What's this? Could it be? Is PokéTail actually uploading a fanfic again?!

Okay so I should probably explain why there's been such a huge gap between fics. For those of you who don't care, feel free to skip the bold and head right down to the story because... we could be here a while.

So I'll start simple. College happened and I had to complete my University application, write a Personal Statement bla, bla, bla. On the plus side, I got in to my first choice and starting in September I'll be studying Drama & Creative Writing which, in turn, should mean more fics coming your way.

Also with college, we put on an amateur production of High School Musical at the end of March and that took up most of my time as I was the choreographer. It was so much fun and the cast bought me a Mickey Mouse Tsum Tsum as a thank you which made it even more worthwhile!

And now here's the crap. Around last summer, my mental health plummeted and a lot of shit went down in my personal life that put me off doing anything really. A lot of the fanfics that I had lined up ended up getting deleted because I just wasn't finding it fun anymore. I was tempted to drop Drama too because of the circumstances I put myself in and how my grades took a nose dive. I've gradually been getting better (I think the college production was partially to blame for that) and I've been starting to write much more than I usually would so let's hope I can keep this up!

Thank you to all you amazingly creative people who post fanfics and give me feedback on mine, I think this is probably one of the key things that have kept me going this year... Well this and Game Grumps!

Anyways, enough of the explanations and on with the new fic! Enjoy! ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. This current arc would be veeeeeeeeeeery different if I did.


"It's not possible. Iced Shell is a magic controlled by the will of its caster. No magic from any outside party can melt its ice."

"But... But isn't this guild supposed to be full of amazing wizards?"

"... To melt that ice would be no different from killing this "Ur" you speak of."

"Then...! I want to be stronger... Way stronger! Then someday, I'll figure out a way myself!"

"You say that but..."

"So please...! Allow me to join Fairy Tail!"

He didn't realise at the time, but that one decision would change his life in more ways than one.


Eight year old Gray Fullbuster was sat comfortably at one of the many tables in this foreign guild hall. Makarov had passed him a multitude of snacks after Porlyusica had insisted that the child was at risk of being dangerously underweight due to his cutbacks during his travels. He'd honestly not realised how much he'd missed eating food. The young Ice Wizard was more than content... That was until two familiar faces decided to approach him.

"Hey, Gray was it?" A dark haired man asked with a smile.

"Yeah," he mumbled, between bites.

"I'm Macao, Fairy Tail's resident Fire Wizard and a team mate of the asshole who got you blown up the other day."

"Yeah, speaking of that..." It was none other than Wakaba Mine, that drunken wizard he'd met a few days ago when he'd first arrived in Magnolia. "I'm uhhh... Sorry about all that... Getting you involved in all that crap with Circus Knight and uhhh... Thanks for coming to rescue me." This was clearly one of the most humiliating moments in Wakaba's life. A grown man having to one, apologise for getting a child blown up; and two, thanking the boy for coming to his aid.

"Now the other reason we came over here was to introduce you to our friend."

A timid brunette, no older than Gray, shuffled out from behind the two males and gave him a small, welcoming smile. "Hi," she averted her eyes and fiddled with her fingers.

"Uhh... Hi," Gray awkwardly responded, raising his hand.

Macao and Wakaba shared a look, sensing the tension clouded inside the awkwardness. "Well..." Macao started, "we'll just let you two get to know each other. If ya need us, we'll be over by the bar."

"Great..." The raven muttered, watching the pair snicker to one another before dashing away.

Cana heard the remark and frowned. Of course she heard him, he wasn't exactly being discreet. This new kid seemed rather uninterested in interacting with anyone, let alone her. The brunette wouldn't lie, she had been hoping that she'd get the chance to meet another wizard her age for a while now and had doubted that she ever would. What loving parent would let their child learn magic and run off into what could possibly be one of the most dangerous jobs on the continent? So this Gray kid must have some sort of story. Maybe he had lost his parents too? Then again, if that were true then it probably wasn't something he would talk about so casually. This only made Cana even more eager to talk to the boy. He seemed so unhappy. Maybe meeting someone who had had a similar experience to him would cheer him up. "So Gray, what magic do you use?"

