Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima and I wish he would stop to throw in so many plot twists. It gives me a headache.

Author's note: Hello fellow Graylu fans. I'm back in the FF-world and I hope to stay here. I was asked to participate and what can I say? YES! XD I wasn't sure if I could make it, but I did and that's all that matters. Took me 2 all-nighters but who cares?! XD Anyway there will be a chapter every day. Some long some short, but all of them Graylu. Enjoy.

~o~o~o~

Snow Crystal Stars
Day 1: Cold
By Misty Mina

When Gray accepted this mission, he didn't think it would send him right to the end of the world. In one minute he was with his team; the next he was walking through a field in the middle of nowhere and of course in the greatest blizzard ever. He couldn't even explain it, much less understand what was happening. The mission was supposed to be easy. Find the girl who had stolen the Grimoire Aurum and bring it back. The Grimoire Aurum was a book forbidden by the council due to it's immense magical power. It was so 'user-friendly', even a child could handle it.

'Powerful Magic for Dummies.' Gray thought sarcastically, while trying to see where he was going. The wind howled around him and even though ice was his element, he could hardly walk through the storm.

It clung to his clothes, to his hair and his skin. Dragging him down and making it hard to breath. Somehow, this felt like the time before he began his training with Ur. When the cold still affected him. Looking down, he noticed his hands were turning from pale to blue and his body started to tremble. When was the last time he felt himself shivering? What was happening to him? Did he lose his magic?

A few more steps and Gray fell onto his knees. He couldn't go on. He just couldn't.

Tired.
Cold.
…And alone.

Where were the others?
Where was Happy and that stinking firebreath? Where was Erza when you needed her?
Where was Lucy?

His breath came out in short puffs and became visible in the air. So, this Blizzard was colder than his own magic? No wonder he collapsed.

'Great, just ….great.'

It was hopeless. He couldn't move. Couldn't beat his own element. He needed help and yet he was all by himself.

When the cold started to crawl under his skin, Gray knew it was just a matter of time. It would freeze his organs and his blood until it would stop flowing through his veins. He wished he could say he was sorry, but what for? He tried, he really did. But this blizzard was unnatural. Could it be, that this was a spell from the Grimoire Aurum? It would explain a few things.

The ice mage had seen death numerous times. He'd seen his parent's dead bodies. The corpses of the people in his destroyed village. Ur's Sacrifice and so much more. He was glad he didn't have to see his comrades die before him. Truth to be told, he didn't know if they were still alive. All he could do was hope to be the only casualty in this mission.

...It was time.

The cold started to seep into his bones and numb his limbs. It became much harder to breath and the fatigue took hold of his mind. While the blizzard seemed to lose a bit of it's strength, he could only think what he would want if he had a dying wish.

Gray could certainly go into the afterlife without seeing that Flamebrain ever again! Ok, so he would miss Happy, but he doubted the tomcat would be sad for long. And yes, he knew Erza would do fine even without him. She was strong in body and mind. But maybe, ...even for a single moment, he'd like to see Lucy again. That would be a nice dying wish. No words were fine. No touch was fine too.

Just seeing her one last time would be enough. A vision for an everlasting dream in his eternal slumber.

Suddenly Gray noticed movement to his right.

A blinking light.
Opening his eyes fully, he lifted his head and looked in the direction.

There!

Far away, yet close enough to see; there was a golden light in the distance. Was this also a dream? Something to distract him from the coldness around and inside him? Whatever it was, it was working. The Blizzard had stopped and turned into gentle snow which dropped from the sky like feathers from a fairy tale.

This was his chance!

The ice mage took all of his remaining strength and stood up. This was his guiding light and all he had left. He had nothing to lose. The closer he got, the more he felt the coldness melt from his skin and his body. A strange, foreign, yet pleasant feeling. The light grew and soon he was close enough to be enveloped by it.

This was fulfillment, or at least it felt like it. It was something new and something familiar.

Hope
Love
Compassion

...Family

He was home.

~o~o~o~

Gray woke up with a start and almost collided with someone else. He was on the ground with his team around him and a sniffling girl, with a book in her arms, behind them. But what caught his eye were Lucy's running tears and her hand on his chest which was still glowing with her magic. He didn't have much time to ponder what was happening, because in a swift motion, he had a cute blonde clinging to him. Her warm body and her hot tears melted the last of the coldness he'd experienced.

"Gray, I'm so, …so glad" She hiccuped. Her lips brushed his neck and if he had any doubts about this being real, then now he knew for sure. No dream could feel so solid and so wonderful in his arms.

From what Erza told him, the little girl accidentally released a trap-spell on him which caught his soul in his own magic. Normally, the magical power lay in balance with the soul of the mage. But with this spell, it was possible to literally drown the soul in one's own magical energy. Someone else had to pull him out of his own 'frozen' hell. Natsu's magic, being polar opposite, would have most likely killed him. Erza's magic was of little help since it only aided herself and Happy had little magic, just enough to fly. Lucy's magic was the only one left and apparently, ...just right.

What a coincidence.

Gray had nothing to say. He just hugged Lucy back.

Yes, he was glad as well. Glad to be alive. Glad to be back. Glad to hold her like that. The daily routine of their guild life would start again soon. With Lucy being with Natsu nonstop and with Juvia stalking him every minute of the day. With a mission coming up and maybe with their lives on the line again. But for this single moment, ...it was just them. It was just perfect.

Mission accomplished!

~o~o~o~

End

This was the first day of Graylu week. I was busy over the weekend with typing and correcting the stories over and over again. I hope it was worth it. I used this opportunity as a way of getting over my writer's block. Read and review all the graylu-week fanfics please, because each and every one of us put so much time and effort into writing it. Happy Graylu-week. See ya tomorrow. XD