back to me!”

“I will return him to you Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail,” Grimaldi smiled as the dark fog started to swim around both him and Gray, “I’ll return him once he is pure once more; though he might not be in the state that you would want him to be.”

“No!” He spat as he tried to gasp for air; his vision slowly starting to turn black, “Gray! Wake up!”

“Until next time…” Grimaldi’s voice was starting to become distorted and so very distant.

“You…damn ice princess…wake up…damnit…” The pinkette gasped as he finally started to slump to the ground, “GRAY!”

Suddenly, instead of the black that he expected to greet him, he swallowed by a bright blue light. Natsu took in a big breath of air as his airways became free. He massaged his throat and coughed as he felt the air drop drastically in the room. There was a loud shattering sound that prompted him to look behind him; the runes on the doorway had been shattered…but how?

“Natsu, Gray, Wendy!”

The dragon slayer’s eyes widened when he saw Lucy, Erza and the old man from before running through the now unsealed door; however, he didn’t like the expressions that had spread across their faces. Erza, the mighty Titania, had gone as white as a sheet; her normally stern gaze turned to outright disbelief and simmering rage. Lucy had a hand over her mouth as she slowly collapsed to her knees to help Wendy who was also still gasping for breath. The old man looked grave; as if the end of the world had descended upon them.

Natsu slowly turned his head to what he assumed to be the source of their fear and apprehension; he almost felt his internal fire extinguish with what he saw. Spikes of ice were sprouting off the walls; there wasn’t a spot that wasn’t covered in ice. He glanced around the room and he swallowed when he noticed the bodies of the men who attacked Natsu and Wendy staked against the wall behind them. Grimaldi, the man who started it all, was cowering underneath a table that was in the corner of their room; his body also covered in fragmented ice shards, though none managed to pierce his skin.

His heart pounded in his chest as his palms started to heat up on instinct. Standing in the middle of the room was none other than Gray, but he was once again in the form that he took when he and Natsu had fought the master of Tartaros. His raven hair stayed as dark as ever though ice seemed to cling to the strands and the right side of his body had become demonized. However, what worried Natsu was the murderous glint in Gray’s now red right eye, while his familiar droopy blue was hazy and dead-like. 

“Gray?” He called out to his friend tensely.

The half-demon standing in front of him didn’t respond; he only stood in the centre of the room staring at him…hell, Natsu didn’t even know if Gray was staring at him . This was completely different from last time. The last time, the ice mage still had his wits about himself and was able to communicate with Natsu perfectly…but now it didn’t seem that that was likely. 

“Natsu,” Erza whispered from behind him; hand prepared to start her requip, “What happened?”

“That yellow eyed bastard under the table tried to take Gray and nearly succeeded,” Natsu stated evenly as he called his flames to his hands, “I thought waking him up would stop the demonization process.”

“Clearly that didn’t work.” Lucy squeaked as she grabbed onto one of her keys, “We have to do something though; does anyone have any ideas?”

Some part of Natsu wanted to agree with her, but something didn’t seem right to him. Even if Gray wasn’t acting like himself, he wasn’t causing them any harm either. 

“But, if Gray-san is half-demon,” Wendy asked, “Why isn’t he attacking? I don’t sense any ill-will from him; maybe he’s going to be alright.” 

“I have the answer to that if you’re curious.”

Natsu turned his head to face the old man and he noticed that he had a strangely calm expression on his face:

“It seems that Mr. Fullbuster and his demon have come to a bit of an understanding,” He tilted his head, “I don’t know how, but I think he changed to protect instead of destroy ; how extraordinary. This hasn’t happened before.”

“That’s the most bullshit that I’ve heard in my entire life.” Grimaldi spat as he pushed himself to his feet, “Demons weren’t created to protect; they were created to end anything remotely smaller than them…and that’s why, I’m going to solve this before it becomes a problem! Zeroth will not walk Earthland again; I will not take that chance!”

Natsu knew what Grimaldi was going to do as soon as he moved. The dragon slayer rushed forward as the dark fog user started towards the catatonic demon standing in front of him. As Natsu went to dive for the mage, Grimaldi instantaneously transformed into fog causing Natsu to land flat on his face; the dragon slayer cursed under his breath and pushed himself to his feet only to see that the dark fog had once again engulfed Gray’s body.

“No!” He shouted desperately, “Get away from him!”

“I’ll make quick work of him,” Erza’s dark voice reached his ears, “Requip!”

However, instead of feeling the somewhat oppressing aura of the Queen of the Fairies’ magic…Natsu felt nothing .

“What the heck?!” Lucy screeched, “I can’t use my keys either!”

“His dark magic seems very versatile,” The old man stated ominously, “And that includes inhibiting your magical control.”

Natsu shot his gaze towards his hands and realized that his flames had extinguished without him knowing. 

“Do not worry Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail,” Grimaldi chuckled darkly, “I’ll return your friend after he is purified.”

“Come back here, you bastard!” Natsu roared as he ran towards the catatonic Gray and the dark fog.