Just great, Gray thought, in his head this time. He had hoped that the girl's shyness would make her more reluctant to speak to him, but he was dead wrong. Sure, he didn't want to start a conversation with this kid, but the fact that she was a guild wizard did peak his interest at least somewhat. Which one of these wizards were her mother and/or father? There was no one else here that really struck any resemblance to her. Maybe she was an orphan? It would explain why those two assholes introduced her instead of her parental figure. Maybe she was looking for someone to empathise with? Just his luck that she'd choose him. No matter how many times he'd tried to follow his path alone, people just couldn't stop showing up, could they? He'd suddenly realised that he'd yet to give an answer. He really didn't want to start up a conversation, but he was a decent human being. It would be rude to just pretend like she didn't even exist. "Nothing special. Ice-Make Magic. What about you?" No Gray! Why? You could have just left the conversation there. Why'd you follow up with another question? Dammit! He screamed in his mind.

"Oh I use Card Magic," her smile broadened. "I can also tell fortunes. You want me to tell you yours?"

Just say no. Say no and you can be done with this little 'chat.' "Sure... I guess..." Dammit Gray! This is why you keep getting stuck with weirdos. Stop being so nice!

Cana set herself down opposite the raven. She pulled her card deck from her pocket and began shuffling them around in her hands. "Okay," she began, laying each card down on the table. "Pick a card."

Gray sighed and reluctantly turned over one of the many cards displayed in front of him. The scene showed a lone man with his back turned from eight golden cups. He glanced back up at the brunette, oblivious to the meaning, and frowned in confusion when he saw a look of both surprise and worry spread across her features.

"The Eight of Cups," she stated. "It's a card of change and transition. It stands for escapism, disappointment, abandonment and withdrawal. The man in the drawing was said to have left on a journey after experiencing unhappiness upon achieving all he has desired. The man found that achieving his goals was far less fulfilling that he would have wanted. He chose to leave his comfort zone in pursuit of a greater goal in life. Does that relate to you in any way?"

Gray shrugged. "Not even slightly," he dismissed, grunting and averting his eyes from the card. Memories of Deliora, Ur and Lyon flashed through his mind, that of which he rapidly discarded.

"Why don't you pick another one?" Cana suggested. "I'm sure it'll be more uplifting."

Sighing for a second time, the Ice Wizard flipped over a second card. This time, the image showed a man stood on a cliff side with a bag over his shoulder and a white flower in his hand. There was also a small white dog following the man. Once again, he looked up to Cana for any kind of reaction and saw her smiling with a kind of giddiness that Gray would have never imagined she had inside her from their initial introduction.

"The Fool," she grinned. "It stands for beginnings, spontaneity and a free spirit. The Fool is at the beginning of his journey, full of potential. The white rose in his hand represents purity and innocence. The white dog represents The Fool's guardian who will protect him throughout his journey and also push him to learn some valuable life lessons he will need to further progress in life. Sounds like a good card to me."

"Sounds like a bunch of crap to me," he grumbled in response.

"Ahh, so you two know each other," their tiny master approached. "I was hoping that you two would get along. How would you two like to go out on a job together?"

"Sure, what job is it?" Cana's smile only grew wider at the intriguing offer.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure I could handle it alone," Gray scoffed, turning away from Makarov's gaze.

The Guild Master rolled his eyes at the boy's stubbornness. "I'm sure you could Gray, but you're still new to the guild and not yet accustomed to how guild wizards work. Cana's had her fair share of experience and I can see that she would be delighted to work with you. It would be good for you both to get out there without having to take care of Macao or Wabaka because even I know that pair can be a pain in the ass to work with."

The raven sent Makarov a look that clearly said "I do not want to go on a job with her," to which he responded. "Well, I could always ask Laxus to take you out on your first job." He gestured over to his grandson and shook his head when he saw the blonde with his feet up on a table, music booming in his ears and lightning crackling through his fingertips as a warning.

Gray grimaced at the moody teen. "Okay fine, I'll go on this stupid job. What is it?"

"An elderly couple over in Shirotsume Town have lost their dog. Town folks have said they've seen him not so far from the mountain range. A simple job, but an adventure nonetheless."

The Ice Wizard groaned; not exactly an ideal first job, not to mention he had to spend it with that fortune loving brunette sat opposite him. At least he had one thought to keep him going; the sooner I get this job over and done with the sooner Gramps will trust me with solo ones. Makarov handed the flyer to the two kids and Gray's eyes nearly shot out of his head when he saw the reward money.

"One million Jewel!" The duo gasped.

"Evidently, the couple are quite the wealthy pair and their precious dog means a lot to them."

