DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail.

By the time Gray woke up, it was already afternoon. He got up to get dressed. He opened his closet…and saw a hanger in the center of the rack. It was the only one without anything on it. Sorrow stabbed at him, and he almost broke down again. I can't waste my time crying. I have to be strong…like her.

He grabbed the first outfit he could find, and left his house. Maybe getting out will be good for me, he thought, as he headed for downtown Magnolia.

He walked through the busy streets, a slight smile forced on his face. The loud talking of the townspeople around him suddenly dropped to a couple murmurs. Gray looked around, and everyone seemed to be staring at him. Some people were pointing, and others whispering.

"That's Gray Fullbuster!"

"Is he alright?"

"Apparently he went mad last night…something at the guild!"

They probably found out about my…incident last night. he thought, and continued walking. They didn't know what was going on with him.

He was walking through the streets, trying his best to keep his head held high, when he heard it.

"GRAY."

He froze in his tracks. The townspeople around him were still watching him, scared that something would happen.

He knew that voice. It was Erza's, and it sounded like she was in trouble. He whipped his head around, back and forth. She was nowhere to be seen.

"Erza?!" he asked out loud. He looked around again, but no one was there.

"Oh my gosh, he's having another episode!" and "Gray really is crazy!" were the reactions of those around him.

"Gray…help me…" She was there again, in his head. Gray frowned. "I'm coming, just hang on!" he muttered angrily, and ran to the guild.

"MASTER!" he shouted as he pushed open the doors. The small, old man looked at Gray, who was now sprinting towards him. "Gray, child, what's the matter?" he asked. "Where is Erza?!" Gray demanded. Makarov, thinking nothing of Gray's request, handed him the paper that contained the mission details.

Gray grabbed the paper, and ran off. "Gray!" Master shouted after him, but he was already gone. "Master, where is Gray going?!" Lucy, who had watched the whole thing happen, asked. Natsu was right behind her. "Yeah, where's he headed?! Let us help him!" the dragon slayer agreed. Both looked determined to help Gray, and their faces sank when Makarov shook his head. "This is Gray's task, let him go." Natsu and Lucy nodded, worried looks on their faces. "I trust he knows what he's doing…" Makarov murmured.

The creatures growled at her. Erza couldn't see anything, except for the four pairs of red eyes glowing back at her. She clenched her teeth, and requiped into her flight armor. With lightning speed, she attacked the giant creatures, their loud cries piercing the night air. It got quiet after a short bit, and she stopped. "That's the last of them." she panted, and turned to leave.

Just then, she saw it: a flash of red eyes. There's one more! she realized, and tried to slash the beast with a sword. She was fast, but it was faster. She felt the animal bite her, its teeth sinking into her arm. She screamed, before shoving a sword into its body.

The animal fell to the ground, and so did Erza. "Shit!" she cursed, holding her arm. She lifted her hand as she examined her injury, and winced. She was bleeding badly. Just then, a voice called out in the night.

"You can run, Erza Scarlet, but you can't hide. Not from me." What the hell?! She looked up at the dark sky, the treetops barely letting the moonlight in. She panted, and heard distant barking noises. I need to get out of here! But my arm…

I must keep going! she decided, and began to run.

Erza ran until she reached the shoreline. She turned around, and turned back, knowing she wasn't being followed. She kneeled on the ground, and hastily wrapped a bandage around her bleeding arm. The moon shone brightly down on her, and the waves of the sea in front of her were calm.

She had been on this mission for a month. It was simple: just stop a band of thieves from stealing the town's belongings. However, rumors were going around that the thieves were evil wizards with S-Class strength, which is why her team didn't accept it. But when Erza saw how horribly the town was affected by the robberies, she took the mission.

She had spent the month's time discreetly observing the gang's activities, and making plans of attack. After finding their headquarters today, she decided to attack. After defeating the last thief in the gang, she was chased into the forest by these horrible creatures. They were big, furry beasts that resembled vicious dogs, with cheetah speeds. These creatures were being controlled by their master, Damien, who was the gang leader.

Now that she was safe for the time being, she requiped into her normal fighting robes. She almost toppled over. My injury…it's making me a little dizzy…I don't have a lot of energy left. she thought. Just then, something moved out of her vision. She turned, and saw…

"Gra-ay…?" she breathed. His back was to her, and he was standing to the side of the shoreline. "Gray, what are you doing here?!" she demanded.