He had to save the ice block…he had to save his friend before it was too late. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if Gray didn’t live through this mission. He reached forward in an attempt to pull Gray out of the fog only for the ice mage to disappear like a mirage from underneath his fingertips. Natsu flailed through the now vacant space and ran into the wall causing a huge crack to sound around the room.

“No…” He whispered as his knees caved in on him and he slid to the floor, “He’s gone.”

“Natsu-san,” Wendy whispered consolingly.

“He slipped right through my fingers,” The dragon slayer stared at his now trembling hands, “Dark magic or not, I’m going to take that yellow eyed bastard down! He’ll pay for messing with Fairy Tail!”

Natsu heard Erza’s knuckles crack from the other side of the room,

“Of course; we didn’t spend a year a part to be separated like this. We will bring Gray back through any means necessary.”

“But,” Lucy stated as she held onto her keys tightly, “How do we fight against a wizard who can affect the flow of our magic.”

Natsu grit his teeth,

“I already said that I don’t care about that.”

“Well you should!” The blonde told him sternly, “We can’t get Gray back without a solid plan!”

“Didn’t you hear the bastard?!” The dragon slayer hissed impatiently, “He’s going to kill the ice for brains if we don’t hurry up.”

Natsu flinched slightly at his own tone; especially when he noticed how Lucy stepped even farther away from him. He wasn’t usually like this; he wasn’t one to freak out over these situations, he left that up to Lucy and the other members of the guild. But this was about Gray; his rival, his best friend, and his most important person. He believed in the ice mage with his entire being, but he feared (yes, feared ) that Gray might not be able to pull out of this one on his own. 

And that worried him; though he wouldn’t be the first to admit it…though he’s probably shown it plenty of times already. 

“That’s enough,” Erza glared at the two of them, “Now is not the time for the two of you to be fighting; one of our dear friend’s lives are at stake.”

“Erza-san’s right,” Wendy nodded her head in agreement, “But I also agree with Lucy-san; we need to make sure we can defeat Grimaldi so that we can bring Gray-san back home with us unharmed.”

“Well,” The old man scoffed as he stroked his long beard, “You might not have to worry about that if Grimaldi manages to full awaken your friend.”

“What do you mean by that Josef?” Lucy inquired with a furrowed brow.

The old man, now known as Josef closed his eyes thoughtfully:

“Mr. Fullbuster’s ice devil slayer magic derives from the ice demon Zeroth correct?”

Natsu nodded his head slowly,

“At least that’s what that bastard said; he said that it was the most dangerous demon to ever live in the Northern Continent.” 

Josef looked as if he considered the response before he commented. When Natsu had first met the old man, he knew that he was as wise as Gramps and for as long as he spoke to him in the lobby, he seemed to have lived for a long time. Josef pursed his lips as he contemplated his answer. 

“Although that is true; it is not the most pressing matter,” He conceded, “The ice devil Zeroth was actually born in this very village; before it became a village of course.”

“Really?” Wendy’s eyes widened in disbelief, “What does that mean for Gray-san, oji-san?”

“It means that Mr. Fullbuster might succumb to the demon completely with no hope of regaining his senses; even if you were to save him from Grimaldi’s ‘purification’.”

Natsu grabbed Josef’s shirt and pulled him so close that their personal bubbles collided,

“What the hell do you mean by that?!”

Josef frowned sadly,

“I think that you know what it means Mr. Dragneel, even if you don’t wish to accept it as the truth.”

Lucy gulped from beside Erza,

“Are you saying that even if we manage to stop this Grimaldi person, Gray might not survive anyway?”

The fact that Josef would not deign her with answer was enough. Natsu released the old man just before his hands combusted into flames once more. He glared at the fire that now covered his hands in betrayal; why couldn’t they work earlier? Instead of saving his friend, all he could do was watch as Gray was taken away from them. It was if the year they all spent apart didn’t matter; he didn’t feel any stronger than he did a year ago…he was still losing the people he cared about.

“Oji-san,” Wendy blinked at the old man, “Is there a way we could save Gray-san from losing himself to the demon once it becomes fully awakened?”

“No,” He shook his head resolutely, “Not that I’ve heard of.”

Natsu felt the anger welling up in him at the man’s blatant denial of a solution before he felt someone’s gaze on him. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Josef was staring at him for some reason. He raised an eyebrow at the man’s stare, but shook it off when he was certain that the old man was messing with him. 

“Either way,” Erza folded her arms across her chest, “It is our mission to stop this Grimaldi character from destroying this village and from ending the lives of devil slayers who did nothing to harm the villagers or anyone else in their travels.”

“You’re right,” Lucy nodded her head in determination, “We need to find where our baddie plans on having his ritual.”

“Natsu-san and I could probably sniff him out,” Wendy offered, “But the cold and the wind might interfere with that.”

The pinkette glanced at the old man who was mysteriously silent,

“I’m willing to bet that you know exactly where they are headed old man.”

Josef smiled brightly and winked at the dragon slayer,

“You bet I do and I can even take you right to their doorstep.”

“What do you mean?” Erza demanded, “Do you know of a short cut?”

“It’s better if I just show you.”

