Hey everyone! I know its been a while, but here is the next chapter for "The Ice Devil's Angel." It's been a hot second since I've been on this site. Enjoy the chapter por favor.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters. GraLu is the greatest ship ever. So sad it's not canon T_T

The Ice Devil's Angel

Chapter 7

7 7 7

Gray sprinted down the hall of Oshibana Station after defeating Ra-Ul. A sense of unease settled within his stomach. Magic Wind Wall? If that's the case, we'll be stuck... Hearing Erza's voice up ahead, he pushed himself harder until he finally was back to where the team separated. He had to tell her Eisenwald's plan.

"Erza!"

"What are you doing here?" She asked, confused. "I thought you were with Natsu!"

"We decided to split up," Gray explained urgently. He clenched his fist. "Nevermind that now! I just found out Eisenwald's real target is Clover, the next town up!"

"Wait, what?!"

"Erigor's headed towards the conference as we speak! He's planning to use the Lullaby to kill the guild masters!"

Gray watched in slight amusement, despite the dire situation, at how Erza's magical aura radiated coldly from her body as she gave a deadly glare to the man she held by the scruff of his neck.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" she growled, hissing out each word venomously.

The ice mage walked up to her and watched as she easily tossed the Eisenwald lackey over her shoulder.

"There's a problem," she said, getting up. "The station is surrounded by a wind barrier."

"Yeah, I know," Gray sighed. "I saw it earlier, and if you try to break through that thing, it'll rip you to shreds."

He noted how Erza's left hand held her limp right arm. It wasn't surprising that she tried to break through the barrier, but to think her armor would have at least protected her a little bit better...

"How's the arm?" he finally asked.

"That's not important." She looked annoyed. "What is, is getting the hell out of here. We must stop Erigor before he reaches the guild masters conference." She paused a moment, her brows furrowing as she recalled something. "Wait a minute, I remember them talking about someone name Kage back at the pub." Her eyes fiercely met his. "We have to find that man, Gray. He's the one who broke the Lullaby seal!"

"A dispeller, huh, to take down the wind wall," Gray mused. If he was a seal-breaking wizard, then this Kage was really the only option for them to get out of this damn place.

"That's what I'm hoping for," Erza nodded.

"We need to move fast."

Before they could take a step, the station shook violently. Gray smirked, knowing it was none other than that flashy pink-haired idiot.

"Is that him?" Erza asked.

"Yes."

"Who's he fighting?"

"Not entirely sure, but considering Erigor isn't even in the station and we have seen Kage yet, it must be the guy we're looking for."

The two of them took of running toward the chaos. As they sprinted over, Gray couldn't help but think Lucy would have no doubt been able to identify Natsu's foe, and they wouldn't have had to play a guessing game.

7 7 7

Lucy walked through a random hallway that was elegantly decorated with floor-to-celiing armored knights. Due to the chaos at the train station, there were random boxes and trash littered along the hallway. She hummed in thought, wondering where in the hell the man Erza told her to chase was. She couldn't really sense his presence when he used his magic, which was bizarre, but now that she thought about it, she saw he fled and traveled through walls, so he probably becomes one with the wall by changing his presence down to a molecular level.

She gave a slight groan in frustration. "This is useless - I can't find him anywhere!"

"Aye..." Happy agreed.

"Should we head back to Erza?" Lucy asked.

Happy paled and screamed at the thought. A purple, terrified aura surrounded the Exceed, and Lucy sincerely didn't understand why what she said was so frightening.

"What's with the reaction?"

The Exceed trembled as he talked. "Erza gave you an order to go after the fat man, so you...you have to do what she says, Lucy. Ignoring an order from Erza is never a good idea. She's going to be super angry with you, but if I have to watch her punish you, it will scar me for life."

Lucy blinked and blinked again before it dawned on her. "Wait..." Her voice went up an octave out of fear. "What kind of punishment are we talking about?"

Happy just looked at her and that's all she needed to know.

While she has gotten to know Erza better through this mission, she did realize the scarlet-haired woman did have a little bit of a sadistic streak in her sometimes even though she really meant well. If there's one thing she learned watching Gray and Natsu through this trip was just not to get on her bad side. So...

Lucy cleared her throat. "Forget I said anything, and let's keep looking."

"Finally scared some sense into you," Happy sighed in relief.

The blonde could only give a nervous laugh as she scratched the back of her head sheepishly. She breathed out a sigh after a moment, rethinking on how to find this wall-walker. If this was down to the molecular level, she needed a different perspective.

"Lucy?" Happy called.

"Just give me a sec," she said. "I'm trying to find him."

