Previously…
There was a lot that he wasn't telling us. But everyone has secrets and Gray was entitled to his. As we stared up at the demon frozen in ice, I wondered what was the end game here, what was the goal?
"Deliora…", Gray growled as he stared up at the demon.
"Are you sure that this is the demon your master sealed away?", Natsu asked with a certain hardness in his voice. I had to admit, he question seemed rather stupid, Gray wasn't one for dramatization, and any fool could see this had him shaken.
"There's no doubt about it.", Gray muttered.
"I wonder why it was transported all the way from the northern continent to Galuna Island…", Happy murmured.
"Maybe they wanted it to be in Fiore?", Stella squeaked out as she stared at the statue above us.
"You don't think the demon had something to do with this island's curse, do you?", Lucy pondered aloud.
"I wouldn't be surprised if it did. It may be enclosed in ice, but that thing is still alive.", Gray declared, his gaze never leaving the ice.
"Sweet! Give me a go at it, I ain't afraid of no stupid demon!", Natsu crowed as he began to wind up a punch.
"Natsu, not even I could best a demon. Not even Erza is prepared to best a demon. I suggest you use your brain, before it atrophies away, like any muscle that isn't used.", I snapped at the foolish fire dragon slayer. We already had enemies in those three we saw earlier. We did not need another tromping around the island.
"Ah, come on, a little fire ought to do the trick!", Natsu whined. Gray's eyes flared and he sent a vicious right hook straight at Natsu's face, knocking him over.
As Lucy and Happy murmured, Stella curled behind my leg, cuddling tight to me.
"I'm scared. Gray is scaring me. What's wrong with him?", she whimpered. I knelt beside her and picked her up, cuddling her into my chest. She was right, something must be wrong for Gray to react so strongly, and it all had to do with that ice.
"Hey, what's the deal?! What's you hit me for Gray?", Natsu yelled as he cradled his sore cheek.
"I don't want you and your flames anywhere near it! And that goes double for you!", Gray said, whirling on me for his last sentence. "Keep yourself and your ice-chomping fangs away!", he hollered at me. I felt my face go blank and I gently lowered Stella to the ground. I stood and rose to stand equal to Gray.
"You aren't going to shout at me.", I whispered with deadly seriousness. "I don't make a habit of putting strange ice in my mouth, and I most certainly am not going to try to take that thing on. You're obviously not telling us something, which is fine you have a right to privacy. But so help me Gray, if you shout at me again, or don't get a grip and remember who the enemy is, you aren't going to like what happens next.", I stated. He was frozen in shock, seeming unable to believe that I had said that to him, when I stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You obviously aren't okay. And that's fine, but we're your friends Gray. I'm your friend. Don't take your anger out on the people who care about you." I squeezed his shoulder gently, then released him and took a step back. Gray seemed to calm a bit, then he opened his mouth to speak.
"Many years ago, My master, Ur, cast a spell called Iced Shell on this demon, enclosing in a form of ice that can't be melted. It's so strong, not even the most powerful flame spells have an effect on it. I have no idea, what an ice dragon slayer could do to it. If they knew that the ice couldn't be melted, then why did they bring it here?", Gray stated, finally seeming to calm.
"Maybe they didn't know. Maybe they brought it here to try to melt it somehow. ", Lucy theorized.
"Yeah, but why would they do that?!", Gray was seeming to grow frustrated once again, and once again I stepped forward to place my hand on his shoulder. Sometimes a comforting touch was all that was needed, but he brushed me off, leaving me feeling stung.
"I just don't get it, who would being Deliora here, and more importantly, why?!", Gray began to get even more agitated.
"We need answers. Let's go find those guys.", Natsu declared, forking a thumb at the exit that the three took.
"Yeah, okay.", Lucy agreed.
Before I could voice my agreement, Gray cut me off.
"No. We're going to stay here and wait."
"But why? Is something supposed to happen?", Stella raised her question timidly.
"For the moon to come out.", Gray responded, without taking his eyes off of the demon.
"THE MOON?! But it's the middle of the afternoon! Forget that, I'd rather not hang out here all day, I'll die of boredom.", Natsu began to complain and I ignored him in favor of a question.
