Ask and you shall receive! ;) Hey guys! Here's another chapter! I hope that you guys are enjoying it so far!
Just so you guys know, I've got two "schedules" for updates. The first is Mondays and Thursdays and the second is Tuesdays and Fridays. For now I'm on the first one. But that's just so you guys know when to expect updates :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail! Hiro Mashima does!
Read and Review!
Night fell upon Magnolia. Gray fell into a fitful sleep. He tossed and turned on his bed. The moonlight shone through the window, reflecting off of him to reveal his sweaty figure. The raven mumbled and gasped in his sleep, his unseen terrors plaguing him.
"How does it feel, Gray Fullbuster?" a woman asked, her tone laced with venom and contempt. Gray growled at her, not knowing what she meant by that. In return, the dream version of the Angel Slayer laughed. "So you still don't know? Well, I guess there's no harm in telling you, since there's nothing you can do to stop it. You are going to be the main instrument in your own guild's demise," she declared. Gray's jaw dropped in shock. He would never hurt his family! He tried to reach forward, to grab her and demand what she meant by that, but found that he was frozen in place. After the shock of being trapped by his own element passed, he continued to attempt to reach his tormentor. A flash of purple fire blinded him and the last thing she left him with was the sound of her mocking laughter.
Gray sat up forward quickly and ended up coughing harshly. When the fit subsided, he brought his hand to his neck again. Why the hell did his neck burn so much? And it wasn't the same spot as yesterday either. The pain seemed to have spread, if that was possible. But Gray didn't remember being hit specifically in that area. He hissed as a sudden spike of pain coursed through his body. What the hell had that Angel Slayer done to him?! He painfully eased himself off of his bed and began to get ready for the day.
Natsu and Happy arrived at the guild later than normal. Natsu had overslept, thanks to waking up in the middle of the night due to a nightmare. He had heard the voice of the green haired mage from their last mission, taunting him about the mark on Gray's neck. Black eyes narrowed. Now he was positive that the magic circle was bad news, no matter how much he wanted to deny it. He ran to the guild, intent on finding the master. But instead, he found his best friend leaning on the side of the guild, a pained expression adorning his features. Immediately, Natsu remembered his nightmare and rushed to Gray's side after telling Happy to go on by himself.
"Gray! What's wrong?" Natsu exclaimed, quickly checking him over, looking for any source of injury. Black eyes widened in astonishment as they caught sight of the raven's neck. He couldn't get a word out edgewise though, since Gray grit his teeth and roughly pushed him away and leaned off of the wall.
"Leave me alone, Fire Breath. I'm fine," he lied through clenched teeth. Natsu growled and slammed his fist into the wall next to Gray's head.
"You are not fine, stripper. You wouldn't have that look on your face if you were. So tell me, what's wrong?" he repeated as calmly as possible. Gray simply turned his head to the side and said nothing. Natsu growled as he removed his fist and began to head into the guildhall. He would have to talk to the master about this.
Gray frowned as he rubbed his neck. The pain had grown when Natsu had arrived and subsided when he had left. Why was that? Not thinking on it any further, Gray made his way into the guildhall as well.
When he entered, he immediately noticed that Natsu wasn't there. He raised an eyebrow but didn't think any more of it. He didn't care where Flame Brain went. He situated himself at one of the tables and folded his hands on the table. He then proceeded to hide his head in his arms and take a nap. He didn't care that he just got there, he was too tired.
"In pain you say?" Makarov asked. He didn't like the sound of this. It was extremely suspicious that Gray would be in pain, even after his burns had healed; even more so since Natsu had reported no other physical injury on the boy. Makarov furrowed his eyebrows. What was going on with Gray? It was then that Natsu chose to speak up.
