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I'd Freeze the Heavens for You	By : Rhov Category: +. to F > Fairy Tail Views: 3091 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima. I make no money, I just do this for my own pleasure.

Chapter List
- 1-Labyrinth
- 2-Aimless
- 3-Pitfalls
- 4-Penalty
- 5-Berries
- 6-Destructive
- 7-Countdown
- 8-Ice
- 9-Perseverance
- 10-Warmth
- 11-Hostages
- 12-Time
- 2
- 3
- 4
Chapter 3

Pitfalls
"Grrrrrrrlaaarrrooowwwgrrrroow!"
Gray jumped to his feet in an instant, blind with sleep, but he rapidly blinked his eyes to wake himself. Reacting on pure instinct, he had his hands out, a magic circle up, and he looked around frantically for the beastly sound.
"I knew this stupid labyrinth had monsters. I just knew it," he sneered. "Where is it?"
"Grrrrrowwwwl!"
This time, he heard the same sound more clearly...and it was coming from his stomach. Gray blushed, although there was no one around to hear his stomach's complaints.
"That's right, I missed dinner. There won't be breakfast, either. Damn!" he grumbled, looking around. "I almost wish there was a monster. Then I could eat it."
He rubbed out the twisting in his gut and realized he had to get going.
"Follow the left wall," he recalled. That had been Lucy's advice for successfully completing a giant maze. However, due to leaping up and looking around so fast, he completely forgot which wall was the left one. "Crap!"
He looked down the left passage, then down the right one. It had been so dark by the time he stopped walking, he did not recognize either direction. If he went the wrong way, he would end up right back where he started the day before. Gray felt panic surging up. He only had a week to make it through this blasted maze, and who knew what horrors Lucy was suffering while he got lost. So which way was he supposed to go? Left, or right?
Which way?
Then he looked down at the snow. As he slept, his body had melted the snowy path. He could see where his head had laid and where his feet had gone. He recalled lying down against the left wall. Gray reached out and touched that wall.
"This one," he sighed, trying to calm down. "I follow this wall. To get out of a maze, you follow the left wall. That's what Lucy said, and Lucy's smart. Left wall. Left wall..."
"You now have six days and eight hours left."
Gray looked up at the voice that chimed out. He had vaguely heard it counting the hours all night long. He realized, he had already been in this labyrinth for sixteen hours. It felt like a lifetime!
"I'm coming, Lucy," he said with firm determination, and Gray set out once again with one hand on the left wall.

Outside, Erza, Happy, and Natsu were camped in front of the maze entrance. While Happy cooked fish for breakfast and Natsu attempted to make tea, Erza stood in front of the gate still blocked by Willie Whitehall's runes. She frowned deeply with her arms folded, trying to sort out this mystery. The runes would not let them enter. Gray was inside, Lucy was apparently a prize that Gray had to reach.
She had asked Happy to fly over the top, but he could not enter from above. Apparently, Whitehall's runes covered the entire maze. It proved he was an immensely powerful wizard, to have runes spread over such a massive piece of land. Happy said he saw Gray running around the twisting bush hedges, so at least they knew he was unharmed. Happy tried to fly over the whole thing, but he did not even get close to the center before tiring out. All they knew was that this maze was massive, bigger than the entire city of Magnolia.
Erza mumbled to herself. "The only people who can enter the maze are couples who have feelings of love for one another," she said, quoting what Levy told them was written within the runes. "The couple will be separated, and one has a week to complete the maze to save their lover from being frozen. Hmm...only lovers can enter."
"Maybe we should find Jellal," Happy suggested. "He llllllllikes you!"
The murderous glare she shot at him made the Exceed tremble.
"Perhaps we can find a weakness," Natsu suggested, staring at the tea he was trying to brew. "Is this supposed to look this color?"
"A weakness, huh?" Erza mused. She looked down the left side of the bushy wall, then the right. They seemed to go on forever. To have runes spread out over something this massive...Freed was the best runes wizard she knew, and although he could set up traps over a large city, casting runes over an entire city plus traps within, and keeping all those runes up all the time would strain even a talented wizard like him. "It's possible that Whitehall made some errors. No prison is without flaws."
"Does that mean we're walking around this whole maze?" Happy frowned. "I told you, it's really, really big!"
Erza knew the task was daunting, but it was better than sitting around doing nothing. "Gray is in there running all over this maze. Walking in a straight line around it wouldn't be anything like what he has to do. If we can get inside and help him rescue Lucy..."
Natsu jumped up. "That's right! Lucy is in danger. Let's find another way to get in."
"Aye sir!" Happy cheered.
Erza nodded. "We'll search for a weakness. I just hope Gray doesn't panic while he's inside. There appeared to be a lot of rules to this maze, and who knows what the penalties might be."

