Summer in Magnolia was fire. It was heat. It was pain. It was Natsu laughing at Gray. It was Erza using a different type of armor. It was the guild wanting Gray to cool them down. Basically, it was Gray's definition of hell. In a joking matter.

He always made an effort to visit the guild, even on days when the sun seemed to beat down on him more than usual. Gray wiped the sweat from his brow and peeled off his jacket he didn't even notice he had put on. He shrugged it off as instinct. The ice mage took a deep breath in, then out, before entering the guild.

Everything was running smoothly. Mira was at the bar serving cool drinks with Kinana. Macao and Wakaba were debating on whether or not to go into the pool. Half of the guild was already in said pool, with Juvia trying her best to keep the water nice and cool. Erza and Lucy were sitting at the bar in summer clothes, both of the girls drinking iced tea. Natsu and Romeo were no where to be found, which Gray took as a blessing.

Then, things started to go unravel.

Mirajane saw Gray enter the guild and quickly rushed over to him. "Gray, we need you in the back! The fridge stopped working and we need you to keep everything cool until we can get it fixed."

Gray sighed, then smiled. "Sure thing Mira. Just lead me to it."

The barista quickly led Gray to where the large fridge was in the back room of the guild. "We keep a lot of food and drinks in it that need to stay cold. How long can you keep it up for?"

The ice mage tilted his head. "I can keep it up for a long time, since it's not something that will use up a lot of my magic. Unless I go into battle and need to undo the spell, the fridge can stay cold for about two weeks. I don't know if I am hold up a spell longer than that."

Mira grinned, tucking a piece of her white bangs that were left out of her high ponytail behind her ear. "Thank you, Gray! I can get you some cold water after this if you need it."

"Ah, thanks Mira. I'll definitely need it in this heat."

Gray continued by stripping off his shirt and closing his eyes to focus on the spell he was about to cast. The temperature of the room dropped drastically and soon the fridge was working in a make-shift way until a professional could be called in.

The raven took a deep breath out and lowered his hands from where he had placed them on the fridge for the spell. "There ya go. Good as new, almost. Call me and let me know if the spell doesn't hold up. It should, but I'm not sure if I have to fight."

Mira nodded and quickly rushed to get Gray a tall glass filled to the brim with ice cold water. "Here you go! Thanks for helping, Gray, it means a lot."

Once Mirajane had left the raven's side, Lucy snuck up to sit beside him. "Ah, Gray. It's so much cooler with you around. I remember last summer I nearly died of heat stroke."

Gray chuckled. "That doesn't sound likely, Lucy. But I know the feeling, so I know what you mean."

Macao suddenly spotted Gray and waved at the younger boy. "Gray! Come over here! We need you!"

Gray sighed once more that day and smiled at Lucy before heading over to his elders' table. "Yeah?"

Wakaba took his cigar out of his mouth and released a puff of smoke. "Can you stay here and keep us cool? Macao isn't allowed in the pool because of his fire magic and I'm sticking with him."

The ice wizard shrugged. "Sure, you got a smoke?"

The older bearded mage handed Gray a pack of cigarettes and the latter graciously took one. After getting Macao to light it for him, Gray started to smoke next to Wakaba. What happened next was entirely unexpected.

Natsu and Romeo somehow got into the guild and snuck up behind Gray without being detected. The two snickered and got their magic ready in the palms.

"Fire blast!"

Both fire mages yelled out the spell name and covered Gray in flames. To say that Gray's day went from miserable to horrible was an understatement. No, his day went fro miserable to straight to the depths of hell. In the one moment the flames touched his skin, Gray had descended to the ninth circle of hell and was sitting beside a flame-covered Satan. Or, at least, that's how Gray saw the situation.

Mirajane quickly ushered over, accompanied by Erza who was looking the Satan Gray saw himself sitting next to. Natsu and Romeo quickly stopped the spell. Gray, who had been holding his breath, slowly released it. He weakly looked down at his body, only to find it looking charred in places.

Erza equipped a sword into her hand. "Natsu, Romeo, I-"

Gray stopped Erza by standing up. He realized his cigarette was gone, that was a disappointment. "Natsu, I'm holding up a spell so that the guild's fridge can keep working. That almost canceled it out. You don't want to make Mira upset, do you?"

Mirajane caught onto what Gray was trying to do and comically burst out into (fake) tears. "The professional won't come in for a week because of the heat and I wouldn't know what to do if it stopped working for too long."

