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I Leave You, My Pride	By : Rhov Category: +. to F > Fairy Tail Views: 5769 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima. I make no money, I just do this for my own pleasure.

Chapter List
- 8
- 9
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Chapter 9

Limitations
Gray had begun to settle in at Jellal and Erza's home. As her pregnancy advanced, he helped out around the house. Months passed by quickly, and soon Erza had to stop doing missions. Gray helped the couple out by paying rent, buying groceries, and he even assisted Jellal in setting up the baby room. He spent most of his time at the guild, laughing with the gang, drinking matches with Cana, and of course freezing the pants off Natsu whenever the flame-brain annoyed him.
He could almost pretend everything was back to normal, except he would turn to the counter where Lucy always sat, about to ask her who was right, him or Natsu, only to see the seat empty. Or he would see a flier on the mission board that he knew would be perfect for Lucy … if only she was still there.
It wasn't quite back to normal, but Gray was determined to fix that!
All other free moments were spent training with his Celestial Spirits, summoning Plue whenever he needed company, listening to Lyra sing, or getting to know his new Spirits more. He had Auriga the Charioteer race Jet, although he lost. He went hiking with the Strauss siblings and used Pyxis to guide them. He called out Draco the Dragon purely to annoy Natsu.
When he could get a moment to himself, Gray meditated, trying to get stronger. He often tried to summon the powerful Zodiac Spirits, but it still severely drained him. Simply calling out Taurus left him magic-deprived for a week.
Jellal warned him about focusing too much on one magical form and not advancing his main Ice-Make magic, but Gray admittedly felt a little cocky. His ice magic was the best in Fiore, or at least equal to Lyon's. He had trained his whole life in how to shape magic, so he felt he could rely on that for now while he learned celestial summoning.
It was a decision he would soon regret.
It was late summer, the season of Leo, and Gray had already begun searching for a place to live in preparation for Erza's baby. He did not want to be around for all that, lest he get stuck changing diapers and 2 A.M. feedings. On that particular day, he was helping Jellal in the little garden behind their house. Droy had given them some zucchini seeds earlier in the year, and the plants were thriving a little too well. Gray was beginning to hate the smell of cooking zucchini.
They had just gathered another basket full of the long, green vegetables when Gray heard a strange yet oddly familiar sound. Purely on instinct, he raised his hands.
"Ice-Make: Shield!"
Jellal must have been lost in thought, worried about Erza and the baby, because he looked up belatedly just as a magic bullet cracked the outer edge of the icy shield.
Then came shouts. They both leaped to their feet, magic ready for what was obviously an attack. The invaders now leaping over the fence were vile, harsh, with foul mouths and evil glints in their eyes. Gray took up a defensive stand and began to chill the air around him. Then, on an after-thought, he pulled out his keyring instead.
"Open the Gate of the Archer! Sagittarius!"
There was a poof. "Moshi-moshi!"
Jellal's hands glowed with his magic circle. "Gray, this isn't your fight. Stand down."
"The hell I will!"
"Then use Ice-Make magic, for heaven's sake! It's far more appropriate in battle, and it's what you're good at doing."
Gray stubbornly ignored that. He was getting good at celestial summoning as well. He would prove it!
A scar-faced man in a long cloak stepped forward. "Well, well! Jellal Fernandes. It wasn't that hard to hunt you down. Do you really think you can escape into a simple domestic life after all the sins you've committed?"
Gray sneered at the man. "Who the hell's that?"
Jellal's eyes hardened, and with a soft, slightly saddened voice, he whispered, "Someone I wronged in the past. Gray, I'm charging you with guarding Erza. She's pregnant and should not be fighting. They'll aim for her, knowing she's my weakness. Please, protect her with your life. I'll deal with him."
Gray nodded firmly. "Got it. Sagittarius, follow me!" They ran into the house as the attacker began a typical bad-guy monologue. Erza was trying to move forward with her huge belly, but Gray ran up to her. "Stay here. He wants you safe."
"I can fight, Gray," she said stubbornly.
"Are you going to disobey your husband?" he challenged.
Erza scowled, turned away, and flopped on the couch.
"Jellal is strong. He can handle this," Gray said to keep her calm. The doctor had warned Erza not to get her blood pressure up at this stage of the pregnancy. "Does this happen often?" he asked, purely to distract her.
