Author's Note

Disclaimer: I don't' own Fairy Tail! Please read and review! Thanksss~

The door of Fiarsin creaked open. A sliver of light was cast upon the floor of the guild. Glancing up, the master slowly rose to a standing position. Holding his fists out defensively, he approached the door. A small figure moved to block some of the light. A single tear dropped, hitting the ground with a barely audible splash.

"Natsu…" Upon instant recognition of the voice, of the figure, he rushed forward, grasping the trembling blonde. "Natsu…!" Holding her face, he tilted it up towards him. Staring into her tear filled eyes, he waited in silence for the girl to continue. "Master… Master…" And already he was filled with dread. Eyes widening in shock, his other hand grasped tightly at her wrist. Deep inside, he already knew the next words she uttered. Of course he knew. "He's… He's in critical condition…Porlyusica said he could die at any time." Over and over in his brain, it echoed, die, die, die, die.

"Lucy…" Wrapping his arms around the girl, he leaned down and stared in shock. Even though he knew, even though he had seen it himself, even though he had heard the terrible cry of the previous Fairy Tail master, putting it into words had a much greater effect. It was real now.

The door of Railt shattered. The entire guild looked up, leaping to their feet in surprise. Their master looked coldly up from his seat. Rising to his feet, he approached the figure advancing through the pieces of wood that had been their guild door.

"Erza," he hissed, crossing his arms. What did she want? Coming to his guild, shattering his door, what was she doing? Rage boiled up within him. But in an instant, the fire of his rage froze. He stopped midstride. "Er…za…" he murmured in shock. Tears were running down her face. She held the halberd from the Nakagami Armor in her hand.

"Gray…" Upon the utterance of his name, Erza leaped, at Gray, rage and sorrow and pain and anger and sadness and confusion dancing upon her face. She missed by several feet. Stumbling back in surprise, Gray stared in horror at the new slash upon the floor of his guild.

"Hey, Erza!" he yelled, worried for his guild, but more so for himself.

"Gray you bastard!" Erza yelled, walking forward and reaching out and grabbing the collar of his shirt. The halberd made a terrible screeching noise as it was dragged across the stone floor. She glared at him, tear-stained face accusing.

In as quiet a voice as he had used for the longest time he could remember, he strangled out a "Y-yes?"

Shoving him away from her, Erza turned away, facing the pile of rubble previously known previously as the door of Railt. Stumbling, Gray stared after her as her brisk footsteps carried her away. And without looking back she said in a low voice, "Master was hurt. He might die." Falling to the ground, Gray sat and stared as the red haired girl disappeared in the distance.

"Gray! I bet it was you!" the pink-haired howled accusingly.

"Don't give me that shit! Fiarsin's the one who injured Master!" Gray roared back.

"Where's your proof?"
"Where's your proof, Flamebrain?"

The two guilds had once again come together. Wicked smiles danced, as they stared eagerly at their opponents. Half of them gave not a care about why they were actually gathered. After all Makarov had no meaning to them. It was a battle between their masters, but it was just a fight nonetheless. They were bound by love, bound by friendship, but the largest attraction of Fiarsin and Railt, by far was the bloodshed.

The two guilds were nearly at each other's necks, but they still gave the honor to their master. More like burden. The seconds ticked by as Gray and Natsu stared at each other. Emotions flashed across their faces. Upon the finish of their silent conversation, the two leaped at each other, one with ice in hand, the other with fire in hand. Water splashed.

"Gray-sama," a low voice murmured. In between flame and ice stood a thin sheet of water. Water dripped onto the floor, from her hands, and from her eyes. Slowly, Juvia drew in her arms, clasping them at her chest. Whirling, she turned to face Gray, staring him straight in the eye. "Gray-sama! Master is in critical condition, and all… All you can do is fight?" she burst out. She drew closer and closer to the man, eventually forcing him to take an uneasy step backwards. "That's all you ever been doing these past months! Fighting, fighting, fighting… What happened to you? What happened to Gray?" as she continued shouting, her voice grew louder in volume. But it also reached a cracking point. Her voice was hoarse with emotion. Tears were streaming down her face. Her body was trembling. The only thing that was holding her back from attacking the man was her love for him. Yet, she didn't love this fighting machine. She loved Gray.

"Juvia…" his voice started out quiet, yet as if out of instinct it rose in volume and intensity, "What are you talking about? Gray? I'm standing right in front of you! Or are you blind? Are all those tears blinding your vision?" He straightened. He was Gray Fullbuster, master of Railt, enemy of Natsu Dragneel. There was no need to fear this woman.

Juvia didn't respond. She stared in shock at his bare chest where the symbol of Railt was now stood. It was exactly where the Fairy Tail symbol had once been. "Heh, what's wrong? Crying too—"

His speech was cut off abruptly as a stream of fire shot just over his head, singeing the tips of his hair. "Gray you fucker!" a loud voice rang out. Immediately it fell silent. Power was flowing from the one who had just spoken. Fire raged from his entire body. Yet his eyes held water.

Startled, Gray froze, unsure as to what he should say in response. He shuddered involuntarily as Natsu let out a blood-curdling yell. Flames shot into the sky. Everyone within a thirty foot radius flinched from the heat. People were backing away, the less bold running in fear. But the raven-haired master could only stare in awe. Even though he was a mere five feet away from the rampant flames, he felt nothing at all, as if he was being protected… by something. Yet he saw nothing.

