DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE CHARACTERS OF FAIRY TAIL, BUT I DO OWN SHADOWSKY (THE EVIL VINDICTIVE BASTARD)! OH CRUEL FATE!

Last time on Forgive Me, Kiss Me, Love Me:

Natsu distanced himself away from the group and sniffed the air surrounding him, searching for any signs of the elements. The dragon slayer smirked when the scent of smoke wafted towards his nostrils. His stomach rolled in anticipation as if waiting for flames to enter it soon,

"Guys, this way!"

He took off towards the smell of smoke with the others close on his heels. The air around them was starting to warm slightly and it just urged them on. Soon the snow began to disappear and grass along with blooming lilies flourished under their feet. Unconsciously, Natsu picked up his speed when an open cave came into view. Burn marks from lightning strikes decorated the rock and different types of precious metals laid out on the ground beckoningly. The group was about to run into the cave when an agonized scream tore through the air nearly ripping their souls in half.

FTFTFTFTFT

"No…" Lucy covered her mouth with her hands, "We can't be too late… can we?"

A low growl erupted from the back of Natsu's throat causing the poor girl to nearly jump out of her skin. The mages watched the dragon slayer warily hoping that he wouldn't snap and go on a rampage like he almost did at the guild. He turned towards the small blonde and she could see desperation, worry and fear in his onyx eyes. Without uttering a word he took off into the cave with Lyon and Gajeel close behind him. Erza turned to Lucy and Wendy before entering the cave herself; tears were lingering in the corner of her eyes, but they refused to fall.

"You girls stay out here for now." She instructed, "We'll send a signal if your help is needed."

"But Erza-san," Wendy whispered, "Lucy-chan and I should come in too; if Gray-kun needs serious medical attention, I need to be in there."

"No, Wendy we should stay out here." Lucy agreed with Erza.

"Why?"

Erza sighed and placed a firm hand on top of Wendy's head,

"The stability of the cave is uncertain and with myself, a pissed off fire dragon slayer mate, an equally pissed off older brother and an iron dragon slayer looking for a fight there's already a chance that the cave could collapse from the magic power. Not to mention the core of all elemental magic is in there with a psychotic shadow mage; it's going to be a huge risk. That's why you and Lucy have to be out here in case anything happens."

Wendy nodded sadly in understanding,

"Okay Erza-san, we'll stay put."

"Good," Erza smiled reassuringly, "Lucy can you summon Loke so he can come along too? If Gray is seriously injured, he can either bring him out here or fight in Natsu's place."

"Ah yeah, sure thing Erza." Lucy took out Loke's key, "Gate of the Lion, Leo!"

In a flash of brilliant golden light Loke appeared by Lucy's side; like usual, he was in a pressed suit with a red tie and wore his signature blue glasses. He turned to Lucy and bowed respectively,

"What can I do for you beautiful?"

Just then another agonizing scream came from inside the cave causing all them to freeze. Loke's smile dropped immediately only to be replaced by an angry scowl,

"That sounded like Gray."

Erza nodded stiffly,

"We need to get him out of there now Loke, and we need your help to do it."

"No problem," Loke pushed up his glasses darkly, "We are nakama after all and no one hurts my nakama."

Without another word, both Erza and Loke ran into the cave. Wendy shifted from foot to foot beside Lucy; tears slowly ran down her face. Lucy immediately pulled the young mage into a tight hug and Wendy buried her face into the celestial mage's stomach,

"Lucy-chan…" She sobbed.

"Yeah?"

"Why can't Gray-kun be happy?" Wendy squeezed Lucy tighter, "I know everyone in Fairy Tail has their own dark past, but why is it that every time Gray-kun overcomes his, it just comes back to hurt him ten times as much?"

"I can't answer that," A tear slid down Lucy's cheek, "All I know is that out of all of us, Gray deserves as much happiness as he can get."

FTFTFTFTFT

Gray groaned as he tried to push himself back onto his feet; his throat was raw from the screams that Shadowsky had forced out of his vocal cords and blood dripped in rivulets down his pale face and back. Deep, thick gauges littered his once scar free back and they stung so much that they almost prevented him from standing up straight while the right side of his face burned from where Shadowsky attacked his face with a knife. The ice mage swallowed back the pain and managed to stand tall; his remaining deep blue eye burning a hole into Shadowsky as he did so.

