Hey guys. I can see y'all want more of "Ice Devil's Angel," which makes me happy to hear. However, to get back into the groove of things, I've been given a golden opportunity by none other than the famous GraLu author, LadySVI, to take on her story "Bride of the Ice God," which originally belongs to the author writer4everr.

Anyway! Hope everyone is doing well!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its character. I do not own this plot. This plot belongs to writer4everr.

Bride of the Ice God

Chapter Fifteen

Slowly and Slowly I'm Gone

15 15 15

Gray - Present

"So, let me get this straight. A shifter impersonated me?" Lucy demanded with her chocolate eyes wide.

She was sitting in their shared bed, wrapped in blankets with a towel over her forehead. On the bedside table sat a bowl of soup and a bag of sweet candy. His mother and Wendy had tended to her wounds and made sure she had plenty of warmth and food to eat.

Gray nodded tiredly, almost nodding off to sleep. Being up for hours on hand should have been no problem for him if he hadn't unnecessarily used so much magic battling psychotic shifters. "Yeah," he replied. "She really did."

Lucy absorbed that tidbit of information for a little while and then stared at him with an intense gaze. "How did you know it wasn't me?" she asked curiously. "Was it because I'm way prettier than the fake?" she teased.

Gray snorted. "This bond between us, it's a lot stronger than you think." Taking her wrist, he traced the crescent moon etched upon her pale skin.

Lucy leaned back and raised her eyebrow. "Would I be able to know who you are?"

He shrugged. "It depends on how strong you feel for the other person, how well you know them, and how much you want to find them."

Smirking, she teased him. "Then in that case, you're screwed."

Glaring at her, he muttered back, "I was screwed the minute I was bonded to you."

Lucy grabbed a pillow next to her and whacked off the top of the head. "Hey, I was kidding!" he said.

She leaned back down with a satisfied smile. "Aah, I feel so much better now." Her expression changed. "I'm kidding. In reality, I would be desperate to find you," she confessed with a soft smile and moved forward to kiss him softly.

"Yeah?" the words can barely make it out of Gray's throat.

She nodded, her eyelids getting heavy. "Mmhm, it would be a sad thing to lose one another," she whispered.

His fist clenched tightly. "You need to get some sleep," he said and put a hand over her eyes so that they close. "I'll be back soon," he promised.

Lucy made a small gesture with her head to acknowledge that she heard him. "Don't be long," she murmured sleepily. Her breathing became deep and rhythmic, signaling she had fallen asleep.

Gray stood up from her side, feeling hollow. It would be a sad thing to lose one another. She didn't realize the immense truth in those words. Gray walked out the door, dragging his feet. Should I-? He mused to himself before bumping into someone.

He muttered a quick apology and looked up only to see his father. Great. Just the guy he didn't want to see. "Silver," he greeted coolly.

Silver tilted his head in acknowledgement. "Is she okay?" he asked with actual concern in his eyes. Instead of feeling touched, unreasonable anger flared within him.

"She's fine," he answered curtly.

"Gray," he said quietly. "You need to send her back to wherever she came from. You know that."

He shook his head. "You don't know that. You don't know what I need to do or what's best for us," he snarled out softly. However, doubt dwelled within his chest because he could hear the voice of reason. His father was right. The longer she was here the more danger she would be subjected to. It didn't help she was mortal either - she was entirely vulnerable in the supernatural world. The whole shifter fiasco and poisoning attempt had made him think of it, but now that his father voiced his own thoughts just confirmed reality.

Silver smiled sadly. "You're so attached to her already. If you cling onto her any longer, it'll be harder to let go. The shifter coven might strike back and want revenge. When that happens, we can't just hope that she'll stay alive."

"I know that!" He angrily slammed his fist against the wall. "She's mortal and fragile. I know..."

Silver watched him quietly and just nodded in his infuriating calm demeanor. "Good. Then you know what to do," he replied softly. He stepped aside and walked past him.

And once again, Gray was going to acknowledge that he was right. He did know what to do.

Cana - Present

A short knock came at the door of her cottage. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. Seriously? Who was still up at this time? She let out short call towards the door, "Go away! I'm busy!" She pulled out a goblet of alcohol and took a deep gulp of it. Different food and drinks helped gods and goddesses recover from magic depletion. Alcohol was the one thing that helped her regenerate - made sense since she was the Wine Goddess and all. So yes, maybe she was a semi-'alcoholic' but it was almost impossible for her to get drunk anyway.

