` i mostly see my one shots as post canon. because, who knows what will happen in the future?
No one had ever seen Erza Scarlet act the way like she was now. She had always been seen by everyone as a strong mage, the Fairy Queen of Fiore… Titania. Because of that, she felt that she had the duty to keep up to her name and Fairy Tail's reputation. But this time, it's like she had forgotten all the modesty and responsibility that she had held.
"Don't fuck with me! I'm going right now." Everyone in the guild hall grimaced when they heard Erza's hoarse voice coming from the back again. She had never cursed, at least not in so publicly like that. The hall went completely silent after that and only Lucy's desperate voice could be heard.
"Erza, please! You got to stay in bed!" Her voice was getting louder and the rest of the guild could almost envision a panicking Lucy trying her best to bring Erza back. Which was exactly the scene they witnessed when the figures of the two women appeared from the back.
Erza had just woken up in Fairy Tail's own infirmary a while ago and it got chaotic right after. All they've heard were muffled voices from the back but they escalated pretty quick.
"Listen, just because Wendy got you all patched up doesn't mean you can be so reckless like this!" Lucy ran after Erza who were already heading towards the guild door. "You can't even requip properly!"
Lucy's right. That was the moment when everyone noticed that Erza was still casual clothing with bandages around her instead of her usual armour.
"I can!" Erza stubbornly insisted.
"You were out for two weeks!" Lucy exclaimed and it was enough to make Erza stop. Even though it's not in the way Lucy had expected.
When Erza turned around, Lucy wasn't able to interpret the expression her face was showing. It was dark, yes but there were also fear, guilt, anger.
"Two weeks, huh?" Erza growled, staring straight into Lucy's eyes but it was only for a short moment. Right after that, came Erza's second outburst. "Two weeks and none of you even tried bringing him back?"
The tension in the air got palpable and Lucy could feel the guilt from everybody in the guild hall. Even her own.
"Natsu and Wendy are still trying to get his scent. Jellal and Meredy are also doing their best to trace him down. Juvia and even Gajeel went on a search. There was nothing we can do, not when the whole place was destroyed when we arrived." Lucy couldn't continue; she bit on her lower lip, trying very hard to not let her tears fall.
She was worried and at a loss; everyone was. Ever since Natsu, Wendy and herself brought a magic drained Erza back without Gray, the mood in the guild changed.
Gray and Erza had went on a mission which Crime Sorciere had requested for help. Jellal had thought that with their infiltration into Avatar experience and Gray's devil slayer magic, it would help a lot. However, he had miscalculated.
All of them had.
Jellal had not expected that it was a trap and he had led the Titania and the only devil slayer not tied to a dark guild into it. The enemies were well prepared and they were not. Their magic were drained the moment they stepped into the building. With their sensory link, Jellal managed to stop Meredy from joining them and when she put the pieces together, she contacted Fairy Tail immediately.
But help came a little too late.
The enemy wanted her. After all she'd done, destroying dark guilds after dark guilds, of course they would want her life. But Erza had not expected Gray to exchange himself for her.
"Don't touch her!" Gray yelled, forcing himself to stand up before her. "Let's make a deal."
"Gray…" Erza who was all beaten up grabbed onto his wrist but Gray brushed her hand off.
"You want revenge, you want your so called rights. Killing her won't change anything." Gray spoke in a calm voice. "But if you take me instead, my devil slayer magic might be useful. I know you weren't expecting me but hey, here's a free sacrifice that's useful to you people. Just leave her alone and I will let you do whatever you want with me."
"Gray!" Jellal who was lying near the wall, as beaten up as his two companions widened his eyes at Gray's proposal to the enemy.
"Shut up." Gray threw a glare at him. He never really liked the guy but right now, he really needed Jellal to bring Erza out of this place. "I know what I'm doing." Gray then shifted his gaze back to the enemies in front of him. "You pretty much drained us all, they can't fight and neither can I resist. Pretty good deal, right?"
Despite the situation, Gray still managed to force out his usual cocky smirk. But it disappeared immediately when a loud chortle echoed throughout the dark building. Did his bargain backfired?
And that was Gray's last thought before he blacked out.
