DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ITS SPECTACULAR CHARACTERS! ALTHOUGH, I DO REGRETFULLY OWN YAKUMO… THE BASTARD…

The streets of Magnolia Town were bustling with uncontainable energy as the date of the Autumn Festival approached. Various wooden planks, hammers, nails, rope and crafts littered the crowded streets as the townsfolk prepared their different floats and booths for the carnival and parade. Among the townsfolk, the most excited for the festival were the well-known mages of the Fairy Tail guild. The members of the guild loved the festival for a variety of reasons; Cana liked it because she could drink all she wanted without Erza yelling at her, Master liked it because he could see 'all his beautiful ladies', Erza went because she could have all the strawberry cake she could ever wish for and the rest of the guild liked the festival for all the different games; no one was more competitive than those of the Fairy Tail guild.

This year however, one Fairy Tail mage was a little nervous about going out and spending the night on the town. Although he was slowly making his way down the path of recovery, Gray Fullbuster was still hesitant about wandering around Magnolia at night. The only people who actually knew this about him were Natsu, Erza, Lucy, Happy and Master; he refused to tell anyone else. The guild already saw his weak side once, and he sure as hell was not going to let them see it again. He had to admit though, since letting Natsu behind his barriers he had been able to get over most of the pain and trauma that was inflicted upon him when he was in the hands of Rahul and Yakumo; but since Yakumo had yet to be caught, Gray couldn't help but worry that Yakumo was still in the shadows watching his every move.

The raven-haired teen ran his hand through his hair as he walked silently towards the guild hall. He kept his head down as he moved through the crowded streets. He couldn't help but feel eyes on him, but he knew it was mainly anxiety; damnit, he hated being weak. He unconsciously quickened his footsteps which resulted him in running into a few people and receiving a couple dirty looks. He was halfway to the hall when he heard a voice calling for him in the distance. Without his permission a relieved smile spread across his face as he turned towards the familiar voice. A certain pink-haired, hot headed dragon slayer was making his way through the crowds of people shouting at the top of his lungs as obnoxiously as he could. Gray stopped walking and leaned against a nearby building to wait for his long term rival, best friend, crush and savior. After a couple of moments, the dragon slayer had finally caught up with him; his goofy smile firmly planted on his face.

"Jeez ice-block, who would've thought you could actually move that fast."

"What's that supposed to mean flame-brain?" Gray growled jovially, "Are you calling me slow?"

"Well considering all the hits I can land on you…"

Gray rolled his eyes and ceremoniously planted his fist into the top of Natsu's head. Natsu hissed in pain and rubbed the sore spot rhythmically,

"Care to rephrase that hot head?"

Natsu mumbled under his breath and glared at the ice mage darkly. Gray laughed and shoved his hands into his pockets while pushing himself off the wall. The rivals walked side by side to the guild hall in complete silence for a couple moments before Natsu sighed,

"So, how have you been doing lately?"

Gray shrugged his shoulders and glanced at the fire mage out of the corner of his eye,

"Okay I guess; I'm still anxious sometimes, but it's getting better."

Natsu nodded and a satisfied smile spread across his lips,

"Are you going to come to the festival?"

The ice mage sighed and looked at his feet. He knew this question was coming sooner or later. He, Natsu, and Erza have been going to this specific festival together every year since they met each other, and it would be weird if he didn't go.

"I don't know, maybe." Gray avoided Natsu's onyx eyes.

"You have to go ice for brains; it wouldn't be the same without you." Natsu pouted, "You know I won't let anything happen to you right?"

A light blush crawled onto Gray's cheeks and he turned his head away from Natsu's line of sight,

"I'm not weak Natsu; I don't need your protection."

He quickened his pace to get away from the dragon slayer, but stopped when a familiar warm hand latched onto his wrist. His heart raced upon the contact and he felt all the blood rush to his ears. He kept his head down and continued to avoid Natsu's inquiring and confused gaze,

"I never said you were; I was trying to let you know that I have your back if you need me." The pinkette tightened his grip on his wrist.

Gray yanked his arm out of the dragon slayers grasp and turned back towards the guild,

"I know you're there, you're always there; there's nothing I can do to change that fact, but, I don't want you to get more involved than you already are. I don't want to depend on you anymore; you have no idea how weak that makes me feel."

