I saw Split.. It wasn't all that bad. I nice day for my birthday of all days. X3
Thanks GF for the amazing day. 3
Anyway…
WELCOME BACK! This is the final chapter until I take a break from this and move onto TRE season 2. You can probably tell that my writing quality for this has been getting rather strained and difficult and my time between chapters is lengthening greatly.
So I am hoping that working on TRE will actually help me relax a little into writing again too. Its easier to write out and doesn't require such a drastic following of the storyline so I can make some shit up and run with it as I work it in nicely.
I shall say now, I AM NOT QUITTING THIS STORY! This is just going to be a little Hiatus whilst I work on another story so I am not bored out of my skull writing this. XD
Anyway, enjoy this final chapter of the 'Ice-Trial' arc.
LETS READ!
:::-((x))-:::
"No..."
Kafuchi's eyebrow twitched. "What was that dear?"
It was obvious that pause had heard his 'masters' question, but even so, with all the fear held within his heart he stood tall, his emotions seemingly getting the better of him as his stared defiantly into Kafuchi's sadistic and insane eyes.
"I said no!"
Whilst the stunning defiance took place, all Gray could do in his efforts to calm himself down was to focus on Kafuchi, the mental fruitcake had already set off every alarm he believed himself to have. Imposing posture, disturbed expressions, the slight glint of insanity behind his almost hyper-focussed eyes.
He held most psychotic traits seen in the over-dramatic plays seen in theatres…
Gray had seen MacBeth, he had also fought two mentally questionable criminals all before getting to this point in time. Kafuchi just felt like the last two idiots he had fought but more sadistic in nature.
But despite that, He could feel his magic groan inside. He was running very low on steam and another fight may just take it all out of him for the next few days, or weeks if it got bad enough.
He felt the inner battle take place in his head, the rational side cursing at the unfavourable odds whilst his raw anger at Kafuchi thrashed around inside the proverbial space. It was almost alien to Gray at how angry he was feeling, it was as if his magic and soul had taken a hold of his emotions and egged his mind on to get more angry and more distressed.
It felt as if it was tearing down his very being…
And as the insane criminal began to shout at the trembling Pause about how useless he was and how he would perish like his new friend would, Gray could feel the slight control he had left slip just a little more.
'Just one more push you bastard...'
"Now my dear Pause..." Kafuchi drawled, his mouth twisting into an unnaturally face splitting grin as he watched the boy flinch harshly at his mere voice. 'Pathetic little boy...'
"Tell me, who would you like to see die first?" He walked over to where the unconscious form of Wakaba lay, bending down and firmly clutching a large handful of his hair before lifting him up with no effort at all. Looking back to Pause and only registering Gray's still body a few metres behind him.
"Would you like me to rip this vile little urchins head off slowly?" He made the point by yanking the man's head up forcefully. Or…" He paused, his grin splitting his face apart even further. "Would you like me to pull your new friends limbs off of his body?" He cackled madly at his young members sobs growing in volume.
"Your choice..."
He never got one…
He had been feeling generous with the boy, giving HIM the privilege of choosing who dies first was not one he bestowed upon many. But as Pause continued to weep at his treatment (or Rightful Punishment) Kafuchi felt his generosity being spat right back at his face.
It was Insulting…
How dare this little twerp throw this treat away like some discarded tissue?! Who was he to revoke such actions with his pitiful weeping!?
"CHOOSE YOU BRAT!"
It was a loud, deep and booming screech, a sound so loud and powerful it brought his entire guild to their knees in sheer terror, the level of submission was amazing, beautiful and inspiring for more for Kafuchi.
But his feelings on the matter were suddenly interrupted as he felt a strong, cold and giant fist slam straight into his protected stomach, sending flying through the air and into a heap on the ground.
The sudden pain and fury combined snapped him straight up to glare murderously at the boy responsible. It was the friend of Pause; Gray- That brat had the gull to lay his hands on a higher being such as himself?
"You will pay for that you little shit!" He roared, standing to his full height once more before summoning his malevolent magic to his aid.
He got no response, just the same type of malevolent aura if not more darker from the boy than earlier. Much more darker, it was very thick and hard to breathe in for the dark mage.
What had changed in the boy to cause this level of anger and power? And more importantly, how could he rip it from the boys cold corpse?
No one got up to kill Gray, he understood, he didn't want them to anyway. Kafuchi had finally felt a magical presence more evil and darker than his own.
