Extra Long chapter today. I feel like this story would benefit from the original 5,000 word format I had in mind.

I also took the time to put together a small image for this story. You may have seen it, let me know what you think, yeas? The pixel art was a nightmare and it was only a recolour for the most part.

:::-((x))-:::

The following day found Gray sitting in the living room of his shared apartment, fiddling with his necklace in prolonged bout of boredom. A yawn escaped his lips as he thought about waking Vali up with a bucket of ice, though when he remembered the time that particular idea was ignored. Mr. Maynard wasn't in favour of that prank, especially at this time, he turned his head over to the window, barely being able to see the small traces of light piercing the almost pitch blackness of the room.

Winter was close…

Soon enough, the town would be shrouded in a thick blanket of ice cold snow. People would complain and he would laugh at them. Vehicles would have to be restricted due to the heavy weather and he would be sure to make a nice snowman for those poor drivers. Vali would slip and slide everywhere, fruitlessly trying to balance himself as he just watched the normally well balanced boy fall down every few minutes.

But for now, he was more than happy to lounge, unable to go to the guild and able to bathe in the silence and comfort of the darkness…

Looking down, he could see the small glint his necklace gave whenever he twisted it just right. The light's cool blue-ish tinge enveloped the object, painting it with its contrast. It almost looked like a mirror or a shard of ice. Gray could almost imagine seeing his true self reflected back at him in the necklace's small yet dazzling shine.

He didn't know how long he had been sitting there, just staring into his necklace's pretty steel. Time was lost to him even as the light began to pour into the room in much harsher droves. Lightening up the area around him, showing off the walls and the spacey interior of a mostly unused house.

He wasn't able to sleep…

His mind just wouldn't stop running...

Gray could almost feel the tiredness creep over him. His body atrophied from the lack of movement. He could even see his glamour ring was closer to the middle part of his finger than it was meant to be.

The jolt of movement sent a shockwave through his body as his right hand sprang up and clamped down on the ring almost immediately after seeing the mis-alllaignment. His un-patched eye zeroing in on the offending object as he made sure to keep it around the base of his finger.

He felt his body heave a sigh of relief when he finally finished adjusting the ring. The idea of it coming off ever was something he never wanted to consider. Everyone seeing him, his… real face. He never wanted to be reminded of that. He was no longer that child, he would never be that child. He was better, stronger than that. The day's of vicious, flaming nightmares and terrible cries of pain were behind him.

He needed this ring, he may forever need it.

But that was fine with him…

For now, he was content to sit in the darkness, waiting for the light to come to him.

Time flew by for Gray. If anything, when he heard the loud click of the door behind him he was more excited than annoyed. Vali's presence meant noise, life… and time for anger management. That meant something else to focus on, something trivial.

The soft whooshing of the door opening up followed by the steady beat of the Earth Mage's feet hitting the floor carried itself to his ear drums.

'Here we go...'

"You still haven't showered yet?" Vali moaned, holding a hand to his nose as he tried to hold his breath. "Lovely, Gray. Just lovely."

He wasn't wearing anything besides and pair of grey sweatpants that hung off his long legs like they had flares. Other than that, his hair – as usual – covered most of his face. He looked a little groggy, slightly hunched over and leaning on the frame with his hand supporting him from the opposite side.

"You first, jackass." Gray dismissed, finally letting the necklace go when his friend flipped on the light switch. The winter atmosphere withholding most of the light somehow.

"Sorry, I forgot." Vali grinned, walking over to the bathroom door. "You are scared of a reflection."

"And you are scared about SEEING your reflection." Gray twisted his body around, laying on the couch and stretching. Feeling his body thank him as the satisfying feeling of limbs rising from their slumber filled him.

"Touché!" He heard Vali call out from the bathroom."Nevermind, the towel from last night is still covering the mirror. Your ugly face is hidden for another day!"

"Just hurry up and shower! We don't have all day, y'know."

"Aye aye, captain!"

A few moments of silence took place before Gray could hear the sharp squeaking of the shower being turned on, followed by the arrhythmic pitter patter of water hitting the ground from behind the closed bathroom door. He now had a decision to make:

Breakfast or shower first?

