Ch. 4- Iced Shell

Fairy Tail © Hiro Mashima

Story and OCs © Me

With a loud battle cry, Lucy cracked her whip against another one of the masked cultists that Lyon had roped into his cause while Taurus stood beside her, striking down a few more with his ax, and meanwhile, Erza managed to cut down a few with her sword while Happy stood on a man whose mask was torn to shreds and his cheeks were grazed with claw marks. Thankfully, though, while they were injured, no one was killed. Soon, they all stood with each other, panting but otherwise triumphant.

"That's the last of them," Erza said before she looked back at Lucy and Taurus. "Great job, Lucy."

"Thanks," Lucy replied before she looked up at Taurus, "but I couldn't have done it without Taurus."

"Moo~!" Taurus lowed. "Anytime, Miss Luuuuucy~!" With that, he soon disappeared, heading back to the Celestial Spirit Realm.

"These guys were such wimps," said Happy. "I could have taken them on in my sleep!"

"Yes, well done, Happy," Erza praised while Lucy looked toward the direction of the temple ruins, a look of worry etched on her face.

"I wonder if Natsu's all right," Lucy said. "Haru, Blue Fang, and Gray, too."

"I'm sure Haru's found Natsu, by now," Erza said. "As for Gray, he'll probably catch up to them, soon."

"Mm-hmm," Lucy nodded. "Hey, Erza... Haru... was she upset when she heard about what happened after you guys got back from your job?"

Erza could only sigh. "Yes... not that I blame her. Haru has always been attached to Natsu, especially back when he found her as a feral child. You could say that Haru owes Natsu her life. We all may have taken her in, but he gave her a new life and purpose as his little sister... that's why the thought of Natsu getting expelled from the guild scares her more than anything."

"...I see," Lucy replied. "If it were my brother... I would have been worried and upset, too."

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to glance back at Erza... who was giving her a warm, friendly smile.

"If you think she's going to stay mad at him," she said, "I wouldn't worry too much about it. It's natural that siblings fight, now and then... but knowing those two, they'll make up before the day is over, I'm sure."

"Aye!" Happy agreed. "Natsu and Haru may fight now and then, but they don't stay mad for long!"

Hearing that caused Lucy to smile softly before she nodded her head. "Thanks. I guess I needed to hear that."

Erza nodded before she began to head to the ruins. "Anyway, I think we've dawdled here, long enough. Let's head to the ruins. Gray might need back up."

"Right!" Lucy replied before she followed after the Requip Wizard and Happy flew alongside them.

XXX

"HYAAH!" Haru roared as she tried to kick Lyon in the face, but this time, he evaded her strike before he tried to hit her with his Ice-Make Eagles, but before any of them could hit her, Natsu jumped in between them and melted them with his Fire Dragon Roar. When the flames dissipated, it was revealed that Lyon had managed to create a shield of ice at the last second. However, as he turned around, he saw Blue Fang charge at him from behind, preparing to pounce... but the Col Emperor was prepared, holding out his other hand to the silver wolf as a magic circle appeared.

"Ice-Make: SNOW TIGER!"

Soon after, a huge tiger made of ice leaped out and tackled Blue Fang, its fangs sinking into his left shoulder, which caused him to let out a yelp of pain.

"Blue Fang!" Haru cried as she ran to help, but she gasped as Lyon summoned a giant gorilla of ice, which tried to slam its fist onto her.

"LOOK OUT, SIS!" Natsu shouted as he pushed Haru to the floor, just as the ape's fist came down, but luckily, the Dragon Slayer managed to catch it in time before reeling his own fist back.

"FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST!"

With a blazing punch, Natsu shattered the gorilla into shards of ice before he lunged at Lyon, who sidestepped out of his path before deftly dodging his fiery punches and kicks. As he turned around, however, he grunted as Blue Fang came barreling toward him, slamming his large head into his stomach, causing Lyon to cough up blood as he was sent flying toward Haru, who reeled her arm back and stretched out her fingers.