"Do as I say Gray Fullbuster," Shadowsky spat, "Use the Core now."

"Go to hell you bastard." Gray growled, "I'm not going to do anything you say; you lost that right eleven years ago."

Shadowsky smirked and his deep blue eyes flashed darkly,

"I suggest you do what I say boy; you have no idea what my magic truly entails and I would hate to use it."

"Fuck. You."

The smirk that was on his face disappeared immediately,

"Alright, if you won't use the Core, then I'll have to force you."

A thick dark aura began to circulate in Gray's prison; he could barely supress the shivers that were travelling down his spine. He tried to search for Shadowsky, but he noticed that the man's figure was strangely distorted and seemed to be expanding and stretching in grotesque ways. The darkness that was moving around Shadowsky was forebodingly familiar and it made Gray's air catch in his throat. He backed up until his back was pressed against the farthest rock wall; he was trapped. Shadowsky's laugh echoed throughout the cell, but it was guttural and inhuman; it was almost demonic.

"You see Gray," Shadowsky's voice rasped, "When my illusion magic and shadow magic mix together I am able to do something like takeover magic. The difference between my magic and takeover magic is that my magic allows me to turn into demons; to be more specific, it allows me to turn into demons from my opponent's past."

The dark aura that swallowed the prison started to dissipate dramatically and what Gray saw caused his legs to give out from under him. His breathing started to come out in strangled gasps and his heart was beating in his throat. Standing before him was none other than his worst nightmare come true; the same blue skin, the same dark mane and obsidian eyes; the same crushing aura that was able to demolish villages in a single night.

"N-No…" Gray's voice broke, "That's impossible… D-Deliora…"

Shadowsky's laughter exploded throughout the room as Gray slowly tried to push himself to his feet,

"How do you like my magic Gray? I look just like him and I can do everything he could do too. If you don't use the Core to defeat the Magic Council, I will go to Magnolia Town and burn it to the ground."

"No!" Gray shouted, "I won't let you! You said that I had no idea what your magic can do, but guess what? I can say the same for you! You have no idea what my magic can do! I won't let you hurt innocents; it's bad enough you hurt me, it's even worse that you hurt Natsu, but now you're going to pay for your sins."

Shadowsky laughed again and raised his palm and pointed it at Gray,

"Say good bye."

A beam of green light shot out of Shadowsky's hand and towards the ice mage. Due to his sluggish movements and new blindness Gray dove out of the way at the last second and jumped back to his feet; his back protesting as he did so. He brought his hands together and an ice make symbol appeared beneath his feet. He tapped into the Core he was forced to bear and drew on the ice element to strengthen his attack,

"Ice Make: Supreme Ice Cannon!"

An ice cannon, larger than he has ever used before appeared out of this air. He clutched the weapon tightly, pressed the trigger and fired. The explosive ball of ice was almost the size of Shadowsky's new form and it was powerful enough to push him into the other wall. When the dust cleared, Shadowsky was back on his feet, but blood was dripping from a wound in his shoulder.

"You may look like Deliora, but you'll never be as strong as him!"

Before Gray even finished, Shadowsky was standing in front of him, the palm of his hand just inches away from his stomach. As Gray prepared to make an ice wall to separate them, Shadowsky fired; when it hit, it felt like his insides were melting. The force caused Gray to fly back into the wall and cough up blood. His body fell to the floor with an audible thud and his breaths came out in pained gasps.

"What were you saying to me you cocky little whore?!"

The ice mage struggled to push himself to his feet and he quickly used his magic to seal the wound on his stomach. The raven haired teen could barely see straight, but he knew he had to keep fighting; Natsu was coming for him and he was not going to die before he saw him. Gray quickly brought his palms together,

"Ice Make: Floor!"

Before Shadowsky could predict what was happening Gray swiped at his legs and caused him to lose his balance and fall. As Shadowsky fell, Gray brought his hands together again for another attack,

"Ice Make: Ice Blade Seven Slice Dance!"

Long, thick shards of ice appeared on his arms and he dashed towards Shadowsky as he was falling and attacked mercilessly. When Shadowsky hit the ground he was back in his human form and completely unconscious. Gray almost fell to his knees in exhaustion, but he knew that he had to get moving. The raven haired teen moved himself away from the wall and started to make his way toward the escape. He had to get out of there and he knew it; the bastard wouldn't stay down for long. He ran out of the prison and down the rocky corridor; he could feel the cold wind heading towards him as he ran and it only prompted him to move faster.