Cana's apprehension began wriggling its way to the surface. "Requests with this high a price can be pretty dangerous. Are you sure you're okay with us taking it?"

The Master paused for a moment of thought. "Well you're both capable wizards and Shirotsume has a good neighbourhood, not too far away either... But if you don't want it, I can always give it to..."

"Oh we want it," Gray butted in, greed glistening in his widened eyes.

"Great," Makarov smiled. "I'll inform the client and the pair of you can leave immediately."

The raven sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day and the two kids grabbed any essential items for their trip. Makarov stood by the doorway and waved the two off, praying that they wouldn't do anything that would grab the Magic Council's attention yet again.


Cana led the way of course; Gray didn't have the foggiest idea of where the hell they were going. He'd only been in Fiore for a few days so everything was still fairly foreign to him and he was actually missing his homeland more than he thought he would. The Ice Wizard had assumed that, considering the amount of bad memories that took place in Isvan, he wouldn't give a damn about leaving for the west. However, now that he thought more about it, he was really starting to miss the low temperatures and snowy atmosphere. Gray had honestly been excited when Makarov had mentioned the mountains, but considering this insane heat, he highly doubted it would be even remotely close to how he trained with Ur and Lyon. Just the thought of their names was almost enough to reduce him to tears... Almost. There was no way he was going to let himself cry whilst in the presence of a guild mate. Gray couldn't decide whether it was better or worse if someone he barely even knew caught sight of his pitiful state. So just as he had done since his travels began, he pushed his feeling to the deepest corners of his mind and focused his thoughts solely on the mission at hand. That was until...

"So Gray," Cana began, "Master said that you used to live in the Northern Continent. What was it like over there?"

Gray frowned before responding. "Umm... Yeah, it uhh... It snows a lot over there... Perfect for an Ice Wizard."

"Why'd you leave?"

His face dropped further. "I uhh... There aren't as many opportunities for wizards over there. The Western Countries are far better if you want to join a guild or get stronger."

"Do you miss it?"

"Do you always ask this many questions?" Gray growled in response.

"Sorry," Cana mumbled, fiddling with her hands again. "It's not every day you meet another kid wizard, y'know? Hanging round with those geezers can be a pain sometimes."

"Why don't we just focus on the job?" Gray dismissed as the duo once again fell into silence.


Shirotsume was far busier than Magnolia. The streets were lined with markets and crowds of people swerving amongst one another. Definitely livelier than Isvan, Gray thought, recalling the near desolate market places they used to visit. No! The raven screamed in his mind. Stop thinking about Isvan! None of that matters anymore! The boy rubbed his temple before picking up his pace to catch up with his new guild mate. Cana was scanning the streets until her eyes fell upon a small, white cottage over in the far East of the village, not far from the mountain range. It was hard to believe they were the rich couple that had sent for them. Both wizards shuffled up to the door and banged the knocker against firm wood.

"Yes?" A petite elderly woman answered as she ever so slowly swung the door wide open.

"Hi," Cana gave the woman a cheery smile. "We're wizards from Fairy Tail responding to your request."

"Ah yes," the woman chimed. "I'm Angela Nakamura, do come in."

She ushered the duo into her living room where her beloved husband was enjoying a steaming mug of coffee whilst catching up on the latest news. Angela offered up some freshly baked cookies – that of which were graciously accepted – and began explaining her request.

"My darling Shiba Inu got lost on our walk around two days ago. My husband and I asked around town if anyone had seen him, but the only information we got was that someone had seen a dog run off into the mountains," she began tearing up as she continued. "I'd go out and search myself, but I'm not exactly in my prime anymore and there tend to be rather a lot of Vulcans over in the mountain range."

"You sure these kids can handle the job?" Her husband grumbled, raising an eyebrow at the two eight year olds. "Ain't exactly safe up there."

"Don't worry sir," Gray reassured with a hint of annoyance at the subtle insult. "We've handled far worse than Vulcans before."

"Oh how wonderful!" Angela beamed. "I'll have a fresh batch of cookies for when you return. Oh, I almost forgot our adorable puppy answers to Goro. I wish you the best of luck!"


After an agonising trek through a wildly overgrown forest, Cana and Gray had finally made it to the mountain range. In actuality, the journey hadn't lasted more than a few minutes, but the sheer awkward silence between the two young wizards was enough to make it feel like an eternity. It wasn't until they moved into a clearing that the brunette started up more light chatter.