Lucy took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She felt everyones magical aura, knew exactly who was where. Righteous and pure like her own. Erza... And beside her, vast, almost endless amounts of cold, chilling power. Gray... Warm like a fireplace but ancient and powerful. Natsu... She breathed again, finally picking up some of the more imperceptible magical signatures she had a harder time trying to find. It was stealthy, murky, and quiet like a coiled snake ready to strike. Shadow guy from the train...

The blonde grit her teeth, still having a hard time sensing the wall-walker, but she stilled when she did feel a pinprick of panic and desperation within the walls. She breathed deeply again, focusing on the sensation. His emotions were making him sloppy enough to where she felt the distortion of magic within the walls. And...it was following the shadow mage, who was following Natsu.

"Got it!" she suddenly yelled, startling Happy.

Before she took another step, the entire station building quaked three times. It was then she felt the surge of Natsu's ancient dragon slayer magic. She could feel his frustration and impatience boiling and then- Oh no, Lucy sweatdropped, mentally bracing herself. The station rocked six more times.

"Is that...?" Happy trailed off.

"The one and only Natsu, yes," Lucy confirmed.

There was a momentary pause before she barely felt that magical presence again, stronger this time. The same one that engulfed those Eisenwald runaways in shadow. The building shook once more, plaster cracking from the ceiling. Natsu and the shadow man were now engaged in a full head-on fight. She could feel it clearly now.

"Come on, Happy! We've got no time to waste!" Lucy shouted, running towards the mayhem.

"Aye!"

Shortly after running through Oshibana Station, Lucy couldn't help but sweatdrop at the chaotic scene before her. Erza was trying to violently rouse the unconscious shadow wizard, Natsu was glaring into the abyss of a wall he created, and Gray looked just about fed up with everything.

"Um, bad timing, huh," Lucy commented, strangely staring at the unusual group of Fairy Tail wizards that she was now a part of.

"Aye..." Happy agreed with wide eyes.

Curiously, Lucy walked up to Natsu to see he was glaring at the man she was supposed to track down. The green-haired dark mage was out cold, blood still trailing down his arm. Her eyes widened, glancing back at the man Erza was violently shaking up and down and saw the gaping wound Gray was trying to close with his ice magic. A sick feeling entered her stomach when she realized this man tried killing his guild mate. If only she found him faster, then this wouldn't have happened.

"Lucy," Gray called. "You okay?"

She swallowed thickly. "Yeah...I'm fine." To switch topics, she asked, "Will he be okay?"

"Yeah," Gray responded. "He just passed out. Unfortunately, he's our only way out of here."

"Our only way out of here?" Lucy echoed.

Natsu turned around. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Gray filled them in, and Lucy could only stare in disbelief and horror. Eisenwald's plan all along was to use Lullaby on the guild masters in Clover Town; however, they were trapped in the station due to a wind barrier cast by Erigor, which was impenetrable. Lucy's brow furrowed, confused as to why she didn't feel a disturbance around the station. Then again, she was so focused on finding the wall-walker, she fell victim to tunnel-vision.

"We have to stop them!" Natsu growled.

"That's easier said than done," Erza said with irritation. "Erigor cut off our only means of reaching Clover and is headed there by air."

"I'm pretty sure we could catch up to him if we overflowed the magic mobile's SC plug," Gray analyzed. "But...we can't do anything until we figure out how to get on the other side of this barrier."

Lucy warily peered outside and watched as the ferocious whirlwind swirled around the station. Just by looking at it, she knew whoever tried to force themselves through it would be ripped to shreds. Barriers usually depend on the castor's intent, so she had a feeling even magic wouldn't be able to break through it because Erigor didn't want to be followed.

"How...How are we going to do that?" she asked worriedly.

The response she was given was Natsu's battle cry as he lunged with a flamed fist. Once his magically powered fist came into contact with the barrier, he was immediately blown back as the barrier crackled with magical electricity, canceling his flames. It was as she suspected.

Gray sighed tiredly. "That's what happens when you try to bust through."

"Kage, wake up," Erza pleaded. "You're our only hope right now!"

"We've got to try and break through!" Natsu shouted, once again charging his fists with flames. He kept charging and charging and charging but time and again, he kept getting thrown back.

"Cut it out, Natsu," Gray said, annoyed. "Obviously brute force isn't going to do you any good."

He ignored him and tried again with more force.

"Natsu, stop!" Lucy yelled. "The barrier was created to specifically keep us in; it's cancelling your magic once you make contact!"

"Dammit!" Erza cursed. "I don't know what to do!"

"Shit," Natsu growled angrily.