"Gray!" Erza shouted when Gray got hit by a blast. Everything happened in a second and once the smoke cleared out, she saw the dark mage resting his foot on Gray's head. "You asshole—" Erza tried to force herself up but she collapsed down right after.
"Erza." Jellal managed to get to her side. "Are you okay?"
"Jellal," Erza grabbed onto his wrist and turned to face him. "Help him, I'm sure you have a way."
"Take him away!"
"No!" Erza screamed, watching the enemies as they dragged an unconscious Gray away from her. She had managed to stand up but after taking a few steps, she felt herself being thrown back, hitting against the wall.
"Gray…" That was the last thing she managed to utter out as her vision blurred. Until the last moment, her eyes were still on Gray's body which got further and further away from her before she lost conscious completely.
When Erza woke up, the first thing she saw was the worried look of Lucy and Wendy. Natsu was in front of them, looking really furious as he stared at the charred remaining of the once standing building. If there was any left. Jellal was not far away and Meredy was beside him, tending to his wounds.
Were those burn marks?
"Erza?" Lucy whispered when Erza did not seem to be responding after she woke up.
Something's missing, someone's missing.
The last memory before she blacked out returned to Erza's mind. She widened her eyes.
Gray!
Erza jumped up which surprised everyone but the dizzy spell hit her and she once again collapsed onto the ground.
"Erza!" Different voices shouted at the same time and by then, Natsu was already by her side.
"Where's Gray?" Erza muttered weakly. She could feel her conscious fading away again and she's trying her best to stay awake. She can't collapse again, until she knew that Gray is safe. Panic and fear grew in her when no one gave her any response.
Or rather, it's not the one she hoped to hear.
Silence was their response and that was the worse kind, the one she dreaded the most.
"When we arrived, we only found you and Jellal." Lucy explained as her voice shook. "If we've been any later, you guys would have been burnt to death."
"We— I need to find him." Erza forced herself up, this time she ignored the dizzy spell. She had to prove to them that she's alright but neither of them was fooled.
"Erza stop it." Lucy half pleaded. "You're in no position to do that. Wendy barely patched you up!"
"It was my fault! It was my fault he was taken away!" Erza screamed and cried, pushing Lucy who reached out to her away; no one knew how to react. The Erza in front of them was at her weakest point, her walls had crumbled down. Surprising everyone, Natsu was the one who stepped forward and took her hand into his.
"We will find him." His voice was determined and the fire in his eyes was obvious. "That's the ice pervert we're talking about, he doesn't go down easily.
Erza only stared at him, her tears continued to flow. That was the assurance she needed to hear, even if it was an unsure one. The dizzy spell hit once again and her vision got blurry. This time, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep her eyes open anymore.
With the help of Mirajane (by knocking Erza out), Lucy managed to bring the scarlet hair mage back to the infirmary. She sat back on the chair she had been sitting most of the time in the past two weeks and sighed. The three search teams had came back a few times within the two weeks but each time, it was never with good news.
Lucy stared at the once again unconscious Erza. If they couldn't find Gray or if anything happened to him, she really don't know how Erza will take it.
"She will be fine." Lucy heard Mirajane as the latter sat on the other side of Erza. "Or at least, physically wise."
Lucy looked up and waited for Mirajane to continue.
"It may not look like it but they are so tightly intertwined that I don't know if she will ever be fully fine if Gray doesn't come back. He had always been her armour. He was the first one who saw past the armour she wore and eventually became her armour, her shield unknowingly."
Lucy sighed.
"I know but that's also the reason why this happened. Ever since the team was formed, for the past few years, I've been watching them. They could be separated from each other during all the battles we've fought but Gray would always think of her safety first. He was her strength even before she and Jellal had their loose ends tied. He will always be her strength. When we found her and Jellal…" Lucy sighed for the umpteenth time. "She lost control, it was like her walls had crumbled down. There was nothing to protect her and her tears. She was that bare. I really hope that they find Gray soon, alive."
"If not, part of her will die along with him." Mirajane quietly added and silence fell upon the two women.
Days passed and Erza was almost recovered, her magic was almost back completely and insisted to join Natsu on the search for Gray. Lucy did not stopped her but instead went along with them. However, it was disappointment after disappointment.