As he was running, the sound of more running footsteps echoed around him. Gray couldn't tell if they were coming from in front of him or behind him. Despite his protesting muscles, the ice mage pushed himself to run faster. His vision was blurry from exhaustion and he wanted nothing more than to let the darkness take him; but he knew that if Shadowsky caught him again, there was no way in hell that he was getting out alive. Slowly his mind started to drift off, but he was brought back to focus when he ran into something; that something was extremely warm. Chancing it, Gray raised his head and found himself looking into flabbergasted onyx eyes and dishevelled pink hair.

"N-Natsu?" Gray's voice quivered and tears started to gather in the corner of his eyes.

He was answered by arms wrapping tightly around him and pulling him to a warm chest. A loud, consistent heartbeat bounced against Gray's chest and warm breath brushed against his neck. He could feel his dragon slayer's tears falling onto his skin like a cleansing rain.

FTFTFTFTFT

Natsu ran down the corridor as if the devil himself was on his heels; well, Lyon was behind him, so it wasn't that hard to imagine. His heart was pounding in his chest as he ran to his mate; hoping that he wouldn't be too late. The cave seemed to run on forever; it was as if no matter how fast or how far they were running they were still in the same place. The dragon slayer wanted to punch something, no, he wanted to kill something. If Gray knew about these thoughts, Natsu would most likely be getting a lecture about how he could take care of himself and that he made the decision on his own, so there was no point in blaming himself. The problem was, Natsu was blaming himself and no one was going to make him think otherwise. If he was stronger, Gray wouldn't keep getting hurt and he wouldn't have to lose anyone else ever again. All Natsu wanted was for Gray to be happy, even if it meant that Natsu had to give him to someone else who was strong enough to protect him. Natsu would never say it, but he actually thought that Lyon was better for his ice mage; after all, he understood Gray in ways Natsu himself did not.

As if sensing his thoughts, Lyon glanced at the dragon slayer from the corner of his eye and regarded the pink haired teen sadly,

"You're wrong you know."

"What are you babbling on about now ice bastard?" Natsu growled.

"I'm not as good for Gray as you think I am." Lyon answered simply.

"Tch…" Natsu avoided eye contact, "What makes you think that?"

"I know it's not like me to say this to you dumbass, but you're exactly what Gray needs. You stand by his side and make him stronger so that he is able to stand on his own; that's something I could never do. You're the one that saved him on Galuna Island Natsu, not me; I'm the one who almost got him killed in the first place."

Natsu opened his mouth to respond when another scream erupted through the cavern. The group of boys picked up their speed as they tried to get closer to Gray, but once again, Natsu felt like he wasn't getting anywhere.

"Something's not right!" Gajeel shouted from the back of the group.

"You sense it too?" Natsu called back and stopped running causing Lyon to run into him.

"Yeah," The raven haired dragon slayer scowled, "It's like we're running on a treadmill; running, but not actually getting anywhere."

"I thought that was the case…" A familiar voice trailed off behind them.

The boys turned and saw Erza and Loke walking towards them with extreme anger evident on their faces. The two dragon slayers and the ice mage shuddered from the murderous aura that seemed to roll off her skin. She was dressed in her strongest and most efficient armour; her hair was pulled back into a fiery red high ponytail and her red pants flared away from her ankles and were adorned with golden flames along with her two samurai swords held tightly in her hands. Clearly she meant business; no one would want to be Shadowsky right now. Especially with a murderous Titania, a blood seeking Salamander, a violent tempered ice mage, a sadistic iron dragon slayer and a pissed off celestial spirit after his head; this pretty much had fun written all over it.

"Then how the hell do we get off it?!" Natsu roared.

"My guess is we have to incapacitate the illusionist mage who cast the spell." Loke said gravely, "And that mage was probably Shadowsky himself."

"Which means we're shit out of luck." Gajeel punched a wall angrily.

"UGH!" Lyon and Natsu roared simultaneously.

Almost as soon as the sound left their mouths black magic circles appeared on the walls. The mages got into their defensive stances prepared for the assault that was going to come only to watch as the magic symbols shattered. The sound of an explosion echoed farther ahead that caused all the mages to raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"What the hell just happened?" Gajeel growled.

"I dunno," Natsu started walking again, "But I bet it had something to do with Gray; did anyone else feel the air pressure drop?"

