Title: Ice Armor

Summary: The ice sword was one of his most useful weapons in battle, but few knew the truth of the inspiration behind it. He wasn't even sure if the inspiration herself knew about it .

Takes place a little after Erza joins Fairy Tail.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.

Gray held the frozen handle in his hand, his fingers wrapped tightly around it. Its smooth, icy texture cooled his skin instantly, but he continued to hold it in his grasp, as the sudden shivers running up his arm didn't have any effect on him.

He raised the frozen weapon towards him and let his free hand glide across its glistening blade. His eyes followed, examining and scrutinizing every inch of the iced surface.

The weapon was perfect. He had managed to create it without a single crack or scratch, not a mistake or fault. It was truly a masterpiece, a work of art only he could reproduce.

After he was satisfied with his examination, he loosened his hold on the handle and let the frozen weapon dangle from his hand. He watched it swing back and forth a few times before tightening his grip again and raising it in front of him. He held it steady in the air for a few seconds as he gazed at it, and then with a defeated sigh, he lowered it back down.

He had no idea how to use it.

He closed his eyes and tried to remember how Erza used her swords, as she was the inspiration behind his new ice weapon. He hadn't seen her fight much yet, but from the few fights he had seen, he just knew that an ice sword would be an extremely useful tool to add to his abilities.

He thought back to the times he had watched Erza use her swords. He could remember the fights, he could remember the swords, but he couldn't remember the details. He couldn't see the individual movements, swings, or positions. All he could see was Erza swinging around a sword.

How was he supposed to hold it? He grasped the handle with his other hand, but the two-handed grip just didn't feel right. He didn't think he would be able to swing it around as easily, so he removed his second hand and held the sword tightly in just one.

How was he supposed to position it? He raised his arm and held it slightly over his head, almost as if it were a baseball bat. He wasn't sure if it felt right, but he couldn't really think of any other way to position it. He never really paid attention to how Erza raised her sword.

He stood like that for a good, solid minute, trying to accustom himself to the unfamiliar stature he found himself in. He waited until he felt ready, then tightened his grip and swung the sword downwards in a half circular motion.

He wasn't able to complete the swing though, as he immediately lost his grip on the sword, making it fly over his head and fall onto the ground behind him. He cringed as he heard his beautifully crafted ice sword crash to the ground. He didn't turn around at first, as he was afraid of finding it shattered.

"You're doing it wrong."

He instantly turned around at the sound of the voice, completely forgetting his fear. His eyes widened at the sight of Erza Scarlet bending down and lifting the frozen sword in her hands. She immediately let it drop back to the ground though, as it was too cold for her to hold. Instead, she plopped down on the ground beside it and examined it from there.

He watched silently as Erza looked it up and down. Her expression was neutral, so he had no idea what she was thinking as she inspected his fallen sword. After a few seconds, she stood up from her sitting position and turned to look at him.

"That's a nice sword you've got there." She said, a small smile appearing on her face. "You made it yourself?"

He didn't verbally answer, just nodded his head. He wasn't used to having people examine what he made with his ice.

"I saw you try to swing it just now. You're doing it wrong." She didn't wait for him to say anything as a sword instantly appeared in her hand. "Let me show you how it's done."

He continued to watch in silence as Erza positioned herself and the sword. He saw she was using both hands, and that the sword was raised only slightly and pointed away from her. She stood like that without moving, as if she were waiting for something.

"Well, are you going to get your sword or not?" Erza asked suddenly, though it sounded more like a command.

Without much thought, Gray hurried to his fallen sword and snatched it from the ground. He was never one to take orders from others, but he figured it would be best if he just went along with it this time, as it seemed Erza had already made the decision.

Erza's presence made him fumble with the sword as he tried mimick her stance. He didn't want to admit it, but he was having trouble copying her position. He wrapped both his hands around the handle and held the sword out in front of him. He tried to avoid eye contact as he knew he was for sure doing it wrong.

Luckily, Erza seemed to notice him struggling and proceeded to lay down her weapon.

"Here, place your dominant hand right under the guard." She said as she guided his hands. "Then place your other hand underneath it, like that."

To his surprise, his hands actually felt right in that position. He then tightened his grasp on the sword, only to be stopped by Erza.

"Don't hold it tight with both hands." She said as she positioned her own sword again. "Focus your hold on the grip of the sword with your lower hand because your upper hand is gonna be used to guide the sword."