"Gray…"

"It's not that I'm not thankful for all you have done to help me, because I am. I am thankful that you have been by my side like you have been for all these years; it means the world to me, more than you know. I just want things to be the way it was before, before that bastard did that to me. I'm tired of being treated like something that is broken; I'm not shattered anymore."

Gray clenched his fists at his sides and walked away without a backwards glance at the dragon slayer that he held so close to his throbbing heart.

FTFTFTFTFT

Natsu watched the retreating back of his cold, lonely, and frightened friend. The autumn wind whipped around him causing his treasured white scarf to blow around. Although the ice mage was healthier, happier and slowly returning to his old self, the pink haired teen couldn't help but worry about him. It's true that he was wary and more than a little protective of his raven-haired friend, but he couldn't help it. Watching the ice mage fall apart, not having the ice mage by his side safe and sound was something that Natsu wanted to avoid at any cost. If he were to lose Gray again, Natsu wasn't sure if he would be able to exist; he just loved that damn stupid ice freak too much. Natsu sighed and slowly followed the path the ice mage took. Different smells drifted into his nostrils, but he tried to ignore them; now wasn't the time to get distracted. He was almost at the guild doors when the scent of hay, mould, blood and a hint of mint invaded his barrier of forced indifference. Natsu tensed and frantically searched around him as he tried to pinpoint the scent. He clenched and unclenched his jaw in anger as the memories of Gray's prison and broken form flooded his mind. Natsu headed towards the alleyway where the scent was coming from, his hands set a flame. He was about to enter the alley when a hand clapped down on his shoulder. He whipped around prepared to strike when the form of the queen of the Fairies showed in his vision.

"Shit Erza!" Natsu extinguished his flames, "Don't do that!"

The red haired mage regarded the dragon slayer with calculative brown eyes,

"What were doing in the alley Natsu?"

The pinkette turned his back to Titania and glanced down the alley again to see that it was vacant. He sniffed the air for the disgusting scent, but found that it had disappeared.

"Natsu," The armour mage demanded darkly, "I demand you tell me what is going on."

"I thought I smelt something distinctive and I had to check it out." He responded darkly.

"Distinctive in what way?" Erza inquired.

"As in the next time I smell it, nothing will stop me from murdering the bastard."

Erza narrowed her eyes when she realized who Natsu was referring to,

"You're sure it was him?"

The dragon slayer nodded stiffly,

"Gray's scent is still on him."

Erza also stiffened slightly, but only because Natsu whipped around and slammed his fist into a nearby brick building. His muscles tensed and un-tensed with anger; his body was quivering with all the rage that was building up inside of him.

"We'll keep him safe Natsu…"

"He wouldn't let us Erza and you know it." The pink haired teen growled, "It would make him feel weak and that's the last thing he wants."

"I'm well aware of that; he gave Lucy, Happy and I that speech when he came to the guild hall today." Erza said sadly, "But since when do we listen to what he has to say?"

A half-hearted chuckle slipped past Natsu's lips,

"You got a point there."

FTFTFTFTFT

The sunset pressed on the side of his house as Gray pressed his back against the head board of his bed. The cold wood on his bare back was a slight comfort to the all too tense muscles lining his bones. The sound of excited villagers drifted through his open window, almost convincing him to come out of the safe seclusion of his home, but he refused to move. He wrapped his arms protectively around his knees and placed his head in his lap. The autumn air danced around his room in celebration as the cheers of the villagers got louder and louder.

Gray sighed and reluctantly pushed himself to his feet. He wandered over to his window and noticed that parade had started. He couldn't help but wonder if the guild was going to be in the parade this year; he hadn't been paying too much attention lately. A small smile spread across his lips when a float nearly swallowed by children rolled by. The children had the biggest smiles on their face and they were singing their hearts out. Some of the children on the float must have seen him because they were pointing up at him. He waved at them and they responded almost enthusiastically; one of the kids ran from the front of the group to the back. However, he quickly reappeared, holding onto the scarf of none other than Natsu Dragneel. Gray scanned the float and he noticed that Erza, Juvia, Lucy, Levy, Wendy, Happy, Carla, Gramps, Loke, Mirajane and even Gajeel (although a bit disgruntled) were standing amongst the children.

"Hey Gray!" Natsu called, "You going to come and join us?!"

