I've seen many time travel fics, and I'll be honest when I say they're not that good. 'Course, mine might be even worse, but you never see Gray in the spotlight during these things. They bash him more than anything else.
Time to fix that. More author's notes are down the bottom, that's where all the important info for the story will be.
I hope you enjoy your read.
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and its characters do not belong to me. I think that's obvious.
XxX
They were no strangers to war.
Battles would be waged, the fate of Fiore hanging in the balance. Blood would be spilled, Fairy Tail's light leading the way for peace.
Spells continued to fly, flames and ice meeting curses midair. Their throats were dry from overuse, begging to be allowed rest.
Something they couldn't afford.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
"Ice Devil's Rage!"
Their friends would call, desperate pleas towards the fallen and spells against their enemies.
Their voices would diminish and die, as time ticked by.
"Natsu! Behind you!"
Children, growing into the roles of soldiers. Guilds, charging into battle against the supernatural. Friends, lying limp in each others arms as the ground shook under them.
Sometimes, they would be too slow. Too careless.
Too outmatched.
"NATSU!"
As his friend fell, a vine through what was left of his chest, the world stopped turning.
XxX
His brain refused to answer him.
"Natsu?"
He felt weak. Sick. The ground came rushing up to meet him, stones digging into his knees as his legs collapsed from beneath him.
Natsu wasn't moving. He wasn't breathing. Wasn't pushing himself back to his feet, wasn't charging an attack that would shift the tide of the battle in their favour.
Nobody was.
"W...what?" When did the world change colour? "...Natsu?"
The boy hung before Gray, his feet inches above the ground, his eyes wide and jaw loose. Even as the Ice-Make mage watched, the pool of crimson beneath the Dragon Slayer continued to grow, every drop that fell from the jagged plant keeping him from the ground adding to it.
"You weren't strong enough..."
The cool voice whispered through the demented landscape, every syllable quaking. Fear? Anger? Sadness?
Gray sprang back to his feet, falling into a battle stance as... someone appeared before him. His muscled blazed, threatening to melt in their place as he forced them through more activity, his legs screaming in protest as he shifted closer to the floor.
"You weren't strong enough..." The stranger had his back turned to Gray, his hair and toga drifting lazily in a wind only he could feel. "After everything you promised..."
Water fell from his face, something Gray failed to notice as he brought his fist down unto his open palm.
"Who are you!?" His throat burned, a long gash across his lip leaking more blood through his snarl as it was stretched.
The young man, as Gray could now see, jumped slightly, spinning around to face Ice-Make mage with wide eyes.
"Unaffected?" He whispered, dark eyes drifted down to the Guild mark adorning Gray's pectoral. A slight rush of wind escaped his mouth, his gaze almost hopeful as it was elevated once more.
The air around Gray's body suddenly grew heavy, forcing a gasp as he fell back to the floor. His heart slowed down, the blood running through his veins cooling far enough to be felt under his skin.
It felt like his lungs were being crushed.
"No...you're just like all the others." The pressure lifted, allowing Gray to painfully refill his lungs. He was beginning to get a grasp on exactly who this guy was.
And if he was right, then he was terrified.
"You told me you would be the one to meet me in the end." The world around Gray flashed; colours and shades inverting back to their original appearance. The young man had once again turned his back on Gray, his head bowed slightly to the ground as physics reclaimed everything surrounding them.
"You weren't strong enough. What happened to your promise?"
Natsu crashed to the ground, the vine that had once kept him suspended crumbling as the last of his flames petering out into nothingness.
His eyes found Gray's, a single drop of water escaping before all light was sealed away.
"M...Master!?"
Mard Geer stumbled forward, the unexpected spell's release merging with the disgusting feeling of surprise to unbalance him. Zeref turned his attention to the Devil Slayer, paying absolutely no mind to his present creation.
"He was your friend, wasn't he?" Gray bared his teeth against the pain, his gaze flickering from Mard Geer to Zeref. "The person you would trust your life to without question?"
Fighting down the urge to snort, Gray forced himself to stand straight, wincing every inch of the way. Mard Geer stood off to the side, the normally emotionless demon watching the exchange with a large amount of interest.
His creator had just interrupted his battle to talk to his enemy. And was he crying?
Had it been any other, the distraction would have been removed with nary a glance. But this? Forget killing the humans (or rather what was left of them), this was intriguing enough for him to momentarily forget his distaste.
"Why do you care!?"
Zeref remained silent, turning once again to the still form of Natsu. Gray held his hands forward, preparing to call a spell even as he felt the power within Mard Geer flare once more-
"You must get stronger, and your friends must do the same."