Before any of them could ask him anymore questions, Josef stood in the center of their little group and through his arms towards the ceiling of their room. A large, yellow magic circle sprung underneath their feet and started to spin in a circular motion; just staring at it made Natsu’s stomach turn nauseously. He stared at each of his friends in turn he noticed that they were just as apprehensive as he was sick.

“Transport: Locus Maximus!”

As a bright light engulfed his vision and his stomach heaved he thought of only one thing.

FTFTFTFT

Natsu heaved as the ground stopped spinning from underneath his feet. Through his sickness, the scent of pine and snow reached his senses letting him now that they were now, most likely standing in the middle of a forest. He swallowed back the bile that rose to the forefront of his throat and raised his head to take in his surroundings only to see that he, Josef and the girls were standing in the middle of an ambush. His eyes narrowed as he turned towards the man who had inherently betrayed them to see that he was barely standing upright.

“It…it seems that I’ve overshot us for a bit,” He wiped the sweat off his wrinkled forehead, “I apologize for my carelessness.”

The dragon slayer relaxed at the old man’s apology and he smiled,

“It’s okay old man; now we can ask these idiots to take us to their ‘master’ and if they don’t they’ll be our warm up.”

Erza smiled as she took in the adversaries,

“I have to agree with you Natsu; I was getting a little frustrated earlier, what better way than to use these men as a stress reliever.”

The pinkette chuckled as a bright red light swallowed Erza whole only to disappear and show her in her Purgatory armour. It seemed as though the great Titania was all for ending this quickly. He ignited his hands and punched his knuckles together causing a wave heat to push against the enemy forces. 

Lucy pulled a key out and smiled nervously,

“I think Loke wouldn’t mind getting a piece of these guys too; Natsu, why don’t you go find Gray while we take care of these bozos!”

Natsu smiled in return,

“I’ll leave it up to you guys; Wendy, are you coming or are you going to hang back here?”

“I’m with you Natsu-san,” She nodded her head in determination, “Plus, I want to help Gray-san if he needs it.”

The dragon slayer grunted,

“Sounds like a plan and what about you old man?”

“I’d like to see how this turns out,” Josef revealed, “I’ll help in any way that I am able.”

“Alright,” Natsu smirked draconically at the men who started to push towards them, “I’m all fired up!”

He ran right into the group of men with his flaming fists hitting anyone he could reach. He was mildly conscious of Wendy using her Vernier spell on him in order to help his movements. He shouted at her in thanks before inhaling through his mouth and bringing his hands to his lips.

“Fire Dragon’s Roar!”

His opponents screamed in pain as his flames hit them. He jumped over the falling bodies as his nose picked up on the now tainted scent of the ice mage. His skin crawled from how strong the scent of rot had gotten since he had seen Gray only moments ago; he had to get to him before the bastard sealed his fate. 

“We won’t let you near our Master,” A random enemy stated, “You won’t interfere with his goal to save the world from demons like Deliora.”

“There’s one problem asswipe,” Natsu spat as he flapped his hands behind him, “Gray isn’t a demon; Fire Dragon’s Wing Attack!”

The annoying bastard was still standing after his attack, but that was rectified by Lucy donned in her Leo constellation outfit with Loke fighting by her side. His eyes connected at the celestial spirit and the two nodded at each other in understanding; the lion would leave it up to him to save their friend. Lucy winked at him as he ran passed though he didn’t really understand why.

He could hear the sounds of defeat from behind him as Erza took down another group of men with a swing of her Purgatory sword; her battle cry echoing through him as he pushed forward. He was proud Wendy too who was keeping up with him and using her wind attacks to take out the men that Natsu might have missed in his one man rampage. As a team, they would save Gray…as a team they would bring the ice bastard back home.

Natsu cared too much about him to leave him behind.

He ignited his left and right hand in flames and clapped them over his head; his eyes shining viciously at his last wall of attackers:

“Fire Dragon’s Brilliant Flame!”

An explosion shook the snow covered ground while the nearest pine trees were nearly torn from the ground from the impact. He ran so quickly that he could feel his flames burning at his heels as he plowed through the treeline and entered the clearing beyond the one that they had initially landed in. The full moon hung high in the sky while its bright beams brushed against the mostly untouched snow to make it resemble diamonds. Had it been any other day, Natsu might have actually been able to acknowledge the beauty of the landscape, but at this moment he found that he couldn’t.

For at this moment, his honey eyes were drawn to the wear the moon’s light cast a magic circle in the center of the clearing. Gray, who still seemed to be in his catatonic state was strapped to some sort of contraption in the middle of the circle. As he took in the intricacy of the circle, Natsu knew that he had not seen magic so complex in his life. 

“Natsu Dragneel,” Grimaldi called out to him from his position behind the trapped ice mage, “It seems that I have underestimated your desperation.”

The dragon slayer scowled at the yellow eyed man angrily,

“Enough of this bullshit, just let him go before I beat you to a bloody pulp!”

Grimaldi rolled his eyes and ignored him seamlessly,

“Have you ever experienced the magical power of the moon? If it weren’t for my comrades , there was no way I would’ve been able to complete it; there’s only one thing that can awake a demon from its slumber and this village known as Hielo has the answer.”

Wendy clenched her fists at her side,

“What do you mean by that?”

