It was a relatively normal day at Fairy Tail. Natsu and Lucy had gone on a quest together for the latter's rent that was due in a few days. Master Makarov was up in his office sorting through new guild quests. Mirajane was working behind the bar serving mugs filled to the brim with beer to those who asked and paid. Max and Alzack were talking at a table while Wendy and Bisca played with little Asuca. Erza sat peacefully at the bar eating a piece of strawberry cheesecake. Gray had taken his own seat at the far corner of the bar, silently drinking a glass of spiced rum. No brawls had yet been taken place, but everyone was itching to see a bit of action. A few expected Gray to start up a fight, only to see him sit in his own silence at the bar.

Makarov, who was holding a special request outlined in red, came down from the second floor where his office was. The quest was given to him in an envelope addressed to whoever two wizards the Master of Fairy Tail thought capable of completing it. The old man's eyes fell on Erza and Gray. Gray was an obvious answer, for reasons he would later explain to the boy, and Erza was far more than capable of handling difficult quests. She wasn't called Titana for nothing.

Master Makarov strolled over to Erza first, lightly tapping her on the shoulder. "Erza, I need you up in my office."

The scarlet put down her fork and nodded her head. "I'll head up now Master. I'll wait for you there."

Makarov watched the girl go up to the second floor. Next, he approached Gray a bit slower than he had confronted Erza. "Gray, my boy. I need you to come up to my office with me. It's concerning a special request that recently came to our guild's attention."

Gray gulped down the last of his rum, lightly setting down his glass. "Alright, I guess. Lead the way, Jii-chan."

Mirajane sighed as she took Gray's glass off of the bar counter top and watched the raven follow their Master up to the second floor and to the main office. She had a foreboding feeling that she couldn't shake off, as if the barmaid knew that something life-changing was to soon happen. Mira had to simply brush it away as she chatted with Macao and Wakaba, who had taken up seats at the bar and were questioning the amount of new quests that had been sent to the guild.

Up in Makarov's office, the small man revealed to the duo the quest. It was to track down and kill a pack of ravenous, bloodthirsty wolves whose bite would cause severely infected wounds that mostly ended in an amputation. Gray raised an eyebrow after he heard what was needed to be done. "Why me, Master? This seems like an easy mission that Erza could handle on her own."

The Master sighed. "I hate to do this to you, Gray. For this quest, two guilds were assigned. The other guild asked for only one wizard, and it is someone you know well. Lyon Vastia from Lamia Scale. Since you know Lyon, you will be very helpful on this quest. The Lamia Scale wizard isn't all that great when meeting up with completely new teammates I've heard, and this quest does call for three wizards. What you are each assigned to do is take down the wolves. Don't get bitten. If you do, know that there is no antidote. I know both of you can handle with quest flawlessly, just do not do anything rash or get impatient. Staying ready is key. Your train for the town Acalypha will leave tomorrow at 8 in the morning and is four hours long. Good luck."

•

Gray and Erza were ready the next morning to board the train. While waiting, Gray was looking over the quest. "Hey Erza, doesn't Acalypha Town have a guild? Why didn't they take care of this?"

Erza sighed. "The guild there is a merchant guild. Not many wizards reside in it. Anyways, this might be just a civilian problem. We have them all the time here in Magnolia. Wizards from other guilds do get quests from people that live here. Fairy Tail only takes out the life-threatening monsters and completes jobs that would be too much to handle for another wizard. That's our job. However, we still can take jobs within the town, only rewards will be lower."

The ice mage nodded. "I get it. I never knew."

The train finally arrived at the station around 8, and people quickly got on and off it. Erza thankfully did not pack as much luggage with her than she would. Instead, she carried only two bags. Gray himself stuck to his traditional one, never understanding why some people pack so much for just a simple mission. The pair got onto the train and found an empty booth in the middle. It wasn't the ideal place for discussing battle plans, but they didn't do much of that. Instead, Gray decided to get a bit more of shut-eye while Erza ordered cheesecake from the service provided.