"More often than I like. People don't care if someone has received a pardon from the king. Some sins aren't so easily cleansed."
"You should at least have runes set up to protect the house."
"We do. These men must have overwritten them."
Suddenly, Sagittarius shouted, "Gray-dono!"
Gray heard the twang of arrows and screams of pain. He had to admit, it was weird to watch someone else fight for him, but there was no archer better than Sagittarius. However, even the Archer could have a blind spot. A blast of magic hit Sagittarius directly.
"No!" Gray shouted, seeing his horse-headed friend vanish with a face filled with pain. It was the first time he had actually "lost" a Celestial Spirit. He knew Sagittarius would be just fine, but seeing it happen shocked him. One day, he would have to call out Lucy. She would fight for him, just like the others. She might even take shots for him, sacrificing herself for his sake. Could he bear to watch something like that?
"Gray, snap out of it," yelled Erza.
Gray blinked out of his stunned silence. A group of men had sneaked into the house. Just as Jellal had warned, the chaos in the backyard was merely a distraction to keep Jellal away while the bulk of the gang came after Erza. When Gray heard one man order "Don't kill the lady," he realized they probably planned to use her as a hostage.
Like hell he'd allow that!
One fleet-footed villain raced forward, prepared to grab Erza while she was still on the couch, sitting, looking so vulnerable with that massive belly. With a flash of magic, a fencing saber was in Erza's hand, and before the man could stop himself, he ran right into the sword.
"Not deep enough to kill you," Erza said quietly, and pulled the bloodied sword back.
"Get her!" someone bellowed.
Gray sneered. "Aiming at a pregnant woman? How disgusting!" He pulled forward his keys again.
"Gray, what are you doing?" Erza scolded.
"Open the Gate of the Ram! Aries!" He saw the pink poof a little behind him. "Aries, shield Erza. I'll take on these guys. Ice-Make: Sword." A pale blue frozen sword appeared in his hand. "I'll try to hold back just enough so I don't destroy the house, Erza. I wouldn't want the baby room Jellal and I worked so hard on to be damaged."
"Don't get cocky," she warned.
As Gray began to fight the incoming enemies, and Aries used Wool Wall to shield Erza from any attacks, the Titania saw for herself that Gray's sword was smaller than usual. She had a feeling it was not because Gray was holding back. He had already called out Sagittarius, and now Aries: two Zodiac Spirits in only a few minutes. Normally, just calling out one would drain him for a day. Gray had likely picked a melee weapon because he realized his magic was low.
One icy sword … would it be enough?

In the Spirit World
Lucy sat on the banks of the Milky Way River, meditating, hoping she could sense the Human World once again. Capricorn schooled her methodically, while Aries stood nearby to cheer on Lucy's rigorous training. Suddenly, there was a splash, like something had dropped into the river. Through her lessons on how the Spirit World worked, she learned that Celestial Spirits who were injured in the Human World would return in the river, which healed their wounds instantly. Still, it was a painful thing to experience, even if they were immortal.
Lucy leaped up, ready to run forward to see who it was, when Aries gave a small, "Ah! I'm sorry." The Ram instantly vanished.
"Oh! I guess Gray called for her." Lucy's eyes saddened slightly. "Lucky Aries. Come on," she said to Capricorn. "Let's go see who got hurt."
Capricorn diligently followed, but his mind was elsewhere. Gray had even called out the Goat, who had tried to help him train, teaching him tactics that could increase his control over summoning magic. He wondered what was holding back Gray from summoning Leo the Lion. Granted, his focus had always been on another form of magic. Gray had apparently collapsed after summoning Taurus one day. He also was so far unable to summon Aquarius. Capricorn wondered if fighting-style Spirits were harder for a summoner. Likely Crux knew something about that.
In the midst of his thoughts, Lucy gasped. "Sagittarius!" She splashed out into the river and helped the Archer to the shore. By the healing glow, she saw he had been struck with a massive blast that nearly tore him in two. "What happened? Is Gray in a fight?"
"Leo … dono," he moaned, still recovering.
Suddenly, there was another splash, and Lucy saw Aries land hard into the river.
"Leo," she sobbed. "Gray … he's in big trouble."
Lucy felt an icy chill. Half of Aries' face was torn off and slowly recovering, but she saw from both of these two, whatever was going on back in Earthland must be truly bad.
