"Dammit Gray, let us in!"

Gajeel's fists throbbed from pounding against the unrelenting ice. He could see the vague shapes of Gray and Juvia on their knees, slumped against each other. Neither of them were moving, but Gajeel had seen the crystal impale his best friend, she needed healing. She needed healing now!

His thoughts propelled his assault on the jagged ice wall, but for every piece he manage to chip off another, larger spike grew in its place. Ice was slowly crawling across the floors and up the walls, engulfing the entire room in a bitter cold.

"Gray, it's Wendy! Please let me help Juvia!"

More spikes continued to sprout from the fortress, causing the Fairy Tail member to take a stuttering step backwards.

"Where the hell is Natsu?"

"I don't know!"

"Someone find him so he can melt this shit!"

"Juvia?" Her head was heavy on his shoulder, weighing on his collarbone and making it ache. Gray's eyes looked stubbornly at the ceiling, ignoring the warm, growing pool around his knees and the strands of hair that were sticking to his tear stained face.

"You're water, right? You'll be fine, just need some time, yeah?" The warmth underneath him was gone now, replaced with a cold familiarity.

"Juvia, hurry up and close it already! This isn't funny!" Gray's voice grew in volume. His hands gripped her shoulders and eyes snapped down to meet hers, only to see the fog returning his glare. He startled, hands falling to his sides as he gave a wet exhale.

"Please, no. Please not you too," His shaking hands grasped hers, the blood squelching when he threaded their fingers.

"Come on Juvia, take my magic. Please, just take it. It's just like our Unison Raid! Take it and use it to heal yourself!" Gray was screaming at the end, begging her over and over to heal herself, but nothing changed in her unresponsive form.

Everyone around me is cursed. Dad. Ultear. Ur. Mom.

I told you to stay away, Juvia. I told you!

Gray was sobbing and his arm throbbed. The crystal that was still embedded in her torso bit into his hip as he clutched at her hands and buried his brow in her shoulder.