Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi

Fairy Tail © Hiro Mashima

A/N: Right so this is my first attempt at delving into the Fairy Tail characters! Of course, I had to choose one of my all-time favourite people: Gray Fullbuster. He's just so wholesome and entertaining.

Warning(s): none

Pairing(s): Kagome and Gray

61. Fairy Tale

It was snowing.

The first snow of winter, or early winter, Kagome recalled. It was coming to the middle of September, rather early for the snows to start. Nonetheless, Kagome loved it. And she hated it.

The girl of eighteen saw both sides of this coin. She oft saw the festivities and the excitement of children, the cocoa and the trendy scarves and the ice-skating. But she also saw the death of thousands, taken ill by flu, unable to recover from hypothermia and then pneumonia. Deadly diseases so easy to counteract in her time, yet not in theirs.

Thoughtfully, Kagome turned from her desk and gazed out the window as darkness had began to fall yet the white drops were highlighted by the moon's ethereal glow. Standing, transfixed, Kagome moved closer, gasping as she felt the cold seep through the windowsill as she lay her hands upon it. Amethyst lit the sky, deeper hues stretching across the sky like a blend of watercolours.

The glow of the well-house captured her attention immediately. Reacting, Kagome stepped back from the window, grabbed her dressing gown and exited her bedroom. Not wanting Inuyasha to cause a commotion, the girl left the house silently. 'He's coming for me early. We agreed on three days.' Confusion knitting her brow, the black-haired girl slipped her sneakers on and tightened her gown before opening the house door.

Approaching the building, the soft crunch of snow under her feet went unnoticed. As Kagome reached the steps, the doors shot open, a hulking form quickly exiting or falling. Reacting first, thinking later, Kagome rushed forward, grasping the form in her arms, eyes focussing as she attempted to gratify the situation. The weight of the second body, however, caused Kagome to droop, dropping to her knees, clutching the torso in her arms.

In the snow, coldness seeping into her body through her gown, she remained still. The form – a man – was shirtless, yet his skin was almost fire to the touch, almost unnaturally so. Secondly, this wasn't the familiar silver and red of her favourite hanyou from the Sengoku Jidai. "Hey…" His breath was against her bare throat and she shifted. "Wake up!" Dark hair, she noticed, short and spiky. Attempting to turn him, the blue-eyed girl managed to get him on his left side, his side resting against her ribcage. That is when she noticed his tattoo splayed across his right pectoral. "We need to get you inside!" Kagome shook him. Nothing.

Carefully, she placed him in the snow layered across the wood of the well-house. Shedding her gown, the Miko quickly placed it across his form, shuffling from under him. "I'll be right back! Wait here!" Mentally berating herself at his passed-out state, Kagome dashed for the house.

Thrusting the door open, all desire to be silent gone, Kagome yelled: "Mama! I need your help! Mama!" Maternal instincts of the woman never failing her, Mama was already halfway down the stairs at Kagome's desperate plea, Souta not far behind her, rubbing tiredness out of his eyes. "There's a man in the snow! Help me get him in the house, please!"

Another word wasn't uttered as Kagome and her mother approached. Carefully, Kagome reached for the man's shoulder. Instantaneously, there was a blade of ice at her throat, a strong hand wrapped around her upper arm, back pressed to his chest. His body was burning. A hiss escaped his lips, against the back of her neck and the girl froze. Her arm hurt, the chilling touch of his weapon was frightening, especially with the contrast of his body heat. "Pl-please! We just want to-to help you!"

He was numb, the good kind, like how the ice he wielded made him feel when surrounded. Yet he felt the fire shoot through his veins when a hand touched his shoulder. It was reminiscent of Natsu's touch, a physical embodiment of his power unable to be contained. Yet this wasn't Natsu so Gray approached the situation the way he would when in an unfamiliar environment. Grunting, he gripped the arm that touched him, pulling the form of the offending person to his chest, weaponizing his element and holding it to her throat. 'Her?' Exhaling, he tightened his hold, feeling her gasp as his hand gripped her harder. He stared at the older woman standing opposite him; there was a fear in her eyes.

'The same fear I saw in Ur's eyes.' Seeing that, Gray dropped his ice shard and loosened his grip on the woman. Instead of releasing her completely, he turned her in his arms, holding both her shoulders. "I'm sorry if I hurt you." His navy eyes met her lighter ones; they were glowing in the moonlight.

Shaking her head in astonishment at the sudden change of the man's personality, Kagome spoke: "let's go inside, I'm freezing." And she was. Kagome's form had started to physically vibrate in his grip from the cold. The male grunted, releasing her shoulders. 'I never thought I would meet someone with such unique powers…'

They all entered the house, shedding their shoes and approaching the warm lounge, Kagome lingered at the doorway, frowning as she closed the door behind everyone. 'It's like some sort of story about wizards and mages.' Turning her head, a smile graced her features. 'Another friend, another tale.'

This was quite short and not much happened. I would like to explore this story further. I quite like the idea of using these one-shots as synopses for longer stories for each pairing. That'd be pretty great!

Up Next:

Zuko - A: TLA

The Inu no Taisho - Inuyasha

Byakuya - Bleach

Alex Mercer - Prototype

Sesshomaru - Inuyasha