"Screw it, breakfast."

:::-((x))-:::

"I can't believe you did that..."

"Vali, leave me alone."

He certainly didn't need to be reminded of what just transpired.

"Hey, next time you decide the give the kitchen floor a new coat of oil let me know, okay?" Vali teased, giggling as he evaded a hard swipe aimed at his head from the disgruntled boy. "Mr. Maynard would probably flip his shit if he found this out. The man scares me to death too!"

The Devil Slayer ignored him… Tried to…

"The guild is just a few minutes away…" He announced, giving the Earth Mage a warning look. "I don't want you pissing me off again, cause you came close last night to me hurting you badly."

He gave the Vali a follow up glare, thinking it would keep him from saying or doing anything else for the entirety of the walk to the guild. Vali was unpredictable, either too eager to push him further these days or blatantly ignore him. But after last night, when he had been so close to seeing him he didn't want to risk the Earth Mage of all people seeing that side of him.

The last thing he expected from Vali was for him to narrow his eyes back at him.

"Y'know, if anyone has the right to say that or such that person would be me, Cyclops." He replied before trailing ahead of Gray. "Honestly, your mood swings get worse and worse with each passing week."

The comment made Gray scowl in return, how dare this bastard talk about him as if he understood? He wanted to erase the nonchalance from Vali's face as he watched the older boy turn to look at him.

"Nothing to say to that, huh?" His tone came across as more of a statement than a question. Gray couldn't help but finding it a little enraging.

"Nothing to you, Dirtbag." He ground out. It wasn't a lie at all, he really didn't have much to say to Vali. He was the last person who'd understand even a fraction of it.

His thoughts were immediately cut off from the sudden sound of Vali's laughter, catching him off guard.

"What's so funny, asshole?" Gray felt his blood boil at the sound, there was something off about it. But he wouldn't let it shake him…

it took a few more seconds for him to stop laughing, though Gray was ready to tear him apart if he didn't, but he looked back at him with oddly piercing eyes. The sentence he spoke next didn't match the expression on his face at all.

"Dirtbag, eh?" He asked, a few residual chuckle escaping his lips before continuing on. "That's a new one isn't it?"

Gray could hear the same final tone his voice held, which only served to anger him more. He didn't care if it was new or if had said it before, Vali wouldn't throw him off this time.

"If I didn't know any better, i'd say you were obsessed with something..." Vali grinned, never taking his eyes of of Gray. "Though, what could that possibly be? Would it even be remotely true. Because if so, that's just unhealthy for you."

Silence cloaked the two of them as Gray stared at his retreating figure, overshadowed by the colourful guild-hall just a few metres away. The way he spoke, the way he looked… It was like he knew something Gray didn't.

He was so stunned that he didn't realise two things: He was meant to be enraged right now and secondly, he was standing still… outside the guild-hall.

Perhaps last night really hit Vali harder than he cared to admit.

"Fuck you." He growled, making his way towards the closing doors of Fairy Tail.

And as he threw them both open, being greeted with a loud mess of chatter and mugs clinking with the very common laughter. His sight filled with colours that felt very much alive and as joyful as the members were.

He slowly forgot everything that happened between him and the Earth Mage…

:::-((x))-:::

If there was one thing that Cana could credit Fairy tail with since her arrival here years ago, it was that they never failed to lighten the atmosphere up. As if the mere presence of positivity and smiles presented by the people within was enough to pierce the reality the encompassed them all.

She wasn't kidding anyone, even here, with the vibrant, happy colours of the walls and floor and the way everyone just leaked cheeriness to the point of pain. No matter how much this place made her feel like a kid… Her mind was focussed somewhere else.

She always wondered why she couldn't just enjoy the life she had. It was good, caring people, a fun place in a prosperous town that held plenty of opportunities for her and her life. But all she ever really wanted was one thing…

From where she sat, the usual place that she and the others had taken up since Gray and Vali were brought into the guild, she could see the overbearing figure of Gildarts swiftly nabbing a job from the board on the second level.

