Gray stood outside of Redemption, the green light casting a hue against his face as he watched the twisting bubbles rising and considered trading his life.
The story had begun a week early, just like any job from the Fairy Tail guild-board. This particular job had perked quite a lot of interest, but no one in Fairy Tail had yet taken up the challenge. The flyer had been incredibly vague, explaining only that they suspected someone had been playing with death and life and that they simply wanted an investigation. Many had thought it was a prank, and because the pay was so low for such a long journey the flyer had remained for weeks. Mirajane had considered contacting whoever had originally placed the call for help, to encourage more information or a higher pay, but since the journey was so far she tried to put this off for as long as possible. On the last day before doing so, Erza ran into the guild and swiped the flyer in her hands and slammed it in front of the waitress, demanding that she take the job.
Erza had been reluctant to let her usual friends go with her, but she was also sharply aware that in going alone she would draw more attention than she had wanted. She agreed to her usual party of Natsu, Happy, Lucy and Gray, and only in the carriage was she finally able to explain to the others her sudden determination. She explained quickly that the job itself was never her priority and that she would gladly hand it to the others as she focussed on her main request. Earlier that day the requip wizard had word from Crime Sorcière, the frightened scribbles from Meredy in her hands as she told them of their search. While she had been able to gather very little information on what had actually happened to them, she knew that Jellal was in danger, and that abandoned quest was the only job in Fairy Tail that would take them to the same location Meredy had mentioned.
In the town, with no leads to take on the independent guild they had focussed on their given quest. The town was a quiet and solemn place, they quickly realised, eyes avoiding theirs as they walked to the man who had placed the advertisement. In a quiet and disturbed whisper, he explained the most painful tale of his life:
"A year ago, he came. Arrow. He was a whirlwind through this town, a manic smile that haunts me even still. He demanded the women of this town, destroyed buildings, destroyed lives. We were defenceless. By the time his sadistic rampage ended and he left, forty citizens had been killed…. Including my wife, Deri. It was a horrific day and as a town we weren't sure how we could move forwards. Eventually, we began to repair. That was when they came back.
"All forty victims appeared on towns boarders. It was a miracle! There was no mistaking my Deri, it was her, she was real and I could not believe my fortune. Though we never truly forgot the pain of losing them, having her back in my arms was enough to push the terrible memories away. It was a truly blessed time. Then, three weeks ago… every one of them suddenly died again. All forty citizens. My Deri…. There was not a mark on her. She just seemed to suddenly run out of life…"
The story seemed unbelievable to the Fairy Tail members, and they struggled to work out if it was a prank or not. As the turn of events would take it, the closer that they got to resolving the mystery the darker the stories became. They found bodies by the plenty, lives suddenly ended with not a single mark across them. They also heard rumours of prisoners being lead to the dark forests. It didn't take much to connect Jellal to the prison line.
The rest blurred together in Gray's mind. They had entered the giant castle some miles east of the town and there were battles, there were confrontations. The group had been broken, Erza on a desperate search to find Jellal and Meredy, the rest of his companions looking for answers. That had been when they discovered Redemption.
As soon as the thought had been planted in the ice maker's mind it buried deep inside. Redemption was twisted in dark magic but its heart was intently pure. The people that they had been trying to destroy were not dark wizards but those who had been blinded by light. Redemption had activated almost a year ago, absorbing power from every criminal it had taken, criminals like Arrow and Jellal. All those months ago, Arrow had been thrown into the painful cylinder, the magical energy clawing at his life force and tearing it away from his body. The life that he had remaining in his body had been split evenly, every day giving breath to someone who's heart he had stopped. Arrow should have had 14,665 days left of his life, he had taken 82 lives, and so each one of those lives was given 178 of his remaining days. In a daze, his newly resuscitated victims had stumbled back to the village, no idea what had happened to them or that what remained of their lives would be so stunted. Arrow's life had been taken, his victims lived and Redemption had worked. Now, it was Jellal's turn.