In the cabin in the center of the maze, Lucy watched the video lacrima that showed Gray's progress. She saw how he held his stomach, and she felt immensely guilty to be sitting at the table with tea and scones provided by the servant of Whitehall, the tomboyish Wisteria. Witnessing his hunger pains, Lucy could not bring herself to taste the food in front of her. It did not seem fair to eat while he slowly starved in the maze.
"You must eat, miss," Wisteria urged. "Your man wouldn't like to arrive and find you wasted away. He'll feel much better if he learns we treated you well."
"Treated me well?" Lucy glared spitefully. "You won't let me leave this cabin."
"It's one of Whitehall's rules," the servant sighed, looking sad that she had to enforce it. "If you leave, you will be penalized."
"Whatever," Lucy frowned. "There's no rule that I have to eat, right? If Gray has to suffer, what right do I have to be served and sit around?"
Wisteria looked aside and muttered, "I wonder if she felt that way, too."
Lucy saw Gray unzipping his pants, ready to urinate, so she pushed the screen aside to give him privacy. "She? She who?"
Wisteria sat at the table with Lucy and poured herself some steaming tea. "I too was a victim of the maze."
Lucy jolted in shock. "You? But then why are you still here? Didn't your man come for you? Why aren't you frozen?"
Bashfully, Wisteria shook her head. "No, you're mistaken. I was the one who solved the maze. It was my girlfriend who got frozen."
Lucy blushed. "Oh, you're...you're a lesbian. Sorry, I couldn't tell."
"It's not like I wear a sign announcing I like girls. Don't worry, I wouldn't come on to you. I don't think I could love again after all that happened back then."
Lucy pouted at such a dark tone in the lady's voice. "Why are you still here? I thought if the guy...err, that is, if the other partner doesn't make it in time, if they still managed to get through the maze, they're free to leave."
Wisteria leaned back in her chair with her teacup in her hands, and she gazed out the window at the winter world outside. "Yes, I managed to make it through the maze without eating the berries, but it took me ten days. I had a pack of food, but I went through it in four days. Six days of not eating! When I finally crawled out, I found my lover in this cabin, frozen solid."
"So, she's...dead?" Lucy asked in trembling foreboding.
"No...not that I know of, anyway. I managed to break my lover free from the spell; however, she was so angry that I failed to save her from the pain of being frozen, she broke up with me and left. I was shattered. I had suffered starvation for her, and I would have endured death itself to rescue her. Even though I managed to break Whitehall's spell, even though I said...well, never mind...still, she hated me. This maze," she scowled, "it brings out the worst in people. I had nowhere else to go. I felt like I could never leave and face the world without her by my side. She meant everything to me, and I...I just wanted to hide. I asked Whitehall for permission to stay hidden inside his maze. He agreed, but since he doesn't want a freeloader, my duty is to care for anyone captured by that damned madman. At the very least, I can give them encouragement and keep them from being lonely. If my lover had someone to talk to her, perhaps she wouldn't have turned into such a bitter soul."
Lucy felt sorry for this woman. She could see the pain in those tight eyes and hear the lonesomeness in her words. "Have you ever seen others make it?"
Wisteria sadly shook her head. "I've been in this house for three years. During that time, I've sat with many women, but I haven't seen a single male besides the mad wizard!" Her eyes turned up with a dire expression to Lucy, like gazing at someone she knew was destined to die. "Many couples inadvertently enter the maze, but during my time here, not a single man has made it. Some die from the cold. Most die from eating the berries. Others fall victim to one of Whitehall's sadistic pitfalls. For three years, no man has survived this maze."
Lucy's mouth dropped. She looked back to the monitor with a shiver of dread prickling her arms. Gray had finished his nature business and was walking again. The camera shifted, and this one was focused closer on his face. Lucy could see the tenseness in his brow and determination in his glaucous blue eyes.
No man has survived this maze. Those threatening words echoed in her mind.