"This is gonna be like searching for a nail in a hay stack," she huffed. "We'd have better luck finding a million Jewel."

"Well if we complete this job we'll have both," Gray chuckled dryly, scanning his surroundings and frowning at the lack of snow. "If you were a dog running away from home, where would you go?"

"Hmmm..." She pondered, joining Gray in his observation. "Well dogs have a good sense of smell. Maybe he smelled something strange in the mountains and went to find it?"

"Great," Gray sighed. "Now all we need is a dog to help us sniff out the other one."

"I don't think that'll be necessary," the girl grinned before ushering her raven haired companion over.

The Ice Wizard skidded over to her side to find, amongst the dried up mud, a set of small paw prints, trailing off further into the mountains.

"See," Cana grinned. "We'll find the dog in no time!"

Gray, on the other hand, wasn't so certain. "These things could be days old!" He exclaimed. "There's no telling where this damn mutt could be."

"You know with that kind of attitude you'll never make it far in a guild," Cana mocked. "Let's just follow the trail and see where it leads us." Without waiting for an answer, the Card Wizard set off in the pursuit of the furry creature.

Gray rolled his eyes before grudgingly following along the dirt trail in the hopes of completing this damned job as soon as possible.


Luck seemed to be on their side and the trail had led them around the perimeter of the mountain and towards the entrance of a cave. Cana pulled out a glowing card from her deck to use as a guide and the two delved into the dark chasm. There didn't appear to be anywhere for a dog to hide; the rocky walls were far apart, leaving a lot of open space for any animal to run freely. The occasional stone would crumple away from the walls and ceiling casing both wizards to go on high alert.

"You never know what's lurking inside a cave," Cana warned, to which Gray just rolled his eye. Did she think he was an idiot?

Suddenly, a harsh growl reverberated off the walls of the cave. Cana fumbled with her battle cards whilst Gray slammed his fist into his palm. The brunette's glowing card cast a dark shadow of the approaching enemy and sent chills down their spins. Whatever was headed their way, it was big. Both wizards remained still with bated breath, preparing for their foe to make its appearance. They were, however, completely stumped to see a small, white Shiba Inu running towards them as fast as his little legs could carry him. The mutt was barking like a mad man, as if it was desperately trying to relay some sort of news to the duo.

"Awww," Cana gawked, clasping her hands together. "He's cute!"

"Well I guess that's over and done with," Gray sighed with relief. "Let's get it home and collect our reward."

Just as the words fell from his mouth, the walls shook as a booming foot slammed down deeper inside the cave. The wizards instantly shot back into their battle stances whereas the dog dashed out of the cave and down the mountain range.

"So much for that," Gray hissed.

The stomping grew louder and louder until the pair could make out four shadowed figures. The brunette held up her light card and managed to unveil the small pack Vulcans rapidly approaching.

The Ice Wizard was completely baffled at the sight. "What the hell are those?!" He cried, his mouth agape.

"It's a Vulcan, idiot," Cana rolled her eyes. "Don't they have any of those up North?"

"Not that I know of," Gray pondered as the Vulcans drew ever closer.

"Pretty girl!" One of them proclaimed as the others chattered in agreement.

The Card Wizard bore a look of both disturbance and embarrassment before launching several cards their way. "Summon Lightning!" She'd managed to stun at least one of the creatures, but back-pedalled when a second one began stomping towards her with lust in its eyes, leaving Gray to handle the other two.

"Ice-Make: Battle Axe!" He roared, a thin, sharp slice of ice slashing towards the Vulcan. The force of the attack managed to push one beast back a step, but sadly not enough to do any physical damage. "What the hell?! Are these things made outta rock or something?!"

"They're mountain Vulcans!" Cana called over, dodging the oncoming attacks. "These guys are far more durable than forest Vulcans. Be careful!"

"Yeah yeah," the raven groaned, pulling up a shield to avoid being sucker-punched by his foes.