Battles continued to rage around the building as they searched to free the Crime Sorceire, determined that they should be able to redeem themselves while blood still pumped through their veins. The answer had been clear to Fairy Tail, heated by the look on the widower's face, knowing that to spread life around so thinly could only cause more pain. Even with this knowledge, they were fought with confrontation, they fought against good people, and while they fought to save Jellal and Meredy there was a small part of everyone's heart that wondered just how much evil Redemption truly was.
To Gray, this part of his heart throbbed and ached. He looked up at the swirling green light, eyes staring into the bubbles and becoming mesmerised by his own torment. He had been tasked with destroying this device, and as he had run into the room he had been determined to strike ice into whatever moved. Now, however, he found himself walking towards the edge. His heart raced suddenly, hearing Lyon's words from a decade ago ringing through his head.
You killed her!
His breath caught in his chest, trying to push away the sudden temptation. He told himself that he hadn't even thought about that. He knew it was a lie, however; there was never a moment when he didn't think about the guilt which crippled his body every second of every day. As soon as he heard that this machine could revive the dead he had to push down his aching heart. As soon as he heard it was in his grasp, that all he needed was her murderer, he had to remind himself of how determined he had been to live, for her. It wasn't that he didn't want to live, it wasn't that he didn't feel happiness and the urge to take another step forwards. He had been quick to give his own life for the people he loved, that was something that would never change no matter what path he took. Guilt had driven him for years, and it was all too easy to let it take the wheel once more. It would be simple. He was the murderer and Ur was his victim. It would be a fair trade.
The green cylinder of light throbbed and buzzed, feeling his presence expectedly. His hand reached out, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. His fingers skimmed across his own death, trying to process the creation that they had been so determined to destroy. The heartbreak that fell on the widower wouldn't be an issue here: his life would not be split as there was only one person who would receive his remaining days. As his fingertips touched the green light the insides suddenly swirled, the bubbles twisting into a violent cyclone. Confused he continued to watch, blind to the rest of the world. The bubbles vibrated and pulsed, and he realised they were pulsating with his own heartbeat, twisting into a thinner, curvier shape. The tip pointed downwards, two thin spirals spread outwards, and as he watched he could see them disappearing to show a form.
"Ur…!" he gasped, having to forcibly stop himself from diving forwards to reach her.
The dark haired woman's eyes were closed, her body floating in the air perfectly serene. She was peaceful, arms spread outwards and toes pointed down. She was wearing the same white top and black trousers she had the day she had died, but her leg was still intact and her clothes were in one piece. She was exactly as he wanted to remember her, and tears sprung to his eyes. She was just so close…
Her eyes opened as his palm flattened against the light. She took a deep breath, her body stretching out and floating downwards. Gently her feet struck the solid ground, the bubbles and twisted green light still continuing to throw her short black hair and clothes upwards wildly. Slowly her eyes reached his, and she stepped forwards. Her head tilted to the side curiously, and gradually recognition crept into her eyes. Even in her barely conscious state she could see the eyes of the boy she had loved dearly. "Gray…" she said, though she didn't understand how the small boy was now standing before her as a fully grown man.
Tears were now streaming down the man's face as he stood, his hand still against the light and unable to pull himself away or forwards. His heartbeat was in tune with the light around them, calling him forwards, and he could feel every muscle inside of him fighting to step forwards and wrap his arms around Ur as his last true act. She should have lived all those years ago, she should have been there to teach Lyon and to smile every time Gray had cried instead. But the Fairy Tail mark still hung heavy on his chest, the friends that were fighting and trying to live. Can you hear my voice? He gritted his teeth. Yes, he heard Natsu's voice telling him, as he always would, that life was worth fighting for. But couldn't Ur's life be worth fighting for just as much as his own?
Ur's hand lifted and gently pressed against Gray's, palm to palm. She didn't understand but she saw his tears, saw the man broken and defeated. It had been ten years and seeing that the boy was still as broken as the moment she left him made her feel that she had failed. She had tried everything she could to bring happiness into the orphan's life. She had loved him dearly, not as if he was her own, but as if he was a special part of her heart she refused to let go of. Her fingers curled around his and his did so back, sharing their heartbeat and tears.