The ice mage didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the sentiment; laugh because the kids were trying to take poor Natsu down and cry because well, he didn't exactly know why… maybe it was because he was happy?

"I don't know…"

"Stop being a stubborn idiot!" Erza shouted with a glare, "You have to come along… you owe me a strawberry cake remember?!"

He raised a dark eyebrow in her direction and laughed,

"What in the hell gives you that idea?"

"Gray Fullbuster! How dare you forget about my strawberry cake! I must now drag you down here for punishment!" She smirked at his terrified expression, "Prepare yourself!"

The raven-haired teen watched as Titania herself launched at his bedroom window and front tucked inside. He backed away from her intimidating form until his back was literally up against the wall. Her armoured hands were placed firmly on her hips and she smiled at him softly,

"Listen Gray, I know you're afraid; after all, you have every right to be. But it's not like you to let fear rule your life. Remember Deliora?" Gray unconsciously shuddered, "Even though you were terrified of that demon coming back to life, even though it meant fighting against your childhood friend and rival, you pushed yourself to protect the villagers and your comrades; you didn't let your fear control you. I know this time is different, but I still have faith that you're strong enough to beat this."

Gray stared at one of his closest friends in utter disbelief. Erza thought he was brave; at this point he didn't exactly feel that way, but she had a point. What's he talking about? Of course she had a point, Erza always has a point. He walked over to the armoured mage and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Thank you." He whispered.

He let go and made his way over to his window and looked down at the float of children and guild members who were waiting for him expectantly,

"Hey flame brain!"

Natsu smiled up at him,

"What do you want ice freak?"

"Clear the way!"

"You got it!"

The children were immediately moved out of the way and Gray took his stance. The ice magic pooled around in his palms, which soothed his anxious and chaotic spirit. He released his magic causing the spectators and children to make noises of appreciation. An ice slide leading from his window to the float had appeared; he jumped on and slid towards his guild members on his feet. When he landed on the float he was immediately swarmed by little bodies asking him to make more things with his ice magic. At that moment, Gray was the happiest he has been in a long time and he wouldn't change it for the world. Nothing could ruin this evening for him now; not even if they tried.

FTFTFTFTFT

The sun had now completely set and the darkness of night had blanketed the sky. The stars sparkled brilliantly against the backdrop and the moon was full and almost as radiant as the sun was during the day. The autumn wind continued to blow around the different booths and games while playing with the different coloured leaves as it danced by. Natsu was walking beside his favourite ice mage in contentment; he was so happy that Erza was able to convince him to leave his house. Not only would it be more enjoyable with Gray there, but it would also be easier to keep an eye on him just in case the bastard decides to make an appearance. Somewhere along the way, he noticed that Gray had accidently stripped off his shirt. Normally he would've made fun of the ice mage's uncontrollable habit, but not tonight. It had been months since the raven-haired teen peeled any clothes off in public because he didn't like the new scars that adorned his body; he was ashamed. Gray wearing a shirt was weirder than Gray stripping in public; surprisingly enough, the guild decided that they liked his stripping better. Since Gray had taken his shirt off, maybe he was going to move on; that made everyone, including Natsu, very happy.

As they were walking between the different booths their hands would occasionally brush against each other. Every time this would happen, Natsu would involuntarily twitch and turn bright red; unbeknownst to him, Gray was doing the exact same thing. The dragon slayer has known a long time that he was gay, and for an even longer time had a crush on one particular ice mage. Hell, the ice mage was probably the one that started it all. Despite his feelings, Natsu couldn't actually find the courage to tell Gray how he felt. He was terrified by the fact that Gray would most likely reject him and the relationship they do have would break into a million pieces. Plus, after everything the ice mage has been through lately, he couldn't bring himself to force his feelings on him like that. Unknowingly, the confused dragon slayer let out a defeated sigh which caught the attention of the mage standing beside him.

"Hey, you alright?" Gray raised an eyebrow.

Natsu's eye twitched and he shifted his gaze to his feet,

"Yeah, I'm just thinking."

"Don't strain yourself so much flame head," He teased, "It would be bad if you gave yourself an aneurysm."

The dragon slayer punched his rival in the arm,

"Shut up you ice block."