While Gray was sleeping, the scarlet took her time in looking at him. The scar above his left eye stayed as prominent as ever, never failing to be looked at. Erza knew Gray had many battle scars, both on his body and mind, just as she had some of her own. She knew the X-shaped scar on his side was from his battle with Ultear, which served to be an example of how much he was willing to sacrifice for those around him. Erza silently hoped it never got to the point where Gray would have to use Ice Shell for the safety of others. The spell had already left enough damage, even though it saved very important lives.

Throughout the entire four hours, Erza had two pieces of cheesecake and was able to get some sleep herself, not without waking Gray up first though. While the ice mage was awake, he looked out the window. The weather was edging away from the heat, which he was thankful for. The heat could sometimes be overbearing, causing Gray to loose focus on his magic. Not that Natsu minded it, he always found a new way to torture Gray during the hottest season in Magnolia.

The train came to a slow stop and Gray shook Erza's shoulder to wake her up. "Erza. We're here."

The equip mage rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked around before grabbing her bags and leading Gray off the train. Their first destination was to meet their client, the mayor of Acalypha. After doing so, they would find a hotel, meet with Lyon, create some battle strategies, and take down the wolves. Hopefully, nothing would go wrong.

•

Erza and Gray met the mayor and weren't told much other than what they already knew. The bites would cause a serious infection that would spread throughout a limb, and soon the body if the limb wasn't amputated quickly enough. Those who were bitten on the abdomen or frighteningly the neck had to be put out of their misery.

Lyon met up with the duo at the hotel. Since the building was small, everyone had to share a two bed room. Gray sighed at the sound of so.

"Alright. If there is a couch, I'll sleep there." Gray said.

Lyon crossed his arms. "I already checked there isn't. No matter, you can share a bed with me, Gray. We have a bit to catch up on anyways."

Erza nodded at the sound of this. She always enjoyed it when her guild mates got along with others well. It gave them good reputation and strengthened their bonds. The trio discussed the mission and a battle plan on how to deal with the wolves while walking to and in their hotel room. Gray set down his bag at one side of the bed Lyon and himself would be sharing. The idea of sharing a bed with whom he considered to be his older brother wasn't preferable, but Erza was there so there was no backing out. Wolves, the group found out, lived in the forest not far from the town. They were to go and battle there in order to put civilians out of harm's way.

Erza sat up straight on her bed. "Alright. So let's go over what we have. The wolves can kill with a single bite. It should be our main priority to avoid this. First, we should scope out the forest during day tomorrow to see if there is anything we can use to our advantage. Since we are away from the town, we are allowed to use large scale attacks. I would only recommend it if we are in a tough situation though. Second, wolves are bound to attack us first. We have to stay on guard at all times. Last, we should all stick together and refrain from splitting up. It is easier to cover our backs this way and protect each other. Any questions or additions?"

Gray sighed and sat down on his bed. "Yeah. What happens if one of us gets bitten?"

Lyon took a sigh of his own. "That won't happen, Gray. Everything will go according to plan. I have a feeling something good will happen. Let's get some rest. We should head into the forest around the afternoon, so we have plenty of time to eat and get ready for the wolves. Nighttime is when the attack starts."

Erza pulled back the covers of her bed, equipping into pajamas. "Goodnight. Sleep well."

Lyon and Gray immediately took off their shirts once Erza was asleep in her bed. Gray got underneath the covers first, although he only pulled them up to his chest. The silver haired Mage slipped into the bed afterwards.

"Hey Gray, I know you're thinking about if one of us gets bitten. We won't, okay? I doubt Erza would let that happen and we are all strong in our own ways. It will be easy. We will kill the wolves, get the reward, and be on our ways."

Gray turned his head to look at Lyon. "That's easy for you to say. Last time I followed a plan with my team I was sent to the infirmary for two weeks. I just think we should be open to coming up with a plan for any possible situations."

The Lamia Scale wizard rolled his eyes. "Gray, you are with two S-Class wizards. Nothing will happen. Get some rest. Don't want you slipping up tomorrow because you are tired."

It was Gray's turn to roll his eyes, but spoke nothing in reply. He merely turned over on his side so he was facing away from Lyon. Thoughts of Erza losing an arm, like she almost had when fighting the Oracion Seis, or Lyon dealing with having to use one handed ice make flashed through his head. No, he thought. I won't let that happen. My friends will be safe. And with that final thought, he fell asleep.