Lucy looked at the wind barrier once more. If they couldn't go through it, maybe they could go above or under it. She tilted her had up but saw they were completely blocked off. So under it was, but how... She paused, remembering the key Gray had given her after their mission - Virgo's key. She specifically used Diver magic and had shared it with Everlue at the time, so he was able to go underground. The issue was the last time she made a contract had been by accident when she was small after recently losing her mother to illness. Even so, Lucy still brought it with her. She didn't know why, but it was worth a try.

She unhooked Virgo's key from her belt.

"That's..." Gray trailed off, looking at her. "She can go underground..." he remembered.

"Wait, you're a celestial wizard too?!" Natsu aked confused. "So can you get us to the other side through the Spirit World?"

"You know two types of magic, Lucy?" Erza inquired, seeming quite impressed.

"Huh, oh uh..." Lucy became flustered from all the attention. "Not really. I haven't used celestial magic in twelve or thirteen years. It was by accident anyway." She cleared her throat. "Even so...normal people would suffocate to death in the Spirit World, Natsu, because it's hard to breathe in there. Even if we could, we'd need another celestial wizard to open a gate outside the train station to pass through. On top of that, entering the Spirit World is a breach of contract."

Natsu blankly stared at her. "So you can get us to the other side."

It wasn't even a question. Lucy felt her eye twitch, suddenly realizing why Gray and Erza get fed up with him. Speaking of the ice wizard, she could feel Gray gaze in exasperated amusement.

"I can try," she finally said.

Natsu grinned. "Now that's the spirit!"

Lucy stepped out to give herself some space. Her troubled gaze landed on the gold key in her hand. She had no idea what she was doing. When she summoned Aquarius, it had been an accident. The only thing Lucy remembered was being lonely and that she didn't want to be lonely anymore then - bam - Aquarius irately appeared before her while she was in the bathtub.

That means she does have the potential to summon a celestial spirit, a gold key at that, but...she was unsure how to access it.

Maybe it was like when she sensed Gray's magic. He had separate auras for each magic power he possessed. So maybe...

Lucy closed her eyes, focusing on her own magical aura. It was a gentle white with flecks of gold. She chased after the gold flecks, delving into her divine magic. She kept diving and diving until finally she reached a layer of pure gold and reached out, grasping it. Words suddenly spilled out of her with practiced ease, words she heard her mother recite once upon a time.

"I call upon thee, in the world of the celestial spirits, and now, I beckon you to my side at once! Pass through the gate," Lucy recited authoritatively, her voice echoing through the train station halls. A golden magic circle appeared underneath her feet. The key in her hand gleamed brilliantly, so she felt in her bones that it was time. Just like her mother always did, Lucy extended an arm out, as if to unlock a door. "Open, Gate of the Maiden, Virgo!"

A brilliant brown magic circle appeared in the ground, and within seconds, a form burst through and elegantly landed in front of Lucy. Instead of the giant gorilla maid her and Gray faced back in the Everlue mansion, a petite pink-haired woman in a maid outfit and chains on her wrists appeared before her. Lucy was utterly confused but decided to roll with it because... She did it!

A surge of pride filled her chest.

"You summoned me, Mistress?" Virgo inquired in a lilting voice. "What can I do for you?"

"Wait, you're Virgo?" Gray asked in confusion. "You're like a completely different person."

The spirit nodded."Yes, as a loyal spirit, I take on the form I think will please my key holder the most." She gave a small, polite smile. "I apologize for the trouble I caused earlier."

Natsu raised a brow. "What do you mean a different person?"

Virgo gleamed gold before transforming into her prior form. Lucy and Gray sweatdropped while Natsu choked on his spit. In the blink of an eye, Virgo gleamed gold once again and transformed into her more pleasant form.

"I'm afraid we don't have much time," Lucy directed towards Virgo. "Can we work out the contract details later?"

"Of course, Mistress," Virgo pleasantly nodded.

"Do you really have to call me Mistress?"

"Do you prefer I call you Queen?"

"Uhh..."

"How about Princess instead?"

"Um, okay, sure," Lucy agreed, sweatdropping. "Anyway, Virgo, could you please dig a tunnel for us, so we can get on the other side of this wind barrier."

"Of course."

Virgo's blue eyes became outlined in red. She readied a stance and immediately a brown magic circle appeared underneath, and she was suddenly burrowing into the underground.

"Wow, look at her go!" Natsu commented in awe.

"Nicely done, Lucy," Erza praised, slamming the blonde's head to her armored chest in an embrace.

"Well, guys, it's time to blow this joint," Gray said. He rose a brow when Natsu draped Kage over his shoulder.

