The morning sun shined down on the snow sheet that covered the land. A small patch of flakes positioned themselves on top of an isolated tent. When the person inside moved the opening, the snow fell down and splashed at her face.

She was not expecting to hear a chuckle coming near the campfire. Nor was she expecting to see Natsu was standing without a hint of yesterday's sickness. She reached through the snow and peeked around his shoulder in case she just woke up in the middle of an invasion, "Natsu?"

"Oofph!" Natsu turned around with a piece of burnt meat between his lips. Holding up his finger, he swallowed and explained that woke up without that fever from yesterday.

The girl nodded and took her seat next to him, and grabbed herself a piece of that salted beef. For one thing, she quickly noticed, it was completely ashes, but she chose to drain it down with some water. It was something, and it would be wasteful if she coughed it up, Gray told herself as she finished.

That's when she felt something warm touch her shoulder. She rashly turned her head to face Natsu, who did seem to notice, and merely continued eating. Seeing as how she should not care, she didn't move away from his touch. She was a boy. A boy wouldn't get flustered over something like this, or would she? Usually if something like this happened, Gray would've made a big deal out of it and badger him into their usual bickering, but she already lost her chance to harp on this.

"Whut's wrung?"

Trying to avoid his question, she shook her head and this was when she noticed that Natsu seemed genuinely concern. Was that the right word? All she knew was that his jasper eyes was searching for any hint of trouble in her posture. Tensing up, she looked back to the fire, and shifted her shoulder away from his.

What was with her mind today? She was overanalyzing every single detail, and it drove her mad. Why did Natsu have to be so close? Why was he concerned? Shouldn't she be the one concerned, because he was the one sick? Her mind kept emphasizing this point, but the only times she ever saw this side of him was in battle. He just feels powerless in her situation; nothing more, nothing less; just the way it should be.

Deciding she needed a breath, she stood up, caught his eye, and emotionally said, "Bathroom." He only looked at her with indifference and went back to his meal. Of course he didn't want to see Gray doing her business, so it was the best option to step away from him.

The boy stayed in the same place. He knew once Gray got back, that they needed to pack the camp up to start heading into the Gazors and, finally, to their destination. They were already days behind, and it was starting to unnerve him.

And that's when he heard a scream.

His plate clashed down onto the ground, and a line of footsteps was created from his campsite into the snowy fields that rose to his waist level. That was Lisanna's scream; there was no other explanation or doubt. Sweat beads formed at the base of his forehead, and the palms of his hands. Sniffing the wind, he followed the scent until he saw several colors that clashed against the white snow, and Lisanna stood between them.

The girl was pressing her hands together, but it was a failure. She swiftly turned around and ran from the creatures, but they followed. When she saw Natsu on top of the hill, her lips formed into a small, hopeful smile, but it was quickly replaced with unrelenting concerned. She dove behind him, into the winter's ocean, and he jumped onto a rock that stood behind the creatures and Lisanna.

"Got a problem?" he cracked his fist and looked at the three enemies, "Cuz I'm all fired up!" This was exactly what he needed after that sick day.

Lisanna stayed in her place and only saw hints of the battle, like the smoke that rose, or screams from the yeti-type creatures. She bit her bottom lip, wishing that she could've helped in anyway, but at the moment, she was powerless.

And then the fighting came to a piercing silence.

Natsu slid through the snow, right where she stationed herself. "Let's head back," he held out his hand and jerked her back to her feet. "What happened?"

"Ambushed," she bit her bottom lip, "I... I can't shapeshift. I can't use my magic." She glanced down at her pale hands and slid them back into her pocket. When she needed them the most, it wasn't there for her. She wasn't able to defend herself against those fiends. She stopped herself before Natsu started worrying, and placed a forced smile on her face. "Thank you."

Was she also affected like Gray was? How gender swapping and magic absorption was fall into the same category was beyond her; all she knew, the only time she felt like this was when she was in Edolas, and that wasn't something she wished to return to.

When Lisanna neared the makeshift camp, she noted how quiet it was. Crossing her arms around her chest, she glanced at Natsu and asked, "W-Where's Gray-san?"

"Bathroom," he rubbed the back of his head, "She can't take that long though."

Lisanna gulped and checked inside of the tent, but there was no sign of Gray in there either. What happened to Gray?

…

Moments prior…

As Gray was walking down the ice covered trench, she held onto pillars of ice that stopped her from slipping to the bottom. Holding her weight against the sides of the walls, she managed her way out of the nature obstacle and continued her path to an unknown destination. All she had planned in her mind was that she needed a breath of fresh air away from that camp, away from Natsu. There was a fluttery feeling that swooshed through her stomach that she did not like whenever her mind recalled anything related to the fire breather.

Before she even knew it, she was facing a frozen lake that hid in the shadow of an overreaching cliff; the same direction that she just came from. When she placed her hand on the sheet of ice, another layer magically appeared and thickened that certain spot. Gathering her courage, and mild curiosity, she stepped on the ice and headed inwards. She needed a week point in the glass.

And then she found it. Using an icicle that formed within her hand, she plunged it in the middle of the area and cracks began appearing.

What she was looking at was not her face.

Someone else was looking back at her with this curved face and emerald, smitten eyes; eyes that had drawn her closer to the open crack. Her blue locks fell past her ears, and dipped into the icy waters, and the mirrored person came closer.

And then the ice cracked under her pressure, and she was pulled within its depths.

Water rushed around her, and her vision swelled with darkness. Her hand reached outwards, in a direction that she thought was the upwards, and hammered on the ice sheet. Her lungs were losing breath, and felt pressured with the water that swelled inside.

"Gray!"

That was his voice, wasn't it?

"Gray-chan?! Wai-! Look!"

The girl could hear it all. The footsteps that hammered along the surface that came closer and closer where that was all she could hear; those plummeting footsteps.

Her mind felt draft as she was pulled out of the water.

When she opened her eyes, she saw these faces that broke out on their faces. Concern. Why?

Natsu shouldn't be looking that way.

No, he was always supposed to be smiling just like the goof he was. What happened to their argument that never led anywhere other than them butting heads again?

And Lisanna was supposed to have that small grin that she couldn't hide for the life of her. When she found something funny and strained her lips from showing that she was smiling.

"Gray!" He shook her shoulders.

Her eyes felt heavy. She could feel the cold winds freezing her hair. All she wanted to do was close them…

Yeah, that sounded like a good idea.

Maybe once she opened them again, they would be back to normal. Natsu and Lisanna would go back to their own naïve self, and Gray would be just like before, with a manly six-pack and a smirk that sent the ladies brawling.

Sometimes, just sometimes, I wish that I didn't promise stuff because I always mess it up in the end. I know, it's been two weeks with any updates, but I'm getting back on track. I'm trying to at least. We are heading into the end soon...so be prepared.

Artwork: Nanashi (link in profile, or find through tumblr)

Thanks for all of the follows! Favorites! Reviews! They keep me grounded on this story, because man... I really do need that sometimes... or all the time... Oh well, I hope everyone is enjoying where this story is heading because I kinda hate how it's episodic, where an idea only comes into play for one chapter. But, that was the point of cutting the chapters where they were, so I could head into new ideas.