And he wanted it…
He wanted to kill the boy himself…
"Say your prayers little one, it may be the last thing you ever do."
But just as soon as he was about to attack the child another noise went off. It almost startled him as he didn't expect anyone to get involved with this.
But as he turned to look at whoever dared to interrupt him, he caught a glimpse at the balcony above. Where he spotted the huge number of figures staring down upon him and his guild.
And one man stood out from the rest of them. The one sort, grey haired man who looked at him with a cold and furious gaze…
Makarov Dreyer.
That could only mean one thing.
Fairy Tail had arrived…
:::-((x))-:::
An awkward silence ensued…
In fact for Vali, the scene was rather comedic, he would have laughed too if the situation wasn't so tense. But as he stared down at the very angry Gray he knew better. Somehow, he felt like the pressure inside the room was beginning to crush him, leaving him with an anxiety he couldn't seem to shake.
A quick flash of Gray's eye gave him the confirmation that he had seen him. But the slight surprise was obviously there because he was with the people they had all been looking for, for some time.
Vali merely grinned…
"Hello Gray!" He chirped, causing the Fairy tail members to look at him weirdly. But then he saw the face of Pause, looking scared and shocked at the same time. "Pause..."
"Vali..." He whispered, unsure of what to say to the apathetic looking Earth Mage. His mood seemingly switching faster than the tension in the room.
"We'll talk after, I promise that." Was all he got from him.
"Focus Vali." Doranbo said, placing a hand on the Earth Mages shoulder. "I can't do anything else but this, so just focus."
He sighed. "Fine..."
"Mmmhmmmhmmhmm! Looks like the fairy's have shown up!" A familiar squeaky voice rang out below the balcony, catching his attention right away.
"Oh dear, not Balloon man..." Vali felt his head start to ache at the instant thought of dealing with the high pitch wails of his recent attacker. However the thought of getting a bit of payback felt like a reasonable trade off. His annoyance surged more however, when the bloodshot eyes of said Mage focussed on him instead of the others…
"Oooh! It's you again!" Vali winced. "I've been looking forward to finishing you off for a while now!"
'That bloody voice!'
"I take it you have been thinking of nothing else then?" Was all he asked in reply…
"Oh absolutely!"
"Well, don't worry, I can give you something else to worry about." He grinned.
"Really? What?"
Vali couldn't help but think about how he would sound when he said what he was about to say. Because he meant it… So as he growled at his enemy he knew that he would keep his word.
"...Pain..."
He had drawled his words out perfectly, the tone, the literacy, the threat was spoken as if it came from the most dangerous man in the world. The words carried weight behind them. They were felt by his target.
Yet all he got in response was a laugh…
A harrowing laugh, a laugh that would surely wreck a normal humans vocal chords. Despite the rising atmosphere the Balloon Mage just cackled away as if he'd heard the most amazing joke his ears had ever had the pleasure of hearing.
"Without love…?" Was all he asked.
"Well..." Vali began, jumping down to the ground floor, landing a well practices front flip before staring the Balloon Mage down. "I heard that you liked it rough."
:::-((x))-:::
This was not what Kafuchi had expected…
His guild was the definition of order through fear. If he wanted his inferiors to do something for him he would use fear to command them, if he had enemies that needed silencing he would strike a cold blizzard of fear into their hearts and if he had to punish the masses his main weapon would always be fear.
Point being his guild was ruled by fear, but it would always be fear of himself over any other outside source at all times. Never once was it fear of something or someone else above him. He hated the thought, loathed it, despised it with all of his being. For him it represented the descent into chaos and the ruin of all he had worked for.
And that one tiny shift in the fear was what he was seeing all around him right now…
Fairy Tail. The guild had always been a huge thorn in his side, his minions all were fearful of being caught by Fiore's Number: One guild. Fairy tail had always held a massive spot of contention for himself as he found himself struggling to maintain his ironclad death grip over the guild in the battle of fear-mongering.
All the fear had shifted from him to certain members of the blasted guild. One of which he had his best men capture recently.
Macao Conbolt, The adult Fire Mage who had taken out an entire squadron of his men with a single blast of his infamous 'Wall Of Fire Technique'. A strong and dedicated member in his own right. He could spot the man in question standing next to his master, glaring down at the masses below.