Both Demon and Devil Slayer froze as Zeref's arm emerged from within his toga.
The Immortal had one hand reached out, three of his fingers pointed towards Gray. His back remained turned to the ice user, his shoulders shaking as more drops left his face.
"Cherish this gift... for it will not be given again."
With those words, darkness came rushing out to meet Gray, his mind not having time to comprehend exactly what was happening as unconsciousness claimed him as its own.
XxX
His head was on fire.
A groan escaping his mouth, Gray's eyes opened to slits, a breeze carrying the sharp edge of winter dancing across his face. Moonlight pushing through his eye lashes, he pulled himself from the rubble he'd been lying upon, his legs almost collapsing from under him once more as he spared a moment to wonder why nothing else was hurt.
He was tired. No, exhausted. His muscles jumped and pulsed dull agony through his body with every breath, a promise of pain the next morning that hadn't been made since his days training in the snow.
Where were his injuries? Why could he feel the magic coursing through his body, magic that he knew had been expended during the battle? Why was there snow covering the ground at his feet, clinging to his hair as he ran a hand through it in an attempt to soothe the ache within his skull?
Was he dead? No, he'd died before, this felt nothing like that moment. Laying a hand across his chest, he let out a breath, a cloud forming in front of his face.
He could feel his heart beating. That wasn't suppose to happen if you die.
Even so, where had all this rubble come from? There had to have been an entire town demolished for the mess surrounding him to be ma-
His breath caught in his throat as he turned around, his eyes immediately leaping to the creature behind him.
There was a fair amount of distance separating him from the gargantuan figure, enough for the person standing before it to be a smudge in his vision. The thing roared, loud and furious, as a large magic seal materialised above its head.
His tattoo blazed, the strands of unnatural ink waving across and around his skin.
The magic had gathered in his mouth before he could think, his steps towards the scene faster than they could ever remember them being.
He knew what was happening here. He knew who was standing before Deliora. And there was no way he couldn't recognise the face of his younger self, holding that damn idiot Lyon over one shoulder.
"Cherish this gift... for it will not be given again."
He'd have loved to take a minute and ponder exactly what implications may have been hidden away in that sentence, if he'd had even the slightest amount of time to spend.
His Ethernanos spiked, more power than could be considered safe flooding from his Second Origin.
"Ice Devil's Rage!" He was either in the past or dreaming, and neither scenario did much to change his mind. This moment had plagued his nightmares, taunting his uselessness in this battle. He wouldn't - couldn't just sit idly whilst having the power to save the woman that had become his mother.
The rush of air and Devil Slayer magic connected heavily with the side of Deliora's head, knocking the Demon off one foot as it cleaved halfway through its horn. The magic seals surrounding its body disappeared as it roared in pain, Gray already having one hand clenched upon the other as he slid to a halt before Ur.
The Ice Make master straightened from her crouch, her magic dying down whilst her arms uncrossed. "What the Hell!?"
"Get out of here." Gray turned to face his mentor, his jaw clenching as she uncrossed her arms and took a step back.
She was alive, or she was a figment of his imagination, and he was not going to cry.
Ur's eyes widened, a small step taken towards the teenager.
"...Gray?"
"Get them out of here!" Gray turned back to the Demon, silently cursing the drop of water that fell from his eye as a green orb grew and condensed. "I can take care of this. Ice Make: Shield!"
The wall of ice sprang forth from his hand, almost shattering immediately as the magic beam connected with it.
Gray grunted, digging his heels into the ground as he was pushed back a pace. Whatever was hitting his shield, it was doing a good job.
Taking a moment to set his stance, Gray poured more magic into his shield, pushing the portion taking the impact forth inches before the rest. The action had the desired effect, as what was left of the attack split against the slight bump, cannoning off to the sides and destroying even more of the landscape with fiery explosions.
Gray chanced a glance over his shoulder as Deliora sagged slightly, dark liquid leaking from the gash left by Gray's first attack. Lyon had already regained consciousness, and the three spectators had moved to take cover near one of the larger piles of rubble.
Good. He wasn't planning on letting the demon live, and he didn't need his past self or his adopted family being hit by the shrapnel.
"Ice Devil's Zeroth Destruction Bow!"
Freezing energy leapt and coiled from his palm, the molding portion of the magic constructing the weapon and its ammunition. In under a second, Gray had the bow trained on Deliora's gaping mouth, the arrow taut against the frozen string.
"Thank you, dad."
The arrow had crossed the gap in a heartbeat, eliciting another pained roar from the Demon as it impacted against the roof of its mouth. As it sunk through flesh, multiple shards of magical ice sprang forth from its shaft, each driving itself further into the creature than the last.