"FERAL BEAST FIST!"

She slammed her fist into Lyon's jaw, sending him flying back toward Natsu, who lit his whole body in flames before leaping toward the Cold Emperor.

"FIRE DRAGON SWORD HORN!"

Lyon cried out in pain as he felt Natsu's head crash into his front, slamming him right into the wall of ice behind him. The force was powerful enough to create a huge crack in the ice and even in the ceiling, but thankfully, it didn't come crashing down on their heads. Nonetheless, Lyon seethed as he pulled himself up to his feet, spitting a glob of blood out of his mouth before wiping his chin.

"You cretins..." Lyon hissed. "This has nothing to do with you! Why get involved at all?!"

"You upset one of our friends, that's why," Haru replied.

"And you're trying to hurt the villagers that live here," Natsu added. "No way are we gonna take that lying down."

"Why don't you just make this easier on yourself?" Haru asked. "Just give up and go home."

"Never!" Lyon shouted. "I won't rest until I've accomplished my goal! I WILL defeat Deliora if it kills me!"

"That's enough, Lyon!"

"Huh?" Lyon muttered as he, Natsu, Haru, and Blue Fang turned to see a new hole forming in the wall... revealing none other than Gray, who held a steely gaze in his eyes. However, Haru could see that he was trembling a little and he looked to be a bit out of breath, too.

'Gray's injuries still haven't healed completely,' she thought. 'He's struggling, even now.'

"What the hell are you doing here, Ice Princess?" asked Natsu. "You already lost to him, once!"

"Yeah, I know," Gray replied, "but there won't be a next time." He narrowed his eyes at Lyon in particular. "This... is the final battle."

"You seem quite confident, Gray," said Lyon, even though he was wobbling a bit, himself.

"...Lyon," Gray said. "Ten years ago, you said that it was my fault that Ur died. However... you have no right to talk. You put your own comrades at risk and attempted to murder innocent villagers... not to mention you're trying to melt the ice that encases Deliora! Well, I'm telling you now, I won't stand for it!" He then positioned his hands together, both palms flat and arms crossed. "You and I... we'll receive our punishment together!"

Lyon gasped in shock. "That... that pose!"

"What the...?" Natsu muttered.

"G... Gray, what are you doing?" Haru asked, worriedly.

"Haru, you, Blue Fang, and Natsu better get outta here!" Gray answered.

"Don't tell me," Lyon said with a look of horror. "You plan on using Iced Shell?!"

"Iced... Shell...?" Natsu repeated.

"Wait... you mean that spell that your master used to seal Deliora away?!" asked Haru. "But... Gray, if you do that, then-"

"Are you insane?!" Lyon questioned. "You can't seriously be thinking of using THAT spell!"

"Turn the villagers back to normal, Lyon," Gray began, "and get your buddies off the island, or else!"

Lyon gasped silently before he grinned. "I see. You're trying to threaten me with that spell, are you? How pitiful! Using Iced Shell as a bluff!"

However, he was quickly proven wrong when a cold wind suddenly burst forth from Gray, causing him to grunt as he braced himself against it.

"Who said I was bluffing?" Gray asked, his whole body slowly turning white and his bandages falling off.

"No...!" Haru whispered in horror. "Gray, you can't!"

"I'm sorry, Haru," Gray replied. "And I'm sorry, too, Lyon... no matter how much time has passed, nothing will change the fact that Ur is gone! I know that I have to take responsibility for that! That's why... I'm ready to die here and now!"

Haru gasped, her eyes beginning to well up with tears.

"You... you can't be serious!" Lyon shouted.

"What's it gonna be, Lyon?!" Gray questioned. "Are you going to die here with me... or do you still wanna live?!"

"You think that will scare me?!" Lyon asked with a smug grin. "Go ahead and try! You don't have the guts!"

"...Too bad..." Gray whispered.

"NO, GRAY!" Haru screamed. "DON'T DO IT!"