Gray gritted his teeth, feeling the sudden ache on his body. Ur was draining him, he suddenly realised as his eyes went wide. His breath was becoming harder, as if he had been fighting for hours, his heart racing in his chest. He couldn't break his hold of his master but he could feel even the lightest touch against the green light was doing all in its power to pull him in and soak every last day from him. And in that moment, he questioned why he was even fighting it. Ur's free hand lifted, held out but in a way that he would have to reach into the cylinder to take it. He glanced back into her eyes, and knew that he couldn't break from her. He couldn't come away from this without saying he'd tried, he could never meet they eyes of those he loved as such a failure, and all other consequences slipped away. He reached his hand into the light, taking not her hand but wrapping his arm around her waist as he stepped into an embrace.
His breath suddenly fell short in his chest. He gritted his teeth, the force attacking him from all sides. He tried desperately to concentrate on the arms around him, feeling with every breath that he skipped Ur was able to take another. His tears continued to streak his face, telling himself that it was worth it. This time, he believed it. Now, though he was getting the crushing weight of the magical energy against him, his heart felt lighter knowing that it was going into his master. The guilt was finally beginning to clear, and for the briefest moment he remembered what it was like to live without it.
Ur held onto him, burying into the ice maker, shivering as her eyes darted around. The green light was becoming blinding and her heart was suddenly racing fast, panic settling in. She held onto Gray, confused by his touch, but terror in her eyes as her head was against her chest, listening to his heart skipping away. "Gray what have you done…?" she asked, tears running down her face before she even knew what they were for. The man was leaning against her and she felt his weight suddenly drop into her arms, and she struggled to keep him upright as he fell to his knees. "Gray what's happening? Gray talk to me…" she whispered to him, pushing back his hair and trying to meet the eyes of her youngest student.
The green light suddenly turned an angry red. Ur looked up suddenly, still holding onto Gray, trying to make sense of the sudden turn of events. Her nails suddenly dug into his skin, a sudden pain erupting in her chest. "Gray Fullbuster, you have negative twenty nine days left," spoke an automatic siren across the room. Gray finally lifted his head, feeling his chest filling with more heartbeats. He frowned, looking up and realising that his consciousness was strengthening, and he was holding onto a suffering woman.
No… he thought suddenly, trying to pull Ur up as she had done to him beforehand. He was supposed to give his life to her, but the words were saying he had no life to give. The bubbles wildly dashed around them, the red light flashing and flickering and the sounds of steaming machinery beside them. Something was breaking down. The ground shook beneath them, loose stones falling from the ceiling. He looked around wildly for some kind of resolution, feeling the woman in his arms weaken. "Ur, stay with me!" he yelled out at her, the breath in his lungs once more enough to push out some volume. "Ur I'm giving you my life you have to take it! You have to live!" he shouted at her, demanded of her. He couldn't bear the thought of anything less. He couldn't bring himself to think about going out of this room emptyhanded. Right now, he didn't want to leave at all, even if she wasn't stepping away from this.
She looked up at him, seeing the sadness in his eyes as she began to remember the familiar feeling of slipping away. The world continued to fall around her but there was an oddly peaceful look in her eyes. "It's OK, Gray…" she whispered to him, putting her hand on his cheek. "You've grown into such a caring man. You always had such caring eyes…" she smiled for him, though it hurt her to lift herself just to meet him. "Please, Gray, promise me that you won't hurt yourself for me. Promise me…"
"You have Negative twenty-nine days left"
Gray shook his head, still determined that there was a way for this spell to work. Negative twenty-nine days? Was the machine broken? Twenty-nine days earlier was the Grand Magic Games, he thought slowly, knowing that his mind was connecting dots that didn't want to be placed together. Twenty-nine days ago he had died by the hand of the draglings, and only Ultear's magic had brought him back. He gritted his teeth, tears clouding his vision. Ultear had, in saving his life, given him time that should never have existed. Just like he had been desperate to cast Iced Shell against his enemies after Ur's example, he was now finding himself trying to twist time and death itself as Ultear had already done. He was always one step behind the mother and daughter.
