Author's Note

So last chapter! And it happens to be the shortest as well. Oh well. Please read and review! I don't own Fairy Tail.

"That bastard!" Natsu howled, snapping yet another table in half. "That… That!" Natsu struggled to find a suitable word while breaking yet another pillar. A string of profanities were shouted before turning into a pure howl of rage. He was trembling, his breathing ragged as fire licked around his entire body. The guild was already half demolished.

"Master," a small voice uttered, close, but not too close to the flames, "We're ready." The mage's face was a stone mask but anger was etched into every crevice. His eyes were dark with fury.

"Let's go!" Natsu shrieked, his voice still growing in volume. He charged out the door, breaking them down. The rest of his guild followed closely behind. The group shone with magic and fire. They had a single destination and all flowed together, completely as one towards a place they knew only too well.

They were stopped halfway to their destination by another mass of mages, equally powerful, equally angry. Stopping quickly, they spread out, hissing and growling profanities and taunts. Their actions were met similarly.

The volume increased as fire met ice, pink met raven, master met master, enemy met enemy. Their gazes were cool but each was burning with their own fire. No expression crossed their faces as they slowly approached each other.

They watched each other closely, appraising the other as they drew closer. Finally, their eyes met and they held each other's gaze as they closed the gap between them to mere centimeters.

A near silence fell over the crowd as the two stood before each other. The crowds jostled for a position at the front line, all the while watching the two masters expectantly. They shifted anxiously, almost irritated as Natsu and Gray stood motionless. Suddenly, a cry rang out.

They reacted in unison, their heads whipping towards the sound. But their vision was instantly masked by flailing limbs and spurts of magic as the two guilds leapt at each other. And then they were standing in the midst of Hell.

Of course they wouldn't, Gray thought quietly to himself. He laid a hand against his chest, This is a guild of war, nothing more…Nothing more. He turned to return his gaze to his enemy bitterly. He wasn't sure what expression he was wearing now, but it surprised Natsu.

There's never been a time when I felt so betrayed, Natsu scoffed at himself, never. Glancing back at Gray, he froze, startled. His eyes took in the emotion splayed on Gray's face in an instant. Pain, grief, anger, regret. It matched the feelings running through his chest.

Glancing at the sky, Natsu listened as cries of pain rang out through the crowd. No doubt blood was staining his clothes. He thought about the peace that had once ruled over Magnolia. He remembered being in his old guild with Lucy, Erza, Makarov, Wendy, Gajeel, and… Happy. The name shot arrows through his chest.

Of course there had been more to Fiarsin than just to rival Railt. But now he really wondered if that was true. Was there really more behind this slaughter? This bloodshed? This war? Was there really more than needless fighting? Somehow he couldn't get himself to answer yes.

His fists trembled as he looked back at Gray. Gray. Gray. The name sent shivers of rage down his spine. But today… today was different. Even as he stared at the ice mage, there was no fire raging in him. Summoning fire to his fist seemed to take more energy than was usually necessary. His body felt heavy as he thought about slamming his fist against Gray.

Slowly lifting his right hand, the fire disappeared. Even as he extended his fist towards Gray, there was no power or speed behind it. The side of his fist connected with a quiet, dull thud right where the symbol of Railt stood. Scabs ran across and around the symbol.

Natsu's right arm brushed against Gray's chest as Natsu stared down at the ground. Glancing up slowly, he stared up at Gray from his slumped position.

"You forgot your shirt," he murmured quietly, the fist lying against Gray's chest tightening and trembling, "Stripper."

Gray stared at the ball of pink spikes in front of him. He laid his right hand on Natsu's head, feeling the spikiness of his hair for the first time. His fingers clenched into a fist, pulling gently on Natsu's head. Their eyes met and they fell still.

"Yeah… Flame-brain."

Their battle of eternity.


They fight, Flame and Ice.

Unable to understand their drastic other.

Yet they come together

Unable to separate, unable to end

Their battle of eternity.