Laxus Dreyar had been a more recent addition to the list of noteworthy members of the guild. A teenager who wielded a powerful Dragon Slayer Magic. The boy had knocked out two of his elite mages with relative ease. However, he could not see the runt anywhere in the crowd. Good.
Then there was Makarov…
The guild master, the man who wielded Titan magic. The strongest man in the guild and wizard saint on the council of ten. The old coot had refused to just let nature claim his body as his tiny frame stood strong on the railing. Looking at him with an expression of anger and satisfaction at the same time.
There were others, Vejeetar, Nab and a few others were within the crowd above and he was not going to let any of them live if he could help it.
"You lousy degenerates!" Makarov bellowed, cold and icy rage flooding through his veins as he glared at the dark guild with pure anger. "You laid your filthy hands on my family, now you will feel my full wrath, nothing will save you!"
If any of Kafuchi's guild members didn't feel like running before, now even his elites were trying to back away…
However, Kafuchi stood his ground, but feeling the overwhelming magical presence had him very weary of the old man. "How did you get here so fast!"
"That's none of your business." Was the scathing reply he got. Makarov didn't move an inch though. "Children..."
He paused…
"RIP THIS PLACE TO SHREDS!"
And with those five words, Kafuchi's order finally succumbed to the ever present chaos he so hated…
:::-((x))-:::
Throughout the entire time the good and bad guild interacted Gray had stayed silent. His anger not welling down a single inch despite his best efforts. It was as if the world had become a secondary concept in his mind. The alien anger not completely unfamiliar to him pervaded and coursed through his veins, forcing him to take heavy breaths in a vain attempt to quell the hatred and the rage he was feeling.
'How dare he! How dare he! He must die! Kill! Kill! Kafuchi! Die! KILL!'
He was losing control of his emotions, but the Devil Slayer knew something was wrong with him, the only beasts that deserved death were demons. Kafuchi just deserved pure pain…
But just thinking of the Dark Guild Master made him so angry…
Then the fighting broke out, he only vaguely saw Vali spring at the Balloon Mage with a surprising speed, knocking himself and his enemy away and into larger area of the building and out of his vision.
Everything was an incoherent blur, all except for Kafuchi. He needed to hurt him, to make him want death, to suffe-
"No!" He whispered, shock sneaking up on him. What was he thinking? He didn't want to kill anyone besides demons and especially Deliora. But looking at the bastard didn't help matters.
What was Happening…?
"'No' What boy!?" He looked up robotically, the voice of Kafuchi spiking his anger hugely once again. The guild master looked absolutely livid, storming his way to close the gap between himself and Gray. "You did this didn't you!? Ruining my magnificent guild by bringing the Fairy Scum to my doorstep!"
"Get away you bastard..."
"Not now boy! After everything you did to me! Now you will die you horrible brat!" Kafuchi summoned two huge jet black snakes from his outfit. "Prepare to feel true pain brat!"
'You know nothing of pain you crazy clown...'
Gray never flinched from the sight of Kafuchi's snake snake charm. Instead he opted to summon his intense icy aura, preparing to fight.
"Die!" Kafuchi bellowed, commanding his snakes to attack.
Unfortunately for him, his snakes barely made it within five inches of Gray before they were instantly frozen and shattered to pieces.
"You want to fight now? Good." Gray finally looked him in the eyes for the first time since Fairy tail showed up. "Because i'm gonna not only kick your ass, but I'm gonna break it too."
"Snake snake charm!"
"Ice Devil: Rage!"
:::-((x))-:::
Vali Narrowly avoided his enemies explosive balloon, sliding underneath it and launching himself into the air with acrobatic trained ease.
"Behind you knob head." He giggled, watching the Balloon Mage throw his first punch at him in a desperate attempt to force him away. To which he burst forward, blocking the attack with his left arm and simultaneously punching him in the face with his right.
With his opponent stunned by the shock and pain of the fast jab, Vali grabbed him by his head (or at least where his head was) and forced it into his rapidly ascending knee. As the Balloon Mage reeled back as he tried to stop the pain in his now broken nose Vali pulled him forward by his arm and jumped up to bring his feet to his chest before jumping from there and using the downward momentum to bring his fist into the balloon Mages face at devastating speeds, sending him crashing into the ground with a huge thud and a little crater from the impact.
"I win!" He chirped. Laughing as he watched the Balloon Mage stumbled to his feet, almost falling back down as he tried to quell the pain from the blows Vali dealt him. Moaning and wincing all the way, anger clearly shown on his battered face as he glared at Vali with hatred.