Deliora howled in agony, desperately swiping at its lips with clawed hands. The arrow had done more damage than Gray had expected, a continuous stream of what was unmistakably blood cascading from the Demon's lips.
His skull drummed with dull pain, his Ethernanos drained far enough for him to feel the void they had left behind.
He would finish this quickly. Even if this was his opponent, he didn't have the energy for a drawn out battle. Not when only he had possession of magic that could win.
"Ice Devil's Zeroth Frozen Excalibur!"
The magic was already pulsing from his skin as Gray launched himself skyward, the burning in his limbs pushed aside as ice formed in his hand. Bringing the shapeless magic before himself, it flattened and sharpened, an intricate blade stronger than any ordinary metal molding to his grasp.
The air surrounding him briefly blazed as Deliora began charging another attack, considerably slower than the first attempt. With a roar, he brought his head forth to fire- before the orb disappeared completely and the Demon let out a guttural groan.
Gray closed his eyes, his hands already wet with his opponent's blood. Happiness and disgust were mingling in his stomach, a strange experience to be having as he carved through a throat wider than he was tall. Allowing the sword to melt into nothingness, Gray heaved a deep breath, pushing himself into the air with a kick.
He wasn't done yet.
His magic seal unfurled in front of his face as he gathered magic in his mouth, glaring coldly into the large eyes that followed him into the air. Was his greatest enemy even sentient, beyond the basic needs and desires of common animals? The answer wasn't something he was too interesting in knowing, if that had even been an option.
"Ice Devil's Rage!"
He wasn't sure if the gasps from behind him was his imagination of not, as the magic infused shards bared down upon the Demon below him. The attack connected, a sickening crash echoing through the destroyed village as the pained groans came to a halt.
His feet touched ground through the dust his attack had left behind, his legs shaking slightly as Deliora crashed into the puddle beneath itself.
A wave of nausea passed through his body as he turned to face the group behind him, the unexpected feeling knocking him to his knees. His head felt worse than when he'd woken up the first time, and he couldn't imagine launching as much magic as he had in the last few minutes had done anything to help him.
He almost laughed when he heard younger his and Lyon's simultaneous cries of alarm, air hissing through his teeth as his knees gave way, a pair of arms stopping his progress towards the ground as every last fragment of ignored exhaustion hit him at once.
"This can't be good..." Ur mumbled to herself, her words barely above a breath as they invaded the darkness rushing to claim him once more.
XxX
Why was the ground so soft?
Gray groaned, his slowly opening eyelids slamming shut once more as sunlight invaded his pupil. His head sank further into the pillow beneath it, before both his eyes flew open, memories of his time before unconsciousness flooding his mind.
Deliora, Ur, himself, a ruined village and the biggest mistake of his life being averted and subsequently avenged.
His hands planted beside his waist, Gray pushed himself up, the blanket falling from beneath his chin as he blinked the last of the sleep from his eyes. His chest was bare, a fact that had long since stopped shocking him, and his eyes had just traveled back to the window before a glass of clear liquid was thrust beneath his nose.
Lacking the energy required to flinch away from the sudden object, Gray's eyes followed the arm attached to the appendage invading every aspect of his personal space, the first thought that entered his mind leaving his mouth as his sight landed on what should have been the long-dead, frozen and melted face of his first and only teacher.
"What year is it?"
Ur raised an eyebrow as the strange boy before her made no move to accept the glass, his gaze focused a little too intently on her features.
"X774." The doppelgänger's eyes clouded over at her words, a sharp flick to his forehead quickly stopping them from rolling to the back of his head. "Now I want my answer. Who are you?"
Gray's eyes wandered to the window behind her head, his mind absently noting the lack of any pain as he took in the light view he'd seen so many times before.
"You're not dead..." He showed no signs of hearing her words, his lip twitching slightly as he pinched his bicep, "and I'm not dead..."
Whatever Ur had planned on saying died in her throat, coming out as a sort of surprised squawk as the glass was knocked aside, its contents spilled across the duvet as the teenager pulled her into a hug.
A damp patch was slowly spreading across her shoulder, and the words she was about to fire withered as the teenager that resembled her student so much let out a small sob against her shirt.
Her mind silently wandered to the insignia she'd seen stamped upon his chest, her arms slowly moving to encircle his shoulder as she settled comfortably upon the blanket.
XxX
"...We managed to stop them before they could activate Face, but without Gramps and Laxus we didn't stand a chance."
Gray paused his story, taking a sip of the beer Ur had offered him. It tasted bland, compared to what Fairy Tail had always used to stock its cellar (and keep Cana happy), but he'd seen no point in refusing after his teacher had offered him a glass from one of the two bottles she'd fetched, the second he'd mentioned a trip through time and space.
