Okay, I know I'm a week late, but I have good reason. Basically people from my drama class have been throwing shit at me and my friend and it's kinda slowed down my work on pretty much everything. So I'm sorry for the delay, but better late than never right? Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't know FT

With one clean slice, Erza cut down yet another guard that dared to stand in their way. She kicked the unconscious body aside and led Cana to where she assumed the exit was. The brunette desperately wanted to smash these bastards' faces in, but the limp form of her best friend was preventing her from doing so. Each and every time the duo had crossed paths with one of the workers she had unconsciously reached down to the deck of cards lying in her back. This resulted in her grip on Gray faltering, causing her to panic and clutch onto him for dear life. As much as she wanted revenge on these people for hurting her first ever friend she had forced herself not to. Everyone had a role to play in this rescue mission and right now, her job was to carry her wounded guild mate to safety.

"Damn," Erza hissed as they met yet another crossroad. "This would be so much easier if Natsu hadn't had run off."

"Knowing him he's probably gone for payback," Cana sighed with a hint of jealousy.

"That imbecile can't act mature even when one of his own is in danger," the red-head frowned, scanning the different possible routes. "How's Gray doing?"

Cana shifted her gaze to peek at the mob of raven hair lolled over her shoulder. "His wounds have stopped bleeding, but his breaths have been getting slower and slower. I don't think taking him back outside would be a good idea; at least not until we've gotten him some proper medical attention."

"I knew we should have brought Porlyusica with us," Erza cursed under her breath. "Surely there must be an infirmary of some kind in this building. I doubt that the Master neglected to treat his followers with care, despite how roughly they've treated the slaves. They could have something to help with severe sunburn and maybe even have a way to get his temperature down."

"It's worth a shot," Cana nodded, shifting Gray's weight before the girls set off down the left corridor.

If only he could get one damn hit in! Gildarts was swerving left and right to avoid being sliced and diced by this so called 'Master.' He wasn't going to lie; this man knew how to wield a sword. The SS-Class wizard had barely had any open window to strike and each and every time he had been parried by the male's strong blade. He'd managed to shatter the damn thing a few times, but the bastard must have cast some sort of enchantment on it as the blasted thing kept regenerating in an instant.

"Getting tired yet?" The older man taunted. "You're way out of your league here, Guild Wizard."

"I'll admit I'm a little rusty before I have my morning booze, but at least I don't have to hide behind a flimsy weapon like that hunk of scrap metal."

"Don't speak so high and mighty of yourself when you have so far failed to land a single blow. You and your little friends don't stand a chance against my men. Your defeat was destined from the start."

"Clearly you've never felt the wrath of a parent whom has lost their child. Not a lot of people survive through it limbs intact," Gildarts' smirk was wiped clean off his face and a menacing scowl took over. His clenched his fist in anger as pure magical energy radiated through the thin gaps between his fingers. "You should count yourself lucky that you're facing me and not my guild master. If he were here, there would be no guarantee you'd live to tell the tale." Faster than the speed of light, Gildarts pounced towards his foe, reeling back his fist before it crashed into the Master's face and sent him flying through the wall into the outside world.

The man stared into the clear blue sky in both shock and distaste. "Y-you mon-ster," was all he could muster before the darkness shrouded his vision and plunged him into unconsciousness.

Natsu was having a similar issue. It was near impossible to even get close to Ryota with that damned whip doing the man's bidding. Every time he got remotely close to the man the lightning from his weapon would brush his skin, sending twitches down each limb. Was now a bad time to admit that he hadn't exactly recovered from his previous wounds? Right now, the pinkette was playing defence, trying to preserve the magic he had until he finally got an opening.

"I honestly imagined you having more punch than this kid," the Commander mocked, lashing down his whip. "Isn't Fairy Tail supposed to be one of the strongest guilds in Fiore? Not to mention that word of the infamous Salamander has spread pretty much everywhere, and this is all you can do? What a joke."

"You hurt me, you hurt my friend, and now you dare insult my guild," Natsu chuckled. A smirk crept onto his face, though a slight weariness was evident in his features. "By the time I'm through with you, you'll regret the day our paths ever crossed!"