They went back to the guild occasionally, hoping to hear some good news but it was always nothing. They'd seen Juvia breaking down, almost giving up; they saw Jellal and Meredy's defeated sigh. Even Lyon, who had tried his best to gather more information after he heard the news, got nothing. The dark guild seemed to have evaporated from Earthland. It was as if they'd never existed.
Everyone was giving up and was close to accepting that Gray's no longer alive.
Everyone, except two. Natsu and Erza herself.
They never stopped searching, never stopped hoping. Lucy and Wendy had their doubts but said nothing to stop them. This was Gray after all.
Soon, days became weeks and weeks became months. Fairy Tail had slowly accept Gray's possible death and the guild was slowly going back to normal. Natsu had gotten really angry and destroyed a part of the wall but Laxus, as the current master, stopped him from his destruction.
"You might think it's unfair but life goes on, Natsu."
Natsu stormed out right after with Happy flying behind him. Erza was surprisingly more calm than anyone expected. She only gave Laxus a disappointed look and went after Natsu. Lucy and Wendy shared a look and sighed before running after them.
With Laxus' trigger, who knows what those two would end up doing?
Many times, if they're not out gathering for more information on the whereabouts of Gray, Erza wouldn't be in the guild. In fact, she seldom stepped into the building unless needed. However, there were days when Erza wouldn't even be in Fairy Hills. Fearing that Erza would do stupid things, Lucy panicked at first but now, she knew that there were only two places Erza would be at — Gray's apartment or the riverbank.
When Lucy first found her at Gray's apartment, Erza was asleep on his bed, her body all curled up. Lucy also did not missed the obvious tear stains on Erza's cheeks.
She must have cried herself to sleep
Lucy never wake her up but instead, she would always cover her with a blanket.
Sometimes, she would find Erza crying by herself. But weirdly, it's always in Gray's dark apartment or in her own room. Never the riverbank. Each time Lucy found Erza sitting by the riverbank, the latter only stared at the flowing water in front of her.
She never cried a single tear there. However, it didn't seem to be the case that day.
Lucy had once again found Erza sitting on the grass, she walked up to the scarlet hair woman and sat down beside her. She wasn't expecting any conversation and neither did she want to start any. Lucy just wanted Erza to know that she's not alone.
So, when Erza first spoke, Lucy was more than surprised. Especially when the topic was on Gray.
"Gray and I didn't have a good start." Erza began while Lucy listened. "We fought, well usually he's the one picking a fight and I will beat him into pulp. He was just an annoying little brat that time."
Lucy didn't say anything as she stared at the sad smile forming on Erza's lips.
"But things changed when he first found me here."
Now, that caught Lucy's attention. Neither Gray nor Erza had talked about how the two of them eventually became close friends. Their trust on each other was so strong that it was hard to imagine the both of them were once nemesis.
"I supposed he had wanted to pick a fight but he chose the wrong timing. I was crying alone and before I could even hold them back, Gray saw them. 'Why are you here crying alone?' He asked me that and now that I think of it, he appeared at the right timing. After that day, he doesn't pick fights anymore but he was still annoying. Following me around, always managing to find me here and the both of us will just sit here in silence. The crying stopped eventually and one day, I started to think that it's very wrong to be crying here. I don't know how or when did he became my armour and shield. People always thought I'm strong and everyone relies on me, even Gray. But the truth is, I am relying on him."
Lucy didn't know how to react. That was the first time Erza opened up about her past with Gray. She could only stare as Erza swallowed a choke, as if forcing herself to not cry. Mirajane's probably right, if Gray doesn't come back alive, a part of Erza would die along with him.
"Do you believe he's alive?" Erza interrupted Lucy's thoughts but she continued even before Lucy could reply her. "I know everyone stopped believing in it. And if I had to be honest, I doubted it too. But if I stopped believing too, it really meant the end."
"Erza..." Lucy finally found her voice and she wasn't surprised when she heard the shaking in it. "Gray will come back."
For the first time in so long, Lucy found hope again. She wondered why did the thought never come to her before. Those two were so in love with each other; Gray loves Erza too much that he would not just leave her alone here. He will definitely come back.
"You don't have to sugarcoat—"
"No, Erza." Lucy rested her hand on the other woman's. A tear falling down but this time, Lucy found herself smiling a little. "I believe in it. Gray will never leave us— you alone."