“Good question my dear child,” Grimaldi smiled toothily, “The answer is simple; Hielo is a rare village indeed for its land has the ability to absorb moonlight.”

Natsu felt a chill sweep down his spine as he realized what the insane man in front of him was implying. There was no way that this could be happening here; he thought that Galuna Island was the only island that had the ability to collect the light of the moon. 

“You’re talking about the Moon Drip.”

“Ah,” Grimaldi smiled at Josef, “You know your spells old man and as you should know that it is through this spell that we find retribution for all the villages that have been destroyed by demons. It is through the Moon Drip that we are able to awaken the demons hiding in these vessels and vanquish them!”

“Over my dead body you’ll do that,” Josef threated imposingly, “Summoning Zeroth of all demons is a mistake; that demon won’t be detained by that contraption you have that boy chained up in, even if it is laced with anti-devil magic. You’ll put innocent lives at risk; including the life of Mr. Fullbuster!”

Grimaldi cackled as he stared up at the light of the moon as it inched closer and closer to the catatonic Gray,

“I will save this village, but peace does not come without a few sacrifices.”

Natsu smashed his fists together,

“And you plan on sacrificing my ice princess? I don’t think so!”

Without giving Grimaldi a chance to react, Natsu pushed his flames into heels once more and sped towards the darkness user. He angled his head downward and slammed his forehead into Grimaldi’s solar plexus causing the bastard to gasp out as he flew into a nearby tree. Not hesitating in the slightest, Natsu pulled a flaming fist backwards and struck Gray’s kidnapper in the face prompting his skull to crack the bark of the tree he was forced against.

“Your ice princess huh?” Grimaldi spat at the ground, “I don’t give a damn what you call him; I’ll purify him if it’s the last thing I do!”

Grimaldi shoved his shoulder into Natsu’s adam’s apple making the dragon slayer grunt and fall away from the darkness user. Once again, he found tendrils of dark fog sucking the flames off his body and usurping his control over his magic. He was not going to let this bastard win; with or without magic he was going to kill the bastard!

“Sky Dragon’s Roar!”

Instinctively, Natsu dropped onto his stomach as a tornado of wind brushed through his pink hair and struck Grimaldi in the chest and away from Natsu. The pinkette could still feel the fog leeching on his magic, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as before. He shot a thumbs up towards the younger dragon slayer and smiled toothily.

“Way to go Wendy! You just saved my ass!”

“Not a problem Natsu-san,” She said as she ran up beside him, “We’re not going to let this guy win; oji-san is going to try and get Gray-san out of the anti-devil magic contraption while we distract Grimaldi.”

Natsu nodded his head in understanding,

“Right, we’ll leave Gray to the old man!”

He ran towards Grimaldi once more who was getting to his feet while holding his head. Natsu smirked as he once again felt his magic roar to life in his body. Natsu closed his eyes for a brief moment and tapped into the power that lingered precariously close to his own.  He once again found himself inhaling deeply as his hands were placed in front of his lips; there was no way the bastard was getting up from this one. 

“Lightning Flame Dragon’s Roar!”

A stream of lightning and fire came shooting out of his mouth towards the dark mage. Natsu saw fear shine in the man’s eyes for a second before Grimaldi raised his hands in front of him as if he was pushing against a wall.

“Dark Syphoner!”

Natsu growled as his magic was redirected towards the treeline and struck down a group of trees in the process. The dragon slayer called his magic to him once more prepared to continue his onslaught of attacks only for the ground to quake underneath his feet. His stomach churned ominously at the movement, but the sickness that was starting within him seemed to dissipate when he felt a familiar hand on his forearm.

“Thank you Wendy.” He sighed in relief.

The girl smiled brightly at his praise,

“It’s for moments like this that I don’t use Troia on you when we go on the train.”

“Yeah, Yeah…”

His response was cut short by the ground shaking once more and a loud roar tearing through the sky. Natsu felt his blood freeze in his veins as he turned towards the old man and the trapped ice mage. Despite Josef’s efforts, Gray didn’t fully make it out of the circle before the Moon Drip reached him. His stomach dropped as the remainder of Gray’s body turned black and blueish veins had appeared on his skin. The ice mage turned demon sluggishly pushed himself to his feet and tilted his face towards the moon; a guttural roar echoing throughout the night when Gray had opened his mouth.

“Oh no,” Wendy covered her mouth in fear, “We were too late.”

“No,” Natsu denied with a shake of his head, “Don’t say that; we can still get him out of this.”

Grimaldi limped over to the magic circle and cackled,

“You’re delusional if you think that wretch can still be saved; leave this monster to me.”

The dragon slayer growled as his fire and lightning magic surrounded him,

“He isn’t a monster and even if he was, you’re the one who made him that way.”

Suddenly, the air around them descended to even colder temperatures; if Natsu wasn’t a fire mage he would’ve probably been frozen stiff. He shot a worried glance towards Wendy and noticed that the younger dragon slayer had pressed herself as closely as she could to his side. He shot a glance towards the cause of all this and saw to his delight that Grimaldi was barely able to stay standing. Natsu found himself remembering the old man belatedly and was blown away to see him staring at Gray with a glint in his eye; not even bowing to the cold that the ice mage turn demon had given off.