The two Fairy Tail wizards bounded left and right, ice and cards flying in every direction. Gray wouldn't lie; these beasts were tough and fast... But they were also extremely stupid. With a decent strategy, it wouldn't be too hard to overpower them. "Ice-Make: Ice Geyser!" The raven slammed his hands into the ground and huge chunks of ice sprung up from the cracks, chasing after the two Vulcans. Whilst they were distracted, Gray smirked to himself at his genius plan before once again pressing his palms against the ground. "Ice Floor!" The majority of their battle field was coated in a thin sheet of ice, sending both Vulcans sliding into a nearby wall and knocking a few chunks of rubble on their heads. "Well that wasn't too bad..." Gray sighed as he watched Cana knock out her opponents. Now where the hell did that dog go? He thought. He glanced over to the entrance of the cave, hoping for any kind of indication of where the mutt had run off to. It was only when he heard an ear splitting scream from his guild mate that he shot his head back around.

"Let go of me you freak!" Cana cried as a stealthy fifth Vulcan held her in a death grip. The brunette struggled with all her might, but alas, she just couldn't break free.

"Cana!" Gray charged further into the cave, shooting several freezing lances towards the creature, making sure not to accidentally hit the Card Wizard it was keeping hostage.

Without warning, the beast reeled back and slammed his fist into the Ice Wizard's face and knocked him back towards the cave entrance. Gray's limp form crashed to the ground as he groaned in agony. Damn, he forced a thought through his distorted mind. This bastard is way tougher than rest. Unknown to him, the Vulcan had been gradually getting closer to where he lay in order to finish the job. Cana screamed and screamed for him to move, but no sound registered with the raven. Pain flared up in every muscle as the Vulcan crushed his fist into the boy's chest over and over.

"GET UP GRAY!" Cana continued to cry. "WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT SELF-RIGHTEOUS ATTITUDE YOU HAD BACK AT THE GUILD?! DON'T LET ME DOWN!"

The raven's eyes shot open at his guild mate's words, determination glistening in his jet black orbs. He crossed his arms over his head and roared "ICE-MAKE: LANCE!" But this time aiming straight for the Vulcan's arm joint. The force of the impact not only staggered the foe, but was also enough for Cana to find an opening to wriggle free. As soon as she was back on solid ground, she helped the Ice Wizard up on his feet and scanned him over for any serious injuries. "You okay?" She muttered, not daring to lower her guard a second time.

Gray just shrugged. "I'll walk it off on the way home." He gave her a quick smirk before the duo returned their attention to a rather aggravated Vulcan standing before them.

"You distract it," the boy instructed. "I'll strike when its guard's down."

"On it!" Cana grinned, whipping out several cards from her deck. Gray ran off into the shadows, leaving the Vulcan all to herself. "Hey, you big dumb animal," she called. "You want me? Then come get me."

The beast howled with excitement as it stomped her way, greed sparkling in its eyes. Just as it came within the girl's reach, Cana flicked a card down at its feet and watched that greed turn into plain confusion. The Vulcan squinted down at the card with a puzzled glare. Shouldn't it be doing something? Shrugging it off as a failed attack on her part, the Vulcan took one step over the card and reached out to grab her. It was at this point that Cana snapped her fingers and yelled "PRAYER'S FOUNTAIN!"

Before it could blink, the Vulcan was shot up to the rocky ceiling, being aggressively pushed by the flood of water spewing from the card. As the magic died down, gravity did its work and the creature was quick to crash land and create a small crater. Whilst it remained stunned, Gray took his opportunity to strike. The Ice Wizard charged forward and cried "ICE-MAKE: KNUCKLE!" Several solid fists of ice shot out of his hands and crashed down upon his opponent, striking it multiple times across its face and chest. When the magic eventually ceased, the Vulcan was out cold. Gray admired his handiwork before turning to his guild mate. "You okay?"

"Yeah..." She sighed in response. "You know we make a good team," she smiled.

"Shut up," the boy pouted, making towards the cave entrance. He couldn't deny that facing those beasts as a team was far more satisfying that fighting alone... And his ego wasn't that big; he knew now that he would have stood no chance without the brunette there to support him. Maybe this job wasn't quite as bad as he originally thought?

"We still need to go after that dog..." Cana groaned, failing to locate the pet.

"Well we better get to it. Oh," he turned to make eye contact with the Card Wizard. "If we're going to be team mates from now on, we need to set some ground rules." He quickly turned back and began descending the mountain range.

Cana watched as the raven skidded down the trail and grinned. Yep, she thought. He's definitely The Fool.


So whilst writing this chapter I may have forgotten that there actually are Vulcan's in Isvan. The three second clip of Lyon watching Vulcans during Gray's flashback kinda slipped my mind. :p

Updates will be every Saturday (if I can remember) so I'll see you all next week!

Buh-bye!