Gray followed her instructions without any arguments, as he was sort of beginning to feel a bit more comfortable with the sword and Erza's presence. Feeling more confident, Gray glanced at Erza's stance and tried to position his sword to match Erza's. He lifted the sword slightly and pointed it out in front of him.

"Like this?"

Erza examined his position and smiled. "That's it, but just make sure your left leg is placed a bit behind your right leg."

Gray looked at Erza's footing and after attempting to copy it, he turned to Erza for approval.

"Perfect." She said. "Now, to do a basic swing, just raise your sword to the sky and swing it downwards."

Gray watched as Erza demonstrated and then tried it himself. He raised his frozen sword towards the sky, exactly as Erza had done it, and proceeded to swing it down in the same motion Erza had done.

Unfortunately though, he swung the sword too hard and instead of mimicking Erza's swing, it hit the ground and bounced right out of his grip. He looked down and sighed at his failure. He was beginning to think that swordsmanship just wasn't his thing.

"That's a pretty durable sword." Erza laughed. "I was a bit skeptical of it at first, you know, it being ice and all, but I guess your ice is actually pretty strong."

"You think so?" Gray asked, forgetting his shame for the moment.

"Yeah." Erza said as she smiled back at him. "Now that I think about it, an ice sword isn't that bad of an idea. Maybe I should give it a try one day."

"I actually got the sword idea from you." Gray muttered without thinking. He immediately regretted it though once he realized what he said.

"What did you say?"

"Uh, nothing." Gray responded, relieved she didn't hear it.

"Well then, enough fooling around." Erza said in her all too familiar demanding tone. "Go retrieve that sword and let's do it again!"

"Again?!" Gray asked. She wanted him to try it again after his major screw up?

"Of course. You can't quit once you've started." Erza answered. "I don't care how long it will take, but I will train you to be an excellent swordsman!"

"I really don't think this is necessary-"

"GET YOUR SWORD!"

Gray sighed in exhaustion as he sat down near the river side. He and the others had just returned to Magnolia from a job, but even though it was almost midnight, he didn't feel ready to head home just yet. Instead, he opted to looking out at the rushing water as it flowed at a steady speed down the river as he reflected on the mission he had just returned from.

It started out like any other mission, not too simple yet not too crazy. It hadn't really progressed in any of those directions either, and it made him wonder what it was about the mission that stood out to him.

"I didn't think I'd find you here."

Gray turned around at the familiar voice. When he saw Erza standing there, it suddenly dawned on him as to why he was so intrigued by their recent job.

"To be honest, I'm not exactly sure why I came here." Gray replied as Erza sat down beside him. "Something about the mission, I guess."

"It's funny you say that." Erza said. "I think I feel the same way."

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, each one watching the familiar movements of the river.

"I thought you fought very well today." Erza said, breaking the silence. "I noticed you used your ice sword. I feel like you haven't used it in a while."

Gray didn't answer right away, mainly because he didn't know how. Had she really been watching? He wasn't sure if he should feel happy or embarrassed by that.

"I guess it was just the right weapon to use at the time." Gray finally answered.

"Watching you actually got me thinking." Erza said thoughtfully. "Your ice sword gave me an idea. What do you think about an armor made of ice?"

He would have laughed at the idea, but something she had said years ago was still engraved in his memory. He wasn't sure if she was being serious this time, but somewhere in the back of his mind he kind of hoped she was.

"Sounds interesting."

"Well, glad you think so." Erza said as she stood up. "It's pretty late, so I'm gonna go home now and get some sleep. You should too."

"I will."

Gray remained sitting as Erza began to walk away. "Oh, and Gray?"

"Yeah?"

"Your swordsmanship today was pretty impressive."

Gray didn't say anything, so Erza began to walk away again.

"I only learned from the best."

Erza stopped as she heard Gray mutter something. She didn't turn around, but asked, "What did you say?"

"Nothing." Gray responded as a sword of ice formed in his hands, one hand on top of the other, and blade pointed towards the river.

Hi everyone, just trying out the Fairy Tail fandom!

This is jused based on a personal headcanon of mine, but I always wondered how Gray learned to use a sword, and I just thought it would be cute if Erza was the one that taught him.

I also always thought that Erza should have some sort of ice armor as she has one for fire, wind, lightning, water, and even celestial armor! What about ice?

Anyway, thanks for reading and feedback is always appreciated!

-britishsconesahoy