Natsu tensed as the demonized ice mage turned towards them; a hungry look in his blood red gaze. Natsu prepared himself as the ice mage inhaled before unleashing a thunderous roar that shook the trees and the very land they stood on. The pinkette pulled Wendy to the ground as shards of ice came flying towards them like a barrage of bullets.

“Oi Gray!” He shouted furiously, “Watch where you’re aiming that thing!”

The ice mage merely growled and swung his arm out to the side causing icicles to sprout from the ground in a large chain towards them. Natsu hurriedly brought his own hands to his lips and released another Fire Dragon’s Roar in an attempt to fight back. Natsu cursed when he discovered that it wasn’t enough and was prepared to accept that he lost that face off when he was pushed backwards by Erza in her Ice Empress armour with a massive shield held in front of all four of them. 

“Erza-san!” Wendy chirped, “I’m glad you’re alright!”

“Good to see that you’re well Wendy, you too Natsu,” Erza threw away her destroyed shield and her knees shook as she stood upright, “But from the look of things, Gray is not.”

“Erza, Natsu, Wendy!” Lucy called out as she and Loke joined them, “Are you guys alright, that was a hard hit.”

“I’m fine,” The red head shook it off, “As for Gray…”

The ice mage roared again and trees suffered his wrath. Natsu tried to think of a way to stop the ice mage before he did something that he would regret. He knew that if Gray did something to any of them while under the control of Zeroth, he would blame himself. His eyes glinted as something silver requipped into Grimaldi’s hand. The yellow eyed man smiled at the dragon slayer as seemed to realize that he would not get to Gray before Natsu go to him.

As the pinkette was about to pounce onto Grimaldi, the dark fog user threw the knife like a dart; the blade piercing right into Gray’s side without him even realizing. For a moment, everything was still, before the world erupted into chaos. From the point of impact, dark red flames erupted from Gray’s side sending guttural screams into the shivering night. As the flames started to engulf the ice demon that was once his best friend shards of ice started to explode around the ground. 

Natsu grabbed the front of Grimaldi’s jacket,

“What did you do to him?!”

Grimaldi smiled,

“I’m saving him…I’m saving everyone .”

“You’ve made a mistake Grimaldi,” Josef pointed a boney finger at the man in Natsu’s grip, “You have doomed all of Hielo, not saved it!”

Erza stepped in front of the old man in her ice empress armour as she blocked an ice attack,

“What are you talking about Josef?”

“As I have told you before, Zeroth the ice devil originated in this very village,” Josef stated seriously: “Before there was a village, there was Zeroth the ice devil and it wasn’t until an ice mage managed to tame this ice devil and bind him to slayer magic that this village was able to be born.”

“What shit are you spouting, you crazy old fool?!” Grimaldi spat.

“I’m saying that it was a Fullbuster that tamed Zeroth all that millennia ago and that is why his brand of ice devil slaying magic can only be passed on from father to son.” Josef stated darkly, “And you Giuseppe may have just killed the only vessel strong enough to tame the Absolute ice demon.”

Natsu couldn’t really absorb what was being said; it wasn’t the time for a history lesson anyways. However, what did catch his attention was the fact that the old man had said that Gray was dying . He was not going to let that happen. Fairy Tail had just gotten back together, after a year of separation they were finally all back together, and there was no way he was going to go back to their home without Gray by his side.

He needed Gray by his side!

With resounding punch to Grimaldi’s face, Natsu jumped off the man who started this all and ran towards the ice mage who was now writhing on the ground in agony as the red fire seemed to eat away at his blackened skin. His nose immediately picked out the scent of blood above Gray’s hip and found the knife that was stuck in his side.

“Old man!” He looked at Josef, “Is it safe for me to eat this fire?”

“Of course it is,” Josef played with his beard, “The fire is pure after all and if I’m not mistaken, it’ll be the only way you’ll save Mr. Fullbuster.”

Natsu didn’t need to hear anything else; he immediately inhaled through his mouth and the flames started to dance along his tongue and go down his throat. They kind of had a funny taste to them, but it didn’t matter; all that mattered was that he had to put the fire out. The more flames he managed to get into his belly, the more the blade in his hand started to shift. He flinched as another roar of pain tore from the ice mage’s throat; more ice sprouting around the room as the demon fought against the flames.

“Gray,” Natsu paused as he tried to catch his breath, “It’s going to be okay, you’re going to be okay; but you can’t fight me when I’m trying to help!”

The dragon slayer yanked on the knife and pulled it came sliding out of Gray’s body as the last of the flames died on the ice mage’s skin. Wendy immediately ran over as the blade was thrown to the side. Without hesitation she placed her hands over Gray’s wound and a green light swallowed her hands. Natsu was about to relax when the green light stuttered and died.

“Wendy,” He stared at the sky dragon slayer, “What’s happening?”

The blunette bit her lip and tried to summon her healing,

“I…I don’t know…Gray-san just isn’t healing!”

Natsu cursed under his breath and wiped towards Grimaldi who was being guarded by Loke,

“You! Tell me why Gray isn’t healing; what the hell did you do to him?!”