"Now that you mention it, it does feel a little colder." Lyon muttered, "And coming from me, that says something."

Without another word the group took off running again, hoping this time they were actually getting somewhere. Natsu sniffed the air around him as he ran and a smile suddenly broke out across his stoic face as he picked up speed. As he was about to turn a corner, a cold body collided head on with his own immediately stopping him. The dragon slayer looked down and his heart caught in his throat. A familiar raven haired teen was standing in front of him with a look of relief and exhaustion on his soft features. One deep blue eye was staring up at him in almost complete disbelief while the other was sealed shut and caked in blood preventing him from opening it; tear prickled at the corners of the dragon slayer's eyes as he realized that the bastard damaged one of Gray's beautiful eyes.

"N-Natsu?" The boy's voice quivered.

Natsu immediately wrapped his arms around the small teen and held him close to his chest. The comforting chill that Gray's body brought to his own heat was enough to entice the tears to fall down his cheeks and splash on the younger teen's body.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered into the raven hair under his nose, "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay Natsu," Gray whispered back soothingly, "You have nothing to apologize for; none of this is your fault do you understand me?"

"But…"

"If you don't stop apologizing flame bastard, I swear I'm going to punch you." Gray ordered teasingly.

A small chuckle escaped Natsu's lips,

"You can always try ice block."

Natsu released Gray from his embrace so he could go give Lyon a hug only for him to freeze. The smell of fresh blood entered his nostrils and he didn't like the scent that was coming off it. The dragon slayer glanced down at his forearms and stomach; he noticed that they were lathered in fresh blood and the red dripped off his bronze forearms like a leaky faucet. At that moment, Gray's legs gave out from under him and Natsu wrapped his arms protectively around his waist to keep him steady.

"Lyon!" Natsu roared, "Help!"

The whole team stood in shock for a moment before Lyon sprang into action and was immediately at the lovers' side.

"Check his back first," Natsu's voice cracked, "Then we have to check his front."

Lyon moved around the pair so he could get a look at Gray's back; as soon as he got in position his already naturally pale face paled even more so that he was a ghostly white. As if on automatic the white haired ice mage brought his hands up and covered Gray's entire backside in a coat of ice. Gray seemed to flinch at the unexpected coldness, but he it didn't take long for his taut muscles to relax from the familiarity.

"Lay him on his back carefully so I can look at his front." Lyon instructed tersely.

Natsu nodded and for once did what he was told; he laid his ice mage gently on his back and bile immediately came up his throat. His love's stomach was charred slightly and blood was gushing out from the wound; it was a miracle that Gray was alive and conscious, let alone even moving.

"Shit…" Gajeel muttered from somewhere behind them.

"I'm going to go tell Wendy and Lucy to prepare for our arrival." Loke whispered, loathing evident in his voice.

"Good idea." Erza said faintly, "He'll need Wendy's help asap."

Loke disappeared in a flash of golden light as Lyon shakily applied more ice to the raven's stomach as he tried to erase the image that he just saw. The white haired teen stared up at Natsu as he finished up the teen's stomach,

"Do you want me to put some ice over his eye too?"

Natsu shook his head negatively,

"That blood is dry; the wound was inflicted before these ones."

Natsu bent down to pick Gray up, but hesitated. He turned to Lyon and placed a hand on his shoulder,

"You should carry him."

"Natsu…"

"I might melt the ice again; I can't let that happen."

Lyon was about to argue with him and say that the ice melted because Gray was losing consciousness, but he knew that the dragon slayer wouldn't listen to him anyway; he was too busy tearing himself apart for what happened. He simply nodded and picked up the younger teen and hugged him to his chest as the group started running to the exit. Slowly, Gray's hazy eye started to open and it connected with Lyon's relieved onyx one.

"How are you doing?" He asked softly.

"'M okay," Gray whispered exhaustedly, "Where'd Natsu go?"

Lyon sighed sadly, but he knew that Gray loved Natsu and that Natsu loved Gray. He also knew that those feelings were never going to change.

"He's running up ahead; he didn't want to risk my awesome ice patching job."

Gray snorted,

"It could be that or he could just be an idiot who is going to be punched in the face later."

"Yeah that too." Lyon laughed.

The boys walked in companionable silence for a while before Lyon cleared his throat,

"I never did get around to thanking you."