"Gray…"

In the Human World
"Aries!"
Gray cursed under his breath. Not only was Aries gone, defeated by a shot right to her head, but Erza was defenseless. Gray realized he was too weak to use another key. There was hardly any magic left in him, but..maybe enough for one more spell.
"Ice-Make: Igloo!"
It created a dome around Erza, shielding her from all attacks, but it also meant she could not help him nor break out. No one would be able to break that dome except another Ice-Make wizard. However, it was far harder to cast that spell than he remembered.
Gray knew right then, that was it for him. He had no magic left at all. All he had was the sword in his hands, yet as he slashed at the invading enemies, the chips that flew off the ice sword no longer repaired instantly. The sword was just ice now, and ice … is fragile.
In the midst of fighting, he remembered Jellal warning him not to neglect his ice magic. Now he realized why. He was naturally stronger in Ice-Make than celestial summoning. He should have been keeping up with his training. Plus, as Jellal had just said, Ice-Make made more sense in battle. If he had conserved his magic, defeating these men would have been easy. Instead, in a stubborn sense of needing to prove himself, Gray had switched to his Gold Keys.
Both Jellal and Erza had scolded him. He didn't listen.
He watched as his sword shattered into frozen shards. Gray was hit and fell to his knees. He looked defiantly up at the men now swarming at him, but he was too weak to even raise his arms. Kicks to the stomach, a heavy club to the head, a knee to the face … over and over. Gray curled down to defend himself, but the beating would not stop.
"Gray!" Erza screamed.
He looked back at her. She was safe in that igloo. Then he saw why she was screaming. A man stepped up to Gray's beaten body curled on the floor, the carpet now soaked with his blood. The enemy raised a pistol and aimed it right at Gray's head. Gray realized he was about to get shot, and he had no magic nor any strength to stop it.
'No! No, I don't want to die. I haven't gotten to see Lucy again. I have to call her out. I have to protect all of my Celestial Spirits. If I die here, who knows what sort of owner they might end up getting. I can't die here. I have to live. I have to see her. Lucy … Lucy!'
"Lucy," he whispered wistfully. Gray cringed as he heard the hammer cock on the gun. He wanted to see her, just once more. Hold her. Kiss her. 'I want Lucy. I want … Leo the Lion!'
When suddenly…
"Lion's Brilliance!"
There was a burst of golden light. When Gray tried to look, the shine blinded him, making his eyes sting. He tried to shield himself from the glow, but it was like staring into the sun.
The enemy with the gun got punched so hard, he flew backward and smashed into the wall. Through the golden burst, Gray heard more hits and kicks. There were flashes of gold even brighter than the brilliant burst that blinded enemies and allies alike. Where the glowing fists and feet landed, a man shouted in pain. One by one, the enemies fell before the overwhelming strength that only the most noble of beasts could claim.
One enemy shot a gun at the igloo. Gray knew a mere bullet could not penetrate the protective barrier, but still he shouted.
"Erza!"
Instead of the redhead, Gray heard a woman shout, "Regulus Impact!"
The enemy was blown out the glass porch door, shattering it, and smashed into a trellis in the garden, taking out three enemies Jellal had been fighting, including the leader. The blue-haired man was left with no one to fight, stunned at the intense magic he sensed in that brief moment. In amazement, Jellal gawked back at the partially destroyed house.
Gray watched in awe as the smoke cleared, the light faded, and finally he could see his rescuer. The hair stuck out like the mane of a lion, golden like the sun, the clothes impeccable as a noblewoman, gleaming rings on the delicate fingers, and a smile that would have shamed the glorious gleam of the heavens.
Gray did not need to see up close; he already knew who it was. Only one person in the world could use the magic of Regulus like that. His brain just refused to believe it until he saw her with his own eyes.
"Lucy?" he whispered in disbelief.
Sure enough, Lucy smiled down at him as she shook out her fist, and then she straightened her suit coat with a regal flare.
"I sensed my owner was in dire trouble. I guess it gave me the strength to break through the gate on my own."
"Lucy!" Gray cried out. He scrambled up from the ground in such an eager rush, he slipped twice on ice. He ran forward and crashed into her arms, knocking her back a couple steps.
"Sheesh, I'm happy to see you, too," she laughed, amused at his enthusiasm. Then she felt him shivering and heard sobs buried in her shoulder. She sighed and stroked Gray's head. "It's been a long time for you. I'm so sorry."