"Jii-chan, remember that magic circle on Gray's neck I told you about?" When Makarov nodded, Natsu continued. "Well, there was something different about it today." At this, the master raised an eyebrow. Without waiting for a verbal go ahead, Natsu continued. "Yesterday it was just the circle, kind of like a stamp. Today, there were tendrils growing out of it." Makarov furrowed his brow.
"Natsu, this is getting serious. We need to tell Gray about this. Can you bring him here?" The dragon slayer nodded before stepping out of the room and into the hall, to find the ice mage.
"Gray!" Natsu called as he searched for his friend. He soon found him asleep on one of the tables with Happy eating a fish next to him. Natsu raised an eyebrow. Gray didn't normally sleep at the guild. He made his way over to the ice mage, noting out of the corner of his eye that Lucy and Erza had entered the guild. "Gray, wake up!" he said, shaking the raven. When the sleeping mage didn't wake up, Natsu knew that there was something wrong. In a mild state of panic, he frantically called out for the ice mage again and again. By this time, the rest of the guild had made their way over to them, wondering what the fuss was about. It got to a point where Makarov himself had to come out. When he saw what was happening, he immediately ran to where the sleeping ice mage was.
"Anyone who isn't Natsu, Erza, Lucy or Happy, leave!" he shouted. The crowd immediately dispersed but everyone was still watching carefully, a tense silence taking the place of the usual lively chatter of the guild. Makarov turned his attention back to Natsu, who was still trying to wake his rival up.
"Gray! Say something! Wake up! Gray!"
Gray growled at the green haired mage in front of him. What was with her and his dreams? The woman raised an eyebrow.
"You still don't know my name, so I thought it only appropriate that I introduce myself," she began as she curtsied in front of him. "My name is Matilda Mueller and I am the master of the dark assassin's guild Fatal Falcon." Gray crossed his arms.
"Erza took out the master of your guild. You're lying," he said. Matilda threw her head back and laughed. It unnerved Gray a little, but he tried not to let it show.
"You fool. Don't believe everything someone tells you. That man was nowhere near my power level. He was simply a stand in to fool you fairies into a false sense of security. And it worked splendidly, did it not?" she asked him. Gray scowled. Matilda laughed. "Well, that was all I had to say for today. Ta-ta Gray, I hope you like the little gift that I left you with," she said as she turned her back on him.
"Wait what do you mean by that?" he screamed as his vision faded to white.
"Gray!" Natsu screamed as the ice mage jolted awake. In the commotion and panic of Gray's awakening, Natsu's hand accidentally brushed over the base of Gray's neck where the magic circle was located. Immediately, Gray hissed in pain, fell back and his hand rose up to cover the area. Natsu immediately recoiled in surprise and could only stare as Gray grit his teeth in pain. Makarov walked up the ice mage.
"Gray, are you alright?"The raven did not answer and instead took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. Slowly, he nodded. Makarov looked skeptical, but accepted the answer anyway. "Gray, Natsu and I need to speak with you in my office. Can you stand?" Hesitantly, Gray pushed himself up. He swayed on the spot a bit, only to have Erza steady him, careful not to come into contact with the base of his neck. From there, Natsu followed Gray carefully, always ready in case Gray collapsed again. The heavy silence hung in the guild as all eyes watched their ice mage as well, silently wondering what was wrong with him. Thankfully, at least for Gray, he made it to the master's office just fine. Natsu shot a glare at everyone in the room before closing the door with a soft click. Lucy looked at Happy with an expression of pure confusion.
"What just happened?"
Gray leaned against the wall as he ran his hand through his messy raven locks. What was wrong with him? Natsu and Makarov stood facing him, both scrutinizing him in every possible aspect. Or at least that's what it looked like the Gray. Blinking the exhaustion out of his eyes, he tried to appear as normal as possible.
"So what did you need me for, jii-san?" he asked. Makarov opened his mouth to speak but Natsu beat him to it.
"Gray, there's something wrong with you!" he exclaimed.