"This is where it ends!" Gray declared. "Iced... SH-"

"YOU IDIOT!"

Before Gray could utter the spell, he was suddenly punched in the face by Natsu, who seethed angrily as the Ice Wizard was sent crashing against the floor.

"Ugggh... Natsu!" Gray groaned as he held his swollen jaw. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"What am I doing?!" Natsu questioned. "What are YOU doing?! First, you bust into my fight uninvited, then you spout all this B.S. about taking responsibility for something or other! And worst of all, YOU MADE HARU CRY!"

Gray gasped quietly before he looked over at Haru, who sniffled as she stared at him with tears spilling down her cheeks while Blue Fang whimpered and nuzzled her face.

"So why don't you sit back and let me deal with this guy?!" Natsu asked. "You already got beaten by him, once, anyway!"

"And I'm trying to tell you, it won't happen again!" shouted Gray as he grabbed Natsu by his scarf. "Don't you get it, you dumbass?! I have to be the one to face him! For Ur's sake! I'M EVEN WILLING TO DIE IF NECESSARY!"

"UR WOULDN'T WANT YOU TO DIE FOR HER!" shouted Haru, causing all eyes to fall on her. "Gray... Ur didn't sacrifice herself so that you could die so foolishly! She did it so you could make something of yourself!" She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Gray... dying isn't how you take responsibility for what happened to Ur! She gave up her life so you could live, right?! Dying won't repay your debt to her!"

"...Haru...!" Gray whispered.

"Gray... you can fight Lyon if you really feel like that's what you should do," Haru began, "but please... please, don't die...! If you do... not only will we be sad to lose you, but Ur will never rest in peace if you do! Please, Gray!"

"...Finishing a battle doesn't mean you have to die," Natsu spoke. "It's the same thing as running away like a coward! Got that?!"

Gray gasped quietly, the realization hitting him like a ton of bricks... but then, all of a sudden, the room began to shake, causing everyone to look up in surprise.

"W-what's going on?!" asked Haru.

XXX

Outside the ruins, Lucy, Erza, and Happy all gasped in shock at what they were seeing.

"The... the temple...!" Lucy whispered. "It's.. it's not tilted, anymore!"

Indeed: somehow, the temple had been brought back to its original position.

"Impossible...!" Erza whispered in shock.

"But how did that happen?!" asked Happy.

XXX

"What the hell?!" Natsu questioned as he stamped his foot on the floor, which was no longer full of holes. "What happened?! I just got through bashing a huge hole here!"

"No way...!" Gray whispered. "That means the moonlight will hit Deliora, again!"

"Pardon my interruption."

Everyone turned to see Zalty casually enter the scene through the hole in the wall that Gray had made earlier.

"Zalty!" Lyon exclaimed.

"Well, Cold Emperor," said Zalty, "night will be upon us, soon. I figured it was time to put the ruins back to normal."

"That was your doing?!" asked Lyon.

"Who is this guy...?" Gray whispered.

"Hey! My sis and I worked hard to tilt this thing!" Natsu shouted. "How'd you fix it?!"

"Ho-ho-ho..." Zalty chuckled. "That's my little secret, Salamander."

"Why you...!" Natsu growled.

"Now then," Zalty began, "the Moon Drip ceremony must commence, at once!" With that, he turned and fled.

"HEY! DON'T YOU IGNORE ME!" Natsu yelled before he chased after the masked man. "YOU BASTARD! GET BACK HERE!"

"Wait, Natsu!" Gray called.

"I'M GONNA GIVE THIS ASSHOLE A BEATING A MILLION TIMES OVER!" Natsu shouted. "YOU TAKE CARE OF THINGS HERE!"

Gray's eyes went wide while Natsu glared back at him.

"You already lost once," said the Dragon Slayer, "and that's a disgrace! And I don't mean it disgraces you!"

"...I know," Gray replied, his face turning serious. "It disgraces the name of Fairy Tail."

Natsu smirked and nodded his head before he looked over at Haru.