The second level of the guild – also known as the S-class floor – was a small platform that was accessible via narrow stairway that was located near the entrance of the guild to the right. From where she was sitting, which was near the back of the guild on the far-left to the stairway, she could see him descending those steps with a relaxed smile n his face. His metal limbs making a distinct thumping sound every time the foot hit the wood.

"Who's that?"

Cana turned her head to see Levy, shyly taking a seat on the opposite end of the table, the place that was usually occupied by Vali. Her curious eyes dimmed a little when looking over to her for answers.

'Gee, could she be any more reclusive? She'll turn into Gray if this keeps up.'

Cana brushed a few stands of her hair away form her face with a huff. "He's Gildarts. Strongest mage in Fairy Tail, it's ace, if you will."

"Wow!" Cana watched as the girls eyes lit up in wonder and awe at the man. "Even stronger than the master?"

"No idea."

Though she to admit, it would be pretty interesting fight to watch. The more the thought persisted, the more her brain swelled with the possibilities of the carnage that would unfold. Now, she wasn't much of a fighter, she detested it in fact, but even she couldn't say that it wasn't a fun thing to think about in the very least.

She knew the others had thought about it once or twice. In fact she remembered Vejeeter mentioning it once.

"Wouldn't it be interesting?" Levy asked, looking over towards the cloaked man with no small amount of wonder, something that Cana couldn't help but feel annoyed at.

"Not really. They're super strong. That's it." She remarked, casually leaning back into the comfy seat. "Not much would happen besides lots of property damage."

Levy pouted, giving her a displeased stare. "Spoil sport!"

Cana simply ignored that. Sighing into the ceiling.

Unbeknownst to her, Vali had just waltzed into the guild before spotting the orange haired man and freezing.

"Gildarts, when did you get back?"

That caught her attention very quickly…

She turned her gaze towards the two, her mind fully zeroing in on the conversation. If she didn't know any better, the way that the boy said that sounded like he already knew Gildarts before coming here…

She watched as the boy walked up him, swaggering his way up to the far taller man. He gave him a lazy grin and an equally wave.

"Oh yeah! Vali, wasn't it?" Gildarts, clearly startled, scratched his head mechanically as he nervously laughed. "Yeah, that was it. Sorry about that."

"Am I really that forgettable?" Vali asked, raising an eyebrow. Slowly swaying on the spot, peering into the eyes of the older man as he shifted a little.

"Well, no you're not…" 'Unfortunately'

Everything became so much more interesting for the Crash Mage, the floors the ceiling, the support beams and even the tiny cracks from years of childish violence the guild had been privy to. As long as he could ignore the gnawing embarrassment in his gut. For some reason, he genuinely remembered little of the boy in front of him. The few times he had actually been in the guild after a long mission was spent more with little conversations and talking with the more… active kids in the guild. Hell, the only reason he knew who Laxus was is due to the broody boy being the masters grandson.

He had only ever met the kid once… and yet he was more impressionable than Vali ever was.

Vali was always somehow a blur in the background, even when he was sat with the others. He was always being loud, annoying and generally obnoxious towards Gray and sometimes Cana. He held no unique traits from what he could see beyond what he remembered from watching the kid move around.

In short: Gildarts was lying… to himself and to Vali. And he was okay with that.

Said kids laugh made him jump. Shaking his head and calming himself down, hoping that he hadn't been caught red-handed in thinking mode as he saw the small grin spread on Vali's face like a wild fire.

Maybe he could give him insanity as his unique trait…

"Oh yes, I am." Was all he said, giving Gildarts a grin before sliding past the man and towards Cana and Levy. Leaving him behind in a daze.

"I completely give up with you..." Gildarts muttered to himself, shaking off the confusion welling up in his body as he turned back towards the entrance, mission in hand and adventure just beyond the pale.

"You give up with who?"

"AH!"

Before he knew it, Gildarts was swinging down in fright before noticing who the unknowing culprit was. When his eyes saw Gray's face he panicked, trying to stop himself before he took down the entire town.