Starting to tremble, Gray's eyes widened, fear coursed through his body. Fear. How long it had been since he had last known that emotion. Yet here it was, strangling him again, as strong as ever as he gazed upon his enemy. It seemed as if he was exhausting all of his magic energy. Yet, why wasn't he stopping? He should have run out by now. He should have… but he had not. The flames were as vicious and lively as before.

Another shudder ran through his body as somewhere, the small thought wormed into his mind, I have been fighting this? This? But he had never been this strong. And it dawned on him. This was the true power of a Dragon Slayer. Unleashed, with no limits, this was the true strength of the man known as the master of Fiarsin. The true strength of the man he claimed his enemy. The true strength of the man known as Salamander. The true strength of the man named Natsu Dragneel.

And when the bonfire finally stopped, he knew it wasn't because of exhaustion. In fact the pink-haired was brimming with magic power. But his eyes were closed, his breathing quick and uneven. He trembled, though it was barely discernable.

The man stood in silence, not straight and proud; rather he seemed to be collapsing. Adrenaline was the only thing that held him up. He said nothing as he showed the world his weakness. After his show of strength, he seemed to be in a state of death. Yet his air was still commanding. As if upon instinct, the Railt fled until only their master remained. But he too, soon turned and left, still shuddering from amazement, awe, inspiration, and fear. A deep, deep fear that coursed through his entire body. A fear that touched all corners of his body and soul. Simply, fear.

Again the two masters stood, facing each other. But this time, there was no hostile crowd surging about them. Even as they stared at each other, their gazes were cool, devoid of their previous temper. For a moment they nearly looked like friends. Nearly though. It was impossible to miss the tense muscles, clenched fists, and their wary postures. What if the other was to strike? Even with this so called peaceful meeting, there was uneasiness and anxiety. Not a single part of them was nonchalant. They were two beasts, circling each other, waiting for the signal to strike. But today, today, there would be no signal. Only tears as the two monsters caught a glimpse of what lay in their wake.

Together, the approached the vast, proud doors of the great guild they had both once belonged to. Each pushing one of the double doors open, they entered without word. And they were greeted without a word.

It seemed as if the entire guild had gathered. But not a single one was joyful. Not a single one was not mourning. Not a single one looked up as the two entered. Not a single one had eyes not red from crying. Some even shed the droplets as the two entered, as silently as possible.

And the two passed, quietly through the guild. They knew where they were going, there was no need for them to be led or directed. It had once been their guild. And somewhere in their hearts as they walked through the guild, once so filled with laughter and fun, they felt a throb. For what would their life had been if they had each chosen to stay? What would they be to each other now? And it scared them to think about it. Because whenever they did, they began regretting, began thinking that perhaps that life would have been better. And it scared them to think of such a thing. Because the path they had trodden, they could not turn back on. There was only one way to go, but destruction lay all around them. And the only light in the darkness was that of the one behind them.

Silently they reached a closed door. And without conversing, Natsu reached out and grabbed the doorknob. Pushing the door open, it took all their strength to not instantly collapse. This place brought memories of their past. And what their future could have been. It reminded them of the place they longed for. And, ironically or not, it was by each other's sides.

Taking a seat the bed, the two gazed upon the frail old man. His breathing was now calm but his face was slightly contorted with pain. Natsu gazed down at his hands, water swimming in his eyes. But his eyes weren't visible to the raven haired. In fact, Gray stared only forlornly at the weak face of Makarov.

"Master…" he whispered silently to himself. Even though he was a master himself, not a single member of Fairy Tail believed anyone else but Makarov to be Master. They were all his children. And he was their master. It was a fact.

Makarov's eyes slid open slowly. For a moment, he gazed up at the ceiling before trying to sit up. A fit of coughing though caused Natsu and Gray to help prop Makarov up with a wall of pillows so he could see them both. Silence fell in the room. Natsu and Gray's heads were bent, tears running down one, the other twisted in an expression of pain.

"Natsu… Gray…" The two moved in unison as their names were uttered. Makarov was clutching at his sheets. His frame was trembling as tears were running down his face. "Natsu… Gray…" he repeated, his voice scratchy and hoarse but filled with emotion. Anger perhaps, elation as well, but more than anything, pure relief.

"Natsu, Gray… If I live to see another day, to see the sun rise again and its rays to shine into this room, I want to see my children united in the light," Makarov's voice dropped to a murmur. Taking the two's hands in each of his, Makarov continued, "As a parent, my only wish is to see my children, happy and together." His grip tightened on their hands and his breaths came shorter. But even as he fought the sickness, still trembling, his voice remained steady and strong, "And if I don't live… If I don't, I want to know, that my children are safe, their worries gone, their anguishes gone. But Natsu! Gray! More than anything… I want to know… that my family is a whole again." Makarov's grip tightened even more, his knuckles white. Coughs racked his small, frail frame.

Gray had clasped his hands together and his forehead rested against them. Natsu clutched at Makarov's hand, his eyes closed, jaw clenched. Tears flowed from both of their faces. Makarov's grip slowly relaxed as he murmured before drifting into a slumber, "I want to see my children's smiling faces in the sun." A small smile graced his features as he slept peacefully.

Yet they come together