"Lucy," he wailed, squeezing her close. "You're here. You're really here."
"Yes, I'm here, Gray. I suppose this is just proof that the barrier between Human and Spirit crumbles to nothing before the power of our love."
Erza scoffed softly. "She somehow inherited Loke's awful pickup lines."
Gray hardly cared. Just hearing her voice was a miracle. He crushed her into his embrace. "I don't want to lose you ever again."
"You never lost me, Gray. I've been by your side the whole time."
"But I couldn't see you," he wept. "I couldn't hold you, not like this."
"I know," she sighed. "I missed you, but I'm sure you miss me far more. Sadly, I still have to live in the Spirit World most of the time, but I want to be with you as often as I can from now on."
"We'll both work hard," Gray agreed, sniffling up his tears. "That way we can be together." His hands ran over her body, touching all he could, hoping he could convince himself that she was real.
Lucy hummed as his frigid fingers found areas that sent chills down her. She had missed his cold touch that made her feel so hot. "I can't believe it's been this many years." She forced him back and held his cheeks to gaze at him. "You look so different," she said in awe.
"You're one to talk!" he chuckled, running his hands through her wild hair.
Then she realized his face was bruised, and he was bleeding where the enemies had hit and kicked him. "You're injured."
"That can wait," he said dismissively. At that moment, Gray felt no pain at all. He took her cheeks into his hands, holding that face he had wanted to see again for two years. "God, I missed you!"
"Same here," she whispered wistfully.
They attacked one another at the same time, kissing with burning passion that had been building up for too long. Although to Lucy, she had seen Gray only a few days ago, she saw how the years had changed him, and she felt in his kiss that he had mentally suffered without her. She tried to imagine his situation. To wait that long, to work that hard, to train so many months … What sort of person did that kind of thing except a man deeply in love!
"Ahem!"
Their kiss broke off abruptly as they realized they were not alone.
"Oh! Erza, I'm sorry." Gray swished his hand, and the protective igloo vanished in a shower of sparkling ice.
Jellal had been waiting by the busted out wall, watching the reunion with thoughts of his own, remembering just how he once felt after being reunited with Erza after seven years. It wasn't quite that long for these two, but it was still hard knowing the other person could never comprehend the length of time spent all alone. Now Jellal rushed forward and helped Erza to stand. When she rose, the bulge of her belly came into full view.
"Oh my gosh! Erza!" Lucy squealed, running forward and immediately touching the large stomach. "Gemini told me about this, but … wow, you look ready to pop."
While Lucy and Erza shared girl-talk, Gray approached Jellal seriously. "Is it safe now?"
"Lucy's attack took out the last of them. The army is on its way to arrest the attackers. I used Mystogan's sleeping trick on them, so they'll be out for a while." He looked over at his wife and her blonde friend. "I'm shocked you managed to summon her after using so much magic already."
Gray shook his head. "Lucy came on her own."
"Is that so? Lucy."
She stopped chatting and looked over with a hum.
Jellal smiled warmly. "Congratulations. You're truly as strong as a lion."
"Aww, thanks," she giggled. "Really, it was Gray's feelings that made it possible for me to lock on to him and break through the gate. Also, I heard him think of me as Leo. That somehow helped."
"Fascinating," Jellal hummed. "So, thinking of you as a Celestial Spirit, not as a Human, is the key?"
"No, his intense desire to live and his firm emotions are what finally bridged the gap. Love makes a Celestial Spirit stronger. After experiencing how to do it, I'm pretty sure I can open the gate on my own now, or at least when he's in trouble. My duty is to protect him, so when his life is in danger, I can always arrive, whether he calls upon me or not. That is the unique authority of Leo the Lion."
"You must stay for dinner," Erza insisted. "We're having zucchini casserole."
Gray looked ready to vomit at the mention of what was quickly becoming his most hated vegetable.
"I would, but…" Lucy looked over to Gray, silently letting him know what she had in mind.
Gray came up and held her hand. "I think we'll spend the evening alone."
"I see," Erza nodded. "Still, you should eat at some point. Sex can be quite vigorous."
Everyone, especially Jellal, blushed crimson at her candor.
"ERZA!"

End of Chapter 9
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I Leave You, My Pride