"Thanking me?" Gray raised an eyebrow, "For what?"

"Saving me on Galuna," Lyon explained, "I was a real frigid bastard back then and you taught me that I could rely on others instead of chasing after a pointless goal; you loved me even though all I wanted to do was kill you."

"Of course I love you Lyon," Gray laughed while playfully punching Lyon on the collarbone, "You are my brother after all."

"Yeah," Lyon laughed along, "I guess I am; I love you too Gray."

And that's when the cave exploded with a monstrous roar.

Luckily, the group of teens had made it out of the cave before it collapsed behind them. Gray stared at the rubble in fear as the form of Deliora once again towered over him. His body started to shake against Lyon's and he could feel his older brother's body doing the same.

"H-How is this possible?!" Natsu shouted as he ran to Lyon and Gray's side, "I-I killed him… didn't I?"

"Well if you want to get technical, Ur killed him; you just kind of finalized it." Lyon corrected him, "But essentially, Deliora should not be here."

"It's not actually Deliora," Gray whispered, "That is Shadowsky."

"Oh my god…" Lucy whispered from somewhere behind him.

"He's not as strong as the original though," Gray explained, "He said it was a form of takeover magic; you know like the Strauss'."

"Well this cannot be good." Lucy stated the obvious.

"Lyon, put me down." Gray whispered, "I can fight."

Erza, Gajeel, Loke, Lucy, Wendy and Lyon all stared at him in complete disbelief; Natsu on the other hand completely expected something like this to happen. The pink haired teen glanced at the raven haired teen in Lyon's arms and saw the determination shining in them; he sighed in defeat.

"Do as he says." Natsu whispered.

"WHAT?! ARE YOU CRAZY?!"

"Hey, it's better knowing he's fighting than it is not knowing and having him just burst into the fight and getting hurt."

"I am sitting right here you know." Gray grumbled.

"I see your point," Lyon mumbled, "But I see your point."

"Still sitting here…"

Shadowsky let out a ferocious roar and started to make his way towards the group of mages. Gray felt himself being placed on the ground and luckily his legs were able to hold his weight. A dark aura rolled off Shadowsky and Gray's heart nearly stopped; this couldn't be good.

"Uh, guys…"

"Yeah?"

"Uh, you remember when Elfman first tried performing a full body takeover?"

Erza nodded sadly,

"He lost control and 'killed' Lisanna; why do you ask?"

"Well let's just say that Shadowsky isn't home right now and we might have to leave a message."

As if to emphasize his point a beam of magic shot out of Shadowsky's mouth and there was no aim in it whatsoever. All the mages paled as they dodged the beam as it shot across the barren land. The beam of magic hit some of the handmade graves that Gray constructed and demolished them. Gray could feel the rage building up inside him; how dare that bastard destroy the markers of his loved ones! The calm weather that was around him began to whip into a frenzy and the weather plummeted drastically.

"Gray," Natsu whispered in his ear, "You need to calm down."

"I. Am. Calm." He growled darkly, "If I wasn't I probably would've used Iced Shell; however, with weather like this, the Demon won't be able to see us or our attacks."

"How long will you be able to keep this up Gray-kun?" Wendy asked nervously.

"As long as I have to."

"Gray…"

"Natsu, please trust me." Gray whispered, "I can't fight physically due to my injuries and due to the fact that I'm not used to my blind side I might end up attacking one of you guys instead."

The dragon slayer nodded his head hesitantly and pressed his warm lips against Gray's forehead,

"Okay, we'll do as you ask. However, if you don't warm up the temperature at least a little most of our fighters won't be able to move."

Gray nodded stiffly and the temperature warmed slightly,

"This temperature work for everyone?"

All of the mages nodded before running into battle.

FTFTFT TWO WEEKS LATER FTFTFT

Gray sat on his bed, his back facing away from the door so no one would be able to see the tears that were running down his cheeks. He could hear footsteps approaching him, but he didn't acknowledge them in anyway or form. He refused to acknowledge the world that he lived him; for what was a world that only brought him pain and suffering. What was a life that only ever brought him loneliness and sadness; everyone who had ever dared to love him were all snatched away from him in a blink of an eye. First his mother, then Ur and now him; maybe he should've done what he planned to do from the start. Maybe he should've kept himself secluded and not let anyone else in; if he didn't stay with Ur, then she would be alive and if he didn't let him into his heart then maybe he would be alive too.