No response.

Erza stood up and staggered to him, reaching her good arm out to him. "G-Gray, please. You have to go; the leader will get you too." she told him, but Gray wouldn't budge. She reached out to grab him, and then fell. Shocked, she knelt on the cold sand, realizing that "Gray" was only part of her imagination.

Without realizing it, she requiped into her normal armor, but Gray's coat was around her. It was tattered and beat up; the blood from her arm was well in the fabric. Regardless, she wrapped it around her tightly.

He told me not to go. He warned me. But I didn't listen. Erza thought, And now here I am, imagining he was with me, when he was still back home.

"Gray…I'm sorry!" she cried out, a tear falling.

"Erza Scarlet." A voice spoke. Erza froze, and stood up. Shit, he found me! she realized, and gulped. She turned around, a sword in her good arm and her bandaged one. Hate was etched on her face.

The leader of the thieves, Damien, stared back at her, an evil smile on his lips. "I'm surprised to see you lasted this long. Did you have fun with my pets?" he smirked. Erza gave him an icy glare. "You shall be punished for what you did to this town." she spoke. Damien just laughed. "Oh, silly Erza. How can I be punished, when there's no one to do so?" Erza grit her teeth.

"Besides, when I'm through with you, the famous 'Titania Erza' will be nothing but a legend." he grinned sinisterly, and moved toward Erza with a magic staff. Erza lashed out both of her swords, but Damien was too quick. A blue ray zapped the top of her shoulder, and she let out a scream. Her swords disappeared, and she fell to the ground, defenseless.

"Your staff…that magic is forbidden." Erza sputtered.

"Well done, Erza. You're right; my staff emits magic that eliminates the power of all other magic. It also paralyzes the victim. So long as it stays whole, it will continue to absorb all the energy you have." Damien spoke. "In short, my dear, you are now worthless." he added. Erza grit her teeth, trying to move to attack him, but he was right; she was completely paralyzed. He laughed maniacally, "The day has come! The Great Erza is now cowering at my knees!"

He tilted his staff upward, and Erza was thrown up by the magic force and pinned to a tree. The bark was digging into her back, and the blood from her arm was dripping on the ground. She could barely keep up with her surroundings. I guess I'm bleeding more than I thought…

Damien walked up to her. Erza's eyes were drooping, and the whole place was slowly spinning. "It's just us, Erza. Do you have any last words?" he smirked, and put a sword to her neck. The tip of the blade was just poking her skin; any small movement now and she would be a goner.

"You. Will. Be. Punished!" she spat out. Damien just laughed. "This is the end, Erza." he growled, and lifted the sword to swing at her. Erza shut her eyes and tilted her head back, doing anything to dodge the attack, when she heard a dull "clunk."

She opened her eyes the best she could. She could make out a shield around her, but it was slightly clear. …Ice? she realized.

"How dare you do this." a new voice spoke. Erza's heart beat faster, and she tried to keep her eyes open. "G-Gray?!" she shouted. She suddenly fell to the ground, and the ice shield moved with her. She looked through the shield, and saw that Gray had broken Damien's staff in half.

Damien and Gray were in front of her, battling each other. Damien was fierce, but Gray looked determined to win. Erza pounded the glass. "Gray, please, let me help you!" He didn't say anything, so she tried again.
"Let me out!" she shouted. Gray ignored her, and continued fighting. She yelled in frustration, and suddenly got weak.
"You can't do this for me!" she cried, pounding the glass. She still went ignored. "Gray, you can't…you…can't…" Black spots started to fill her vision. Her yells silenced, and she collapsed to the ground, falling on her side.

"Th—thank you…" she stammered, and coughed up blood. Gray had finally knocked out Damien, and he saw Erza fall. "ERZA!" he called, and ran to her. He broke the shield that surrounded her, and propped her up, her head on his bent knee.

"Erza, no!" Gray shouted, but she could barely hear him.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be stronger..." she whispered, and everything went black.

WELL, there's Chapter 2! (Finally!) This story will officially be a 3-shot. Sorry about the language, too :P Thank you for all the reviews, and your patience! I know it took a while to write, but I couldn't decide how the story would go, until I got a rush of inspiration today. If you have the time, please leave a review! Thanksss :3

-pinkkoala213