It's GrayZa Week guys! And welcome to my GrayZa Week 2015 oneshot collection. I'm so excited. It's my first time participating (I was going to last year but laziness got the better of me), and I can't wait to see everybody else's submissions. I'm not really happy with this one. There wasn't enough GrayZa but oh well. Enjoy!
Day One: First Mission
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
It wasn't his bright idea to tag along. No, if it weren't for Gramps insisting that he go along with her, he would have been doing something else worthy of his time, like training, or going off on a mission of his own, alone. Instead, he was forced to tag along with Erza Scarlet on her first mission.
Gray had no idea why Gramps insisted that he go with the new girl. He thought that she'd do fine on her own, seeing as how she could clearly take care of herself (he had the bruises to prove it). However Gramps clearly thought otherwise when he decided that he should come with her, to 'show her the ropes' as he termed it. But there was nothing to show. You just take a job from the job request board, go to the specified location and complete the request. That was all there was to it. And since Erza was smart enough to start off with something simple like searching for someone's lost pet, she clearly didn't need his help.
Which was why he was now peeking out from behind a tree as he watched the red haired girl walk to wherever she was supposed to go. His pride refused to let him ask her if he could come along, so instead he decided to trail her and keep an eye out for her instead. At least this way he was still 'tagging along' except from afar, and without physically interacting with the girl. It was a win-win situation.
He figured that Erza wouldn't enjoy his company either, since he clearly didn't enjoy hers. She was obnoxious and too quiet. She kept acting like she was the best and didn't need any sort of help, plus she refused to interact with any of the guild except for Gramps. That was why he disliked her. If you're part of a guild, at least act like it. He knew that there were several attempts by other members to speak with her but she blatantly ignored them. It had annoyed him to no end.
As the young ice mage kept his eye trained on the mop of red hair, practically glaring daggers into her head, he didn't take notice of the girl abruptly stopping in the middle of her path, her fists clenched at her sides. "So are you going to keep stalking me? Or are you going to come out here and tell me what you want," she said loudly, shaking Gray out of his trance.
When he finally digested what she said, he scowled and stepped out from behind the tree, his glare even dirtier than before. "I wasn't stalking you," he grumbled, "I was trailing you. There's a difference."
He crossed his arms whilst Erza kept her back facing him. She wasn't in the mood to deal with his shenanigans. "And besides, it's not like I wanted to come anyway. If it weren't for Gramps telling me to join you, I wouldn't even be here."
Now that caught her attention, causing her to sharply turn and raise an eyebrow.
"What?" she asked, not believing what he had just said. This was the first time she had heard of this. Surely he couldn't be telling the truth.
"Yeah, Gramps insisted that I go with you because apparently I have to 'show you the ropes', his words not mine," he explained grumpily, his scowl ever present on his face.
Erza frowned to herself. Show her the ropes? She highly doubted that she'd need help, especially from Gray of all people. But if it was Master ordering it, then there must be a good reason. She trusted him, unlike the ice mage in front of her.
"Fine. If Master says so, then you will join me," she declared promptly, before turning around with her head held high. She didn't wait for him to respond, instead continuing to walk toward her destination. She wasn't going to question him any longer. The sooner she got the job completed, the sooner she could go home and rid herself of his company. She wasn't exactly fond of Gray, mainly because he was a brat who had nothing better to do but pick a fight with her on a daily basis. She didn't understand his goal, and she only played along because she knew she could end it quickly, meaning less time to spend in his company. Plus the boy practically wore no clothes at all, and has he no shame? She had never seen anything like him, and she was far from impressed.
As she continued walking, she realised that the boy behind her was still rooted to his spot, probably staring dumbly after her just like the idiot he was. She sighed and rolled her eyes, continuing to walk along. "Well are you going to stand there all day or are you actually going to move your feet and walk along? The sooner we get the job done, the less time we have to spend with each other. I'm sure you'd like that," she called, never turning her back to look at him.
For the second time that day, his scowl deepened when he finally processed her words. He dragged his feet along to follow after her, keeping a sizeable distance away from her as he walked with his hands shoved in his pockets. She did have a point. The sooner they got it done, the better. He really did not like being in the girl's company. He could practically feel all the tension and awkward oozing from between them.
The journey was longer than either of them would have liked, but perhaps that was because they felt that time was passing by them really slowly. The awkward atmosphere that had surrounded the two still hung thick in the air, with no hopes for clearing any time soon. As they walked silently with each other, the massive gap maintained between the two young mages, they finally reached the destination.
It was a small house they had stopped in front of; it had a white patio, two sizeable potted plants to decorate the front and a small garden with a rosebush on the side. It wasn't anything special, and the client from the job request was sitting on the patio, waiting for their arrival. When the old woman noticed the two approaching mages, she smiled with relief.
"You two must be the mages from Fairy Tail," she greeted, a kind smile on her face. They nodded, confirming her statement.
"We've come to look for the missing pet you advertised," Erza said calmly, holding up the job request poster in her head.
