A/N: I'm still trying to recover from my loss and even if no one hurt on my side, the disaster certainly took hundreds of lives which is why I became quite busy this year. But currently things are better. People at my place are slowly getting back on their feet. It's bad but its life. Life must go on—as always. Btw, this chapter is far longer than usual so bare with me. Even though it might not be as good as the previous chapters, but I'll try to make it up for the next chapter. As of Jerza, Gruvia etc moments, will definitely come more afterwards. I need to unveil the mysteries first so, enjoy!

Chapter 25

"Magnolia Hospital, MECC here. There's an ambulance call within Magnolia territory. An apartment building is on fire. There are some casualties noted and some are still in the process of evacuating. Please respond to the MECC soon!"

The sun had just beginning to set, splashes of red and orange whisks spreading across the horizon. It wasn't the kind of evening Ul would detest of. But Gray had just pulled off his mask, grumbling at how an emergency doctor had missed an important heart diagnosis from the ECG. Like seriously, how can you work in an emergency department if you can't even identify a problem? This old vice professor heading this department needs to retire soon.

"Stuff like this happens, Gray. Stop complaining," Ul said reproachfully. Youngsters, Ul thought, are so hot blooded. Gray was no exception. She made a mental note to get Gray to cool down his mind soon.

"Prof Milkovich! There's an MECC call. Ambulance is ready. We are dispatching you," the MECC call receiver informed via walkie-talkie. Ul glanced at the walkie-talkie kept in her breast pocket. Oh yeah, she was on MECC call indeed tonight. It had been a peaceful day that she almost forgot that she had that responsibility to answer emergency calls that day.

"MECC, Milkovich here. Order accepted," Ul answered before letting go the answer button, turning to Gray and Lyon. "Gray, Lyon, come with me." It was obviously an order than a request. After all, they are her apprentice. They need to be well trained before she let them handle their own patients.

Lyon and Gray followed soundlessly, with Gray still mumbling about the incompetency of the old doctor. What was his name again? Whatever. His name isn't worth remembering anyway. It amused Ul how easily irritated Gray had become that whole day. He dissed at every single thing that went even the slightest wrong and it was definitely not good.

"Gray, everyone make mistakes. Doctors are humans too. Accept that and stop disrespecting your seniors," Ul reminded him again when they sat in the ambulance. Lyon had been rather quiet, letting the ambulance sway him once in a while at a few corners on the way.

"Prof Milkovich, the first respond signal had been sent. Please alert us again on arrival for the second respond time," she heard the voice from the walkie-talkie again.

"Roger and out," Ul answered before turning to Lyon. "What do we have with us?"

Lyon flipped open the apparatus bag. "Intubating tools as necessary, dressing set, thoracotomy tools, fracture retraction tools and surgical set."

"Fracture retraction tools? Why do we even need those?" Gray rolled his eyes, hands folding across his chest in annoyance.

"Perhaps they were expecting some people jumped off the building and broke something?"

"Perhaps they're just stupid," Gray interjected.

"Gray," Ul sighed.

"I'm just done with ED. Can't they reshuffle their team and get some new reliable people?" Gray scratched his head roughly.

"They are reliable. We might see of some need with these later," Ul's tone was low but at such of authority that Gray knew immediately to shut up. But not without throwing a faint glare at nowhere.

The extension of the fire was beyond them. They heard from the firemen that it was caused by some kind of cooking gas explosion somewhere at the resident apartment, but by the time they arrived, the upper floors of the building were on fire. Hundreds of patients were waiting outside, some with minor injuries, some were even unconscious. Ul bit her lower lip in anxiety.

"It's worse than I expected. We need back up. Lyon, start triaging them. Gray, attend the red coded patients," she left an order, letting her students moved to their job before fishing out her walkie-talkie. "MECC, Milkovich here. I already sent the second respond signal. Please activate disaster call. We need back up."

She helped Gray to attend the critically ill patients after making the call. She had just finished intubating when she glanced at the firemen trying to put out the fire. The fire at the second floor of the building had already ceased, and Ul noticed how the fire was almost been put out. At least the first and ground floors aren't burnt. They wouldn't have to worry about fire spreading to the ground. She turned again at the road when a few more ambulance came and some doctors rushing out, helping her and Gray attending the patients that Lyon had coded with the colors.