"Sis," he said. "Stay here. Make sure Gray doesn't do something stupid like try to die, again."

"Right," Haru nodded. "You get going!"

Natsu turned and ran out of the ruins... leaving Haru with Blue Fang, Gray, and Lyon... the two Ice Wizards staring each other down.

"You and your friends make quite a ruckus, Gray," Lyon commented.

"We're members of the Fairy Tail Guild," said Gray. "It's kind of our thing."

Lyon only snorted as he glared at the raven-haired teen, who stood unflinching before him.

"Earlier, just as I was about to use Iced Shell," Gray began, "did you include Natsu's interference into your calculations?"

"...Not really," Lyon admitted. "I never imagined that someone like could even get close to such powerful magic."

"That's my brother," Haru said. "He's just full of surprises."

"So then you were fully prepared to take my attack, head-on?" Gray asked.

"Indeed," Lyon confirmed. "However, I would have survived, regardless. If I had realized that earlier, I would have told you to just go ahead and do it."

"Yeah... I thought as much," Gray replied.

"Even if I were encased in ice," said Lyon with a confident grin, "I still have my friends... and luckily for me, this island is exactly where Moon Drip can melt the ice."

"...That was my mistake, then," said Gray. "That meant I would have used Iced Shell for nothing since it would cancel out any benefit it would have."

"Now that you know that," Lyon began, "do you still wish to have this 'final battle', Gray? You know that you can never defeat me-"

"Oh, will you just stop, already?!" Gray questioned, causing Lyon and Haru to gasp. "Lyon... just give up on Deliora. There's no point!"

"Hmph!" Lyon scoffed. "The girl already gave me a lecture, Gray. You're pretty much repeating what she said to me, already."

"You don't understand," Gray said. "Lyon... Ur is still alive!"

Lyon's eyes went while Haru gasped in surprise.

"Wait... what?!" she asked. "How is she still alive?!"

"Iced Shell is a spell that turns the user's body into ice," said Gray. "The very ice that you're trying to melt, Lyon... that is Ur. Don't you see, now?"

Lyon remained silent while Gray continued speaking.

"Ur... she made me promise not to tell you," he said, solemnly. "I'm sorry."

"Well... this is great, right?" asked Haru as she stood in between the two Ice Wizards. "Now that you know the truth, Lyon, there's no need to melt the ice around Deliora anymore! You can just go home now and-"

Before she could finish... she gasped as she felt something pierce into her stomach, causing her to gag as blood came seeping out of her mouth. Gray gasped in horror while Blue Fang let out a worried whine... while Lyon just smirked coldly, holding a saber made of ice in his hand, its freezing blade sticking out of Haru's back.

"Fool..." Lyon whispered before he kicked Haru off the blade, causing her to stumble back. "I already knew... every pathetic fact!"

"HARU!" Gray screamed as he caught the Beast Wizard in her arms while Blue Fang ran over to her side. "Dammit, Haru, not again! Don't you die, you hear me?! Your brother will never forgive me if you do!"

"G... Gray...!" Haru rasped out, coughing up more blood.

"That ice has long ceased to be Ur," Lyon said. "Now, it's just a big chunk of scrap ice!"

"You knew... all along?!" asked Gray as he held Haru, who let out pained gasps.

"Of course, I knew!" Lyon replied. "You actually believed that garbage?! That Ur was still alive within the ice?! You really are immature, aren't you, Gray?!" He then broke out into cruel laughter... but that laughter was soon silenced when he was suddenly punched across the face, causing him to stumble back before he looked up at Gray... who seethed angrily at him.

"...I was hoping to save your life," Gray began, "but now, Lyon... you're gonna pay! I'VE HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH YOU!"

Lyon gasped in horror... realizing that he had pushed Gray over the edge. Meanwhile, Haru lied prone against Blue Fang, her wound now frozen shut as she glared at Lyon.

"...Kick his ass, Gray..." she whispered.

Uh-oh...!

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