Natsu listened to Gray laugh and he thought that it was the most magical sound that he had ever heard. The two boys continued to walk and didn't notice when their pinkies latched around each other's in a subtle and endearing way. After a while, they spotted Lucy, Erza, Happy and the others in the distance. They ran towards them and nearly knocked each other and poor Lucy over in the process.

"Hey!" She screamed, "Watch where you're going!"

"Sorry Lucy, I just love you so much that I wanted to give you a hug." Gray stated sarcastically.

"So," Natsu looked expectantly at their other friends, "What have you guys been doing?"

"Erza only just got away from the dessert booth," Wendy laughed, "If you want strawberry cake, I suggest you forget all about it."

Gray sweatdropped,

"You said that you wouldn't do that this year,"

"Don't judge me Gray," The armoured mage pouted, "It's not my fault that the cake is so damn dastardly!"

Gray placed a mock sympathetic hand on her shoulder,

"Don't worry, you didn't stand a chance."

The group laughed at the two of them causing Erza to glare at them darkly. She was starting to rant to them about manners or something when a bloody, mouldy, minty scent wafted to them. Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy stiffened at the recognizable smell. Even though Wendy and Gajeel didn't come in direct contact with the man, his scent was in the abandoned building enough that they knew it. Natsu's onyx eyes narrowed dangerously and tried to find the source of the scent. Erza must have noticed the dragon slayers' reactions because he could feel her scanning the area as well. Gray knew that something was up, but he couldn't figure out what. He wrapped his arms around himself, suddenly wishing he had his shirt with him. An uncomfortable chill travelled up his back as he recognized what this feeling he had was and this time, he knew it wasn't anxiety.

Natsu felt someone standing close behind him and he knew from the pure minty smell that it was Gray. He could almost feel the poor ice mage trembling against his back.

"Natsu," He whispered, "He's here isn't he."

The dragon slayer knew that it was more of a statement than a question, but he nodded anyway. Natsu instinctively grabbed onto Gray's forearm and held him close. Luckily, he didn't resist and the others didn't say anything. He narrowed his senses trying to find the bastard when suddenly the autumn wind picked up and began to whip into a frenzy. A large man stepped out of the shadows and advanced on the Fairy Tail mages. His face was heavily scarred and his demon black eyes glittered mercilessly in the light of the full moon. As the man got closer, the wind started to get stronger; Natsu felt Gray stiffen in his arms,

"He's a wind mage," His face paled, "He didn't have magic last time, I'm sure he didn't."

Thinking back, the dragon slayer had to agree with the ice mage. When he had encountered Yakumo in the hallway that day, there was no essence or magic energy coming from him at all. This just didn't make sense. Natsu held onto Gray even tighter and his body radiated with hot flames. Yakumo smirked at the mages and ran his hand through his slicked back, curly, black hair. His eyes immediately fell on the ice mage that was being held protectively in the dragon slayers arms.

"Gray Fullbuster, Ice Mage of Fairy Tail, and Bearer of the Core of Magic," Yakumo smiled maliciously, "I say that it's time to finish off where we started."

FTFTFTFTFT

"What did you call him?" Erza demanded while she requipped into her Knight Armour.

Yakumo's laughter seemed to silence everything that was happening around them. When he was done he wiped away the nonexistent tears and once again moved his eyes to look at Gray,

"The Bearer of the Core of Magic; the person who has this core has the ability to give someone magical power over one of the elements. All my life, I was a non-magic user until I met Rahul and he told me about the Bearer of the Core of Magic. Over the years we collected pure male mages who possessed elemental magic. We were about to give up our search until we stumbled upon Gray Fullbuster; his magic was different than the others we collected, so we took him. Through our travels we learned that in order for the core to become activated, the mage has to go through a certain 'rite of passage'. Rahul already had magic so he simply wanted to sell the ice mage to the highest bidder; however, I found he had other uses."

Gray shrunk back into Natsu and his legs trembled. He was grateful for the secure hold that the dragon slayer had on him, or else he probably wouldn't be standing at the moment. He could feel Natsu's fire getting hotter and hotter so he subtly applied his ice magic to cool him down.

"However," Yakumo continued, "The magic I was given is incomplete, therefore you will hand over the Bearer of the Core of Magic to me. If you do not oblige to my commands, I will kill each and every one of the villagers present at this festival tonight."

"No!" Gray shouted as he stepped out of Natsu's embrace, "I won't let you do that!"