Gray continued through the maze, ignoring the tugging in his stomach and the dread in his mind. He feared for Lucy. He prayed Erza, Natsu, and Happy could find a way to save her first.
"You now have six days and one hour left."
"Oh, shut up already!" he yelled.
Nearly a full day, and he felt as if this maze might go on forever. He also began to wonder, since this was a magical maze, did the walls move? If so, Lucy's plan of following the left wall would fail. Could he ask?
"Hey, whoever is chiming the hours, do you talk?"
"Sometimes," the voice replied.
"Good. I've got questions. Do the walls move?"
"The walls are plain, ordinary bushes. They only grow upward, and they are never rearranged."
"So you're not going to totally shift the labyrinth, like that stunt they pulled in the Grand Magic Games," he realized, feeling a little better. "Are there monsters in this maze?"
"Oh, most certainly!" the voice said in a delighted tone. "In fact, you're about to meet one."
"Huh?"
Gray was hit from behind. He had not heard anything at all, so the attack stunned him for a couple seconds. He looked around and saw a massive bird with a leathery black head and dark purple wings, with claws that looked like they could rip an elephant in half.
"Am I allowed to use magic?" he shouted.
"So long as the walls of the maze are not damaged, any magic or weapons are allowed."
"Just don't be destructive, huh?" he muttered. "Maybe it's a good thing I'm in here and not Natsu."
"Oh, it couldn't be any other man. You're the one in love with the lady."
"Huh?" Gray asked, wondering what the disembodied voice meant by that. However, just then, the flying monster attacked again, diving forward with its claws outstretched. "Ice-Make: Lance."
Gray shaped the ice to be narrow enough not to touch the bush walls. Fighting in such a confined space made things difficult for him. The bird had the freedom to fly above the walls, but Gray was limited in his movements.
"Stupid overgrown pigeon," he growled.
Suddenly, a wave of weakness swept over him. Using magic took energy, which came from his own body. Having gone a full day without food, his energy was diminished. While Gray held his head in dizziness, the bird swooped down. One claw tore into Gray's shoulder. He bellowed in pain and swiftly made an ice sword to chop at the monster. He missed, and the creature flapped back up into the sky. The giant talon left behind a deep gash in his skin. Already, blood flowed down his arm at an alarming rate.
"Not good," he hissed. Starvation and blood loss...two easy ways to die. "I'm not losing after one stupid day. I have to save Lucy, and I'm not going to let anything stop me." The sword evaporated. "Ice-Make: Bazooka!" The massive weapon formed on his shoulder, and Gray held onto it tightly. "Dodge this, you buzzard!"
The blast nearly knocked Gray off his feet. Ice shot up, hit the bird, and burst it into many pieces of bloody feathers that scattered around the maze.
"Damn. Too much," Gray frowned. "I was hoping to shoot it down and eat it. If I go looking for the pieces, I'll lose my way. Oh well."
The bazooka went away in a shower of snowflakes. Gray collapsed and looked over at his shoulder. Half his body was red with blood, and he already felt numbness in his fingers. He pressed the wound together as well as possible, flinching at the stinging pain, and swept his hand over the torn skin. Ice covered over it, bandaging the gash.
"Best I can do for now," he muttered. "Chalk up another scar. Maybe it'll impress Lucy."
He touched the scar on his forehead, remembering when he got it, and how Lucy had tended him. It was the first time they had flirted together, although it had been only a brief exchange. Still, that was probably when he first began to think she was cute.
"I wish Lucy could tend me again," he mumbled. His eyes began to droop down. "So...tired. Just...little nap."