Muscled arms wrapped around his waist gently and pulled him back carefully. Gray was aware of the heartbeat beating against his back, but it was doing nothing to sooth the pain. What if simply touching his body brought on a curse; it sure seemed that way and it hurt all the more. The ice mage didn't want to be alone, that was his worst fear, but with the way his life was going now maybe it's for the best.

"It wasn't your fault…"

But it was… no matter what anyone said, it was his fault that another powerful mage was dead.

"Maybe everyone would be better off if I was dead." He whispered brokenly.

The arms around his waist squeezed even tighter and the heart beat banging against his bandaged back beat even faster,

"Don't ever say that…"

"But it's true!" Gray cried, a tears falling rapidly down his cheeks, "So many more people would be alive if I wasn't! If Deliora had only killed me that day all those years ago, then so many others would be able to experience lives that they never had!"

"You don't know that…"

Gray whipped around and banged his fists on the unwelcome person's chest. His tears continuing to fall down his face; he thought he ran out of tears years ago, but of course he was wrong.

"I do!" He sobbed, "I close my eyes and imagine the lives they would have if I never entered their lives. If they never loved me then they would be alive and helping other people who deserve it! It's not fair!"

Calloused hands wrapped tightly around his wrists and yanked him towards the chest that was in front of him. Sobs continued to wrack his body as his very soul quaked in his body; the calloused hands ran their way through Gray's raven hair rhythmically slowly calming the teen down.

"You're right Gray," The voice above him cracked, "It's not fair; you deserve happiness just as much as the rest of us and that is why everyone will do anything to keep you safe. You deserve to live your life without looking over your shoulder and worrying that your past will come back and destroy everything you love. Your friends, no, your family want you to be happy Gray because the love that you so rarely give to others is something that they cherish; something that I cherish."

Gray sat silently and let the other rock him back and forth soothingly. If he wanted to Gray could've easily fallen back to sleep, but he was worried that if he closed his eyes he would see him die all over again.

"Gray," the other whispered soothingly into his hair, "Are you going to come or are you going to stay?"

More tears sprung to the corners of his eyes as he nodded his head slowly. The other teen helped Gray to his feet and helped the emotionally broken teen get changed into his white dress shirt, black tie and black jacket. Gray's lifeless deep blue eye stared up at the teen as if asking him to just end his life, but of course the other would have none of it. The taller teen wrapped his arm around Gray's shoulders and led him out of the apartment. The travel to their destination was slow and solemn as sobs started to shake Gray's frail body like an earthquake. When the two teens finally arrived at the grave yard it was already packed with people. Guilds from around the area were gathered around the newly erected tombstone and they watched as Gray slowly made his way towards it. Gray knelt down in front of the tombstone and slowly traced his fingers around the engraved Guild symbol that rested at the top of the stone.

"You were a strong mage," Gray whispered, "Growing up I would watch you and wish that I was as talented as you were. For the longest time you were my goal because I knew that I would be strong enough if I was able to beat you in a fight. You helped me in so many ways, but you broke me in many ways too. You were always by my side during those months of darkness and you were my ray of light for that brief time before darkness shrouded me once more."

Sobs and sniffles could be heard from behind him as he spoke his words. All he wanted to do was disappear or turn back time so that this didn't happen. He felt the arms around his shoulders tighten and he looked up into the onyx eyes that stared down at him; they were so much like his.

"You were determined, straight forward and you did anything in your power to achieve your goals and dreams; for that I have always admired you." Gray added, "Even if you started off on the wrong foot with someone, you still managed to protect them as if they were your own nakama."

Gray stopped tracing the guild insignia on the tombstone and ran his hand over his face to dry his tears. His hand brushed against the new scar that ran down his right eye and forced back a shiver. He stared at the tombstone and slowly returned the embrace of the person who was supporting him.

"Most of all, you were able to grant me even a small amount of happiness by loving me…" Gray's voice broke, "Even if I already gave my love to someone else and without you Lyon, that person wouldn't be beside me today so I am grateful and my love and admiration for you will never change brother… you can always count on having place in my heart."

Gray pushed himself to his feet, Natsu's warm body pressed tightly against him; trying to give him as much comfort as he possibly could. Gray buried his head into the crook of Natsu's neck and closed his eyes before slowly raising his hand into that of the Fairy Tail symbol of nakamaship.