Natsu immediately panicked at Mira's tears. "I- uh.. Well... I- R-"

Gray burst out laughing and pointed at Natsu. "You should see your face Flamebrain! You look so pathetic!"

Needless to say, the fire dragonslayer's nervousness quickly melted into rage. "What! I dare you to say that again, Ice princess!"

Erza and Mira sighed as the two started a brawl and headed back to their positions at the bar. Lucy was looking on from a distance, her head tilted in confusion. "Ne, Erza. Since when does Gray smoke?"

The S-Class mage sat down and took a sip of her iced tea. "He's always smoked. Ever since Wakaba introduced him when he was a teen I think. Of course, no one likes him smoking, but I thought he quit not soon after you joined the guild. Gray must have picked it back up. Natsu is usually there to get him to stop though."

Lucy thought about the situation a bit before asking another question. "Do you know why he smokes?"

To that, Erza had no true answer. "I think he does it to calm himself down. You'll have to ask him yourself since I'm not sure."

Mira refilled the two girls' iced teas and moved onto try to help Gray clean up since his brawl with Natsu had ended. Gray ran a hand through his hair. "It's alright Mira, you don't have to push yourself. I'm going to go home and take a shower. Let me know if anything happens and I'm needed through a lacrima, alright?"

The barista softly smiled and nodded. "I'll let you know, Gray. Now get home and wash off all that soot! We won't let you anywhere near the pool until you do!"

Gray chuckled and held up his hands in fake surrender. "Okay, okay, I'm going. See ya."

As soon as the ice mage walked out of the guild hall, he headed home to an apartment building. The landlord was a traveler and never was around much, so Gray pretty much had free rein and could strip without judgement.

While Gray was at his apartment getting cleaned up, Erza was looking at quests on the board. A particular one caught her eye and she tore it down. "Mira! Can I see about taking this quest with my team? It's up North, which I think would be a great change from this weather."

Mirajane looked at the quest paper and nodded, getting out a book to write it down. "This quest is in a small town called Brago. Apparently it was just rebuilt not long ago since it had been destroyed in X774. A dark group is trying to take over the town so that they can take over even more land. There aren't many wizards, so the battle is an uphill struggle... I think your team would be perfect for this! I can set you up a train ride to Brago that leaves in just an hour if you'd like."

Erza nodded at the suggestion. "Yes, an hour will be more than enough time. I'll stop by Gray's apartment to let him know. Thank you, Mira."

The white haired model smiled. "Anytime!"

The red head walked out of the guild hall and started to make her way towards Gray's apartment. On the way there, visions of what the dark guild could be like flashed across her mind. Where they strong? Or weak? Did they have a dress code? Or would they look like citizens? What if-

Erza stopped herself before walking into the main door of Gray's apartment building. She knocked on the door loud enough that if Gray was in the shower, he would hear her. The S-Class wizard politely waited a few moments before the door was opened to Gray wearing nothing more than his boxers.

"Gray, your clothes."

"I just got out of the shower, Erza. What is it? Did something happen at the guild?"

"No. I took a quest for our team. It's to take town a dark guild in a North town called Brago. Mira said-"

"Let me stop you there. Brago? As in the town that was destroyed?"

Erza blinked twice. "Mira said it was rebuild not more than two years ago. How did you know it had been destroyed?"

Gray sighed and leaned on the doorframe. "I was there. Deliora was the one who destroyed it. It was the place where Ul cast Iced Shell."

The redhead in armor nodded thoughtfully. "If you aren't feeling up to going, you don't have to. I just thought you would be a valuable player since it's colder up North. I already took the quest so-"

"Erza, I'll be fine. I'm stronger than you think I am. If the town has been rebuilt, I have nothing to worry about. Besides, it's been a while since I've gone up North. I know the area well."

"Thank you, Gray. Now get dressed and pack your things. We are leaving in less than an hour in order to get there before nightfall."

"What?!"

•

Gray grumbled impatiently while waiting for the train. Erza wasn't kidding when she said that the train would arrive in less than an hour. The ice wizard was grateful he had already gotten a shower out of the way, so all he had to do was pack his things, get dressed, and psych himself up. Apparently he did all of so in half and hour, so he was the first to arrive at the train station. Even Erza hadn't arrived yet.

Lucy was surprisingly the next one to arrive. She brought a suitcase and a smaller bag with her. "Hey Gray, is it going to be really cold up North?"