The old woman nodded. "That's right. Lucky was just with me a few days ago when I went to town to buy some apples but when I returned, I hadn't realised that she wasn't with me the whole time. It's been three days now since she's been gone and I'm worried for her," she explained, a solemn look on her face.
Erza digested the information with a nod. "I see. Can you describe the appearance of your pet? What animal is she? Any defining characteristics?"
"Lucky is black cat with a red collar around her neck. I know that she particularly likes climbing trees so I would recommend checking them first. I would go out and help but my health has been failing me lately. Please do find my Lucky," the old woman pleaded, her eyes getting watery.
"We'll do our best ma'am," Gray finally said, giving her a reassuring nod. Erza smiled in agreement, promising to find the cat as soon as possible. "Thank you for your help. I'll prepare you some apples for when you come back with Lucky," she proposed before waving the two off and stepping back into her house.
The two mages, now left alone, looked at each other with a sigh. "Let's split up, it's faster. I'll take the east, you take the west," Gray suggested before walking off without giving Erza a chance to speak. He could find that cat on his own. He didn't need her help, and even though it wasn't even his mission in the first place, he was determined to find Lucky before Erza did. Maybe that would show her who the experienced one was. He was the Gray after all.
Erza rolled her eyes at his behaviour but agreed nonetheless, walking over to explore the west side of the town. He was right, she had to admit. It would be faster to split up, and this way she wouldn't have to deal with the awkward tension that always hung between the two. Besides, this was her mission. She was going to prove to both Gray and Master that she was more than capable of going on a mission by herself.
With a newfound determination, Erza wasted no time in scouring the area for trees that could house the small black cat. She had decided to search the trees near the town where the cat was last seen, hoping to find some clues. It was easier said than done however, when she found no clues in regards to the missing cat, nor had she found any trees with a speck of black. This was going to be harder than she thought, she thought with a frown. If she were a cat, where would she be?
Meanwhile, Gray thought that he was off to a pretty good start. He had found someone, a girl a few years older than he, who had said that she had seen a black car stuck up high in the tree and so he had taken her word and followed her to the tree she saw the cat in. Ironically enough, the tree that they had stopped in front of had been an apple tree, and a very tall one at that. How could cats climb something so high?
"Lucky!" Gray called, trying his best to see if the cat was perched upon a branch. However from where he was standing, he could not see a thing. Frustrated, he decided to use a little of his ice magic to build him some sort of lift to elevate him higher.
"Ice Make: Stairs," he cried, forming a small set of stairs, high enough to give him the height advantage he needed. Satisfied with his work, the ice mage carefully climbed up the stairs, grinning when he noticed a ball of black fur curled near the trunk of one of the higher branches.
The girl beside him looked up expectantly. "Did you find her?"
He nodded happily. "Yeah. Thanks for your help by the way. If you'll excuse me though, I've got a cat to get," he remarked, climbing back down to walk closer toward the base of the tree.
Without a moment to waste, he formed the respective hand sign and cried, "Ice Make: Ladder," a long ladder being created entirely out of ice. He carefully manoeuvred it so that it was leaning stably against the trunk before deciding to climb. He knew that what he was doing was probably dangerous, and stupid in a way, considering that he was climbing a ladder made of ice, an element known for its slippery nature and its fragility. However this wasn't just any ordinary ice, this was his ice and he was more than confident in his ability to create inanimate objects from ice. After all, that was the sort of magic he practiced in the first place.
Swiftly and without hesitation, the young mage started climbing higher and higher up the ladder until he reached the branch upon which the black cat was perched. Pausing high up the ladder, with chants not to look down, Gray leaned over to see if the cat was still there. And sure enough, she was. Still curled up in a ball, resting with her eyes closed, the black cat was oblivious to her new company.
Gray thought about his options. He could just grab the cat there and then, but then he would risk falling off the ladder from a dangerously high height. The other option was to wake the cat, but even then that posed some sort of danger. He didn't know if the cat was a grouchy riser (like he was) and since she had claws, it was all the more risky. But without anymore options, he decided to just screw it all and take the risk. After all, how much trouble could a small cat be?
Obviously he had said that too early when he started loudly, but gently, cooing the cat awake. "Lucky, here kitty kitty. Your master's worried about you, it's time to get up."
He continued calling the cat, hoping she would awaken but all he got in response was an eye opening before closing again after completely disregarding his presence. He tried raising his voice a little louder, but even then the cat only responded with a yawn before snuggling back into her ball.
Frustrated, and feeling his muscles start to get sore, he decided to risk touching the cat, hoping to get more results. And boy, did he get results.
Gray ended up sporting a nasty red scratch mark on the side of his cheek as the cat hissed at him angrily, her claws sharpened and ready to pounce once more. The young boy howled in pain, trying his best to restrain the expletives that were threatening to pour from his mouth as he placed a hand on the scratch, wincing in pain.
"Ow! You stupid cat!" he cried in pain, using a bit of his ice magic to numb the pain. From between his fingers, he glared coldly at the cat who was still hissing at him.
"No more Mister Nice Guy Lucky. You missed your chance after you scratched my face," he announced gruffly, a sigh of relief escaping his lips when he could no longer feel the sting. Ah, the advantages of practising ice magic sometimes.
