Two worlds cross
Chapter 1
Gray was starting to regret his decision.
He trudged through the hot desert, constantly fashioning ice to keep him cool. He was an Ice Mage, in the middle of the desert, that was supposed to be looking for a Fire Mage.
Nervously, he fingered the silver cross on his necklace, pulling out the job request from his back pocket.
HELP NEEDED!
Young Fire Mage Needs to be captured for questioning
Has been terrorizing trade route for weeks
10,000 J Reward.
Gray thought about when the job and made its first appearance. The reward hadn't been half as much and no one had really taken it seriously. But the reward kept climbing, until it had peaked everyone's interest yesterday. For some strange reason, Gray had felt compelled to take it.
Natsu had fought him for a good half hour before Lucy and Erza intervened. Lucy had promised a better job, while Erza had promised a few broken ribs if they didn't stop. Juvia had even offered to come, but he had refused. He felt that he needed to take this job on alone.
Now, he realized that maybe it hadn't been the best idea to go alone.
Now that he thought about it, maybe the reason that the reward had escalated was because they had had trouble taking this guy in. Obviously this job had been sent to more than one guild, otherwise the reward wouldn't be so high. And the fact that he had been terrorizing a well-travelled trade route for weeks? They had even had to shut down the route for fear of robbery or injury. Things were staring to get serious.
Unfortunately, if this was a real Fire Mage, then he would be used to the heat. Gray on the other hand, was at a disadvantage. His ice was melting fast, and it was using up plenty of power just to keep himself from passing out from the heat. Heck, he was used to flames, but desert heat was another thing altogether.
Also, he wouldn't be able to do a sneak-attack. There was nothing around for two miles or so except sand and sun. He was out in the open. So, his best strategy was to travel the route, hoping that he could catch the guy's attention. From there he'd have to fight him. Then, he could go and collect his reward, go home, and have a nice cold drink back at the guild.
He was just putting the reward back in his back pocket when there was a sudden streak of red flames and an explosion just off to his left.
The force knocked him off of his feet, and he suddenly realized that somewhere along the way, he had taken off his shirt and pants, leaving him in his underwear.
Great, he thought bitterly. I'm fighting a Fire Mage with no clothes on. Even more skin that can be easily burned.
Quickly, he got back to his feet, standing ready to Make something. The explosion had stirred up the sand, making it hard to see and hard to breathe.
Suddenly, Gray heard a noise off to his right. Whipping around, he bellowed "Ice Geyser!" and pillars of ice appeared one after the other, growing faster than thought.
Unfortunately, he had only managed to stir up the sand even more. He was really starting to wish that he had at least brought Max along, their Sand Mage. At least he could move the sand to their advantage.
Well, it's not like he can see any better, right?
As if just to prove him wrong, another streak of red streamed towards him. Gray barely managed to get out of the way, but not before the flames had singed his left side, burning him badly.
He cried out in pain, gritting his teeth. He fell to his knees, squinting through his eyelashes, trying to make out anything.
This guy used his magic so weirdly. He had never seen anything like it. Yeah, he had had his share of fights with Fire Mages (excluding Natsu), but this was like nothing he had seen before. A streak of red light, then an explosion? It almost was like Fire Dragon's Roar, but smaller and with less destruction.
Breathing heavily, Gray urged himself to look at the burn. It was along the left side of his body, about the size of a dinner plate. It was bleeding a little bit, which probably wasn't good, but the heat just made it worse.
Then, he realized that someone was standing over him. His head snapped up, glaring daggers at the man in front of him.
He had black hair and squinted onyx eyes, much like Natsu's, except smaller. He was tall and probably in his twenties. He wore strange blue pants that had a gold chain hanging out of the left pocket. He had on a white t-shirt and a blue shirt as an improvised visor. Gray could see the glimmer of medals. A military man, but the uniform unrecognizable from any military that Gray knew of. But his accessories were weirdest. He had on black combat boots and wore white gloves with a red magic circle on the back of them. Gray couldn't see it properly because of all of the sand still swirling, but it was unlike any circle he had seen. The man obviously wasn't prepared for the desert.