The raven considered the options and nodded. "It gets pretty cold in Brago. There won't be any snowfall because it's the summer, but there will still be some on the ground and it will get really windy at times depending on where you are."

The blonde nodded. "I brought a bunch of winter clothes for this instead of putting some on before because it is hot out still! I hope that Natsu won't burn any of them..."

Erza scared the waiting duo by replying to Lucy's statement from behind her. "Lucy, if Natsu burns your things, I promise you I'll knock some sense into him."

Gray grabbed the front of his shirt and Lucy jumped ten feet up into the air. The redhead was simply confused at the reaction. "Did I say something offensive?"

Lucy kindly shook her head. "No, you just scared us since we weren't expecting you. Now all we have to do is wait for Natsu..."

Gray rolled his eyes. "Can't we just leave the bastard behind? He's going to try to melt all the snow in Brago when we get there. And it isn't the first time he's tried to."

Erza crossed her arms. "Gray. You know perfectly well why we cannot leave him. Natsu is part of our team and we should never leave nakama behind."

The train started to pull into the station and called for any passengers. Gray was about to step onto the train when he heard a scream coming from behind him. The scream was one he was familiar with since he has heard it so many times. "Natsu's here."

The dragonslayer yelled as he ran straight onto the train, not once looking back or stopping. It got everyone's attention who were in the train station. Erza, Gray, and Lucy merely kept boarding the train, not paying much attention to Natsu as he had pulled the type of stunt many times before.

Lucy quickly stole a seat next to Erza once the team (or rather, just Natsu since he had ran to the closest one) chose a booth. Gray internally groaned when he saw he had to sit next to Natsu. "If he throws up on me, I'm blaming all of you." He warned as he sat down.

Erza shook her head. "There's no need for that. He's already knocked out. We can all enjoy sweets from the vender in the meantime."

The trio still awake were served something of their choice. Erza, of, course, got a slice of her favorite strawberry cheesecake. Lucy decided to keep it simple and ordered a piece of apple pie. Gray eventually caved in and ordered a slice of cake.

While they were all talking and eating, Erza kept glancing at Gray to make sure he was holding up okay. She knew it wasn't an easy task for him to say yes to this mission, but then again, she believed that Gray needed to fully accept his past one way or another. This quest in Brago was perfect for that opportunity. But whatever would happen, Erza prayed that she would be able to be there for Gray to lean on.

The ice wizard finished his cake and yawned, laying his head back on the seat. "I'm going to sleep for a bit. Wake me up when we get there."

The two girls nodded at Gray's request and fell into a quiet conversation.

•

When Gray woke up, the train had just stopped and Natsu was laying down on his lap. His eyes immediately flicked to Erza and Lucy, who weren't paying much attention. "Can one of you get my bag? I have to help flame brain off the train."

Lucy nodded. "I got it. Good luck." A shiver ran through her spine as she remembered the difficulties of trying to get Natsu off the train because she had done it many times before.

The two female wizards got off the train first as Gray woke Natsu up. "Come on, idiot, we can't be here all day."

Seeing as Natsu didn't move, Gray sighed in exasperation and was forced to get Natsu into a standing position. That way, Gray was able to pick him up and get off the train easier.

The second Gray stepped onto the ground, the dragonslayer in his arms sprang to life and was dropped onto the ground he was trying to kiss. "I am never going on a train ever again! Not without Wendy and Troia! Never again!"

He suddenly jumped up and grinned. "Let's go to the hotel!"

The trio were left to follow Natsu through the thick snow at their feet which was soon melting because of Natsu. Erza noticed this. "Natsu. Cut it out. You cannot melt all the snow in Brago. That is an order."

It was an order quickly followed as the snow stopped melting. A few townspeople who were out walking along the streets noticed the Fairy Tail group. They stopped and whispered to each other in groups. A little girl finally approached them with a pen and pad.

"Um, excuse me? Fairy Tail wizards? May I have your autograph?"

Erza looked at the small girl with kind eyes and knelt down to be at her level. "Of course. Who should I address it to?"

The little girl beamed. "Thank you! My name is Yuki!"

A couple rushed up to the girl who looked her her parents. "Sorry about this. Thank you for signing."

Erza signed the piece of paper and handed the pen to Lucy so she could sign. "It's no problem. We are happy to see such a nice girl."

The mother smiled. "Thank you once again. I'm guessing your here to stop the dark guild?"