"I know he's one of our enemies, but I'd feel guilty if we just left him here to die," Natsu replied.

Erza's lips tilted upwards, a soft, small smile on her face.

Lucy felt herself smile as well.

7 7 7

When Gray stepped out of the tunnel Virgo dug on the other side of the wind tunnel, he couldn't help but swear as the wind relentlessly pulled at him. He gazed up at the giant wind barrier Erigor had cast onto the train station and was amazed at the sheer size and power. Thank Mavis for the celestial spirit or who knows how long they would've been stuck there. From his peripheral, the ice mage gazed at Lucy and was thoroughly impressed by her display of summoning skills. Despite her mentioning she hadn't used Celestial Magic since she was young, it came almost naturally to her.

"We need to start heading toward Clover!" Erza yelled over the wind.

Lucy shielded her face from dust and debris. "This wind is crazy!"

"It's no use," Kage said from the ground. "You'll never be able to catch up to Erigor. You can't stop us! We've won!"

Gray regarded the dark wizard when it suddenly occurred to him. It seemed Erza realized it as well because she voiced his exact thoughts.

"Where's Natsu?!"

"Happy's not here either," Gray remarked. "Bet you that he's chasing after Erigor."

"He is heading toward Clover," Lucy analyzed, looking northeast.

"That idiot," Erza muttered.

Gray sighed. "Not much we can do but follow him."

They quickly located where Erza had parked the magic-mobile and before Gray could even wrap the SC plug around his wrist, Erza beat him to it. He felt Lucy's nervous gaze as he and Erza argued. Knowing they were wasting time, Gray relented but not without an icy glare toward the Requip mage. Gray shoved Kage none too softly inside the magic-mobile and sat next to Lucy, his arms crossed and eyes closed in irritation. With an ungraceful lurch, Erza sped onto the train tracks heading to Clover where Lucy had said she felt Erigor and Natsu's magic.

"So, tell me why you guys are taking me with you?" Kage asked.

"Because you obviously need a doctor," Lucy stated matter-of-factly. "And since everyone left town no thanks to you and your guild, you'll have to see one in Clover."

"I don't understand," Kage replied, looking down. "Why are you helping me? We're enemies."

Lucy narrowed her gaze at the dark wizard.

"Wait, I get it... You're taking me hostage so you can try to make a deal with Erigor." Kage scoffed. "Well, you can forget it. Erigor could care less about me or anyone in Eisenwald."

Gray opened his eyes, coldly looking at the dark wizard. "If you want to die, we can make that happen." He felt Lucy look at him in shock but before she could say anything he continued. "There's a whole lot more to this world than just life and death, you know."

Kage looked at him in surprise.

"You should try to look for the positive. You and your Eisenwald pals," Gray finished.

There was a moment of silence as he saw Kage register what he said. He could tell Lucy was still looking at him, so he decided to meet her gaze with a raised brow asking "what." A small smile graced her lips, and she slightly shook her head in response as if to say "nevermind." Her smile was infectious, so he couldn't help but smile back.

And just like that, the peace and calm were disrupted when the car abruptly jerked side to side and was airborne. Gray decided he was going to kill Erza when his head smashed into the ceiling of the magic-mobile and when Lucy almost cracked her head open against the window. He barely was able to keep her flying into the dark wizard but quickly wrapped an arm around her waist and kept her nestled to his side.

"Erza!" Gray yelled. "What the fuck happened!"

"It's okay!" was her muffled response. "Everything's fine now!"

Fucking bullshit, Gray thought to himself angrily. She was obviously using the last reserves of her magic. What made him so angry was her stubbornness at refusing to show any weakness while putting everyone in the magic-mobile at risk.

"Um, Gray," Lucy murmured, catching his attention.

"Hmm?" He looked down at her.

She blushed. "You can let g-"

The magic-mobile jerked once again, and Gray couldn't help but think what the chances are and thank whatever divine being out there for giving him an opportunity to hold Lucy a little longer.

"On second thought," Lucy began, straight-faced yet still blushing. "Nevermind, please hold me and make sure I don't fly out the window."

Gray chuckled. "Just like how you flew out of the train?"

"Precisely," Lucy nodded. "However, that was Natsu's fault."

"Collateral damage is his forte."

"Pfft," Lucy tried holding back a laugh. "I've noticed."

An explosion was heard in the distance, and they were heading right toward the sound. In the distance, he could see flame and wind. Even though Gray didn't think it was possible, the magic-mobile sped up even more, and he could only pray Natsu didn't destroy the train tracks as they headed toward him.

And that concludes this chapter. Please read and review, any questions or concerns, please let me know.

Thank you :) Happy Spooktober!