"Then I suggest you get your ass over here you stupid little bitch."

Gray glanced back at his friends and they all had looks of terror and determination on their faces. Tears gathered in his eyes, but he forced them out of existence. He was about to step towards the devil when Natsu's painfully hot hand wrapped around his wrist and threw him behind his body.

"Natsu! What are you…"

"Shut up ice block!" Natsu growled, "You know very well what I'm doing. I'm going to fight this bastard, kick his ass to the moon and back and finally free you from the darkness that he has encased you in."

The colour drained from Gray's face as he stared at Natsu's back. Once again tears gathered at the corner of his eyes as Natsu's body was replaced with that of Ur's. Short black hair, pale skin, heartwarming dark eyes and an inner strength no one could rival. Yakumo's body contorted into that of the demon Deliora and the fallen leaves was replaced by snow, debris and a skin biting wind. Gray was eight years old all over again; weak and defenseless.

Don't worry Gray, Ur smiled at him encouragingly, I'll free you from your darkness.

A blast of strong wind threw Gray into the friends who were standing behind him. He watched in fear and shock as Natsu and Erza tried to fight for him. Yakumo wasn't moving an inch despite the attacks from Titania and the Salamander. Gajeel soon joined the fight as well, but even with him helping they couldn't get through Yakumo's wind barriers. The tears that had welled up in his eyes fell down his cheeks in a never-ending waterfall. The sound of his friends' screams were amplified in his ears as the sharp wind sliced through their bodies.

"No!" Gray cried, "It's all my fault!"

Be calm young one; you have the power to save them.

Gray glanced around himself for the source of the voice, but couldn't find anyone. He could only see Lucy and Wendy who were standing by his side as defense if the others failed.

What was once taken can be returned, have faith young one. Remember their love; remember the strength they gave you when you were in your darkest hour. Save them, Help them and Free them, just like they have Freed you; just like HE freed you!

Gray closed his eyes and remembered just as the voice directed. He remembered their support and love for him over the months and how he wouldn't have gotten to this point without them. He remembered what Erza had said to him earlier that evening about his bravery and he remembered how she was always by his side while growing up. He remembered his friends like Lucy, Juvia, Wendy, Happy, Carla and Gajeel and how they made him laugh and smile again. But most of all, he remembered Natsu. Natsu, his childhood friend, rival, crush and he hoped, future lover. He was the one who kept his life interesting, the one who made sure that Gray would continue to live. Natsu is his pillar of strength; the one person he can always rely on… the one who was able to break through his icy heart and prove that he could love again.

He felt a warm comforting light engulf his body. He could smell rich dirt, flowers, trees, and a burning campfire. He could feel the wind ruffling his hair, the water lapping against his legs and the sun's heat kissing his skin. He could hear the sound of metal and electricity working together to make a sonic boom and he could feel his very essence. The comforting cold air pressed against his skin as the power welled up inside him. When he opened his eyes a shockwave of power erupted through the area gaining everyone's attention on him, stunning everyone into silence.

FTFTFTFTFT

Natsu's body was getting tired, but he refused to give in. His muscles ached and the cuts decorating his body burned with every move that he made. Even with the combined power of Erza, Gajeel, Leo, Juvia and Natsu, they couldn't make a dent in Yakumo's shield. If he considered his magic incomplete now, he didn't even want to imagine what it would be like if it was complete. The dragon slayer's body erupted with more flames at the thought of Yakumo wanting to get his hands on Gray again.

"FIRE DRAGON'S WING ATTACK!"

"IRON DRAGON'S ROAR!"

The combined attack of the dragon slayers were able to push Yakumo back, but were still unable to breech is barriers. Natsu growled in frustration and charged at Yakumo again only to have himself thrown into Erza which also prevented her attack. They hit the ground hard, successfully knocking the air out of their lungs.

"Where the hell is he getting his power from?!" Erza demanded as Juvia was also thrown off her feet.

"If I find out I'll let you know." Natsu spat.

"Is that all you have?" Yakumo taunted, "I'm not even at full strength and I'm still kicking your ass!"

"Not even close!" Natsu roared as he once again charged.