He stood over him with perfect posture, one hand at his side, the other outstretched, his fingers together like he was ready to snap them. He looked grim and determined, but also a little afraid. Gray could tell just by looking into his eyes that this man had seen war.
"Will you just leave me alone?" He barked suddenly, as if he were giving orders. "I just want someone to explain to me what's going on and where I am. Do you know how to get to Amestris from here?"
Gray was confused. The pain was ebbing at his strength, and he was fighting consciousness. "Amestris?" He wheezed, "We don't know a lot about other kingdoms or countries, but I sure as hell don't know anything about Amestris. And no, I won't leave you alone, 'cuz you're kinda blocking an important trade route."
Military Man looked like he wanted to say more, when suddenly they both heard a young girl yelling "Wait!"
They both turned their heads to the sound, then back to each other. Then, the man turned tail and bolted, disappearing into the dying sand storm.
Suddenly, a young girl about Wendy's age, fourteen or so, appeared from his left. She ran in front of him, looking from side to side, calling "No! Wait! Please! I just want to...ugh." Then she turned to him, hands on hips.
She had long, loose blonde hair that swirled in the wind still messed up by the explosions. She was wearing a white tube-top and a bright pink skirt with two slits down the sides, giving her a sort of 'wild jungle girl' look.
"I finally manage to track him down after two weeks, get a good read on him, and when I was about to go and confront hi-" she stopped mid-sentence, as if just noticing Gray's injuries. "Oh, no." She muttered, bending down to him. Up close, Gray realized that she had striking purple eyes. Not like Erza's, which were a soft lilac, but a deep violet.
She locked eyes with him, and Gray felt kind of uncomfortable. After a minute she said "Seal the wound."
"What?" He asked, confused.
She gestured to his burn. "You're an Ice Mage. You use "Ice Make", so "Make" a seal and cover your burn. It'll seal the cuts and numb the burns."
"Oh, right." A little embarrassed, he made some ice and covered the burnt area, moulding it to his skin. Instantly he felt better. Why hadn't he thought of it earlier?
"I don't know why, because you've been burnt before. You know how to heal yourself. But the heat could've gotten to you."
Did she just read my mind? He wondered.
"No," she said simply. "But I can read your aura, which is kind if the same thing. You were confused and wondering. That means that you were wondering if I could read you mind. So, I can't read your thoughts, but more your emotions. Now, can you please make me a piece of ice, about the size of a fist?"
Confused, Gray did as he was asked. He held the fist-sized ball of ice in his hand.
"Thanks." The girl said, taking it from him. As she held it it took on a different shape and form, until she held a small vial in her hands filled with clear liquid. She held it back out to him, "Drink. I know you don't trust me, but this is just a painkiller. We've got to get you back to the Magnolia Hospital."
He stared in awe at her. "How did you know-"
She snorted. "Puh-lease. I don't have to be an Illusionist to know that you're in Fairy Tail. It's right on your chest, and you insist on being in your underwear. Everyone knows that Fairy Tail is in Magnolia. Magnolia thankfully has a good hospital. So guess where you're going."
She bent down and helped him up, his left arm around her shoulder.
"I can walk on my own!" He cried in frustration.
"No you can't." She hefted him a little bit.
"You're stronger than you look," he muttered.
She grunted. "I get that a lot. Now c'mon, drink that potion."
Gray looked at it wearily. "If I wanted to kill you, I would've already," she grunted.
Gary shrugged, tipping back the vial. The liquid was tasteless and cold. After he drank the last drop, the vial turned back to ice. Gray put it on his temple, hoping to cool his body temperature down.
The girl grunted again, shifting his weight to carry him easier. "let's get you out of here before you melt, Frosty."