"Yeah, thanks Flame Brain. I kind of noticed," he remarked sarcastically. A tick mark appeared on Natsu's forehead. Here he was being a good friend and Gray had to sass him!
"Why I ought to-," he began as he was pushed back by Makarov. Natsu immediately stood down and let the master speak.
"Gray, we have reason to believe that you've been branded with a magic circle. We need to know. Who did you fight on your last mission?" he asked. Gray crossed his arms.
"Matilda Mueller, apparently. She's the master of Fatal Falcon. The guy Erza took down was just a phony." Makarov nodded.
"Yes, we've suspected as much. What kind of magic did this Matilda use?" At this, Gray hesitated a bit. He bit his lip as he looked down. This piqued Natsu's curiosity.
"Frost Breath?" he asked carefully. The raven closed his eyes and lifted his head to meet the gaze of the master.
"She used Fire Magic at first. But she's primarily the Fire Angel Slayer."
Makarov gasped. Angel Slaying Magic? That was supposed to be a myth! Yet here was one of his children, claiming to have fought one. And a Fire Angel Slayer at that! The old man rubbed his forehead tiredly.
"Gray, child. Do you have any idea what an Angel Slayer is?" he asked. Gray shook his head. He had only ever heard of God or Dragon Slayers. But following that trend, he supposed that Angel Slayers weren't all that unexpected. Natsu turned to the master.
"Jii-chan, do you know what they are?" Makarov let out a heavy sigh as he racked his brain for any knowledge on the topic.
"I can't tell you much, considering it's a type of Lost Magic. But it is very similar to your own, Natsu, in the fact that it gives the user attributes of the 'creature'. Angel Slayers are extremely rare, rarer than God and Dragon Slayers, and no one has seen one in centuries. They were said in legends to be the strongest type of Slayer and were almost completely eradicated out of jealousy of other mages."
Natsu's eyes narrowed. The strongest type of Slayer? He would show that Angel Slayer who was really the most powerful! Gray sighed. Of course he had to get stuck with this shit. As if sensing his displeasure, the magic circle on his neck glowed with power. However the only one who could see it was Natsu, who immediately gasped. The tendrils growing out of the magic circle extended outwards, one in particular stretching towards his heart and one other one making its way up his neck. In a flash, Natsu was on his friend, who had fallen to his knees and gripped at the base of his neck, teeth clenched tightly as he grunted in pain.
"Gray!" Makarov immediately rushed forward, with a cry of,
"Natsu, no!" The second Natsu touched the ice mage, Gray screamed an ear-piercing cry and hunched over. Makarov pulled the Dragon Slayer away from Gray. "Stay there!" he ordered as he attempted to rouse the ice mage from his pain-induced haze. Shaking his shoulders gently, he eventually managed to get Gray to respond to them again. Makarov propped him up against the wall.
"Are you alright, Gray? What happened?" Gray held his head in his palm as he shook of the last remains of the pain that had plagued him earlier.
"I... don't know. One minute I was fine and the second I feel like my neck is on fire..." Makarov's expression turned grim.
"I'm afraid I don't know how to help you, Gray. I could ask Porlyusica to take a look at you but I can't do anything else... From what Natsu tells me, you've been branded with her magic circle and that's doing something to you." Gray nodded slowly. Angel Slaying Magic was new to all of them. He couldn't expect the master to know too much about the subject. The old man turned back to the pink haired mage.
"As for you Natsu, you are not allowed to touch Gray. At all," he ruled. Natsu's jaw dropped dramatically.
"What?! Why, jii-chan?!" he demanded. Makarov sighed.
"From what I've seen, Slayer Magic that isn't Angel Slaying has a negative effect on anyone who's been affected by it. Unless you want to cause Gray more pain, I don't think you should be near Gray at all or if you have to be near him, refrain from touching him." Natsu frowned but agreed. He knew that this was serious.