•

What Gray saw when he opened his eyes shocked him. Ur was fighting Deliora. For him. Because of him. Gray held back tears when he saw Ur's leg. In replacement of the limb was ice. He never knew ice make could be used in such a way.

"I will seal away your darkness, Gray."

The raven woke up from his nightmare shaking. He looked around the hotel room. No one had woken up from his sudden movement. Lyon was still sleeping next to him and Erza was peacefully asleep in her bed. Gray slipped out of the bed and brought a shaky hand to his face. Unknown by the wizard, both Erza and Lyon had already woken up by Gray's shaking from his nightmare. They waiting until he was in the bathroom, then sat up. The scarlet looked over at the other in the room. "It was a nightmare. You have a guess of what it could be about?"

Lyon shrugged. "Deliora. His parents. Ur. Ultear. Take your pick. I wouldn't be surprised if my presence caused him to dream of when I betrayed him."

"I don't think that's what it would be about. Gray forgave you, Lyon. He looks up to you, although he refuses to admit that."

The silver haired mage was about to reply when they heard Gray coming back. The duo quickly pretended to be asleep again as the raven walked back into the room. He ran a hand through his messy hair and whispered a few words. "Never again..."

Lyon was worried by the words, but had to remain 'asleep' so Gray wouldn't become defensive. The static ice make wizard carefully made his way back into bed, his movements shakier than they should be. After ten minutes had passed and Lyon was sure he was asleep, he sat up and took a good look at Gray. Erza caught his eye once he looked at her.

"What is it Lyon?"

"He was shaking getting back into bed still. The nightmare was most likely about something involving Deliora. Only dreaming of that gets him that scared."

"Why doesn't he talk to us about it?"

"Gray isn't that kind of person. He would shun us away or turn the conversation around. He's done it successfully enough times against me. Let's let him be for now. If it affects how he acts tomorrow, we confront him about it."

"Okay. I know how deeply these nightmares affect him, so I accept your plan. Sleep well, Lyon. Watch after him."

•

Early morning, what was seven to Gray, hit him right in the face quite literally when Lyon whacked him with a pillow. Gray was about to retaliate until he saw Erza already dressed and ready to head out. His brother looked the same.

"How long have you two been awake?"

Erza looked at a clock. "For about an hour. Get some clothes on, Gray. Meet us at the restaurant next door. We will go over a last few battle changes there."

Lyon and Erza left the hotel room, leaving Gray to himself. The raven sighed. He changed quickly in the bathroom, then sat down on the bed with his head in his hands. His dream of Ur losing her leg did not bode well with him. The thought of Erza or Lyon having to deal with losing a limb scared him. If something went wrong during the quest, Gray would do everything in his power to stop the wolves and get his friends out safe.

At the restaurant, Lyon had already ordered for Gray and the trio momentarily ate in silence until Erza spoke a few words. "How did you sleep last night, Gray, Lyon?"

Lyon shrugged. "Fine."

Gray prayed that Erza wouldn't see through his lie. "I slept well. How about you, Erza?"

"I had a peaceful rest, thank you for asking Gray. Let's discuss a bit about the quest now. The forest is four and a half miles from the town, but the wolves are fast so they manage to get here and attack the townspeople in no time. If we want to defeat them, we must focus on our speed, but not forget of our strength. These wolves don't seem to have any other fatal attack besides their bite, so we should take them down swiftly. The forest will take us a bit to reach, so let's check back into our hotel before we leave and pack any medical supplies just in case."

Gray took a few more bites of his breakfast before the food felt like ash in his mouth. The nightmare he had last night came back in flashes in his mind. Ur's determination to seal his darkness and his own screams of her to stop. He didn't notice Lyon trying to get his attention until a hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Gray. You okay? You look a bit pale. Do you need to get more rest before we leave?" Lyon politely asked.

The Fairy Tail wizard shook his head. "No, I'm fine. Just remembered something. We should go back to the hotel room and leave as soon as possible. Something about this quest is bugging me."

The trio finished eating and walked back to their hotel room. What they didn't expect was the mayor standing outside their room with a case.

Erza stepped in front with the ice wizards behind her. "Mayor, we were just about to leave to scout out the forest. Is there something wrong?"