He closed his eyes tightly, holding Ur close to his chest. "I promise…" he whispered, knowing that it was all he could do. He had no time left to give her, and his own was stolen out of fate's fingers. Just how long would it take for his death to catch up with him? How many lives would be taken or spared because of his walking this earth? He felt the figure of the female ice maker drifting into the light, unable to open his eyes to see her glittering into dust. He had seen it once; he couldn't bring himself to watch a second time. "I promise…" he whispered.
"Transfer complete"
Gray's arms fell back to his knees as he was now holding onto nothing. The ground continued to shake, the world tumbling around him. A huge boulder fell down, crashing and destroying everything it struck just metres from where he knelt. He didn't even flinch. His heart was beating softly in his chest, his lungs pushing his Fairy Tail mark up and down rhythmically. He had life to give, he had been certain of that, but Redemption had thought otherwise. His eyes stayed shut, waiting for time to correct itself as the metal beams above him came hurtling down.
A sudden force hit his chest as he opened his eyes a little. A sudden flash of red and silver was all he saw as he was knocked backwards, blurred by tears and dust. He slammed hard against the floor, shooting pain running through his back as he gasped out in pain. Eyes were looking down at him and his eyes widened, trying to focus onto the concern. "Don't lose focus," Erza warned him, her voice harsh and clear even in the crashing world. "We need to get out of here."
Gray looked at her confused for a moment before realising that he had done exactly as he had been asked and destroyed the Redemption, and that Erza had saved his life yet another time. No one had seen exactly how he had done it, or seen the last time that he had been able to hold onto his master and the soft words she had warned him. No one had seen the sacrifice that he was willing to make, or how close he had come to his own demise. He pushed against Erza to sit upright, amazed that he had the strength to move her at all. He put a hand to his head, realising how close to his own suicide he had come, and how difficult he knew walking back into Fairy Tail life would be. He knew that this pain he would carry in his chest invisible to the world, a twin to the guild that rested inside of his heart, and just the thought of bearing this burden for the rest of his life brought new tears to his eyes. Life would not be as forgivably short as it had been promised.
Erza's hand rested against his shoulder, and she stared back at him trying to make sense of the sudden solemn look. Some distant light in his eyes had disappeared, a darkness there that terrified her. "Gray we need to move," she said forcefully, hiding how hurt she was that he hadn't instantly taken to his feet to run at her command. Not only was it her will, but it was basic self-preservation. "Can you walk?"
Gray didn't know the answer to that. His legs worked, his heart still beat in his chest, but his head wouldn't obey him. He felt Erza's fingers against his shoulder, however, realising slowly that she was trying damn hard to be comforting despite the chaos around them. It wasn't something that sat easily with the fierce woman, and he looked back at her and for the first time saw darkness gleaming back through her own eyes. It was a different darkness, a different pain, but it was one that thrived as it saw her friend in danger, one that did everything to break down her strength and turn it into fear. He gritted his teeth and hesitantly nodded, using her arm to pull himself back to his feet.
Even on his feet Erza kept her arm out for him, glancing back to the doorway. There friends stood, waiting for them patiently despite the collapsing building. After all of the years of companionship they knew urgency, but they also knew what pain looked like. Though desperate to get out of the building, they waited for Gray and Erza to leave the room, only giving a knowing nod. This would be yet another emotional hit that went past in silence, into a nothingness so deep that they could almost forget that the wounds would stay for a lifetime.
Thanks for reading! Not been well so one-shots is really all I've had brain power for, and came up with this one. Hope you enjoyed it anyway! I'm not usually one for one-shot writing so the premise of this is probably a little rushed, sorry about that. Just wanted to get to the machine itself! Feel free to review and/or leave a message!