In a sudden burst of air, a blue blur shot down from the ceiling and snatched Ryota's whip from right under his nose, much to his bewilderment. "You little shit!" The man roared, hoisting himself up as high as his legs would take him in a futile attempt to get his weapon back.

Happy soared into the furthest corner on the room, wrapping the whip up to prevent even the slightest chance of Ryota retrieving it. "Go get 'em Natsu!" The feline cheered as he saw that all too familiar flames come to life in his partner's fist.

"I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but if there's one thing I know it's that holder type wizards all have one clear weakness," the Fire Dragon reeled back and slammed his flaming fist into his opponent. "Their bodies are weak."

Ryota crashed into the wall behind them, clutched his now burnt torso as he struggled to regain his breath. "Someone needs to show you your place, brat," he winced, clenching his fists in pure hatred.

Natsu grinned at his foe's annoyance before charging back into the fray, his fists ablaze. He was able to get a few good hits in and give the bastard a well over due taste of his own medicine. With even the slightest touch, Ryota's skin was torched and caused him to flinch in pain. With each punch and kick his anger grew and eventually he ignored the searing sensation of pain and started fighting back at full power. Luckily for him, his tactical skills went into over drive as he studied his opponent for any weak points to exploit.

Before Natsu even had time to blink, any parts of him that had previously been lashed at by the ginger's whip were now receiving harsh blows left and right. "ARG!" He cried, pulling away from the fight to hold his wounded abdomen in distress. The pinkette didn't even manage to relight his fists before more blows were directed his way and he was once again forced to go on the defensive route.

Happy watched the pair exchange blows with a hint of apprehension. He knew that he should have more faith in his partner to handle things however he just couldn't shake off the feeling that the feline should do something to help. But what was he supposed to do? The Exceed was only small with no fighting ability whatsoever, and it wasn't like he had any sort of weapon to help him. Wait a minute! Happy glanced down at the enemy's whip clenched in his firm grip and began formulating his master plan. The Exceed flew up as high as he could possibly reach and shifted his grip so he was holding the handle of the whip. "Max Speed," he whispered, just loud enough to be heard by Natsu, but quiet enough to keep Ryota completely oblivious.

The Fire Dragon leapt out of range just as Happy swung the whip down at the Commander's feet, knocking him off balance. "Nice, Happy!" He praised his very smug looking partner before lighting his fists for the final time. "Karyū no Yokugeki!" The entire room burst into flames as Ryota howled in pure agony. The sheer force of the attack threw the man into the wall, creating a slight crater upon impact.

Natsu admired his handiwork and smiled. "I did it, Gray," he muttered as his eyes drooped and his muscles fell slack. The exhausted teen dropped down to his knees before his form lolled over to one side and he collapsed on the ground.

In a mad panic, Happy discarded the whip and shot over to his partner's side in an instant. "Natsu! Are you okay? Hang in there!" He stammered concern drowning away any other emotions.

Unknown to the blue feline, their opponent wasn't quite finished. Ryota slowly pushed his mangled body into a kneeling position and wiped the blood clean off his face. Using the Exceed's distraction to his advantage, the ginger male silently crawled over to his beloved weapon and firmly grasped it in his sweaty palms. He then gradually staggered to his feet - not daring to make even the slightest of noise - and reeled back his weapon.

Just as the lightning was about to make contact with the two Fairies, the door to the cell burst open and a gigantic fist launched itself into the room and struck Ryota's feeble form back into the wall. There was no way he would be getting up from that.

"Master!" Happy wailed in both gratitude and worry.

"Happy are you both alright? What happened?"

"Natsu finished beating that man and just fell down," Happy explained. "He was having a tough time fighting him."

"As I feared..." Makarov murmured, much to the Exceed's confusion. "I had a feeling that Natsu hadn't recovered enough for this rescue mission, but we could wait no longer and I knew he'd insist on joining us."

"Is Gray alright?"