"Gray, that term, moon drip, you're on to something aren't you?", I asked him, with a calculating look at the ice. We were missing something here, and I was willing to trust Gray's judgement on this one.
"I have a feeling that the curse on this island and Deliora are somehow connected to it.", Gray affirmed.
"I guess waiting until night is the only way we're going to find out what's going on.", ucy stated.
"I'M NOT WAITING! WE'VE GOT WORK TO DO!", Natsu roared as he began to throw a little tantrum. I solved that problem with a quick thump on the head, then he was snoring like a baby.
"Now that that's settled, we had better settle in for a long wait.", I said, then settled against a rock in which I had a good view of both our entry tunnel, the exit tunnel, and Gray, sitting in front of Deliora.
I was concerned for him, he never had spoken about his past when he'd joined Fairy Tail, though that didn't really mean much, Erza had never told where she was from, nor Cana, nor had I ever revealed my past other than the fact I had been raised by Isole, the ice dragon. But there was always something different about the way he carried himself. He never got close, never got attached. He'd barely made any friends until Natsu had arrived and drawn him out from his shell.
Hell, Cana and I were the only two who had been in Fairy Tail longer than Gray, and despite the fact that we were both from the North, he never said anything to me about the common area in which we grew up, though I suppose an ice cave with a dragon was much more different than a village.
I was broken out of my reverie when Lucy pulled out a gate key, and chanted, "Open, Gate of the harp constellation; Lyra!", causing a girl dressed in blue and carrying a harp to appear. She and Lucy exchanged pleasantries, then Lucy told to the girl to play what she wanted.
I leaned my head back against the rock and shut my eyes as she began to play her harp and sing. I felt my eyes begin to wet beneath my lids as her words dredged up painful memories.
"Isole, Isole!", I chanted as I had raced into her cavern,a thick smattering of ice covering my body, protecting me. "Look what I made!", I cheered, clambering onto my dragons frigid, crystalline scales.
"What is it now snowflake?", I heard Isole grumble good naturedly as she opened one brilliant, blue eye.
"I made a sculpture, like what you make!", I ran out from the slightly warmer cave into the snowy mountainside that was our home.
"Hm, your technique is off.", the dragoness critiqued as she circled my statue of a caribou. I frowned, not expecting her criticism.
"However, your attention to detail is impeccable, you have great talent as an ice sculptor, and as a slayer. You will do well… perhaps…", The dragoness, turned a critical eye over me as she returned to the interior of the cave. I had beamed, thinking it a compliment. Little had I known, Isole's plans for me had never included such a future.
I opened my eyes to find a single tear slipping down my cheek. None of that, I told myself. The past was dead. I'd be best to let it lie.
"Gray, what's wrong?", Lucy's question broke me out of my thoughts.
"Nothing! I'm fine.", Gray replied, though I could hear the tremble in his voice. I sat up, and wiped any sign of tears from my face.
"Did her song make you sad, Gray?", I heard Happy ask.
"Aquila.", I looked down at my lap to see Stella staring at me. "Are you okay, is Happy right? Did Lyra's song make you sad like it made Gray sad?", Stella frowned as she looked up at me. I smiled at my concerned charge and ruffled her hair.
"Don't worry about me, Stella. I'm just fine.", I whispered as Gray declared that we needed to be quiet. Silence reigned as we waited for the moon to come up.
I kept watch as the other four drifted off, though Gray frowned even in his sleep. I shot to my feet when after a few hours, the cavern began to rumble.
"What's that strange noise?", Lucy murmured as she awoke.
"HUH? Is it night yet?", Natsu yelled as he jumped up, already alert. Gray peered up from his crouch, as a magic circle appeared over Deliora.
"It's a beam of light shining down from the ceiling!", Lucy yelled.
"But why is it purple? It must be moonlight!", Gray declared as we watched the light rain down upon the frozen monster.
"It's shining down on Deliora!", Gray declared as we watched the ice begin to glow purple.
"I don't think that's a coincidence!", Natsu yelled.
"Come on you two, no time to dawdle! It's move it or lose, and we need to know where that light is coming from, I have a feeling it lies at the root of our problems!", I yelled at Gray and Natsu, before I took off for the exit tunnel those three we had seen earlier went through.