For the next few seconds, all Gray saw was the frightening metal fist of Gildarts looming over his head like a sledgehammer bearing down upon a watermelon, ready to squash it into oblivion. Confusion hit him like a ton of bricks when he realised he didn't even bother trying to move out of the way. Though he didn't pay it much mind, since Gildarts made anything you did pretty pointless eitherway and maybe this was the way his body responded to that reality. He slowly moved to the side, noticing the silence and subsequently trying to ignore the onlookers as he calmed his body down.

The owner of the fist of doom looked down on him, a little frazzled from the experience.

'He isn't the one who almost died in front of everyone!'

"I'm never doing that again."

Gildarts twitched his head in what could only be a horrible imitation of a nod before standing back up straight.

"Oh, sorry Gray. I didn't see you there" He chuckled. "Sorry about that, just don't sneak up on me in the future. i'm easy to scare."

"That's an understatement and you know it, Gildarts."

The two turned to the bar only to find Makarov sitting on one of the stools, ironically bringing him just under Gildarts chin. His smile was relaxed and easy, as if he hadn't just witnessed what the Ace almost did.

"Oh, sorry master. I didn't see you there."

Gray sighed, displeasure in his tone when he spoke up. "That's the second time you've said that in the last four seconds."

"He's right!" Wakaba perked up, looking at Gildarts with concern. "You said the same thign twice in a row, nothing in between."

That seemed to start a few murmurs, even on the table with the other kid on it.

"So?" Gildarts frowned, utterly confused to what the problem was. "I didn't get to say anything before hand."

"Do you think he's finally feeling the effects of ageing?"

"WHAT!?" Gildarts yelled back at Vejeeter, who was standing behind the bar with worry. "What are you talking about, I am fine!"

"That's what an old man would say, Gildarts," Makarov pensively stood up from his stool before hopping off. Giving the man a serious stare. "Trust me on that one."

"But I'm not that old, master!" Gildarts' outrage was permeating. "I'm barely even pushing 49!"

The whole conversation degraded from then on, boring the Devil Slayer involved who quickly retreated from the fray and away to the back of the guild. Finding the stairs that led to the balcony, he made his up, letting the rowdy noises softly dissipate into the silence he came to love and hate so much.

The light of day assaulted his eye when her pulled the door aside, forcing him to adjust without bracing for the discomfort It brought. Growling a little, Gray looked down at the patterned floor of the balcony, letting the mismatched patterns attack his vision instead. The lesser evil in his opinion.

Finally when he could look around without the fear of blindness, he looked for a comfortable place to sit before choosing his previous spot, where the shadows kept the sun from beating down on him like heavy rain. When he was comfortable, sitting cross-legged under the shade, he gazed out toward the horizon from behind the wooden bars blocking the view from being fully seen.

"This is where Ur wanted me..." He muttered, casting a quick glance at the dark stairway before settling back over to the outside world. A mirthless smile rising on his face.

"Its horrible here..."

:::-((x))-:::

(2 hours later)

"I'm telling you, that's what happened!"

"Shove off, Conway. No way did you two fully grown adult mages on your own."

Vali gave Cana a look of mock outrage. Almost losing his composure at the way she sighed and shook her head before continuing on with his bold tale.

Somehow, he had encapsulated Levy. Not that he was complaining, it meant that someone understood talent when they saw it.

"You've only ever seen me amazing avoid Gray when he's angry… which is too often for my liking nowadays." He rebuked, adding the last part on as an afterthought. "But he is slow, strong, trust me, he is painfully strong, but he can't help but make every attack he throws super obvious."

"Anyway, so this loser – Brandybuck was his name – well he was reeling from having his giant fist make out with this wall of Earth I had brought up. He never expected it and I think he never go the chance to brace for it, he was expecting to hit me, not something harder than bone."

"Get on with it." Cana droned, giving him a bored look. "I've heard this song and dance more times than what can possibly be healthy."

"Fine, fine… jeez, everyone's a critic am I right, Levy?" He moaned, giving the Solid Script Mage a nod. Grinning as she looked at Cana and back at him.