Suddenly, a massive shockwave blasted through the area scattering his senses. He instantaneously stopped his charge and turned around. Gray was on his feet, and a gold aura of power was pulsing around him. His once raven hair had turned pure white, even whiter than that of Lyon, and his deep blue eyes were a kaleidoscope of colours. Even from far away, Natsu could see his eyes changing from forest green to red, to ocean blue, to silver, to yellow, to crystal blue and back again. The battle had come to a complete standstill; everyone was staring at Gray.

"I will not let you hurt them!" He screamed at Yakumo.

"And what can you do to stop me you useless little whore?!" He challenged.

Natsu growled and turned to kick the shit out of the bastard, but he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and found himself eye to eye with Gray. Natsu jumped slightly at how fast he had managed to get over there. Without warning, Gray wrapped his arms around the dragon slayer and held him close. Natsu could feel his wounds sealing up on his body. Gray stepped back from Natsu and gently pressed his lips to his tanned forehead. His onyx eyes widened at the action and Gray laughed silently,

"Be prepared Natsu, this might not stop him completely so you might have to finish him off for me."

Before he could answer the ice mage had stepped around him and moved towards Yakumo's stunned form. Ice followed Gray's wake as he stalked towards the man who haunted him for over half a year. Each step he took sent a small shockwave of power in every direction; the shockwave had a healing effect on his loved ones.

"I will not let you hurt them!" Gray repeated darkly, "I will not let you hurt me or this town! I will not let you destroy the only place that has been home to me. Filthy bastards like you don't deserve to have magic power!"

"And people who murder their teachers do?" Yakumo shot back.

"All those mages you pawned off, all the lives you destroyed," Gray ignored him and sprinted towards the wind barrier, "All the laws that you perverted and all the pain that you inflict on others just to satisfy your own desires is pathetic!"

The power circulating around Gray expanded and the wind barrier was immediately dispelled. The ice mage dived at the bastard who ruined his life and put his hand on his forehead,

"What once was taken shall be returned, into the Fire you will be burned. Ice will encase you, metal will be the seal. Electricity will bind you and Water and Earth will close the deal. The wind shall return to its rightful place and banish said demon from this place!"

Natsu and the others watched as the light surrounding Gray expanded even further and swallowed them in a blinding light. They shielded their eyes from its brilliance and waited for the light to disappear. When the light finally dissipated Gray was exhausted and Yakumo was standing over him, his scarred face marred with a new scar and red blood. Natsu narrowed his eyes and saw that Yakumo was armed. He ran as fast as he could towards Gray, but Yakumo had already hoisted the exhausted mage into the air. Gray turned his head to Natsu and smiled as the knife in Yakumo's hand dropped down and slit Gray's throat.

FTFTFTFTFT

Gray could feel his life drifting away from him as soon as he hit the ground. The warmth of his blood blanketing him was soothing in a way. He wished he could spend more time with his friends; there was so much he wanted to do, but no time left to do it. His body was beginning to feel cold, cold even for him; he just wanted to close his eyes and drift off, but he still had to say something to Natsu and he refused to go until Natsu heard it. He could faintly hear a fight through the buzzing in his ears; he hoped that his friends were safe and sound.

Suddenly all was silent.

Gray thought the worst for one brief moment before warm arms wrapped around him and placed his hands against his bleeding throat. His exhausted gaze found Natsu's, just like he hoped he would. Natsu's cheeks were streaked with tears and his arms were shaking; Gray didn't like seeing Natsu like this.

"Natsu…" He rasped.

"Shhh…" Natsu whispered soothingly, "Everything is going to be okay, Wendy is coming here now."

"T-Thank you… for everything… Natsu…" Gray's chest heaved exhaustedly, "I couldn't have done it without you."

"Stop talking damnit!" He roared brokenly, "You need to save your strength."

Tears rolled from the corner of his eyes as he raised his blood soaked hand and rested it against Natsu's tanned cheek,

"Natsu, you freed me from my darkness, you freed me because," Gray coughed and blood trickled out of his mouth, "I… love you. I love you so much and I'm sorry that I'm only telling you know when I'm about to leave you."

"N-No…" Natsu clutched the hand on his cheek, "You're not leaving, you can't leave! I love you too!"

"T-Thank you for unf-freeing my f-frozen heart my dear Natsu…"

Gray's eyes drifted closed, a smile firmly on his face. As he drifted off into nothingness, the last thing he felt was the intense heat of an out of control flame,

"GRAY!"

TBC