"Cana, it's important!"

She whipped towards the door as she recognized Gray's voice. She opened the door, still holding her goblet of alcohol.

He stood there with a bemused expression, and he eyed my glass of alcohol. "Late-night drinking?"

"Uh, something like that, trying to replenish my magic," Cana replied distractedly. "Anyways, how can I help you? Love potion that you need whipped up?" she teased.

He scowled, "Unlike you, I don't rely on love potions to get around. I need you to cast a transportation spell and a memory draining ritual," he said.

Cana slowly blinked. "Oh who?" She snorted. "Some rabid fangirl who's obsessed with you?" She grinned but then frowned noticing that he didn't smile back.

"I'm using it on Lucy," Gray said softly.

Cana's eyes widen in shock, dropping her goblet in surprise. "Shit," she muttered and waved a hand over the shattered mess. The glass reassembled and refilled by itself. The cup shot back into her waiting hand, and she placed it on a nearby table.

"L-Lucy?" she choked out. "Why?"

"It's too dangerous for her to stay here. After what happened with the shifters-"

She cut in, shaking her head, "Gray, you know that was a freak accident, right? That's not going to happen again. Lucy will be fine. We don't need to send her back," she insisted.

Gray - Present

He laughed bitterly. "We're being selfish if we think like that. Lucy is mortal. She can die," he hissed out. Why didn't she get that Lucy's life was finite. She wouldn't be around forever. "And I'm not going to change her," he stated decisively.

Cana scoffed. "You hypocrite! You say not to be selfish, yet you didn't even ask Lucy's opinion in the matter. Did you even ask her about wanting to be changed?" she demanded. "Did you?"

Gray faltered but not for long, He leaned forward with his eyes narrowed. "No, I didn't, but I'm not willing to risk her life just for the slight chance that she'd be able to stay here forever," he retorted angrily.

"See?" she pressed. "That's just the problem. What if she's willing to risk it just so she can stay with you? Did you even consider her feelings in this?" Cana inhaled deeply and tried to calm herself down. "Gray, I know that you care for her, and you don't want her to die. I understand that."

"Then why won't you perform the spell?" he snapped.

Her eyes closed. "My allegiance belongs to you. I do what you wish, Gray." She sighed. "I will perform the spell if you command. All I'm asking is that you think this out some more before you make this decision."

His fist clenched tightly, drawing blood. "I-I've thought this through. I've been thinking about this the whole night. Perform the spell," he ordered mechanically.

Cana's lips pursed at his decision, but she complied and turned to gather the necessary potions. It was true that Cana was under his jurisdiction, being in his kingdom but the fact that she was his friend, and she didn't agree with his choice had shaken him up.

Perhaps, Gray really didn't know what he was doing. But it was for Lucy. That was what it was for. To keep her heart beating was the sole reason he was doing this.

Cana moved forward and opened the door. "Let's go."

He nodded but grabbed her wrist to stop her. "Cana, I know what I'm doing." His midnight eyes bore into her violet ones.

She merely pulled away as she uttered two words, "Do you?"

Lucy is still sleeping soundly when they both entered the room. Cana nudged me forward and whispered in my ear. "Cast the spell."

He obliged her order and muttered a quick spell, a spell to keep her asleep so she didn't hear them while the spell was performed.

He walked to her bedside to see her peaceful face as her chest rose up and down rhythmically. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "It'll be all right."

Cana closed her eyes and reopened them, revealing brighter cat-like violet eyes that glow eerily in the dark. "I'll have to do it this way, seeing as how she's immune to every goddamn herb and poison," she muttered and took Lucy's wrist. Her mouth extended open, and her fangs perched upon Lucy's delicate skin.

"Do it," he said faintly.

Cana nodded shortly and the fangs pierced the skin. Gray inhaled sharply, seeing blood flow out of her wrist but soon, the red, thick blood changed to a silvery substance that oozed out. Cana withdrew her fangs seeing the silver liquid. She wiped her mouth and took out a small jar from her bag and let the silvery liquid fall into the jar with soft little plops.

"Those are all her memories from her time here," Cana informed me quietly, watching the liquid spill out. A lump formed in Gray's throat as he saw it all seep out of her body. He realized that once the liquid was all gone, she wouldn't have a clue as to who he was. She would never recognize him again.

Slowly, the stream of silver begun to wane, and the dripping stopped. Cana leaned forward and placed a hand over the wound, sealing up the cut. "It's completed," she breathed out.