"Damn you brat!" He screamed. But suddenly his anger faded and his smile started to creep back onto his face. "Hahahahahahahahahahaha!"
Vali frowned, why was his enemy laughing? He had just been beaten and humiliated within a minute of combat, his balloons hadn't hit him once and he had struck him so many times it should have been impossible to do so.
An uneasy feeling started to well up within him and before he knew what was going on, he found himself struck and forced further into the far wall as pain shot up throughout his entire body. He was unable to stop the powerful yelp of pain that released itself before the huge object had retracted and let him fall into the floor.
"Shit… ah!" He winced, feeling his ribs begin to swell slightly. It hurt, a lot. A pain like this was not very common for him, he had not been properly hurt like this for years on end, since he was a child with a past he'd rather ignore.
It was relatively new for him, and he hated it.
"That hurt, asshole." He snapped. Looking back, only to groan in displeasure as he looked at the huge bulky frame of the other Elite Mage. His massive meaty bags on the end of his hands gave him the answer as to what had struck him. "Oh, so it was you."
He stood, looking at the silent humanoid and taking him in, calculating his body, looking for weaknesses while while the big guy got tired and charged him with a massive extendable fist. Thinking fast, Vali rolled to the side- avoiding the attack by a fraction only for another fist to catch him off guard and send him barrelling into the wall next to his previous crater seconds before, leaving him groaning from the head splitting pain that suddenly crashed through him.
"Nice work Brandybuck! Let's kill the brat now whilst he's down!" Vali heard his recent victims screeching through the merciless ringing in his ears but only just. His attention was focussed on trying to quell as much of the pain as possible, forgetting about the fighting around him and only keeping his eyes on the two elites.
And as he dodged another fist and managed to bring up a wall of Earth to block the next one, he couldn't help but mentally pat himself on the back for his vigilance, laughing inwardly as he watched the huge man try to get his arm out of the wall.. But a barrage of needles made sure he stopped gloating in time to duck and roll away.
"Bugger off will you! I am dealing with your humongous boyfriend at the moment!" Lashing out in self defence, Vali threw both arms to the side once he was a safe distance away and quickly clamped them shut together above his head, which lead to his magic bursting forth and manipulating the ground beneath the stone floor to penetrate through the surface and slam themselves into the Balloon Mages sides, completely submerging him with relative ease before hardening once more, trapping the elite within the Earthy confines.
Then that left the big guy…
Almost as fast as lighting could ever be, Vali spotted the second elite and his fist closing in at break neck speeds. Sweat began to drip from his forehead, he wasn't going to dodge it, he wasn't going to be able to dodge such a big and fast punch without getting hit.
"Shit!" He cursed tiredly. His mind, body and magic begging him to stop and let them rest. It was times like this when he hated his small magical container. He could never keep up a fight to the late game, he didn't have the reserves to.
He needed to end this fight quickly or he would suffer the consequences…
With a groan, he threw his hand up just in time for a thick Earthen wall to block his opponents fist. He brought it down seconds later however, he was tired, magic almost completely gone, his body beginning to ache from days of travel and little rest.
But as he did he saw the elite mage stagger back from the pain in his knuckles, his balance most certainly taking a blow in the process from the way he was standing.
This was his chance, his small window of time to take the big man out and he knew it, he couldn't keep this up much longer, not with how little magic he had left over the days of using it up. His mind whirled itself into overdrive as he thought of the good he could do by taking the bastard out.
'It's worth it… Just beat his ass...'
He took in a breath before launching off of his feet and bursting into a sprint with a loud groan, clenching his fist and thrusting it through the air towards the stumbling elite, a massive drill of Earth forming from the ground and following his motion perfectly before slamming straight into the enemy, easily coursing through the armour as the metal made a loud groaning noise at the damage received and knocking the giant man out as it hit him straight in the head, unconscious.
"Yes!" Vali huffed… Unable to muster up the energy to properly inflect his voice. But before he could crumble to the floor he heard the faint sound of Earth crumbling and hitting the floor, eyes widening at the realisation of what it was, he turned around to see the Balloon Mage, escaping the Earthen clamp and staring at him in fear, shaking as he saw the downed elite behind him.
"B-Brandybuck?" he quivered, shock rolling off of him in waves as he stared back at Vali. "But how!? He was only slightly weaker than master Kafuchi!"