The cat only hissed in response, her sharp claws digging into the bark of the tree. Removing his hand from his face, Gray swiped his hand out to grab the cat, only to be scratched once more.
This time he let out a loud string of curses as he clutched his arm in pain, oblivious to the small crowd that had gathered below him. The townspeople had been curious as to what was causing the small disruption in the area and the sight of a boy on a ladder made of ice was all the more appealing as they watched from below. It was kind of entertaining, watching a boy and a cat fighting each other to get down.
Meanwhile Erza was almost about to give up her fruitless search when she had noticed a small crowd in the distance. They were crowding around a large apple tree, and seeing as how she had not checked that tree yet, she decided to take a quick peek. What she found was not what she was expecting.
There was the cat alright, and next to her, standing dangerously high up an ice ladder, was an annoyed Gray who was busy trying to swipe at the cat without getting clawed at. If it weren't for the fact that they were on a mission, she would've stood back and continued watching in amusement. But they were on a mission, and Gray didn't look like he would get the cat down any time soon.
With a plan now in mind, she confidently marched up to the base of the ice ladder, her companion not having noticed her presence yet. Erza requipped an extra long staff from her collection as well as a net before asking two people from the crowd to hold it for her. Making sure that the net was in the right place, the redhead wasted no time in raising the staff up the tree until it was near the branch Lucky was on.
Disrupting their little fight, Lucky caught notice of the stick and was instantly enamoured, sticking out a paw to grab the stick. Satisfied that she had garnered her attention, Erza rotated the stick in small circles to keep the cat occupied, making sure he followed the staff's movements. When she noticed the cat about to make a grab for the staff, she pulled it away, Lucky missing a step before falling off the branch with a loud meow in surprise. Quickly instructing the two townspeople, Erza managed to catch Lucky in the net where she was lowered slowly on the ground. She crouched down to touch the cat, a small smile gracing her lips when Lucky leaned into her touch with a soft purr in approval.
Gray, meanwhile, watched the entire scene in awe and jealousy. That stupid cat had left so many scratches on his skin that he wasn't sure how long they'd be there for. He could've gotten that cat down himself, he thought to himself sourly as he slowly climbed down the ladder, glaring jealously at Erza who had now cradled Lucky in her arms.
If it weren't for the fact that he was practically brimming with jealousy and that he felt like shooting something, the thought of Erza being cute would have crossed his mind, although he would never have admitted it. Erza, cute? Those two words shouldn't ever belong in the same sentence.
The mage grumpily walked over to the redhead, glaring daggers at the furry ball from hell cradled in her arms. "I had it covered," he told her sourly, crossing his arms with a harrumph.
Erza rolled her eyes but said nothing, continuing to stroke the cat to sleep. "I'm sure you did," she muttered quietly, never once looking up to see his annoyed scowl.
"Yeah yeah, now let's just get this cat back to the client and get the jewel. I've had enough for one day," he muttered, feeling the numbed scratches beneath his fingertips.
"Whiner," she quietly remarked to herself before following the boy back to the house. She could hear the townspeople praise her for her actions and couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. She had successfully completed her first mission, and she felt great.
The old woman was waiting for them on the patio, and looked positively relieved when she noticed Lucky cradled in Erza's arms. A wide smile spread across the woman's face as Erza passed Lucky onto her. "Thank you so much for finding her. I knew going to Fairy Tail for help was a good choice," she said with a grateful smile.
"We were only doing our job," she replied kindly.
"So modest. But I must give you your reward, and the apples I promised you too."
And so the three enjoyed polite conversations whilst they munched on several juicy slices of apples. As the woman bade the two mages goodbye, Erza felt the excitement of wanting to tell someone of her accomplishments. She had managed to complete her first mission successfully by erase of and earned a good amount of jewel in return.
As they walked, Gray trailed behind her with a small frown on his face. "When we get back, don't tell anyone where I got these scratches from," he said loudly, a wave of embarrassment crushing over him.
Erza rolled her eyes, hiding a small smirk. "Right, I'll tell Master that you were a great help from protecting me against the big, bad cat," she teased. If it weren't for the fact that he was greatly offended by her insult, he would have picked up the playful tone in her voice and how he had managed to somehow uncover some of that armor even for a little while.
"Shut up," he muttered, quickening his pace so that he was now in front of her. He wouldn't admit it, not to anyone, but maybe this mission wasn't such a waste of his time after all.
Cana listened to his story in utter amusement, trying to stifle the onslaught of giggles that were threatening to erupt from inside her. She couldn't believe that the almighty Gray was bested by a cat, and a small black kitten no less.
"It seems that you really do have a thing with luck though. It's ironic that the black cat was named Lucky, but what's more interesting was that until Erza came along, you were having terrible luck with that cat. Kinda reminds you of the brilliant luck you were supposed to have that day," she remarked offhandedly, not noticing the furrowed brows of the mage beside her.
Now that he thought about it, it was pretty ironic that a black cat, a symbol of bad luck, was named Lucky. But the bit about Erza being his good luck charm in a sense, that was all wrong. It was all just a coincidence, right?