"Do you want to do anything else - before I send her back?" Cana asked in a soft whisper.

Gray wanted to just shake his head and tell her to send her back before he did something he regretted. But...his body moved by itself, moving up towards Lucy's still body. He gently held her wrist and took one last look at the crescent moon and felt a pang go through his body. They would always be bonded, but she would never know me again. She would probably be married, have a family, grow old, and die like she was supposed to. She was never meant to be taken out of her life and turned into an immortal.

"Hopefully, I'll see you later," Gray said pathetically. It was a futile thing to wish for. Once he sent her back, she was gone. So, he wasn't even sure why he said it. "But, until then, goodbye."

He drew away from her and nodded. "Perform the spell," he ordered. "Perform it now."

Cana moved forward, and her hand moved in a flurry of hand signs over Lucy's chest. A purple light emitted from her hand, and it slowly enveloped Lucy's body so that she was completely immersed in a pale violet light.

Cana's eyes flickered to the blonde. "Goodbye, Lucy," she murmured quietly. Her eyes closed, and she began muttering a spell.

Lucy's hands first began to fade away into the thin air, and it took all of Gray's willpower not to grab her hand and keep her from going. He clenched his jaw together and tried to keep himself together. Then her legs were fading away, her abdomen area, her chest her shoulders, her face. They were all becoming blurry pixels on the bed and disappearing out of sight.

Gray's eyes blinked together for one second and when they reopened, the bed was empty. Devoid of the human girl that had been slumbering there not seconds ago.

Lucy was really gone. She had gone back, so why didn't he feel relieved? Why was he only feeling emptiness? His frustration grew in a tight coil that suddenly snapped, "Dammnit!" He roared out and punched the wall next to him. He was faintly aware of the blood that began to spill out his knuckles, but he disregarded the pain.

Cana just sat there with the jar of silver liquid. "Gray." Her tone was warning.

He breathed hard; he knew it was going to be hard to see her leave. He had known that, but it was important to remember that she was safe now. She was far away from vengeful fangirls and poisoning attempts and from petty immortal squabbles and shifters. She would live a normal life. She would be okay, and he would just have to cope with her absence.

He would just have to.

Lucy - Present

"Hey, lady, are you okay?"

"Lady?"

"I think she's dead…"

"Don't say that!"

"What? She's not moving…"

"Should we tell mama? Oh! Look! She's moving! She's not dead!"

Lucy's eyes blinked open. She saw two kids standing over her with a handsome man about her age accompanying them. The first kid was a little girl with bandages all over her body and bright blonde hair that was separated into pigtails. The second kid was a chubby boy with tufts of red hair and small squinty eyes.

"Wh-where am I?" she asked blearily.

The little girl grinned, and she saw that her two front teeth were missing. "We're at Magnolia Village," she informed.

Lucy jolted upwards in surprise. That's her home village! Hadn't I been sacrificed to the Ice God? Chills ran down her spine. The Ice God. A god who supposedly devoured maidens so that villages wouldn't freeze over.

The man smiled charismatically. "Are you okay? We can take you back to the village if you're lost," he offered graciously.

Lucy faltered and looked at him again. She was so confused. She knew she belonged to the village, but it still felt so wrong. What was she doing back here? She had been sacrificed the night of the new moon, so what day was it now? "What is the day?" she asked.

The little boy spoke up. "It'll be the full moon tomorrow."

Lucy froze at his words. "Are you sure?" She turned to him confused. "But it was just the new moon? Are you sure?" she demanded again.

The boy nodded up and down. "Of course, I'm never wrong!" he pouted and looked at her water-drenched clothes. "Who are you anyway?"

The man looked at her with concern. "We'll take you back," he promised. "The name's Hibiki by the way."

"L-Lucy," she replied shakily and smiled at his chivalry. "Thank you so much…"

"Hey!" the little girl shouted. "You were the sacrifice! I saw you there." She pointed at me with scrutiny. "You're the one that got sent to the evil Ice God."

Hibiki shooed her away. "Sorry about her. But...are you the one that got sacrificed to that demon?" he asked in a low voice.

She nodded slowly. "I was." But her mind was racing. Had I been sacrificed? How was it that I couldn't remember anything?

Panic overtook Lucy. It had been a whole month since she had been gone and yet she couldn't remember anything during that time. Why was that? How had she gotten here? She stood up shakily, her mind swirling with questions.

What the hell had happened to me?

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