Vali huffed, a fatigued smirk creeping onto his face, making him look slightly deranged. "Oh really? Well I was very displeased with his performance, but you'll entertain me right?" He asked, straining to keep his fatigue out of his voice.
His words had the desired effect nonetheless, the Balloon Mage yelped in terror at the thought of facing the Earth Mage in combat as he scrambled away from him, sprinting through the fighting crowd to escape him.
"He is so not getting far..." He laughed, before feeling his tiredness catch up to him, going weak in the knees he dropped to the floor and felt his eyes close, the black dots appearing in his vision told him all he needed to know…
'Finally, some fucking rest!'
:::-((x))-:::
The battle was furious, it was a fight that pit the cold, unforgiving tidal wave of rage against the equally cold but way more intense evil. The space around them was cleared as everyone, friend and foe alike didn't want to get involved with the two out of control mages as they hit each other hard, nothing was off limits.
After freezing another four snakes and shattering them, Gray charged forward, ice forming around his forearms to make gauntlets as he struck Kafuchi In the stomach before jumping up with the momentum he gained and striking him square in the face, causing the psychotic man to howl in pain before grabbing the Devil Slayers wrists and tossing him away to make ground.
"Quit being a nuisance you brat! Snake Snake: Charm!" Kafuchi glared at the raging boy, sending not four but six snakes to attack him. Growling in pure anger as they were too completely destroyed by Gray's devastating Ice attack. He didn't give him time recover though, instantly calling on more of his malicious magic to summon even more charmed snakes to kill his enemy and sending them to attack.
Within an instant Gray froze them solid, but instead of destroying them, he turned his arm into pure ice and slammed it through the whirling and winding path that the snakes took. Within seconds Kafuchi was sent to the ground, yelling in pain as he clutched at his broken nose, seemingly trying to kill Gray with a hateful stare…
"I hope that hurt you scum!" Kafuchi barely rolled out of the icy lance's path, cursing the boys strength before having the wind knocked out of him by thick icy rod that forced the mage to fall to his knees due to the pain.
"Ice-Devil: Cryo Blast!" Gray yelled, having given in to his hatred of the man before him before leaping into the air, a small magic circle forming around his fists as they struck Kafuchi straight in the face, sending him through the floor and yelling in pain from the force.
He was weak and Gray knew it. He could end it all now and make the bastard pay for his crimes and evil. But just as he was about to send a hail of blades into the weak Master a huge hand suddenly grasped his own pair firmly.
He was going to yell at the huge man who stopped him, but found himself looking into the wizened eyes of an old, tiny man.
"That's enough son, you won, we all have..." He stated, his tone kind, caring yet firm. Almost like his former master.
That thought alone caused the enrage young boy to snap out of his anger infested state. His mind clearing as he thought about what Ur would say to him for losing his temper like he did now. What would his father think?
From the old man's perspective, it was almost like watching an angry red haze lift away from the child's one working eye. He felt great sympathy for him already and could definitely see what the other two boys meant by this one being loopy.
The 'Vali' boy had used that particular description…
"Fine." Was the tight reply from the boy. His anger clearly not all gone, but at least he was thinking straight now.
The old man sighed as he looked around the ruined building. His children had really done a number on this place, just how he liked it. The degenerate dark guild had been completely beaten, the only casualty was the Vali child, who was only passed out from exhaustion.
"Now what though?" The boy questioned. The old man just sighed and rested his now, slightly smaller hand onto the boys shoulder.
"We take him to the rune mages in Magnolia and get him transferred to the black vox prison." He smiled. "He will get his punishment in time."
"But that prison was in trouble a few days ago!" Gray called out.
"What do you mean son?" He asked the boy, confusion lacing his tone. "We never heard of this trouble."
"That's because Drum Bee and many other had the wardens captured! They were only able to stop this with my help!"
Now this had to be fake, the old man chuckled, but humoured the kid anyway. "Really?"
"Yeah, me and some guy who says is part of your guild."
"And who would this be young one?"
"Some guy named Gildarts, know him?"
At the mention of the name, everyone who wasn't on the floor unconscious looked at the boy with shock. They all knew Gildarts was a nomad type of guy, it wasn't impossible for him to bump into this boy on his travels, but to actually have helped him save a bunch of highly trained prison wardens was pushing it slightly.