"Lyon, you'll be the team leader tonight. Make sure to communicate well with the firemen," Ul gave out another order.

Lyon had just tagging a patient with yellow tag when he heard her. "Why are you giving up your leader position to me? Is it your way to acknowledge that I've surpassed you or something?" there was a smug playful grin on his face.

"No. It's a way to make me see if you really had surpassed me. So do your job well and I'll see if you're worth it," Ul chuckled, turning to go to another patient.

"Oi, Lyon, you haven't tag this kid," Gray called out, a little boy around seven years age in front of him.

Lyon looked at Gray's direction, approaching in the process. "Hello, young man. How are you doing?"

The boy was crying. His cheeks were wet—it wasn't that hard to tell. He was sobbing so hard that he had difficulty to answer Lyon's question. "Hey, what's wrong, kid?" Lyon tried again, patting the boy's head gently.

"Help me," the boy sobbed. "I can't—" he wiped his tears away with his sleeve but the tears kept coming. "I can't find my parents. They were left behind when evacuating. Help me—" the rain of tears wasn't going to end soon.

Crying with tears, good memory, speaking in full sentences despite the sobs—Lyon put on the green tag on the boy's wrist. His eyes were puffy and red. His dark hair was sticking over his forehead. Lyon could see his bony chest protruding prominently, with some recessions whenever he sobs. Something that Lyon didn't see often in child's chest.

"Please—" he was begging, eyes casting up at the silver haired guy with apparent hope and Lyon felt a part of him broke a little. "Please. It's my birthday and we were just trying to celebrate it with some cake—"

Gray whisked around to see the boy. Images of his parents' soft smiles wishing his birthday just hours before their deaths kept flashing in his mind. This boy—

"Are you sure they haven't evacuated? Have you checked all the victims?" Lyon tried to reason.

The boy nods quickly, wiping the tears that kept coming. "They are nowhere around here. I've checked them. And they were helping me evacuating away from a burning stairs, I don't know if they even made it out of there. I can't—I can't breathe without them."

Lyon felt Ul's and Gray's stare—Gray's seemed more of anger than any anticipation. And he didn't even need to look at his fellow apprentice to know that Gray was clenching his fists, and surge of memories flocking his mind. Lyon took a glance at the building. The fire was finally out. Some part of the building had turned to ashes, some were burnt. Chances of survival was minimal, but even if it was only 1%, a survival means survival. Doctors fought for that tiny bit of hope each day to find some miracles anyway.

"So? What are you going to do, leader?" Ul asked. It was probably just him, but Lyon thought her tone was rather mocking.

His face contorted in disgust. They will have to go in then. He nodded slightly, ready to give Ul his answer. He would have said yes, let's go rescue the rest. Let's find if there's more survivor that needed them and their help. But Gray had run past him to the burnt building. Lyon didn't even get the chance to apprehend him, let alone voicing his plan. Gray was fast.

Ul's eyes widened in shock. "Wait—Gray! Where are you going?" she called out.

But Gray wasn't stopping. He remembered Silver's silly jokes about him still sleeping with them at the age of seven. He remembered Mika's soft scolds to her husband for teasing their only child. He remembered the last time he talked to his parents, he was mumbling and complaining how they still treat him like a child. And then he remembered the fire—the hot blazing fire that almost like a monster eating Silver and Mika away.

He didn't hear Ul's call. He didn't notice Ul and Lyon chasing after him. He didn't care anyway.

He hated the fire. It had robbed away people's happiness and lives, just to disappear into nothing after. Gray hated the fact that it can put off itself after greedily taking away what was important to other people. Selfish. Arrogant. Gray cursed, fists clenched as he kicked a wood lying on the floor. The dull smell of ashes filled his nose and he scrunched his face in disgust. The fire had decided to go away. But the fire inside his heart still remains.

"Gray, get out of here!" Ul pulled his ear suddenly, one hand resting on her hip in an intimidating manner. "Lyon has not yet put any order. You shouldn't have gone in by yourself."

"I don't care! Why does this have to happen again? No one deserves to die this way. If you're not going to help, then I'll do it myself!" he drew away from Ul's scolding fingers, eyes boring into hers in a manner that showed he had all intentions to defy her—and Lyon.