The esteemed man smiled and shook his head. "Quite the contrary. We broke through a barrier and were able to create an antidote for the infection of a wolf's bite. I want you to take it, just in case."

The scarlet warmly smiled and took the case. "You are very kind. We all offer our thanks to you, mayor. The quest will be complete by tomorrow morning, that I can promise you. Your townspeople do not deserve to be attacked by the wolves."

Gray was about to suggest that they should get ready when the mayor said his goodbye and left. Lyon put a hand on his shoulder. "See Gray? There is nothing to worry about. If one of us happens to get bitten, which is unlikely, we have an antidote."

The raven nodded his head. "I guess you're right."

Lyon nodded. "Let's go get ready."

Erza put the antidote in one of her bags and put a bag over her shoulder. She smiled at her teammates after she did so. Gray decided not to bring his medical things because Erza already was carrying it all. Even Lyon didn't need to bring anything. The scarlet was already equipped into her armor, as she always was, so she patiently waited for Gray and Lyon. Lyon only needed to put on his short boots in order to be ready. Gray, on the other hand, was bringing out a newer black coat with goat trim. He also put on his boots that stopped just below his kneecaps.

Lyon crossed his arms. "Alright, I'm ready to go kill some wolves."

•

The forest was darker than the trio thought. It was only late afternoon and they had to bring out small light lacrima. Erza had taken the lead of the group and everyone was looking around for signs of the wolves. Something finally caught Gray's eye and he was lucky he saw the wolf that would have bitten Lyon. "Ice Make: Lance!"

The wolf easily went down before it could reach the silver haired mage. Lyon and Erza followed Gray's action of getting into a battle position. Wolves started to come out of the shadows, surrounding the small group of wizards. They pushed back as many as they could.

Erza clenched her jaw. "We have to move! This fight is almost over, which means they are going to give it their all! Follow my lead!"

The scarlet made an opening and immediately took off running. Lyon and Gray quickly ran after her, the wolves giving chase. Gray's sharp eyes suddenly caught a wolf ready to spring out at Erza from the right. He pushed himself to run and get in between the two, but he didn't have enough time to ready a spell.

"Erza, watch out!"

The equip mage turned just in time to see the wolf bite Gray's leg, what would have been her arm. "Gray!"

Lyon started to churn out spells faster once he heard his friend's name. Erza had no choice but to fight off the wolves trying to get to Gray. The raven was in immense pain, but still fought by using long range attacks. Soon enough, all the wolves in sight had been killed off. Gray was paler than usual and his vision was getting hazy. Lyon noticed this and kneeled down next to his friend.

"Erza, we need the antidote, now. The infection has already started. It's only going to get worse from here on." He said.

Titana nodded and equipped back into her normal armor, as she was in her Heaven's Wheel armor, and put her bag on the ground. She searched through it for a while before paling slightly. Lyon raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Gray's suffering."

Erza looked up, her hard exterior breaking. "It's in my other bag at the hotel."

Gray clenched his fists and spoke in a rough, weak voice. "We aren't too far from the town. We can make it."

On the inside, Gray was burning. He could tell that he looked like shit without looking in a mirror. His throat was dry and his leg felt like it was on fire that could actually burn him. Erza equipped her bag back out of sight, her hands shaking.

"Right. I'll lead the way again. Lyon, you can carry Gray. We have to hurry. Before it- So we will get back in time. We will get the antidote."

The raven lowered his head at Erza's attempt to try and stay strong. Lyon picked him up, careful of his injured leg, and the duo ran as fast as they could towards the town. The second they stepped out of the forest and the trees were thinning, Gray, yelled out in pain.

Erza stopped and looked back. She took a deep breath in, then out. "We are still miles from the town. Gray, we need to see your leg."

Lyon set the Fairy Tail mage down as careful as he possibly could and took off Gray's boot, rolling up his pants afterwards. What Erza and Lyon saw had them closing their eyes and wishing it was all a dream. The infection had started at the bottom of Gray's leg, where the bite was, and was working its way up to his knee. If they had to amputate his leg, it had to be now or Gray would lose the entire limb.

A/N: So here it is. I will be posting the next part and final part soon! This work is only two chapters since I didn't want to make it too long, but my future fanfics will have more chapters. :]