The old man was silent for a second before looking at Gray quizzically.
"Yes, we know him, I guess he told you to come here yes?" He asked.
"No, my master told me to."
"Master?"
"Yeah, Master Ur Milkovich, she taught me Ice-Make magic..."
Another person the old man knew well…
This boy was really something…
But before he could get another word in on the matter, a loud growl came from the crater below. Gray suddenly glared down at Kafuchi. Warning him to shut up. But he didn't listen.
"You..." He lifted a finger to Gray. "You destroyed everything I worked so hard for!" He yelled, his magic starting to quake violently around him as he weakly got to his feet. "My guild, my fortune, MY NAME!"
Suddenly a huge gust of magic bolted up and hit Gray so hard it sent him rocketing into the ceiling and falling back down, the old man unable to stop his fall in time. The Devil groaned as he felt his left hand begin to swell up from where he fell on it. His head began to thump painfully and his vision was dazed for a few seconds.
But his anger also came back, stronger and more hateful than ever before. He felt the need to cause pain to Kafuchi but also the overwhelming urge to kill the bastard right where he stood. He tried to fight it but his mind felt at ease when thinking of the Masters death.
But he still fought, despite the pain, despite the hatred. He would stand strong…
That was when he noticed Kafuchi summon his snakes again. But this time, they were overwhelming, reaching around the entire room and swallowing up all of the unconscious subordinates to him. There screams echoed around the room as they were dragged to their uncertain fate to fuel their masters power.
And in the sea of countless faces, Gray could see the teary eyed young face of his friend Pause, their eyes locking for a second before he to was swallowed up by the sadistic masters snakes.
"Pause..." He spoke, numb. His emotions beginning to flare up as he tried to contain the ever so rising feeling of rage that began to truly course through him. But he didn't want to fight it, no matter how bad it was…
Kafuchi had just killed his friend for all he knew. He needed to die…
"No..." He whispered. "Pause, no..."
"Consuming your own comrades to amplify your own power..." The old man stood, watching in such obvious disappointment that it pervaded the entire room. "How far you have fallen Kafuchi..."
The master laughed, insanity laced heavily in his low pitched tones as he gazed in an almost insanity driven rage at the old man.
"I have no use for cowards who run away and weaklings!" He screamed, his low pitch reaching a horrifying inflection. "Now the battle of masters can take the centre stage!"
But the old man didn't respond by moving to face him, he only stood still and gazed past Kafuchi. "Turning your back on your opponent is highly unwise Kafuchi."
"What?!" He bellowed, turning around to see what the old man was staring at. Only to end up struggling against a torrent of razor sharp shards being blown his direction. He growled as most of the icy shards cut deeply into his body, drawing gushing blood from multiple areas.
"DIE!" Gray screamed, pure Rage and murderous intent emanating from his form as he charged the madman, instantly forming icy daggers and swinging away at him as his opponent tried to dodge and counter.
Every snake charm sent his way was sliced apart and destroyed upon touching the unforgiving cold of Gray. But after grabbing the boys wrist and twisting it out of place, Gray yelled in agony, feeling his broken wrist flop painfully around. Kafuchi took the opportunity given to him to finally attack Gray by barraging his smaller body with an array of deadly snake charms.
And Gray screamed… The pain jolted through him as he fell to the floor and writhed to try and rid himself of the deep bloody gouges that the snakes left of his body, nothing could have prepared him for the overwhelming pain that coursed through his body and got increasingly worse as time went on.
He hated it, he hated the pain, he hated the gouges, he hated the one responsible for them, he hated Kafuchi.
He wanted to see the man die…
Black dots began to cloud his vision and a bloody red haze dropped over his sight before all was lost to him as he drifted into the unfeeling blackness.
"Die..."
:::-((x))-:::
(3 days later)
A bright light pierced his vision as his eye opened itself up. The first thing to come to mind was the confusion, the questions, then the answer… Then the fear.
Suddenly, he shot up and out of what he realised was a clean white bed that seemed to be next to a desk with water and bread at the ready of his awakening. The room was big, clean but not typically a hospital type of room. It felt homely almost…
Just where was he?…
He didn't know where he was, that much was certain, but he didn't feel dead or in pain. He didn't feel unsafe or in immediate danger.
"Hello?" He called out, his voice dry from the lack of usage making him cough a little after ward. Unfortunately, no answered him.