"Gray, you need to follow order from the leader at disaster site—"

"Shut up," he turned, stepping up a burnt stairs to the first floor hurriedly.

"Gray—"

He kicked something once he reached the first floor—accidentally. He looked down, squatting at the device slightly crashed and burnt rolling on the floor. What is this?

Ul and Lyon had caught up to him when they saw him inspecting a device.

"Is that a home oxygen?" Lyon asked.

"Why is it here?"

Ul squinted her eyes slightly, trying to piece the information together. The boy was having a birthday celebration. He said he can't breathe without his parents. His prominently protruding chest. Birthday. Cake. Home oxygen. Oh crap. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Perhaps she had found the source of the fire.

"Lyon, get this device to the firemen. They might need this for investigation," she ordered. "Let's get out of here for a while."

Lyon put on his gloves, ready to confiscate this device Gray found when Gray scoffed and stood again. "I'll just go look for someone," he walked further.

"Gray—"

"Shut up!"

"I said calm down!"

"Someone is probably waiting in there for our help! Are you saying you're going to abandon them?"

Gray wasn't in a good mood since at the hospital. Ul should have known better. She shouldn't have brought him along at the first place. She almost couldn't believe they are having a fight in the middle of a burnt building. Her gaze softened.

"Gray, we are going to save them. That's not what I meant."

"Then let's go," Gray turned again to continue.

"But—"

"I don't want to hear buts—"

"Gray!" Lyon's voice interrupted between the two, eyes frantically wide as he looked up at the rumble of the ceiling. "Watch out!"

A huge iron bar holding the ceiling on place was exposed—burnt. The only rock securing its place at one end had cracked, falling down right above Gray's head. Gray looked up at Lyon's warning, and he couldn't exactly register the moment. It was too fast but too slow that Gray felt an eternity. His hands were holding up to brace the hit, eyes closed, head inclined—he felt a stud on his side.

He couldn't feel the pain. He wasn't sure whether he managed to escape the iron or he probably lost his senses during the collision. But when he realized he was lying a few steps away, he noticed he was pushed away from the spot.

He turned to the iron, destroying the floor and fell down to the ground floor hanging from the first floor's ceiling. It was dusky, but Gray could see Ul lying near the bar. And the he saw blood—pool of fresh blood around her.

And it wasn't that hard to know that Ul had took the hit from him.

He saw Lyon's eyes widened, and his voice echoing in the empty building. "Ul!"

Gray almost couldn't believe what was happening. Everything was so surreal. He crawled rather than walk to approach Ul. He noticed his legs were too wobbly to walk. His hands were trembling when he reached her. "Ul!"

She moved. And Gray felt partly relieved that she was still alive. But the iron was resting on her body, and Gray wasn't sure how much of that were actually good news. And by the amount of blood around her, he thought it might not be much of the good one after all. "Lyon! Help me!"

He saw Lyon running down the stairs, and Gray's panic couldn't fathom as to why Lyon even bother to go anywhere else. He took Ul's arms, trying to search a way to get Ul out from under the crushing bar. "Can—can you get up?" he heard his voice trembling.

"Calm down, Gray," she said, voice slightly lower than she had talked that day.

"Which part of this that you want me to calm down? Why did you even do this? You shouldn't have come with me if you didn't want to! You should've run away!"

"Get out of here, Gray," Ul was panting, eyes trying to focus on her student's face.

"I'm not going to leave you—"

The bar shifted downwards. And Gray froze. Ul's face scrunched in pain as the bar slid against her. She felt her scream stuck inside her throat, trying to defy the pain as much as she could. She couldn't afford to show weakness now. Not now when her student needed her the most.

"Ul!" Gray crawled closer.

Just then Ul felt the bar was slightly lifted, even if it wasn't much, but it was enough to prevent further sliding. A wooden board was shoved between the bar and the floor as if to prevent the floor from crushing down. Gray looked up. Lyon. He saw a huge wooden log propping the iron bar slightly at its place.

Lyon was panting, taking another almost burnt wooden board before shoving it between the bar and the ceiling. Gray looked at him, frowning. "What the hell are you doing?"