The yellow eyed mage spat blood on the ground and grinned triumphantly,

“The knife purifies the demon by taking out the demon’s life force; I guess it was in long enough to have lasting effects.” 

“You bastard!”

He suddenly heard a sob break from Wendy causing him to turn his head towards her in worry. Her hands were trembling as she pushed her hands harder into Gray’s wound as she forced her magic to respond to her. But no matter how much she tried, nothing seemed to happen. Her hands slackened as more blood covered her small fingers; her eyes closed as tears flowed down her cheeks.

“No Natsu-san, don’t…” She whispered; her lips quivering, “It’s Gray-san…his heart…”

That’s when he heard it; it was getting slower…

“Don’t you dare do this ice block!” Natsu yelled as he grabbed onto Gray’s shoulders, “Don’t you dare give up on me! I believe in you, so fight it; goddamn you Gray Fullbuster, FIGHT!”

He could hear Lucy breaking down in the background…

“We’re here for you! We’re waiting for you!” He roared as his hands slipped off Gray’s shoulders and wrapped around his torso instead, “We’re waiting for you so we can go home! Even if I have to pick you up and drag you there; I’m bringing you back home!”

He buried his head into Gray’s hair; the rotting scent that had been following him for days had finally disappeared. His heart was descending into silence second by second. He quickly laid the ice mage on the ground once more and placed his too warm hands on the ice mage’s chest. The blackened tough skin was still receding, but he managed to find a spot where Gray’s skin had returned to normal. He pushed down on Gray’s chest as he tried to keep the ice mage’s heart beating under his fingers.

He heard Erza’s armoured footsteps coming towards him, but he ignored her; he wouldn’t give up on Gray yet…he couldn’t give up on him!

He hastily tilted Gray’s head back and used one of his hands to plug his nose. Natsu forced back the rush of embarrassment that he felt and leaned down to press his lips against Gray’s. He exhaled into the ice mage’s mouth in an attempt to get Gray’s breathing to regulate; it was starting to fade too. He breathed for Gray three times, then pressed on his chest three times…

Breathe three times…

Press three times…

Breathe three times…

Press three times…

Natsu leaned back on his knees as he realized that what he was doing wasn’t working. His chest clenched as he raised a trembling hand towards the ice mage’s face and tangled a hand in his raven locks. The dragon slayer cursed under his breath as his eyes started to burn. His eyes wandered to the scar that rested on Gray’s forehead…the scar that he had received during their mission on Galuna Island; that seemed so long ago now. Despite the fact that his friends were around him, Natsu slumped forward and rested his heated forehead against Gray’s cool one.

Though, it was even colder than normal.

“I know you feel like letting go ice princess,” He whispered, “But I won’t let you…I’ll pick you up even if you don’t want me to; I’m not going back without you…please Gray come back…even if you feel like you don’t have a home; then I’ll be your home…you’re not alone. I make sure of that…so don’t leave me alone too…”

He felt Erza put a hand on his shoulder, but he kept his head bowed:

“Natsu…”

“Stop being a lazy ass, you damn exhibitionist!” Natsu shouted one last time as he turned his tear ridden eyes towards the moon that hung in the sky, “GRAY!”

FTFTFTFT

Gray opened his eyes and found himself having to shut them again.

He groaned under his breath and rubbed his eyes exhaustedly; how long had he been asleep for? He slowly pushed himself upwards so he could get out of bed and find the others, only for him to cringe in pain as something like hot pokers trailed up his side. He pulled his blanket down and frowned as he noticed that his midsection was swathed in bandages and he had random small bandages all over his body; what in the hell happened.

He glanced around himself and his eyes immediately fell on the myriad of bodies that lay around the room. Erza was sitting on the floor next to the door with one of her swords resting in her lap. He knew that even though she looked asleep, that if she heard the slightest noise she would wake up with her sword swinging; not caring who she was swinging at. His gaze then found Lucy who was curled up next to Wendy on the double bed beside him and his eyebrows furrowed that both of them looked bruised and dusty. But what surprised him the most was that Natsu was sitting in a chair right next to his bed with his body slumped forward and his head resting on the bed.

“What happened here?”

He clutched his forehead as blurry thoughts passed through his mind like a movie reel. There was just so much darkness and everything was so cold…colder than what even he could handle. His heart thudded in his chest as he faintly recognized the feeling from after he woke up from his night terrors. He glanced down at his right arm and rubbed his hand against it as if it was in pain. He remembered it stinging slightly before he went to bed the night before and he wasn’t feeling too well either…but seemed to have happened, something big. 

“Mr. Fullbuster it seems you have finally awoken.”

Gray nearly jumped out of his skin as his head whipped towards the unfamiliar voice. Sitting at the slightly broken table (when did that happen?) with his arms carefully folded in his lap and soft smile on his face. He looked at the stranger in confusion, but couldn’t help but find himself relaxing. If his teammates can relax with the old man in here, then he should be able to as well.

Or so he hoped.

“Yeah,” He shrugged his shoulders and winced, “I guess...uh…I know this might seem weird, but who are you and what are you doing in our room?