Erza felt Lucy squeezed her hand and for the first time since forever, Erza cried in front of that river.
It was almost two years since Gray's disappearance and the only ones who were still continuing to gather informations are the members of Team Natsu. Everyone around them stopped trying to persuade them too.
But thankfully, they also finally went on proper jobs as per Erza's decision.
"We can still gather information while going on jobs." Erza declared and gave Natsu a stern look when she noticed him trying to protest. "There will be no objections." Natsu shut his mouth.
That day was the day the team came back from their job. All of them had dropped down onto their usual table, exhausted. It has always been like that now, the first place they would head to after their job wasn't their own home but the guild.
No matter how exhausted they were.
Everyone had guessed that this habit was formed because they were still hoping to hear some good news about Gray and that day, was the day.
It had been the usual, all four humans were just sitting in silence. Mirajane had a strawberry cheesecake ready for Erza, a cold drink prepared for each of them. Natsu was slouching and the other two girls had their head rested on the table.
"Why don't you guys go back home and rest first?" Mirajane asked like the many times they did, even though she already knew the answer.
"We will be fine." As if they were trained, all of them answered simultaneously.
It was a while later that the usual silence of that routine was broken when Natsu and Wendy both sprung up from their seats. Their eyes growing wide as they looked at each other. They then turned around and their eyes met with Gajeel's who had the same expression as them. A wide grin spreads across Natsu's face and before anyone could asked, he sprinted out of the guild.
"Natsu!" Lucy called out. "Wendy?"
The girl who was about to run after Natsu turned her head to look at the confused Lucy and a bewildered Erza. She cracked a small smile and for some unknown reason, she felt herself shaking slightly.
"We.. we just had to go check on something." Wendy stammered a little but just like Natsu, she did not give them a chance to ask anymore questions.
"Gajeel?" This time Erza was the one asking, her eyes staring at the Iron Dragon Slayer. She hoped that it would be intimidating enough for him to answer but Gajeel merely shrugged.
"It's best to let them check on it first."
Everyone shared a confused glance and whispers started filling the air. Erza and Lucy also sat back down on their bench, looking at the two Exceeds who were sitting on the table. They looked as confused too so interrogating them probably won't work.
*What in the world is happening?*
Not long after Natsu and Wendy ran out, the guild door slammed open again. Natsu's wide grin greeted them first but everyone's eyes widened when they saw the two figures appearing behind him. Everyone was frozen at first but slowly the reactions started.
Lucy gasped, her two hands clasped over her mouth as her eyes watered. Juvia broke into uncontrollable sobs and Gajeel was just patting her back with a wide grin similar to Natsu's. Cana dropped her barrel of beer and the sound of breaking glasses could be heard right after. Mirajane had dropped the glass she was cleaning. Loke appeared from the spirit world too.
"Yo." The man who was supported by Wendy, raised a hand and greeted with an awkward grin.
"Gray!" Happy was the first to shout as he flew towards the man in max speed. When he hit Gray's bare chest, he was already crying loudly while Gray cradled him.
Lucy followed closely behind and threw her arms around him, not caring that she's squeezing Happy. Wendy stepped aside and wiped her tears away. She had cried a lot earlier while she healed most of Gray's injuries earlier. In a second, Gray was bombarded with questions and sobs and greetings.
"We thought you died!"
"Gray, you're alive!"
"What happened all this while?"
"How did you come back?"
"You bastard, you got all of us worried!"
"Wait wait wait!" Gray yelled hoarsely then winced in pain when Cana, who was in tears, got him in a headlock. "If it's not obvious enough, I still have bad injuries, woman."
Erza was the only one who couldn't stepped forward. She was still standing behind the crowd, watching Gray being manhandled by everyone. He looked thinner; there were new scars on his body and he was pale. If he was already this pale after Wendy had heal him, just how bad did he look before that?
Throughout the period of Gray's disappearance, she had imagined the scene and how she would react when Gray appeared in front of them again. She thought she would be the first to tackle him down with a bone crushing hug but her body just refused to move.
"Gray..." She took one stepped forward and managed to utter out, her voice shaking. It was amazing how Gray could hear her in the midst of all the chaos because he had looked up and their eyes met.