Lyon took a deep breath. Obviously tired with all his effort. "The key of disaster saving is our safety," he said, pausing slightly before approaching Ul and Gray, panting. "We can't save people if we're injured. I was going to give order to the firemen for safety precaution so we can search the victims trapped inside. I wasn't going to abandon them, stupid," he looked down at Ul before crouching. "This time too. This building itself is danger. Establish a safety place first. Make sure the bar isn't going to crush you together. Make sure the floor and ceiling won't fall on you. And then you'll have the leisure to save as many people as you want." Lyon glanced at him. "Cool off your head and remind yourself again of the basic of all basics, Gray!"

Gray was rather stunned to even react. He saw Lyon inspecting Ul's leg, and how Lyon's eyes were slightly wet—Gray wasn't sure if it was because of the ashes or the fire.

"Guess I picked the right leader all along," Ul chuckled slightly with a small smirk, lying and panting.

"Shut up," Lyon's voice cracked. And Gray saw Lyon's jaw clenched, lips quivering. "Shut up," he whispered again, lower this time.

"Lyon," Ul looked up at the silver haired boy with a soft smile. "Why are you crying? You're such a cry baby."

"I'm not crying," but the lone tear rolling down his cheek obviously contradicted his words. "I'm definitely not."

Gray frowned, looking down at Ul's leg. Now that Lyon had lifted the iron bar with the wood, he could finally see her legs. There were some small wounds over her left leg, but they weren't anything too serious. Her right lower leg however, was a different story. Her right foot was totally crushed—into pieces. Such small pieces Gray couldn't picture in his mind how the hell he was going to stick them together again. His eyes widened. His hand reached out, trying to gather the bones but the small blood oozing from her right leg made him panic.

He was never panic with blood before. And he was damn sure he wasn't going to now.

Gathering his courage, he put on his gloves then started collecting the shards. There must be a way somehow. They can stitch them up again with wire, and reconstruct them. Yeah, they can.

"Gray. Didn't Lyon tell you to cool off your head?" Ul's smile was still there.

Gray wouldn't want to admit it—that there's certainly zero chances to reconstruct such crush injury. There isn't any base left to reconstruct. But he wanted to deny his thought. He wanted to believe that he can still save her. He wanted to believe that Ul can still stand on her own two feet and perform hundreds more cardiac surgeries that would take hours. He wanted to believe that she would stand by him once he became a full-fledged surgeon. He wanted to believe everything he couldn't.

As if she could read what was on Gray's mind, Ul tilted her head to see the distant and quiet look on Lyon's face. That face told her everything. Lyon was always the one who would be easily read. Unlike Gray, he wears his heart on his sleeve. They were always the complete opposite yet same at the same time. That was exactly when she loved them so dearly too. "Lyon," she called, voice so soft that Lyon and Gray thought it might probably be her last breath. "It has to be amputated immediately, right?"

Lyon didn't answer. He couldn't. Ul didn't even have to mention that it was her leg which needed to be amputated. She understood. They understood. Lyon's fists clenching painfully that his knuckles almost became white. Her leg kept bleeding that if it wasn't cut off immediately, it might cost her life. Lyon knew. But knowing and comprehending was totally two different things.

"Do it."

"No!" Gray snapped.

"Lyon," she called again. "Do it. My eyes are starting to get blurry."

"No!"

There was a short heavy silence between them.

"Gray, if you're not going to help, then back off," Lyon finally spoke, putting down his bag and took out the surgical set and the bone saw.

Gray's eyes widened. "What? Are you out of your mind? You can't do that!"

Lyon took out the anesthesia drugs, attempting local numbness to the surgical site. Pouring the iodine for disinfectant, he draped Ul's leg with sterile cloths, one hand taking the scalpel.

"Lyon!"

"Yes, I can!" Lyon snapped at him. And Gray flinched at the tears in Lyon's eyes. "If this is what needed to keep her alive, then I can do this! I'm going to take her back alive. I'm going to cut it out in the most perfect way for the best prosthetic leg possible. I'm going to make her stand again!" he paused, trying to calm down himself as he stared at Gray. "She's definitely going to stand again, and she'll do surgeries again with those new legs. She'll perform more surgeries and get even better than now. Because she cannot quit. Not before I surpass her. Not yet, never," his voice much calmer, even if his watery eyes persisted. "If you're not going to help then back off."