"Uhh, I- I don't want to say anything on this..." She replied, chuckling nervously as Vali pouted in her direction.

"Ha!" Cana grinned, giving Vali the most smug face he'd ever seen on her. "Told ya!"

"Fine, I see that my amazing story-telling capabilities are unwanted and therefore, unnecessary." The Earth Mage 'Harrumphed' in Cana's direction. Only stopping when levy spoke up again.

"No, no! I was enjoying it. I just don't wanna upset anyone."

That seemed to sober Cana up quickly.

"Oh, uhh hey. If you like it, don't let me get in the way of that. I've just heard him tell it too many times."

Vali decided to pipe in at this point. The now more confident Levy's attention drawn towards him when he responded. "Aww, shucks! I always knew you enjoyed story-time!"

Apparently, Cana didn't appreciate the jab too much…

"You know what? You can tell her the dumb story, i'm going to find Gray!" She stood up from the seat and walked off. Grumbling to herself as she went to the back of the guild, by the stairs.

Levy looked to where Cana disappeared before going back to Vali...

"Uhh, is she okay?"

"Hmm?" Vali gave her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"Well, she always seems so annoyed around you. I mean, even with you and… Gray, was it?"

"Yeah, that's grumpy bollocks..." He laughed before stopping and going silent for a second.. "Heh, it's been a long time since I called him that. Anyway, she's been like that from day one. Ever since we met her, in fact."

"Really?" Levy's eyebrow rose, unbelieving. "I doubt she was always like this."

"Well, if she wasn't at some point i've never seen it." He sighed, though Levy saw a small grin make its way onto his face. "I bet she's one of those extremely happy drunks. can't wait to see if that's true or not."

They two sat In silence for a few moments after that. Levy because she didn't know what to say, she was still a new person to the guild. Where she had only known everyone for a day Vali, Gray and Cana had been around each other for a whole year. It felt like she was intruding on a kind of special group thingy the more she hung around them.

Vali likely got bored of the silence, since he was speaking again before Levy knew what he was talking about.

"Gray has either calmed down now, or he is even more pissy than before..." He muttered.

"What?" She gave him an odd look. "Why's that?"

"No idea, really." Vali shrugged. "Thought last night, when I got him to say hi to you, he got really angry at me, as if I had just humiliated him in front of someone. I didn't take kindly to it and that's when I left that night… Well, if by leaving I mean getting involved with an argument with Nab."

"Why would he do that?"

"Trust me," Vali grinned, giving her nothing to work with. "If I knew that, things would be solved by now." He sat back, bringing his arms behind his head. "Though I am pretty sure he is having trouble with some shit he prefers to keep hidden."

Levy couldn't help it, every time she had a conversation with vali and he was not being annoying or dismissive. She felt herself pulled into whatever they were talking about. He wasn't nearly as stupid as he let on and was actually very clever.

'He's certainly left an impression on me.' Her mind wandered off for a second before remembering that Vali was still talking.

"At the end of the day, I don't care, what he does is his own business and if he wants to bottle it all up for the sake of being a loner then he can. His loss really."

Then… there were these small moments…

Vali seemed to just get so cold sometimes. It was weird and unnerving. The only time other than now was also when he was talking to Gray yesterday.

"You… don't mean that, really… Right?" Her question felt odd, even on her tongue. It was as if the answer was obvious and that by asking Vali about it wouldn't provide her with any helpful answer.

"I do… but at the same time I kind of have to care as well. You know, 'the guild is family' and all that crap." He sighed, chuckling a little bit by the end.

The silence came back, but this time Levy was unwilling to let it settle… Vali was weird, but he wasn't the bad weird…

"So, want to continue with that story you were telling?"

"Hmm?" Vali's eyebrow rose up a little bit at the question. Almost as if he was shocked. "You actually want me to continue that?"

She only nodded in response, excitement pouring back into her eyes.

He was silent for a few more seconds, looking like was trying to comprehend what he had just heard. Though, soon enough his smile returned too, but Levy could see a difference…

This one felt different, more genuine..

