Gray slumped into the Fairy Tail guild hall. His mission took almost two weeks to complete. Not because of the difficulty, but because of travel. It would take even the fastest train just to get there over 3 days, and the job took 4 days. He had to defeat some sort of sinister monster that lurked. Truth be told, it wasn't that difficult, and the monster was cowardly and easy to scare away. But still, he wanted to explore the town for 3 days. He had time, didn't he? Didn't he!?
Apparently not. Gray was so pissed off when he first heard the news. All of his teammates had gone to Tenrou Island for the S class trials! They couldn't wait a few weeks? How inconsiderate. But his anger quickly fizzled out upon realizing that he was left behind. It would take another few years for the next one, and he didn't want to imagine how much teasing Natsu would give him if Natsu got the spot. Gray shivered at the mere thought of all the teasing that he would have to endure.
Gray sighed and got up from his spot. His eyes and body all felt heavy and exhausted. A mission as long as the one as he had was mentally draining. Getting up from his chair, Gray walked through the decently silent guild hall. It was so empty now that his friends were gone, and he just couldn't bare it. It felt wrong. Little did he know, that feeling would endure for two more years before he made a crucial decision.
-Time Skip-Fifteen Minutes later-
Gray made it to the front door of his house, slumping as he conjured a small key made of ice. He inserted it into the key slot. His house wasn't small, but it wasn't too huge either, and he liked it that way. The entry to his house led to a small living area. His chest tightened. He and his friends spent so much time here, on the blue carpet, sitting on the gray couches, watching a movie or telling stories about their adventures.
Now Gray wasn't so sure if that would happen again. When someone became an S class, it usually meant more jobs for them to take. More difficult jobs. Jobs which meant being alone. Erza only taken such jobs once in a while as needed, but she mostly spent her time with the team. Natsu would take on harder missions than he had ever dreamt before, and that would shatter the team composition. He was the heart of the team. Its life essence. and never again would that heart beat again if one person left. But the future never told what would happen.
-Break-
A/N: That was the first chapter. Feedback is very much appreciated. I would love to see what you guys want to see next, and it will be implemented as I see fit for the story. That should help with the length of the future chapters. This one, I felt, was too short, but your ideas will make the next one improve dramatically. Please review! Constructive criticism welcome! I would also like this story beta'd, as I don't have time to lengthen and fix mistakes myself.
Chapters will come likely once or twice every week. That does not mean, however, that I will solidly stick to that standard and once in a while I might stray due to stress of my obligations or events that prevent my writing.
As for the pairing, wait until later chapters to review what will happen there.