"And what happened after that?" For her part, the Ice Make Master looked just as sharp as ever, a glass to her lips and an eyebrow raised marginally in interest.
Gray downed the rest of his glass, shaking his head when he was offered a refill. He was already trying to ignore the notion of figuring out why his teacher seemed to have such a high tolerance, or the reason behind its development.
"I don't really know." He admitted, giving the window a brief glance. It had only snowed in Magnolia during few set weeks in the year, and the sight was always one he'd felt most comfortable with. Apart from that single day in the year, an anniversary that would now never happen.
"I guess he sent me back because I was the only one alive." He muttered quietly, his words easily carrying through the otherwise silent room. "Maybe he wants me to keep them all alive, so Natsu can kill him like he wants."
Ur took another swig from her bottle, her eyes darting to the side as Gray filled his glass. It had been surprising, finding out that the most evil Mage in all of history was still alive. There had always been rumours that he'd uncovered the secrets of immortality; every person with an education had learned and formulated their own theories. A thought sparked through her mind, pushing aside the desire to ask Gray to procure some evidence so she could finally win a few of those bets she'd made as a child.
"When did you join Fairy Tail?"
He twitched, his lips twisting enough for her to regret her question before he gave a bitter laugh.
"I set out to figure out how to reverse Iced Shell." There were traces of humour lacing his tone, and she silently cursed herself for unearthing what was obviously best kept buried. "I ended up at Fairy Tail, and after Gramps told me it was hopeless I ended up becoming a member."
The room grew quiet, an occasional muffled word from elsewhere in the house being all that could be heard as Ur placed her empty bottles beside her chair's legs.
Gray sighed, setting his feet below him as he absently tugged at his shirt's hem. As much as he wanted to stay, this house was no longer home. Here was familiar, here was a dream that had been out of his reach, but now living that dream was no longer something that he was desperate for. He'd found his own place to call home, but he couldn't leave... himself here.
He'd changed so many lives for the better (if he did say so himself), but there would be very little he could do in his current state. At this point, all of his friends would still be children. And no matter how he looked at it, through every bond of family that Fairy Tail had instilled in every member, a man that was old enough to drink without someone questioning where his parents were was not someone who could or should walk up to a very young child with the intention of making friends.
He had to make a life for himself, but he'd been happy with what he'd had to leave behind. And maybe he'd have been even happier knowing that his older brother, who he'd never known about because he'd gone missing before he was born and was presumed dead, had finally found him, having just enough time to save his only parental figure with his strange and powerful Lost Magic. His brother was strong, too, being able to take out a Demon that Zeref had created. He'd fainted from magical exhaustion afterwards, but in his hero worship he'd always conveniently forget about that part.
Damn. His brother sounded awesome.
"I'm planning on going back to Fairy Tail." Gray closed his eyes when Ur remained silent, another sigh escaping his lips as he turned to face her, "and I... I need to take me with me."
Gray wouldn't want to leave, not with a stranger claiming to be his brother. He would want to stay with his teacher, to learn everything there was to learn about Ice Make and become a powerful wizard.
And he would, but he was needed elsewhere. If Fairy Tail hadn't been able to stand against Tartarus with him, their chances of survival were even shittier than what history, or whatever the opposite would be in his situation, had shown them to be.
And even if one of them did make their way to Fairy Tail, the results were still undesirable.
Gray felt himself inch the shirt up his stomach as Ur stared at him impassively, her dark eyes piercing through his discomfort.
"It's not really my choice." Her words held a hint of resignation, foreign to almost everything he'd heard from her.
Gray snorted, his discomfort dissolving and his minute twitches halting. He'd need to keep the stripping under control for the next week at least; it wouldn't do well for his past self to see his Guild mark.
"It's not like he's getting a choice in the matter." It was definitely weird, referring to himself as a separate person. Oh well, he would just have to get used to it. "He's eight. And besides, his big brother..."
Gray trailed off, realisation lighting his eyes. There couldn't really be two Gray Fullbusters, that would raise too many questions. His resemblance to his eight year old body was uncanny, and there were people in the world who knew of Time magic.
Gray's eyebrows furrowed slightly, quickly deciding against telling Ur that her daughter was still alive. It wouldn't be fair; he had no idea where Ultear even was at this point in time; Hades may have already made her a member of Grimoire Heart. There was no way he was allowing his teacher to throw her life away for one of her children again, and there was no doubt in his mind that she'd do it without a moment's hesitation.