Makarov frowned. "That's yet to be decided... Do you think you'll be able to carry Natsu back to the Magic Four-Wheelers? We need to inform the council of what has been taking place here and get the rest of these poor souls to safety. We'll head to Magnolia first of course; Natsu and Gray could both do with a check-up from Porlyusica."

"Aye," it was probably the most depressing 'Aye' Happy had ever said as he spread his wings and soared out of the cell, clutching hold of Natsu as if his life depended on it. The feline only preyed that this was his paranoia clouding his judgement.

Makarov couldn't lie; he admired the Salamander's dedication towards his guild and couldn't help but smile at the boy's determination. "One of these days," he sighed. "Those two are gonna get themselves killed."

Natsu furrowed his brow as he attempted to pull himself out of unconsciousness. In all honesty, the pinkette wanted nothing more than to just drift of back into a dream, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was missing something significant. He forced his eye lids open and was met with a blur of colours. The sight along was enough to make his head pound in pain, never mind the muffled voices that seemed far louder than they should be. "Would you keep it down?" He slurred, holding his temple.

"Natsu, you're awake!" Erza cried, leaning down by his bedside.

"Yeah I guess..." The Fire Wizard pushed himself into a sitting position and gasped at the multitude of bandages covering his chest and limbs. "When did I pass out?"

"Once you finished fighting Ryota," Happy chimed, curling up next to his partner. "You've been sleeping for three days."

"After that we gathered up the people in captivity and helped them return to their loved ones."

"What about the old man?"

"Who?"

"Uhh," Natsu closed his eyes, scanning his memory. "Yori something. He helped us escape."

"Sorry Natsu," Makarov frowned. "I don't remember anyone of that name."

The Salamander went silent. I hope he's alright, he thought. If it weren't for him, Gray and I would have never made it out of there. And then it dawned on him. "Where's Gray? Is he alright?"

It was Erza who responded. "Gray was... He was in a pretty bad state when we brought him back. He's not woken up yet but the doctors said he'd make a full recovery."

"Can I see him?"

"Not until you've gotten more rest Natsu," Erza dismissed. "All you need to worry about is healing. If anything happens with Gray we'll let you know ASAP. Cana's sat with him so don't worry, he's taken care of."

Natsu reluctantly obeyed as the Scarlet Devil forced him to lie down and get more rest. How could they expect him to sleep?! Of course, his guild mates wouldn't lie about his rival's condition, but he had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he needed to see the truth with his own eyes. And just what the hell happened to Yori?!

Natsu was given the all-clear to leave to hospital two days later, though he didn't walk very far. The moment he was freed from those god forsaken bed pans, he dashed down the corridor in pursuit of his guild mate. There had been a huge lack in news for the past few days and that worried the pinkette to no end. As he burst into the recovery room and his jaw dropped at the sight. Gray was tightly tucked under sheets and an oxygen mask was firmly strapped around his face. He was mostly covered in thick, white bandages, but the skin that was uncovered had lost some of its sickening redness from before leaving an extremely pale complexion in its wake. Cana was sat at the raven's bedside, boring eyes into his skull as if she could force him to wake up.

"Any progress at all?" Natsu questioned softly. It was more of an automatic response if anything. The Ice Wizard looked so peaceful for once; the teen didn't want to disturb his slumber.

"Not much," Cana sighed, her face grim. "His temperature has gone down a lot since we found him. At least that's something." She paused. "I'll leave you guys alone for a bit."

Natsu nodded his head in thanks before the brunette rose from her chair and silently stepped out of the room, leaving the Salamander alone with his thoughts. The teen stared down at the raven locks matting his rival's forehead and then his eyes travelled down to his face, focusing solely on his closed eyelids. He hoped that if he watched long enough, he'd eventually see those deep blue eyes once again. Of course, he didn't receive such as luxury and the only reassure he had that the Ice Wizard was still alive was the slow, monotonous beeping of the heart monitor.