Lucy, who was done signing gave the pen to Natsu and told him not to break it. "Yes. We are. Don't worry, the dark guild will be gone once we are done."

"We cannot thank you enough. The dark guild has been terrorizing our town for a while now. My husband has been the victim of some of the attacks and has suffered injuries."

Gray quickly signed the little girl's paper, smiling as he gave the pen back to her. He stood up to face her parents. "May I ask what they did? The information could help us in our battle against them."

The man stepped forward to be next to his wife. He had an arms around her shoulders and was staring at Gray with wide eyes. Team Natsu waited a few moments for the man to reply. "Ah, I'm sorry. You just- No, I shouldn't say..."

Erza raised an eyebrow. "Is there any sort of problem? Or cannot you not disclose certain information to us?"

"No, it's just. May I ask your names and what magic you all preform?"

Natsu was the first to answer, proud as he revealed a fire in his palm. "I'm Natsu and I'm a fire dragonslayer!"

Erza pushed Natsu back. "Don't scare them, Natsu. Sorry about that. My name is Erza Scarlet. I use The Knight magic, or more commonly known as requip."

Lucy showed her keys to the trio. "I'm Lucy, a celestial spirit mage."

Gray put his hands in his coat pockets, some how miraculously still having the coat on. "I'm Gray and I use Ice Make magic."

The reaction to Gray was immediate. The father pulled Yuki close and took a few steps away. "Demon child. Get away from our town!"

The raven of Fairy Tail forced himself not to turn paler or shiver. "Demon child...?"

"Don't act like you don't know what it is! You are cursed and bring demons and bad fortune wherever you go! You brought Deliora here to us and destroyed the town!"

Natsu has about to leap forward and teach the man a few "manners," but Erza held him back. She spoke in her business tone she used when dealing with official matters. "I am sorry that you think that, but Gray is not cursed. He is a powerful wizard and our guild wouldn't be the same without him. Excuse us."

The scarlet lead the team towards the hotel, walking quick to save Gray from angry stares. As soon as they got to the hotel, the trio forced Gray to sit down and tell them why he was being called the "Demon Child."

Gray hesitated. "I can't- it's not something I can-"

Erza crossed her arms. "Yes, you can talk about it. We need to know before attempting to finish this quest. Now tell us why you were called that.

"It's nothing important, okay? It was a long time ago!"

"If it's nothing important, I guess you'll be fine with tell us then! Tell us before I tie you up here and leave you."

Gray sighed deeply at Erza's threat. "When I was still practicing magic with Ul, I was obsessed with Deliora. I really wanted to go out and find him and take revenge for killing my parents. Somehow, this got out to the town I was staying in with Ul and Lyon. Every time I would try to get food or something, they all would shy away and called me a demon kid. Later on, they got a bit more creative and thought that I was an actual demon.

That's nothing to what happened after I ran to Brago and tried to defeat Deliora. I had managed to lead the demon away a bit, but that was all I could do. The survivors had all watched. From the moment I tried to battle the demon, to when I passed out, to Lyon trying to cast Iced Shell, to Ul actually casting Iced Shell.

It got chaotic once Ul left and Lyon dashed off. I tried to help the survivors in anyway I could, but they somehow got the idea that I was the one who led Deliora to Brago. I can't tell you what they called me."

Lucy put a hand on Gray's shoulder. "It wasn't your fault. You know that, right?"

Gray nodded solemnly, not giving a verbal answer.

Erza crossed her arms, her gauntlets clicking against one another. "Listen up. We are going to go defeat that dark guild. Together, as a team. You don't have to come with us to talk to the mayor, Gray. Some space can help you think things through. But, I would recommend we all go. We are Fairy Tail and we are all here to help."

The ice wizard clenched his fists before answering. "I'll go. I don't want to be left behind." He stood up, his bangs shadowing over his eyes.

The trio all exchanged glances. Erza nodded, still hesitant. "Alright. But if it gets to be too much, let us know and we can get you back here."

"Okay, okay. I'm not a child. I can take care of myself. If something gets too out of hand for me, I'll let you know." Gray stood up and looked at each of his nakama, determination burning in his eyes. "Should we go now?"

•

Part One finished! I'm still working on Part Two, so it might be a bit until it's uploaded. Thankfully, it's summer now and I'll be able to write more often! Thanks for sticking around 'til the end. ;)

Please note: This entire work is not edited and was posted on a whim. Any mistakes are there because I was too busy to read this over.