Lucy watched the screen. She saw Gray pass out after the fight, and her hand caressed the view of his face.
"Oh Gray," she wept.
Watching him, being unable to go to him, tore at her heart. Hearing him mention about her healing him reminded her of Galuna Island. She really thought Gray was handsome at that time. Although she tried to flirt and did her best to accentuate her breasts while tending him, he never made a move on her in the days and weeks following that mission. That was when she realized, he must simply not be attracted to her. So they became friends and teammates. She was happy this way...mostly.
She still thought Gray was sexy. There were moments when she wished he would just give her a look, a touch, something to show her that he thought of her as something more than just another member of Fairy Tail. Something...anything...
Wisteria walked over to the table, leaned over Lucy's shoulder, and looked at the lacrima screen. "The baldbuzz bird, eh? That's a nasty one to meet up with. When I did this maze, I ran from that thing. Your lover is pretty strong to defeat it."
"He's not my lover," Lucy said automatically, hardly even listening as worries filled her mind.
"That's a nasty injury, though," Wisteria frowned, leaning in closer to look. "Some sort of ice magic, eh? Lucky. The ice will slow the blood loss, but without proper medical attention, it'll leave a scar."
Lucy chuckled to herself. "That's fine. He once told me, 'I don't care where I get hurt, as long as my injuries are visible.' For Gray, this is proof that he is a fighter. You're right, Gray's strong. If anyone can make it through this damn maze, it's him."
"I hope so," Wisteria smiled genuinely, "and I really hope he makes it in time. If he doesn't...please heed my words: Don't be angry at him. As you can see for yourself, he's trying his hardest."
Lucy felt heat flushing her cheeks. "I can't be angry at Gray," she whispered timidly. "I mean, he annoys me sometimes with his stripping habit, but I could never hate him."
"Oh?" Wisteria chuckled, leaning in with a playful smirk. "Do you love him after all?"
Lucy stubbornly looked away. "Of course not! I just...I don't dislike him, that's all."
The tomboy chuckled and leaned back again, scratching at her spiky purple hair. "You're cute, Lucy. If I was Gray, I'd totally think you were hot." Lucy gawked at her, and Wisteria just laughed. "Oh come on! He'd be an idiot not to think that."
"Well...um...thanks?" Lucy said with a blush. "I'm sorry, I've just never had a woman think I was hot."
"I bet lots of women think you're hot," Wisteria shrugged. "It's just an awkward thing for women to admit to one another. This guy...Gray...he definitely thinks you're sexy. Otherwise, you wouldn't be in this maze. And you think he's sexy too, don't you?"
Lucy pouted and forcefully looked away. "None of your business!" she muttered.
"Sorry, you're right."
Wisteria gazed down at the blonde, and a bittersweet expression troubled her face. Over the years, she had sat with many women in the cabin. She thought she had hardened her heart, knowing those women were destined to be frozen and turned into one of Whitehall's artworks. However, this young lady was different. For the first time in three years, Wisteria felt like maybe, this was a couple who could make it out.
"Keep faith in him, Lucy. I'll be cheering him on, too."
Lucy looked up in amazement, then smiled with tears of relief in her eyes. "Thanks!"

"You now have five days and eighteen hours left."
Gray jolted awake at the mechanical voice. It was dark already. He felt sleep creeping back up to him. His shoulder throbbed, and the layer of ice was red with frozen blood. He carefully melted it. Instantly, blood began to drip out again. The gash was not healed. It needed stitches, but he had nothing like that here. He pressed the skin together again, hissing at the pain, and created another ice bandage. Although it slowed the bleeding, it was not the best way to heal such a gash.
"Left wall," he mumbled. "Or...was it right wall? Left? Right? Shit!" His head felt so hazy from hunger and loss of blood, he could not think properly. "Left. Definitely left. So...which one is left?"
The fight had Gray a bit turned around. In the dark, he had to look hard for evidence of footprints in the snow. Bending over to look at the path and feeling the snow with his good hand, he finally found the imprints of his boots.
"I was heading this way, so..." He placed his hand on the bloodberry bush. "Left wall."
He realized that, before falling asleep again, he needed to remember which wall was the left wall. If he got disoriented again, he would end up undoing all the progress he had made over the past two days. He plucked some of the poisonous red berries and made an arrow out of them pointing to the left wall. Then, wondering if maybe birds or mice might come to eat the berries, he also squeezed one berry to stain the snow, that way even if the berries were removed, he would know which way was left.
With that precaution, Gray collapsed in the snow again. He gazed up, hoping to see stars. Instead, the sky was cloudy. He could tell that it would snow soon. It felt cold enough now, and Gray realized that a normal person would freeze to death in weather like this.
"I'm lucky," he mumbled. "Lucky...Lucy..." He felt dizzy again. "Lucky to have...Lucy." Then Gray shut his eyes and passed out into a dreamless night of pain and hunger.

End of Chapter 3
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I'd Freeze the Heavens for You