"Hello?" He called a little louder after drinking some of the water. He hoped someone would heed his call, he really didn't want to get up and walk to the exit…
He had enough walking the past two weeks…
:::-((x))-:::
No one came…
The bastards…
Limping out of his bed he had come across Vali's unconscious form, luckily he looked no worse for wear and just extremely exhausted. He'd be up in no time if that was the case.
But this proved that they were safe. That they were still alive and kicking..
But where was Doranbo?
"I guess I will get the answers from you when you wake up earthworm." He sighed, giving up on questioning everything he came across. Right now he just wanted to know who he was in the care of.
So he slowly made his way to the big brown double doors ahead, taking in the little patterns on the borders before grabbing the grey knob and opening the door.
And he was… graced…
Graced by the sight of laughter, partying, friendly conversation. Everyone was talking to someone or interacting in some fashion, not a single person felt truly left out or negative in anyway. The atmosphere had switched from silent and suspicious instantly to positive and jovial. The people felt connected, loved and most importantly…
Like they were part of a family…
And it left the boy stunned. Sure he had felt loved and compassion from his father, but he had also been his teacher and main authority figure. He had to do other things and because his mother had never been around to raise him and do anything his father had he had to do with a bit of everything… His poor, amazing father never could be the father he wanted to be to him…
This place… Was he finally seeing what a true family looked like?
'No, family always hurts you in the end Gray, don't set yourself up to fall again!
Gray shook his head of those thoughts, finally taking his first steps to the bar where he saw a weird guy in a turban serving everyone that came to.
He got his attention, the eyes snapping to him with a friendly acknowledgement before widening with realisation. But the smile came back just as quickly.
"A little young to be drinking lad." The man laughed heartily at his own joke, it was almost as if he found himself to be funny or something. "But I take it you are here to see our master yes or no?"
Stunned, Gray just nodded numbly, his mind trying to catch up with the fact the man had accurately called out his thoughts right away. But he had caught himself up soon enough as the man lead him to the back room at the far back of the seemingly endless building.
The man came to a standstill as he turned to face the boy with a smile. "Our master is through this door, he is very busy but always has time for us, he is a great man so treat him with respect okay?" He asked, genuinely caring about this masters well being and wanted the best for him. Another shocking factor to add to the list that seemed to grow ever more for the Devil Slayer.
"Well, i'll leave you two to chat then." He said and with a wave, he strolled back to his bartender duties.
"Well..." Gray swallowed the nerves rising in his throat. Hand placed on the old doorknob before him. "Here goes nothing I guess."
:::-((x))-:::
"Old man!"
"Brat!"
"You're the master!?"
"You're awake already!?"
"Yes!" Both the old man and Gray shouted at the same time before blushing in embarrassment at the situation. The old man was the first to recover from the embarrassment and he got back into his high chair that lifted his tiny frame a full foot from the ground.
'That must be hell on his knees...' Gray thought with a secretive chuckle…
The old man cleared his throat before speaking. "Yes well, you seem to be feeling much better now after three days of re-"
"Three days!?"
"Yes, three days." He repeated, disgruntled at the interruption. "Anyway, I know you have questions, well now is the time to ask them." He spoke, the tone calming and reassuring, it caressed the Devil Slayers inner beast and let feel truly relaxed for the first time in years…
"Okay then. Who are you?"
"My name is Makarov Deyar, wizard saint and master of the Fairy Tail guild. And I assume you are Gray Fullbuster?"
"Yes, how do you kno-"
"Your master Ur and I knew each other, she had been sending me multiple letter a month about how she had these two prodigious boys who had an amazing affinity for Ice-Make Magic. She also told me that one of them had another magic of which she wouldn't specify for personal reasons."
And the numbness came back…
Gray hid his shakes very well as he seemed to fool Makarov. But inside he was a torrent of emotions. Was that why Ur suggested Fairy Tail to him? Because she new the master? And she also thought that both Lyon and himself were prodigies in Ice-Make?
New information about his master only made the betrayal feel that much worse yet warm at the same time…
"She had also lamented to me about how she had to send one of her boys away a day or two before Deliora's sealing." Makarov said, catching on to the very well hidden shaking. Sympathy for the boy rose within him the more info he gave. He seemed to be going through a turmoil.
"She had told me how much she hated herself for hurting you in her attempt to protect both you and her other pupil. She told me roughly that if she could erase the decision she wouldn't though, because she believes that it was the only thing she could do to keep you both safe from each other..."