The old man laughed,

“You can call me Josef and I am the one who requested Fairy Tail’s presence in Hielo.”

Gray rubbed the back of his neck,

“I see…”

Josef smiled at Gray’s inherent discomfort which caused the ice mage to scowl. Why was this guy so happy? He took in his wounded form once more and assumed that they completed the quest; though he couldn’t remember doing so…which made his stomach churn. 

“Do…” He closed his eyes for a moment; embarrassed at having to admit this, “Do you know what happened during the mission? I’m kind of drawing a blank.”

Josef nodded his head solemnly,

“That is understandable Mr. Fullbuster; you weren’t yourself for the entirety of it.”

The raven frowned at the vagueness of the response,

“Well, I guess I was sick…but…”

“No,” The old man cut him off immediately, “It was not an illness; not an ordinary one in any case. Tell me Mr. Fullbuster, how much do you know about you’re devil slayer magic?”

Gray stared at him blankly before coughing awkwardly; how did the old man know about his slayer magic? He didn’t particularly rely on it during missions unless their enemies warranted for him to use it. Although it was a gift from his father, he preferred to use the magic that Ur taught him and occasionally mixed the two if need be. He stared at the old calculatedly but released a sigh.

“Not much to be honest; it was given to me by my father before he died.” He mumbled, “I never had the chance to ask him what the magic entailed; I only wanted it so that I could fulfill his dream and become strong enough to protect my friends.”

Josef’s crows’ feet next to his eyes crinkled slightly,

“That’s a nice ambition as long as you manage to stay in control I would say.” 

Gray’s eyes narrowed at the comment,

“I can stay in control; the old hag showed me how a little over six months ago.”

He glared at the old man when he didn’t say anything to him. Suddenly, Josef pushed himself to his feet and hobbled his way towards the bed. He stopped when he was a meter away from Gray and stroked his beard contemplatively once more. The ice mage didn’t know what it was about the old man, but something just seemed otherworldly about him; and coming from a mage that said something. 

“I’m going to show you something Mr. Fullbuster,” Josef explained to him, “You might not like it and you might not want to believe it, but rest assured everything you will see happened.”

“Show me?” He blinked owlishly.

“Prepare yourself,” Josef smiled reassuringly, “and remember the others do not blame you for the fate that had befallen you.”

Gray just watched the old man as a wrinkled hand reached for his hands. A bright yellow light engulfed their joined hands and a sharp pain laced through his forehead as images started to race through his mind. His talk with Natsu, his exhaustion, his sickness, the darkness, the cold, the need for bloodshed, the need for vengeance, the burning, the cold, the hopelessness, Natsu’s voice…the light in the dark. He watched through another person’s eyes as the ice demon that laid dormant within him took over his body and attacked his friends. 

That’s what he couldn’t remember? His demon was set free and it laid siege on his comrades? On Lucy and Loke, on Erza and Wendy…on Natsu; he had tried to hurt all of them. He shot a glance towards the man who had tried to ‘purify’ him; the man who unleashed his inner demon. If he was truly capable of this…of losing control…he wished that Natsu had let him…

“Did you see the events that occurred while you were imprisoned?” 

Gray blinked the spots out of his vision and looked at the old man who seemed even more weathered than moments before,

“I…I really attacked them?”

“Yes Mr. Fullbuster, but you must understand that it was not your fault. Do not wish death upon yourself for what had happened. Look to a time where you can hone the powers of the ice devil and create a brighter a future for you and your friends.”

The raven curled his fingers into the blanket that pooled around his waist; that’s all he wanted. He wanted to use his magic to create a life where he and his friends could live together; it wasn’t until the mission that he took on Galuna Island that he realized that. If it wasn’t for Natsu he wouldn’t have learned that in order to move on from the past, he needed to face it. He closed his eyes as the images of what transpired during this mission barraged his mind; in order to get passed what happened, in order to get stronger, he had to face what he had done on this mission.

“Do not be ashamed Mr. Fullbuster,” Josef stated as he squeezed onto Gray’s hand, “What happened that night was not your fault. The one thing to come of this is that you found an anchor for you to hold onto if you shall find yourself lost once more.”

Gray’s eyebrows furrowed,

“An anchor?”

Josef smiled knowingly,

“You’re lucky enough to have many close friends Mr. Fullbuster, but there is one friend that you depend on more than any other even if you don’t want to admit it to yourself.”

The ice mage found his tired eyes falling on Natsu causing his cheeks to heat up with embarrassment. He never did like admitting it, but the dragon slayer was truly the person that he believed in the most. He trusted Natsu with his life and he knew that the pinkette felt the same even if he didn’t voice it. After all, he wouldn’t have been alive today if it weren’t for Natsu stopping him from using Iced Shell on Galuna. 

“As long as you continue to depend on your anchor,” The old man closed his eyes, “You will be able to do anything and that includes fulfilling your ambitions.”

Gray chuckled under his breath,

“Thank you old man, for not knowing me very well you… know me .” 