"Well, I can't say no to such a request, can I?" He announced, acting as dumb as he possibly could as he made wide, sweeping gestures to mix along with his story. "So, Brandybuck tries hitting me when I was almost down and completely knackered –"

There was something about that moment for both Vali and levy. Positive and powerful, as if one had something the other had just given them, something vital for both parties.

As Vali continued to weave words seamlessly together and Levy allowed herself to be immersed by the enthusiastic storytelling, it felt like this was truly the beginning of a magnificent friendship…

Or maybe that was just the burritos settling In. Eitherway, Levy was too encased in joy, excitement and glee to care.

:::-((x))-:::

(With Gray and Cana)

Gray didn't know how long he had been staring out beyond the prison-like bars of the Fairy Tail balcony. The sun was in a different place than where is was before, he knew that much, it was almost halfway in the sky, at the top of its rotation. Somehow, the shade he had still held up strong, receding only a little bit.

He hated the fact that he couldn't remember the time that passed by. The sun's previous place, the sudden hustle and bustle on the streets, even the previous thing he was thinking about. It was all lost to him.

All he knew was that this place felt suffocating…

He spent all that time, experienced all that hardship and bother. Even testing himself in ways he never could have thought about just to get here. But it wasn't what he expected. He didn't feel stronger, if anything he felt weaker than before. The walls that represented his end goal and his hope of ever being strong were grim reminders of his lack of said strength.

No matter how hard he trained, no matter who he fought in the guild. It felt like the last years was a complete waste of his time.

Now… all he could do was wonder if he would ever live up to what his father was, or even what Ur had been…

"God, Vali is so annoying..."

He was snapped out of his revere when he heard the familiar frustrated voice grow closer and closer towards him. In the pit of his stomach, he felt anger begin to bubble up, all he wanted today was to be left alone to his own thoughts. But hearing the door rattling slightly doused out that small flame of hope.

"Gray, you there?" Cana finally called out from behind the door. Likely realising it was locked, though not because of the ice he had encased the frame with.

"Go away, Cana." He bit out. "I wanna be left alone."

Unfortunately, it seemed that he wasn't going to be getting that anymore…

"Yeah? Well I need to get away from Vali for a while, so you may as well let me in there!"

"In? i'm outside! This is a balcony!" He called back, hoping to divert the topic away from the original goal.

"Don't change the subject!"

"Look just go away! I don't want to talk to anyone!"

"It's because Vali's annoyed you isn't it?"

How did she know that?

He hadn't even looked at Vali since in the morning after the argument… if it could be called that.

"I suppose i'm right."

"Go away..."

"Well, he's annoyed me too, so there, we agree on something for once. Now let me in."

"Out."

"Gray..."

The energy seemed to leave Gray, he looked up at the ice on the framing and knew that if he allowed to go, he would not be able to go back. He didn't want this to end, his solitude… but… maybe he did and didn't like the idea of liking it.

"I'm going to the forest..." He muttered, letting the Ice splinter off of the doorway, opening the door to a surprised and slightly annoyed Cana.

"…?"

"You… you can join me if you want." He finally said, not sparing a glance towards her as he quickly descended the stairs.

She didn't know why, but in the end she did end up following him…

"I'll do that."

:::-((x))-:::

Trials of Ice Chapter 30…

It has taken me almost 3 years to get here. So 10 chapters a years… I hate myself for that ratio. I used to look at stories with 20 to 30chapters over the course of 'x' years and wonder how they could be so lazy. Now I completely get it and wish to offer a formal apology to the nameless Harry potter and Sonic The Hedgehog writers I have not mocked. XD

But the caveat to this is that I am obviously not even close to being done with this story. The Fairy tail arc is probably going to take at least another 10 or more chapter to completely finish if not even more.

So on the positive side, you get more of this, yet on the flip side, I may be doing this until I am in my mid-20's if I keep it at this rate.

Next chapter I write will either be a One's Perseverance or another Mass effect chapter.

Though I might throw in a shipping dump story to boot. ;)

Thank you for reading and please do leave a review expressing you love, hate, likes, dislikes and criticism and praise for the story so far or the current chapter.

-Viperhat