Ultear had saved her own life, and he'd be damned if she didn't manage to again.
"...His big brother Silver says so."
XxX
The newly christened Silver raised an eyebrow, his arms crossed over his chest - his clothed chest - as Ur laughed outright at the sight before her. Both Gray and Lyon stood in the snow, stripped to their undergarments, their eyes locked on Silver and a meticulously drawn - in black marker pen - pattern on their right arms.
"How did you kill Deliora?" Gray continued the interrogation that had been going for the last five minutes, and as per what was rapidly becoming tradition Silver rolled his eyes before answering.
"With my Ice Devil Slayer magic."
"Can you teach us?" Lyon shot his question forth, both arms twitching from their position, crossed over his chest.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't even know how I learned it." Silver drawled, a small sigh of relief escaping his mouth as the questions stopped and the two children before him turned to each other.
He should have guessed that relief would be short lived.
"Are you Ur's boyfriend?"
Silver almost spasmed as the words left Lyon's mouth. That was just...wrong.
"No!"
"What's wrong with being Ur's boyfriend?"
God damn it, now his teacher was joining in too. Silver didn't have to turn around to know that Ur's smirk had dropped, her eyes widened with faux sadness and slight irritation. Because she was enjoying this.
"Well, she's old and she's got two kids. Next question?"
Years of living around females that could shift their mood to irate in under a second allowed Silver enough reaction time to duck under the palm that had been swinging at the back of his head, his hair flying upwards as air rushed to meet it. Glancing up, he noticed the stares his hair was receiving, exactly where the strands were hiding his scar.
"...Why do look like me so much?" Gray broke the momentary silence, his still chubby and completely unable to take seriously face dropped into a serious expression.
Well, time to spin the web of lies.
"Your last name is Fullbuster, right?" At Gray's hesitant nod, Silver took a deep breath. "Well, so is mine."
Gray's eyes grew wide, his body stilling completely. Seeing as he probably wouldn't be making a move any time soon, Silver glanced at Ur, before clearing his throat and taking whatever plunge he'd yet to leap.
"I didn't know I had a brother until recently, actually. I guess that makes me long lost, or something?" Silver chuckled awkwardly, scratching his cheek as Gray showed no signs of waking up. "You found me. Congrats."
Gray blinked, seeming to snap himself out of his own trance.
"I don't have any family." He said slowly, tilting his head to glare up at Silver through his shaggy hair. For someone who still wet the bed (he'd know), it had an odd intimidation factor present. "They're all dead."
"Breaking my heart, kid." Silver sniffed, mentally scolding his arms as they fell towards the bottom of his shirt. "Do I look dead to you?"
Gray's harsh look softened slightly, his eyes flickering to Ur. A few seconds later, and he was staring at Silver again, something odd within those dark blue orbs that were so familiar.
He almost frowned when he noticed they were tears. Even if he was technically lying to himself, he was still spreading misinformation to a child. A child that seemed to trust him.
Quickly going through the list of friends he'd made in the future, he let out a silent sigh of relief when he came across no psychologists. They'd have a field day with this situation.
At least he knew there'd be no hugs in this situation. The one he'd given to Ur was a special occasion; he didn't hug.
Now that the hard part was over, he just had to convince himself to do something he had no desire to do in the first place. Easy.
"Go pack your bags." Gray's eyebrows shot up as he glanced at Ur, then at Lyon, before snapping back to Silver as his no-longer-long lost brother spun on a practiced heel, marching through the snow back to the house.
"We're joining a Guild, and we'll be leaving in a few hours. You're coming with me, you've got no choice."
Yep.
The arguments were already flying before he was even halfway to the door, a satisfied smile spreading across his face as he ignored a horribly aimed snowball.
Easy-peasy.
XxX
A few things that are necessary to know about the story.
I am well aware that (spoilers) Silver is Gray's father; that's the whole reason Gray chose that name. I'm going to refer to him as Silver, even in scenes that he doesn't share with Gray, because that will alleviate confusion. Much like this A/N is hopefully doing.
I don't know anything about honorifics. So I'm not going to bother using them, because I'm not kawaii enough to go for my true weeaboo license. The only thing honorific I'm going to bother with will be 'Gray-sama', because Juvia just wouldn't be the same.
I don't know when I'll update, and I don't know how long the chapters will be. I write in spurts, some days will pass with nothing and other will pass with thousands of words. I've also got two other stories for two other fandoms in the works. Yeah.
This is not going to be a completely serious, death and destruction fic. I'm trying to keep the Fairy Tail style, seriousness mixed with a healthy amount of silliness. Let me know how you think I did.
Thank you for reading thus far. 'Till next chapter.
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