"Lyon Bastia," He raised his voice clearly, "Although you are a proud and strong member of Lamia Scale… you will forever be an honorary member of Fairy Tail."

Murmurs of agreement, pride and the sound of more tears could be heard all around him even as the sky's tears began to fall. Behind his closed eyelids Gray remembered the last moments of Lyon's life, no doubt along with the others who were there that fateful day…

Gray was reduced to sitting on his knees because of the taxing energy that the core was taking on him in order to keep the blizzard going. Lucy, Wendy, Gajeel, Lyon and even Erza had been knocked out cold by the reincarnation of Deliora. Gray felt as if he was eight years old; watching as Deliora killed the ones he loved. Natsu was shaking and could barely keep himself standing. Gray noticed as Natsu's legs were about to give out from under him and push himself up so he could catch Natsu before falling on the ground.

"N-Natsu," Gray whispered exhaustedly, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Natsu coughed, "I'm fine."

What used to be Shadowsky turned towards them and prepared to fire another beam of magic at them; and with the condition they were in, they wouldn't be able to avoid it. Natsu pushed Gray behind him and shielded Gray with his body.

"N-Natsu what are you doing?!" Gray cried.

"You need to live Gray…"

"I-I can't live without you!" Gray pleaded, "I love you too much Natsu! Please don't do it… don't leave me!"

"You heard him flame brain don't leave him…"

"L-Lyon…"

"Did you hear what I said Natsu Dragneel!" Lyon demanded as he crossed his arms in that fateful stance, "Don't you dare leave him alone!"

"NO!" An agonized scream tore from Gray's throat, "NO! Lyon you can't do this!"

"I'm so sorry Gray," Lyon told him, "For all the pain I put you through, just know that I always loved you; don't ever forget that."

The magical energy whipping around Lyon expanded and electrical currents surged through the area.

"Natsu…" Lyon whispered, "Keep my little brother safe."

"NO!" Gray shouted again as he tried to dive for Lyon.

Natsu wrapped his arms as tightly as he could around Gray's waist as he continued to struggle. The dragon slayer whispered pain-filled apologies into his ear, but the ice mage couldn't register them; all he could register was that he was going to lose another person he loved. If it wasn't Natsu, it was Lyon; if it wasn't Lyon it was going to be Natsu… Gray was going to be screwed either way.

"ICED SHELL!"

The snow covered remains of Isvan was covered in a blinding light as Lyon's body was consumed by the forbidden spell of Iced Shell. Iced Shell has now consumed to lives that were important to Gray and once again he was the sole cause of it. When the light cleared Shadowsky-Deliora was shrouded in thick impenetrable ice; ice that was none other than his older brother.

"LYON!"

Gray opened his eyes slowly and stared at the grave before him. By the silence he could tell that only people left were Lyon's closest friends. Gray could sense Sherry, Yuka, Erza, Gajeel, Wendy, Lucy, Loke, Juvia and of course Natsu who was still planted firmly at his side. He heard the footsteps of the others retreating behind him and he felt Natsu begin to pull away from him. Gray latched onto Natsu's suit jacket to prevent him from leaving.

"You promised him you wouldn't leave me."

Natsu wrapped his arms around Gray's waist and pulled him against his chest,

"And I won't leave you until the day that you want me to leave your side."

Gray turned so his face was buried in Natsu's chest and the dragon slayer started to run his hand through the raven's rain soaked hair.

"Even if loving me leads you to your death, you won't leave me?"

Natsu gripped the ice mage's chin and tilted his head up so that they were looking each other in the eyes. The dragon slayer softly wiped the tears off his ice mage's cheeks and pressed his forehead on the others. He stared into Gray's deep blue and pale blue eyes before placing his lips on the tip of Gray's nose and then chastely kissing the shell pink lips.

"I will continue to love you through life, death, afterlife and beyond," Natsu whispered, "The only reason loving you would lead me to my death would be if I was following you after yours."

THE END

SO… I finally finished this story line… probably not in the way that the most of you expected either. I hope that the ending of this story is good enough for you guys because I actually tried to make this work. And for those Lyon fans out there don't murder me and for those Natsu fans out there sorry if I made you think he was dead… I'm thinking that there will be a sequel to this, but with a new story line! Thanks for following the story faithfully! I loved all the reviews and I hope I get to hear from you guys soon!

-sktrgrl13