“It is my pleasure Mr. Fullbuster,” Josef smiled wider, “Now why don’t you get some more rest, you seem as if you could still use it…”

Gray found his eyes slipping closed as the words trailed from Josef’s mouth. He lay back so that his head rested on the pillows once more. He winced slightly when the movement pulled on his wounds (which he would have to inspect later), but let out a long breath as sleep started to tug at his mind. As his eyes started to drift closed, he saw and felt a warm light engulf the room along with an old hand touching his forehead.

“It truly was a pleasure to meet you,” Josef’s voice echoed, “My many times great-grandson.”

But Gray thought he imagined it as he welcomed the darkness.

FTFTFTFT

When Gray woke up again the sunlight was still shining through the window, but he could tell from the orangey colour that it was starting to go down.

He went to push himself up as he did earlier only for a pair of warm hands to grab onto him. Gray’s heart thudded in his chest as he jumped in surprise, though he relaxed when he realized that the person holding him still was none other than the idiot flame head. He raised an eyebrow at the dragon slayer when he noticed that his complimentary goofy smile was nowhere in sight. He sighed under his breath and looked into Natsu’s shadowed honey eyes.

“Natsu…”

“Do you have any idea how close it was?” Natsu interrupted him.

Gray thought back to what Josef had shown him and nodded grimly,

“I have a clue.”

The dragon slayer released his shoulders and slumped back into the chair that Gray had seen him in earlier. The ice mage couldn’t help but frown as he realized how tense and worried Natsu was. Even though he had seen what Natsu had to go through because of the old man’s help, he couldn’t imagine what it would’ve been like for the dragon slayer. Especially after what happened in Ishgar; he knew Natsu wouldn’t be able to handle losing anyone else. That’s the main reason why the pinkette had left Magnolia in the first place; to get stronger so that no one he cared about would get hurt in front of him ever again.

It was one of the reasons why Gray had left as well.

“Natsu,” He sighed, “I’m fine now; you know that.”

The dragon slayer scowled,

“But you almost weren’t …why didn’t you tell any of us about feeling sick?”

Gray’s eyes widened when he realized that Wendy, Lucy and Erza weren’t in the room with them anymore. He glanced around to see if he could get any sign of them; or maybe he was actually just trying to avoid the question. Seeming to understand what he was trying to do, Natsu sighed loudly and crossed his arms across his chest.

“The others went to get something to eat; they got bored of watching your sleeping ass,” He smirked teasingly, “Now stop running away and answer the damn question.”

The ice mage ran his hand through his hair,

“I thought I was just tired because I didn’t sleep on the train ride here. I think I realized I had a fever before I fell asleep, but I passed out before I could do anything about it.”

Natsu seemed to look at him as though he didn’t believe him in the slightest. Of course he couldn’t really blame him; the ice mage knew he was good at hiding things from his friends and he hated being fussed over…and Natsu knew this as well. Gray scowled at the thought; Natsu was being a hypocrite, the dumbass has placed himself in much more serious situations than this…

Sort of.

“It’s not like I intended for this to happen flame freak.” Gray argued.

“Well obviously stripper,” Natsu rolled his eyes, “But maybe we could’ve helped you sooner if we knew that you weren’t yourself.”

“It turned out okay, didn’t it?”

Natsu slammed his hands on the bed; his hands shrouded in flames,

“But it almost didn’t! You died ; your fucking heart stopped beating because you’re too proud to admit that you need help! Get it through your ice filled skull that you’re not alone you damn bastard!”

Gray glared at the fire mage darkly,

“The same could be said about you! You always risk your life for all of us without thinking about it!”

“That’s because I want to protect all of you,” The dragon slayer stressed, “You’re all important to me!”

“Well you’re important to me!” Gray roared, “Goddamnit you flame eating lizard! You’re important to all of us and we can’t lose you; I can’t lose you !”

Their chests heaved as their anger surrounded the room in an oppressive silence. The stupid dragon slayer made him so angry sometimes! Why couldn’t the dumbass understand that he was just as important as everyone else in the guild?! Why couldn’t he get it through his head that people would cry if he recklessly threw away his life in order to save them?! Why couldn’t he understand that he was the guiding light of Fairy Tail that led people out of their darkness?!

Why couldn’t he understand that he saved him?!

Suddenly, Gray finally clued in to what he had previously yelled at Natsu. His anger quickly dissipated and an uncomfortable blush coloured his cheeks. He rubbed the back of his neck and closed his eyes as he released an exhausted breath.

“I mean…” He began pathetically, “It’s just that…”

He felt his body heat up as he felt Natsu’s hand curl around his own,

“Whether you like it or not ice princess, I can’t lose you either; so it looks like we’re stuck.”

Gray looked up at the pinkette wide eyed for a moment before a small smile quirked against his lips. He flipped his hand over so that his knuckles now brushed the bed sheets so that he would be able to tangle his fingers with the dragon slayer’s. He knew without a doubt in his mind that Natsu was his anchor; he knew without a doubt that he wouldn’t be able to fulfill his father’s wish without the help of Natsu and his friends. Even though he didn’t want his friends to be directly involved…even though he didn’t want them to get hurt…

When he looked into Natsu’s burning honey eyes he knew that he wasn’t alone.

And no matter how much that scared him…

It set him free too.