At this, Gray didn't bother hiding the fact of his emotional state. He just couldn't take it much longer, his master had done it to protect him? From Lyon and vice versa? Did she truly care for him and he had been too blind by anger and betrayal to see that fact?
He could feel tear building up in his eye, how much she must have hurt for her decision…
He was a true monster.
"I know Master Ur, and her decision wasn't a light one, nor one I agree with. But if she did this to protect you, this must prove how much she loved you both. Cherish that Gray, not many people like her are out there."
And that was it…
Those words, the simple, yet deep, complex and kind words had broken the emotional dam that the Devil slayer had put in place, all of his anger, his sadness, his happiness, his joy, sorrows everything had burst out in one huge torrent of emotions…
And for the first time since the loss of Ur, the death of his father…. Gray cried…
:::-((x))-:::
(10 minutes later)
After a minute of Gray's outburst he stopped the crying and composed himself under the care of the kind Guild Master. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders, he may never get over her actions, but with time, Gray felt that he could forgive her. One day perhaps.
Then he restarted the questions. All meaningless for the most part, how old was Makarov, who was kafuchi and his men etc.
Time was coming to a close for the meeting however… And Gray two more questions. Well, one question and a potential follow up question.
"Okay, two more questions and I am done." He said, looking at Makarov with his usual grumpy stare. But it was a kinder one than most.
"Of course brat." He smiled back.
"Is this, the people outside, the building, is this Fairy Tail?"
Makarov chuckled lightly. "I think you know the answer to that."
Gray rose an eyebrow, slightly confused. "Yes?"
The old man nodded. Confirming the place of Gray's searching and causing a grin to spread across the young boys face with the next question...
"Okay last question, how do I join?"
Makarov simply grinned, as if he knew something Gray didn't…
"Just two questions." He said simply. "First, where would you like you Guild mark?"
Gray stood in shock, unable to comprehend the sight in front of him nor the words that were just spoken. "Y-you mean…?"
"Yes, just tell me where and what colour and you can consider yourself a member of Fairy tail!" The grandeur response was silly, but Gray didn't care at all, to be told he can join right away, was mesmerizing…
"U-Uh right pectoral if that's fine, in dark blue?"
Suddenly, Gray felt a light thud on his chest and looked down tto see the master pull a stamp away from the place in question, his eye widened when he saw the magical insignia gleam like a reflective miracle on his chest…
"Done..." Makarov smiled at the boys suddenly change in emotions. It was like he had turned the cold boy into a child for some time. "But do keep your trousers on please!" He shouted, looking away at the ghastly sight that he was graced with.
"Shit!" Gray cursed, scrambling like a madman to get his trousers back on. After a while fumbling and swearing he had them on once again. He felt normal for a while.
But he quickly forgot about the incident. Here it was, upon his chest the symbol of his one last chance at life. A chance for happiness, a life worth living and love…
He had gone through a lot to get to where he was now…
But it was worth it…
"Oh one more question before you leave brat." He looked back, Makarov was smiling, but it seemed a little more grim than before.
"Okay?" Gray slowly sat back down, looking at the old man and watching his every move.
"You passed out three days ago and we brought you here to recover… But you don't remember anything do you?"
He swallowed… No he didn't. What had he done.
"Thought so brat. First off, well done for beating Kafuchi." he began and Gray's eye almost bugged out at the fact that he beat Kafuchi.
"But..." Makarov continued, his tone now serious and concerned. "What were those black marks on your body during that fight?"
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
"Marks…?"
:::-((x))-:::
And that does it! The end to the first three arcs of this story! Finally! XD
Now I can move on to TRE S2 for you all still interested in my crap. :)
But once I have finished that I will return to this to do another three or four or whatever so don't worry I just REALLY need a break from this story I have been writing almost nothing else this past year I need to do another thing or I will throw myself into the nearest lorry on the road and sing Baby by Justin Bieber…
And no one wants that…
Also, Come on Jack, you are better than that… (I saw the tweets after don't worry, just memeing if you get what ia m talking about.)
Anyway, please remember to drop a review to give me your opinion on this, anything good? Bad? Sexy? Just hesitate to tell me and I will take it into account.
You guys make authors authors after-all…
Anyway, pandering aside, thank you for reading and I will see you in either TRE or One's Perseverance. :)
-Viperhat