We sprinted up the stairs, which led us back to the antechamber we were in originally. On the floor glowed another magic circle, above which there was another.
"Why would someone cast a magic circle inside this temple?", Gray asked as we watched the moonlight seep through, down onto Deliora.
"Why indeed…", I muttered. Something wasn't adding up here. What were we missing?
"Let's find out!", Natsu roared, as he took off for the top of the temple, with the rest of us close behind.
As we ascended a staircase, we came out on top of the temple behind some rubble, which provided decent cover, as we discovered some people dressed in ceremonial clothes, chanting around what appeared to be a focused moon ray.
"What are they doing?", Natsu whispered.
"The moon…", Gray muttered, as we saw a series of magic circles that focused and guided the moonlight.
"It looks like those robed freaks are chanting some spell to collect the moonlight.", Natsu deduced.
"And shine it on Deliora, but what for?", Lucy added.
"It's a spell called the moon drip.", Lyra whispered, giving us all a shock. I had though Lucy had returned her to the celestial world.
"What are you still doing here?!", Lucy whispered anxiously.
"They're using the moon drip spell to melt the ice surrounding that demon underground so they can resurrect it.", Lyra explained in a soft voice.
"They CAN'T! The ice used in an iced shell can't be melted!", Gray exclaimed.
"I hate to say it, but that's not entirely true. While the iced shell is strong, it can be melted using moon drip, or it could be eaten away, but I think your friend is the only one capable of that. Moon energy can break any magical spell.", Lyra finished, her voice trailing off.
"That's bad.", Stella whimpered as she clung to my side. I patted her gently as Gray proceeded to become more and more agitated.
"Those idiots! They've never witnessed the wrath of Deliora!", Gray exclaimed. I cast him a worried look as Lyra explained her theory that the islanders' curse was actually side effects from the moon drip.
"I'll make them pay!", Natsu growled, preparing to leap over the rubble, when Lucy knocked him out with a well placed elbow. I nodded in approval of her technique, with the ability to shut Natsu up, this girl was going places.
"Hold up, there's someone coming this way.", Lucy murmured.
An ironclad figure stepped closer to the chanters, accompanied by those three that we had seen earlier.
As the three began to quiet complain amongst themselves, I picked up on it with my dragon-aided hearing. I listened to the girl relay the news to Cold Emperor that Deliora was to be released by tonight or tomorrow. I turned to Gray to relay it when I saw his face. He looked stunned as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
I withheld a gasp as he ordered the villagers to be destroyed, believing them to be the intruders. I swallowed back a furious scream, as all three agreed to slaughter the village. Not if I had my way.
"That voice… no, it can't be…", Gray stammered out. I turned to Gray and grasped him by the shoulders.
"Gray, what do you know? I let you have your secrets before because I respected your privacy, but that time has passed. Now I need to kn-", I was cut off by Natsu standing up on the rubble and yelling to get their attention.
"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS SNEAKING AROUND BUSINESS! IT'S US YOU'RE AFTER, WE'RE THE INTRUDERS, NOT THE VILLAGERS!", Natsu let out a roar of flame, drawing all eyes to us.
"Stay here.", I whispered to Stella, who nodded, and crouched behind the rubble out of sight.
"I know that mark! They're from Fairy Tail!", Sherry called out.
"Interesting. The villagers must have gone to the magical guilds for help.", The one with eyebrows, Yuka, stated.
"It makes no difference, leave them to me. Go destroy the village.", the Cold emperor stated cooly.
"WHAT?!", Natsu roared.
"Anyone who stands in my way, directly or indirectly is my enemy!", The cold emperor stated.
"Stop this ceremony, RIGHT NOW!", Gray thundered as he and Natsu rushed him. He created a moving wall on ice, that moved towards the four, until the Cold Emperor created his own wall of ice pushing it back, causing both to shatter.
"Lyon! How could you?! Do you have idea what you're doing?!", Gray growled as he was pushed back.
"You know him?!", I cried out. I was ignored as Lyon responded.
"Oh, Gray. It's been quite a while, hasn't it?", the smug bastard stated.