Natsu rarely left the hospital after that, he just couldn't help but feel responsible for Gray's condition. Makarov and several other guild members had stopped by to check on their friends and drop off food and clean clothes for him. Happy had gone to stay with Lisanna and the Strauss siblings in order to stay out of his partner's hair. The Fire Dragon hadn't exactly been in the best of moods since waking up in the hospital, but who could blame him? Whilst the pinkette had done his best to explain the events of the past few weeks, no one could even begin to imagine what the two teens had been through. Not only that, but no one knew quite what to say to comfort him, which had led most people to keep their distance. Erza, of course, had visited quite frequently to give Natsu some company, and Cana had been by a lot to make sure her team mate was recovering.

It had been a week and a half since Natsu was discharged and he was currently slumped down in a chair, eyes closed and sleeping peacefully. Gray's fingers twitched ever so slightly and were gradually curled into a fist, clenching the bed sheets with what little strength he possessed. A barely audible groan escaped his parted lips as his brow creased into a frown. The Ice Wizard's eyes flickered open and a look of confusion flew across his face. Where was he? What was going on? He blearily scanned the room, searching for answers, until his eyes fell upon a pink blur curled up in a chair. "Na...tsu," he breathed, his voice failing.

It was a good thing Natsu was a Fire Dragon Slayer or he wouldn't have picked up on the near silent voice, though he wasn't exactly sleeping in the first place. The teen shot up from his position and beamed at the sight of his rival. "Gray! You're awake! How're you feeling?"

"Like shit," he croaked, doing his best to push himself up into a sitting positon. "What happened?"

"The others found me passed out in some village and from there I was able to track you by scent back to the camp. Everyone fought and we managed to rescue you and free all the other slaves."

"Right," Gray frowned, leaning back into his pillow.

"Gray," Natsu started, fearing the answer he may receive. "Yori wasn't with any of the other slaves. Do you know what happened to him?"

The raven grimaced and Natsu instantly regretted asking. Nevertheless, Gray responded. "The Master was going to kill me if I didn't tell him who came up with the plan..." He looked away in shame, bringing a single hand up and rubbing his neck. "He had the blade to my throat but then Yori came in and confessed... The bastard killed him without a second thought."

Tears glistened in both of the boys' eyes and Natsu immediately leaned in, holding the Ice Wizard's weakened arm in a firm grip. "I'm so sorry I left you there alone," he blurted out. "This is all my fault. I should have taken you with me when we had the chance to escape and now Yori's dead because of us. And you, you're in this state because I couldn't save you."

"He was happy, you know."

"What?"

"Yori," Gray stated. "In his last moments, he was happy that he was able to help us. Not that it will put you at ease, you self-loathing bastard."

"Oh says you!" Natsu snarled, though his angered expression was quickly wiped from his face when he noticed a smirk spread across Gray's face as he chuckled at his rival's short fuse. "I'm glad you're alright," he smiled his signature toothy grin.

"Me too."

Two hours later, Makarov stopped by the hospital for his frequent visit; he turned the corner and picked up a pair of mumbled voices coming from the end of the corridor. A hopeful smile creased over his features as he picked up the pace towards Gray's hospital room. He pushed the door open just enough to peek through without either wizard noticing any kind of disturbance. The Guild Master watched in content as the two boys chattered away, throwing the occasional insult at one another every now and then. A small shuffle on the bed caught his attention and the wizard found that Natsu was tightly holding onto his friend's hand as if the teen would disappear if he let go. Makarov closed his eyes as his smile increased. I'll come back later, he thought, silently shutting the door and striding back down the corridor.

THE END!

I hope you all enjoyed this story and thank you to EVERYONE who has followed/favourited/reviewed or even just taken the time to read this. Again, I'm sorry for the extended wait (lets hope it was worth it).

Now I'm probably not going to post anything for a while. As I mentioned beforehand, I'm only gonna start posting stories when they're 100% complete just so I don't have to stress about meeting deadlines etc. There may be a one-shot coming soon though (hopefully) focusing on how Gray and Cana first met.

On another note, who else is excited for the next FT chapter 'Broken Bonds' my guess it's about either Natsu and Gray or Erza and Irene. MAKAROV! T_T

Again, thank you so much to everyone who has supported me through this and any other story I've written.

Byeeeeee! :)