The guild hall went complete silence and everyone stood aside unconsciously, opening a path between Gray and Erza. Neither of them moved at first until Gray gave Erza a smile. It was different from the one he greeted the guild with. This smile was peaceful, relieved, gentle and with love.
"Hey."
Erza finally stepped forward as she stared at him, boring into his eyes. Almost like she was looking through his soul to make sure that he's real. Her palm reached for his scarred cheek shakily.
He was warm. He's real. This man who's standing in front of her right now, he's real.
She could feel the many pair of eyes on them but at that moment, they don't matter.
"I see that you're really well." Gray spoke in a quiet tone with a smirk Erza's so familiar of, playing on his lips.
It was another silence and the next thing Erza did, surprised not only everyone but herself too. She slapped him hard on the cheek her palm was resting on. What happened to the bone crushing hug she expected herself to give him?
"Erza!" Lucy exclaimed but the red haired mage continued.
"Yo? Hey?" Erza hissed. "You've disappeared for almost two years and you just casually come back with a Yo? What the fuck were you thinking! Giving yourself up to them? You know what happened after that? Jellal and I were almost burnt to death if not for the arrival of the others! You think sacrificing yourself is heroic? It's a fucking dumb move!"
"Erza!" Lucy tried again, wrapping her arm around her shoulders but Erza shrugged her off.
"I will do anything to keep you alive. Seeing that you could lecture me like this convinced me that it was the right decision. Look at you, as good as new!" Gray, unfazed by Erza's outrage, joked.
"No! I'm not doing well as you've seen, I'm not as good as new like you said! Every single night, I would have that same nightmare over again and again. Know what I saw? The exact same scene when they dragged you out, away from me. I could hear them torturing you, I could hear your scream. Everyday, I live in fear that I will be greeted with a bad news, news that will confirm your death. I wanted to know your whereabouts but at the same time, I dreaded it. Ignorance is bliss but I knew I couldn't give up. Because if I did, if the team did, who would be waiting for you to come home?" Erza took in a deep breath after, she didn't realised that she had said all that in one breath.
The silence in the guild was heavier than before. No one dared to speak up. They had all thought that Erza was being stubborn but after hearing what she said, they realised that they'd absolutely no idea how much Erza was suffering. Even the rest of Team Natsu could only stare at the both of them.
"I'm glad we never gave up. I'm glad I held hope." Erza whispered and the tears that never came before finally broke the damp as the fell down. She looked into Gray's eyes and finally smiled. "Welcome home, Gray."
Right after she said her last word, she felt two warm hands cupping her cheeks and then a pair of lips on hers. Gray had kissed her. It was sudden but that warmth of his lips pressing against hers made it even more obvious that this was all real.
He's alive.
Just as fast as it happened, Gray broke the kiss soon after and smiled. The both of their eyes met and Erza saw the tears in his eyes.
"I'm home."
Erza smiled wider. The two of them finally broke their eye contact and looked around. Natsu was gaping at them. Lucy was smiling and wiping the tears away from her cheek. Cana and Loke grinned at Gray, Mirajane smiled when her eyes met Erza's. The rest of the expressions they saw was a mixture of shock, surprised, and smiles.
"What is this?" Natsu was the first to ask.
"Isn't it obvious?" Lucy rolled her eyes then dragged him out of the guild by his scarf. Wendy looked at Gray and Erza, giving them a smile.
"Let's go and I will continue to heal him. There were some parts that wasn't taken care of properly so the healing was wrong."
Gray and Erza shared a glance then at the rest of the guild. Erza then hooked her arm around his to help support his body.
"Story time will be later!" Gray waved with a grin then left the guild behind, walking away with Erza.
Yeah, he's home.
whatever happened to gray, i have to be honest and say, i didn't think much about that. not in details at least. initially i wanted to add that in but figured, this is the perfect way to end this one shot. but if i have to summarise what i've been thinking.. after gray was captured, the dark guild tried all sort of experiments on him. torturing him too after each of his attempt to escape. but he managed to keep himself sane bc of fairy tail (and erza). eventually he did escape and i imagined it with jellal and meredy's help even though i did not add them in the ending.