Gray watched—how Lyon's scalpel cut off Ul's shin down her calf, how he carefully use the bone saw to cut off the bones and even trimmed them into dull ends, how he cauterized the bleeding until it stopped. Ul was smiling the whole time—eyes closed, occasionally wincing in pain. It was just local blocks after all. The anesthesia wasn't exactly adequate at emergency site like this.

But the woman bore the pain. Because her students were being strong. So she will show them she is too.

Gray had to shake his head to calm down, trying to digest the whole event happening before putting on his sterile glove and assist Lyon. Lyon didn't talk even a word after that. He didn't trust himself—knowing that if he says another, he might broke down. He was barely hanging on the faint resolve he had, held on very tightly when Gray's hand holding the retractor up Ul's right leg.

He's not alone.

Lyon sighed, running his fingers across his hair as he walked towards the main door of Ul's house. He remembered Ul transferring to the US for rehabilitation. Not many people knew about her progress since then. But she was doing well. In fact, no Japanese people noticed she was on prosthesis. She was still skillful, and as Lyon had said, she had stood hours on those legs and perform various more surgeries. None affected. But even so, it still sliced deep inside his heart. The blades of his scalpel when they cut around Ul's shin and calf were probably cutting his heart more. And the boy's parents turned out dead anyway.

Why did he even tell the story to Juvia anyway? He should have known better how much it affected him. But then again, he needed Gray to wake up. He wasn't sure why Gray was acting like that again. Gray had shown so much maturity since that night. He was more calm and collected. He turned into a better observer and decision maker. Lyon thought there won't be a thing that would hinder Gray from being the best surgeon anymore. Or perhaps he was wrong? Perhaps within those years he left Japan, things stirred endlessly.

He walked in the house and closed the door, pausing slightly when he saw Gray lying on the sofa, shirtless. He must have been restless the past few days. "Where is your phone? Everybody have been trying to call you."

Gray didn't answer. He shifted slightly, looking how Lyon's face was slightly flushed. "You're drunk."

"I'm not," he took out the dark blue handkerchief he took from Juvia and wiped out the dampness of his forehead. "Tipsy, yes. But not drunk."

Gray froze at the sight. His eyes were focusing on the awfully familiar dark blue handkerchief. "Where did you get that?"

"Get what?"

"That handkerchief," Gray sat up, a deep frown on his face. "Where did you get that?"

Lyon took a glance at the piece of cloth. "Someone gave it to me. Someone very precious," his voice trailed as if recalling some tender memories.

Gray stalked towards Lyon intimidatingly. "What the fuck?" he grabbed Lyon's collar. "What the hell are you doing with her? Stay away from her! I'm warning you!"

Lyon cocked an eyebrow. Oh, so he knew. Did he recognize the handkerchief? "We were just enjoying ourselves getting drunk together," his voice coated with intimidation.

He didn't regret it—even when Gray landed a firm, hard punch on his cheek. But he smirked slightly anyway, wiping the tenderness with his back hand. "What? A woman can only wait long until she realizes he might not be with her."

Gray's emotion was probably too much for him to contain and Lyon could feel it in his eyes. But Gray wouldn't give a damn about Lyon now. Eyes flaring in discontentment, Gray snatched his car key before exiting the house, slamming the door hard in the process.

Lyon let out another sigh. The stinging pain over his cheek somehow comforted him. I'm such a heartless bastard, he grumbled inwardly. Would there ever be a miracle for someone like me? He looked down at his palm, remembering every cut and strokes he'd done. Swallowing the pain inside, he fished out his phone and dialed a number. "Laxus, it's me, Lyon."

A/N: This chapter actually had been in my head since the beginning of the story. But somehow when I finally reach it, I don't think I've done the chapter its justice. It kinda turned out different and less emotional than I intended to be. Is it becoz of the length? I don't even know. Nevertheless I decided to settle with this. Too long of a chapter? Forgive me, but I dislike leaving a flashback hanging. LOL. And as usual, I thank everyone who had supported me, reviewed, favorited and alerted the story; lintak26, Tuliharja, Vermilion Steps, NudgeThePyro, REBELS AGAINST GOD, lReika, ColdBurn-3, GuraizaJG, moonfairy014, Sayla, Giotto27, ViciousBluesummers, This girly girl, dutch anime girl, Alyssa, Fred and George Weasley Twins, Scarlet . Is . Awesome, TheRandomGirl, Miraxus shipper and the unnamed Guests.