Gray & Scarlet

Chapter 18: After Party

ERZA'S POV

After the success of the Fantasia parade. Everyone in the guild was drinking and celebrating to their hearts content.
Everyone was in attendance this year, Gildarts, The thunder god tribe, Porlyjusica, even our first guild master Mavis came back after wandering around.

I look over to the others to everyone in the guild. Natsu was eating and fighting simultaneously, Happy was flirting with Carla. I look over at the stage and I see Lily and Gajeel having a duet Shoo be do ba, Lucy and Lisanna getting acquainted with each other, Elfman and Evergreen sneaking off somewhere, Jet and Droit fighting over Levy, Cana was having a drinking contest with Gildarts, Master Makarov was talking to Master Mavis, Wendy was talking to Porlyjusica,
Laxus was ignoring Freed, Bixlow was talking to his puppets, Mira was zipping around the place tending to the patrons.

"Have you seen Gray and Juvia?" Meredy asked

Meredy's voice startled me, it took me a few seconds to answer her question

"Oh Gray went off somewhere and Juvia is with Lyon now, I think" I said

"Juvia and Lyon? I thought Juvia liked Gray?" Meredy now confused

"You'd be surprised who's with who now" I said

"I'll take your word for it. Hmmm, speaking who's with who. What's up with you and Jellal?" Meredy asked curiously

I just stared at her with a raised brow

"That's Odd" Meredy said

"What's odd?" I asked

Our conversation was cut when a loud thump echoed in the middle of the guild. Everyone seemed to gathered around the area where the sound was heard. I made my way through the crowd and got to where the commotion was.

Three men were lying on the ground, or rather two men and a man on ice was lying on the ground

I see Jellal frozen in a block of ice, I also see Mest, but the other person who was covered in cuts and bruises was unrecognizable, the half of the mans body was covered in something black or rather half of his skin is black. His hair was covering his whole face, which didn't help in identifying him.

The unrecognizable man began to stand up shakily, and he swept back his hair so that his face could be seen. As he shakily steadied himself I saw a fairy tail guild mark and a familiar cross necklace.

"GRAY?!?!" I shouted in realization

GRAY'S POV

"Hi Everyone" I joked and said casually trying to hide my pain

Natsu popped out of the crowd gathered around me

"You can't just say that and pop out of nowhere looking half beaten to death" Natsu said while munching on a turkey leg

"Missed you too, flame brain" I said

I'm a bit confused as to why there's a crowd around us, staring at me

"What?!? Is there something on my nose?!" I said as I looked at my nose turning cross-eyed

"Gray-sama! You're back!" Juvia tackled me

"Yeah good to be ba- ow ouch, Juvia please don't squeeze too hard" I said

"Sorry, sorry" Juvia said returning to Lyon's side

Lyon and I locked glares for a moment, then my eyes looked down to see Lyon's hand holding Juvia's

Mira... you did it again

"Anyway as you can see we need some medical assistance"I said pointing back at Mest and Jellal

"Oh and also I'm bleeding to death here, So if anyone could stop staring at me. I may very well pass out soo-"
I said as I fell I closed my eyes

Welp too late. I ran my mouth too long. I'm an idiot

Someone wrapped around my arm and caught me. I opened my eyes to see who it was

It was 'her'

"Erza..." I whispered

She put her finger on my lips
I saw her crying, but her tears weren't tears of sadness, it was something else

"You talk too much....idiot" Erza said

After that  I lost consciousness

ERZA'S POV

I carried an unconscious Gray to the infirmary with Master and First behind me
Contact with Gray's skin was cold to the touch, it was hard to believe that he was even alive.
I laid Gray in a bed nearest to the exit.
I took a step back away from him, the more that I look at him the more I noticed the difference. His hair now draped on his shoulders, You were away for three months, could you have at least gotten a haircut, his body was covered in cuts, bruises and riddled with black marks that covered half of his body. What happened to you?

His prominent features more rugged and wild, his muscles more toned. His very presence in the room dropped the temperature of the room.

From behind me Master Mavis and Master Makarov were also observing Gray.

"I believe you're familiar with this, First?" Makarov asked
Mavis nodded

"Devil Slayer Magic" Mavis stated

"It's very fickle Magic, and that learning it too quickly and making use of its properties in rapid succession can have adverse effects on the user, causing them to become afflicted with black markings that spread across their entire body"
Makarov added

"It's a very powerful type of magic but at the cost of tainting one's soul, and gradually losing one's sanity" Mavis said

"It is a blessing as much as it is a curse" Makarov said

"Is he going to be alright?" I interrupted

"Don't worry, he's young, he'll be able to over come this" Mavis reassured me

Porlyjusica bursted into the room yelling at everyone to leave
We left immediately
Before we went our separate ways Mavis whispered something in my ear.
"When Gray wakes up, accompany him to the Guild Masters office" Mavis whispered with a giggle and floated off