When Gray and Natsu exited the room, the loud chatter that had once filled the guildhall came to a close immediately. Every pair of eyes in the room followed the two rivals as they stayed as far away from each other as possible. Everyone watched as Natsu and Happy left the guild and Gray made his way back to one of the tables and buried his head in his arms again, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep. But he didn't get the chance when Erza marched up to him and slammed an armoured fist onto the table.
"Gray, I demand to know what is going on! Why have Master and Natsu summoned you to talk in private?" Gray sighed exhaustedly. He didn't want to deal with this.
"In short, I got hit with something weird on our last mission and they sort of know what's going on," he explained tiredly. Erza's eyes widened as she grabbed Gray's arm and inspected it closely. When she found nothing, she did a quick full body check. When she still found nothing, she cast a concerned gaze towards the tired ice mage. Gray yawned.
"I don't know. Natsu and jii-san didn't tell me where it was. All I know is that I've been branded with a magic circle. Matilda Mueller's to be exact." At this, Erza's eyes narrowed.
"The mage you were fighting?" she asked. Gray nodded in confirmation before going back to his quality time with the table's surface. Erza held her chin in her hand. This was troubling. But Gray did not seem to be in any condition to answer her questions. Frustrated, she barged into the master's room at the back.
"Master!" she yelled as the door flew off its hinges. Makarov cried comical tears as he thought about the money it would cost to replace that door. The scarlet haired mage stood in front of the shorter man, hands on her hips, an absolutely demonic expression on her face. "Master, what's wrong with Gray?" she demanded. Makarov sighed. Of course he had to deal with this. He gestured to the seat in front of his desk.
"Take a seat, Erza. This may take some time to explain."
By the time Fairy Tail's master had finished explaining the situation to Titania, livid couldn't even describe her.
"That bitch!" she roared as she made towards the door. She was met with a giant hand blocking the exit. Enraged, she turned back to the person obstructing her path. "Master!" she protested. Makarov looked up at her with a grim expression.
"The last thing we need is two mages affected by this magic. For now, we should wait and see if Porlyusica knows how to cure Gray." Erza scowled. She hated the idea of leaving her friend's well being up to someone else but she had no choice. She angrily marched out of the office. Makarov sighed after her and made his way back to his seat. He was getting too old for this.
By the time Erza returned to the main hall, Gray had already left. Lucy came up to her worriedly.
"Erza, what did Master say?" she asked. Erza scowled, the dark look in her eyes scaring anyone who saw her.
Snarling, she relayed everything that Makarov had told her to the blonde. Lucy covered her mouth in shock. How could that woman have done that to one of her friends? Erza clenched her armoured fist. "If I ever see her again, there will be nothing stopping me from killing that bitch," she growled. Lucy gulped. She had never seen Erza this mad; not even when the guild had been attacked. Without another word, Erza marched out of the guild. Lucy shuddered. Who knew Erza was so protective of Gray? As if sensing her question, Cana looked up from her barrel.
"Those two have been friends for a while. Longer than Gray has known Natsu. They're a lot closer than they seem," she explained. Lucy nodded slowly. She knew that the two were close, but hadn't known to that extent. She sat down briefly, only to stand back up and go to the request board with a determined expression on her face. Her rent for next month wasn't going to pay itself!
Ending on a somewhat lighthearted note because it's been a while since I did that XD But now we know that Natsu isn't allowed to touch Gray since his touch causes our poor ice mage pain. Let's see what happens next ;)
Important announcement! For those of you who read "The First Time", I'm happy to announce that there's going to be a sequel! It'll be based on requests, since I want to try that instead of me coming up with all the ideas :P I'll take a maximum of 9 requests. Feel free to PM me or to leave a review here or on the story when it comes up! I'll be working on a oneshot request in the mean time though, so you guys will have to wait a bit for the sequel.
Back to "Heavenly Vengeance", I hope you guys enjoyed it! Thank you to everyone who reviewed/favourited/followed! You guys make my day! See you next time!