SailorStar9: After getting Chapter 41 out, this is Chapter 42 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?

Disclaimers: I own nothing, except for the plot bunny and my OCs.

Chapter 42: The River of Stars for Pride's Sake

"Now, now, Coco," Sugar Boy chided, swooping in to retake the key. "You mustn't give something as important as this to the enemy. I must return this tour Highness."

"You bastard!" Gray growled, closing in on a motorcycle. "Hold it right there. You ain't getting away."

"Quite persistent, you are." Sugar Boy noted. "Even though there is no chance for you to win."

"Shut up!" Gray snapped. "Now, stop right there!"

"I'm in a hurry." Sugar Boy reminded. "Rosa Espada." He liquidised the ground.

"We really need to shut him up." Mercury muttered, in the passenger's seat. "Seriously, his laughter is starting to annoy me."

"Hold it." Gray hissed. "And how are you sliding along in the first place?"

"I don't know either." Sugar Boy admitted.

"I think this classifies as 'I don't want to know'." Mercury mused. "So anyway, what is that key?"

"It's the key to activate the Dragon Chain Cannon." Sugar Boy replied. "This is something we cannot let you have."

"Which means we can't let you take it from us, either." Gray grinned. "Ice Make: Floor!"

"Ice isn't going to work against me." Sugar Boy chided. "It makes anything it touches flexible. Rosa Espada."

"Even if it's flexible, it still has the same properties." Gray smirked, as Sugar Boy skidded over the melted ice. "Properties like, 'ice floors are slippery'."

"He's either too confident, too stupid or too arrogant." Mercury muttered.

"I told you it wouldn't work." Sugar Boy declared, both ice mages leaping off the vehicle, the momentum causing the motorcycle to fly towards him. Sugar Boy then softened the automobile.

"Saw that coming." Mercury snorted. "Fateful Blizzard!"

"Was that supposed to do something?" Sugar Boy taunted, dodging the frost attack. "The key?" he gaped, Gray suddenly coming from behind to grab the key.

"Time to bust it up!" the ice mage reached for the key, freezing it.

"It's a bit cold, ice boy." Sugar Boy noted.

"Don't go giving me weird nicknames!" Gray snapped. "And why? Why won't it break?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sugar Boy snorted. "It's not something that's so easy to break. And it's cold. Would be so kind as to let go? It's not my style to hold hands with other men."

"Come on now," Gray chided. "Haven't you realized our roles are flipped now?"

"What might you mean, ice boy?" Sugar Boy mused.

"Er…" Mercury sweatdropped. "Is it me or is this conversation starting to go off on a weird tangent?"

"Good point there, Mercury." Gray agreed. "Anyway, you people might need this key, but we don't. if I can't break it, I'll at least make so you can't use it. Freeze!" he added more of his magic.

"Not going to work." Sugar Boy grinned. "Have you forgotten? The Rosa Espada can make ice flexible."

"You sure?" Mercury smirked, already knowing what was going on in Gray's mind. "If you're off just a bit, the key'll be a bent-up mess."

"I am very meticulous." Sugar Boy noted.

"Off topic!" Mercury shouted.

"I see…" Sugar Boy grinned. "I should just cut you down. I told you, it's no use!" he started rapidly slicing at the ice.

"You think I'm gonna lose?" Gray growled. "I'll freeze you first. I won't let go, even if I'm dead."

"I'll never let you!" Sugar Boy fought back. "Let go!" he roared, in the middle of the tug-of-war.

"Men…" Mercury sighed, as both males fought it out. "Cryoblast." She released a shot of ice from her palm, the sudden intervention cracking the key.

"Impossible!" Sugar Boy panicked. "The key cracked!"

"I should just break it like this." Gray grinned. "Thanks for the intrusion, Mercury."

"Maybe if you boys weren't taking your own sweet time..." Mercury smirked.

"Oh no!" Sugar Boy flailed. "This is bad! Let go! The key's gonna break!"

"This thing holds the lives of my friends' hostage." Gray snapped. "I'm gonna bust it to smithereens."

"Wait!" Sugar Boy exclaimed. "This really is bad. This key is something that you need. Just call for a cease-fire for now. The key's gonna break."

"What are you talking about?" Gray snapped, slamming Sugar Boy into the wall via his fist.

"With this key, you can return your friends to the way they were." Sugar Boy stammered, held in place by Gray's ice.

"You're bluffing." Mercury glared, the business end of her 'Ice Sword' pointed at Sugar Boy's throat.

"It's the truth!" Sugar Boy insisted. "The Dragon Chain Cannon shoots concentrated Dragon Slayer magic. Don't you know what Dragon Slayer magic is used for in this world? If you shoot the Dragon Chain Cannon into the lacrima, your friends will return to how they were. Understand now? This key is important to both of us. You can't destroy it."

"We've got Gajeel though." Gray reminded. "And if it comes to it, Natsu and Wendy as well. We've got three Dragon Slayers. We don't need this damn key."

"But you don't know how many days it'll take, do you?" Sugar Boy questioned. "The conversion of magic power will begin tomorrow. Our plan is to ram the lacrima into Extalia before that. It's true that with three Dragon Slayers, you can likely save many. However, you can't save them all. If you want to save everyone, you cannot destroy this key. Plus, there's a great number of people from the city that have nothing to do with the Guild in that lacrima, yes? Now, let go."

"I won't give the key to you." Gray declared, shattering the key.

"They key!" Sugar Boy screamed. "Are you a total idiot? I wasn't bluffing, you know? Your friends will never come back again."

"Yes, they will." Both ice mages dodged the sword stab.

"Tsukishiro!" Mercury froze Sugar Boy in place via a pillar of ice.

"Ice Blade: Seven Strike Dance!" Gray ended the battle.

"You're nuts, ice boy." Sugar Boy moaned, Mercury having released him from her ice column. "You actually destroyed the key. Even though with that key, you could save your friends."

"I'm an Ice Maker Magic mage." Gray stated.

"In other words," Mercury grinned as Gray produced an ice replica of the key. "He can make as many keys as he needs."

SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.