"Why would you try to revive Deliora?!", Gray demanded.
"To think that you're one of the wizards called to this island to help those poor villagers. Did you come knowing you would find me?Or is this just mere coincidence? Not that it makes any difference to me.", Lyon asked.
'An acquaintance of yours cold emperor?", Yuka asked in a monotone, while Toby whined curiously.
"Do as you were ordered. I can handle the intruders on my own.", Lyon declared, as the three agreed then vanished.
"Come back here!", Natsu thundered as he raced towards where they had been.
Gray suddenly looked panicked. "Wait Natsu, don't go near him!", Gray yelled as Natsu froze and waves of icy magic began to crystallize around him, forming an icy ball around Natsu.
"Happy, get Lucy out of here! Stella, you go with them!", Gray ordered.
"Aye!", Happy agreed, taking Lucy into the air, with Stella following close behind.
I growled. No one but myself was allowed to give orders to MY cat. I would settle with Gray later, for now, there was Natsu and this Lyon to deal with.
"You distracted me long enough for the girl and the cat to escape. Though why this one remained, I have no idea. I doubt she can do much.", Lyon dismissed me with a wave of his hand. Oh, hell no.
"Don't judge a book by its cover, Lyon. This girl can kick your ass 5 ways from Sunday and still have enough time to stop your little minions.", I growled smacking my ice-covered fists together. "SO, get ready to have the-"
"NO!", Gray yelled, cutting me off.
"No? Did you honestly just tell me no? Gray Fullbuster, once I've kicked his ass, you are next on my shit list and it isn't going to be pretty!", I growled.
"He's mine. Help Natsu, his magic can't burn through that ice.", Gray declared, promptly sending him tumbling down the mountain.
"The hell, Gray?!", I roared indignantly as I raced down the mountain after Natsu. He was such and idiot, and so dead after I freed Natsu from the ice.
I raced after him, following the path of destruction that Natsu's rolling form had caused. I found him upside down on the ground, struggling to get upright. I rolled my eyes at his pitiful attempts to right himself.
"Yeah, yeah. Hold still ash-for-brains.", I grumbled as I yanked him out of the hole he had landed in.
"Gray! YOU ARE SO DEAD WHEN I GET UP THERE!", Natsu roared. I smacked him on the back of the head, and he turned a pout on me.
"What was that for?!", He yelled.
"For being an idiot, you don't charge an enemy head-on until you know what you're up against. Now you're stuck in a ball of ice that I'm going to have to eat so you can move freely again, when I should be helping Gray kick that ice wizard's ass! So sit down,, shut up, and let me get you out of the ice so we can go help Gray and Lucy!", I growled, a few spikes of ice jutting up around me as my fury grew.
"AYE!", Natsu agreed, trying to cool my temper. With a sigh I bent down and began to take bites out of the ice.
"Ugh, this ice tastes nasty!", I grumbled.
"Well don't stop! We have to go help Gray and Lucy!", Natsu declared. I grinned at his determination, then continued eating, though I had to take a break every so often, otherwise I would puke from the horrible tasting ice. Though it didn't matter, if I had too, I could still use my ice-eating abilities to give me an edge if Gray couldn't defeat that guy.
"Alright, done! You should be able to melt the rest of it off!", I declared, as I kneeled beside a tree trying desperately not to hurl.
"ALRIGHT!", Natsu roared, as his flames covered his body, melting the little ice that I had left.
"We need to split up.", I stated, grabbing him beofre he could go haring off. "One of us needs to go attend to Lucy, and one of us needs to help Gray."
"I've got Lucy, we'll take care of saving the village. Go help Gray kick that guy's ass!", Natsu roared as he took off through the forest.
"Good luck!", I declared as I sprinted back towards the mountain, where Gray was fighting Lyon.
A/N: Hey guys, so I know I said every Sunday, but I was feeling inspired by all the awesome follows and reviews I've been getting so ta-da! I want to thank everyone for all the follows and favorites, I never thought my story would be this popular! I also want to say that this chapter is dedicated to Lynntheripper for her amazing reviews! So please remember to review this chapter, and tune in on Sunday for the next installation!