"Epilogue"-The Bet

Natsu stood atop one of the few tables left standing upright in the guild hall, a triumphant grin splitting his face as he observed the wreckage. The fight he had started with Gajeel had finally begun winding down and exhausted wizards were littered about the room, leaving Natsu victorious.

"Yes!" he crowed gleefully, punching the air in triumph.

He had taken down Gajeel and several other wizards, and the few that remained standing didn't look as if they would be challenging him again anytime soon. That meant that he was the undisputed victor. Well, his victory would be more complete if he had taken Erza out, but she had eventually removed herself from the melee to watch from the sidelines. The only other thing marring this otherwise perfect win was that Gray hadn't participated. In fact, Natsu hadn't seen the ice block for a while. It was ticking him off, because he was itching to take Gray down.

Even as he was thinking about Gray, the door to Makarov's office opened and the ice mage emerged. Natsu wondered briefly what business he had with the master, but quickly brushed it aside. He had more pressing concerns at the moment.

"Hey, ice princess! You missed all the fun! Come fight me, stripper!"

Gray moved to the edge of the second floor and leaned over the railing to survey the carnage. He whistled loudly. "Damn, you really did a number on the guild," he remarked with no little amusement, his dark eyes shining with silent laughter.

"Hell yeah, I did!" Natsu called up. He pointed a finger straight at the ice mage's smirking face. "Now come down here so we can fight. I'm gonna take you down!"

Gray seemed to hesitate as something dark passed over his face, and for a second Natsu thought that he was about to decline. That would be worrisome, since Gray never turned down a challenge. Especially not a challenge that Natsu had issued.

The dragon slayer frowned up at his friend, wondering if Gray was really okay. After their late-night talk a few days before the ice mage had seemed to recover and return to his normal self, but Natsu still had his reservations. He had never seen Gray that broken down and vulnerable before, and he was concerned that his friend was still hurting more than he let on. He had been watching Gray carefully these last few days, but the ice mage hadn't given any indication that he had ever broken down at all. Natsu was inclined to think that Gray would be fine because he was tough and resilient, but he also knew that Gray was very good at hiding his true feelings, so the dragon slayer would have to keep an eye on him.

And if Gray turned down a request to fight him, Natsu would definitely be worried. But after a moment's pause, Gray's usual smirk returned.

"You're on, flame brain," he shot back, turning and running down the steps two at a time.

Natsu hopped off the table in preparation to fight Gray as the ice mage came hurtling towards him. He grinned and threw a punch, which Gray neatly dodged. The fight was on. The two boys traded blows for several minutes, hurling taunts and insults as well as fists.

"Is that the best you've got, fire breath?"

"Hardly! Take that! Damn, ice princess, that barely even tickles."

"Oh yeah? Well how about this?"

The boys suddenly flew apart as Erza appeared between them and delivered a crushing blow to each, effectively ending their fight.

"No fighting," she commanded. They grimaced at her, each rubbing their heads where she had hit them.

"Was that really necessary?" Natsu groaned.

Gray just pulled himself back to his feet without complaint and grinned crookedly at Erza. After a moment of hesitation, a smile tugged at her lips as well. They exchanged a look and seemed to come to some kind of understanding, leaving Natsu puzzled. He had no idea what their problem was.

"Yes," Erza finally replied, turning back to him. "Haven't you already done enough damage to the guild for one day? Besides, it's getting late."

"Oh, come on," Natsu cajoled, a whining note creeping into his voice. "At least let me finish what I started!"

Gray laughed. "You really want to get beaten that badly?"

"Why you–" Natsu snarled, before Erza cut him off.

"That's enough, you two," she interrupted peremptorily. "Friends shouldn't be fighting. And in any case, we have an important battle coming up tomorrow, in case you've forgotten. Now isn't the time to be fighting amongst ourselves. You already had your fun earlier, Natsu."

Gray grinned easily. "I was actually about to head home anyway."

"Why?" Natsu asked. "Does the ice princess need her beauty sleep?"

Erza shot him a warning look, but Gray just laughed it off instead of getting annoyed like he normally would.

"Something like that," the ice mage replied, his eyes sparkling with mirth. "And I have a couple things to take care of in preparation for the battle."

"Well, there you have it," Erza broke in before Natsu could respond. "Gray's leaving anyway, so the fight ends here."

"Since he's leaving, I win," Natsu interrupted excitedly, grinning in victory.

Gray's eyes narrowed. "You think so, do you?"

"Enough," Erza cut in again. "We'll call this match a draw."

Natsu's face twisted in displeasure. Fights were meant for winning or losing, not draws.

"How about this then," he decided, his eyes lighting up as he thought of a good idea. He turned back to Gray and grinned. "Since this monst–" He quickly broke off and coughed to hide his slip up. He still had some sense of self-preservation, after all. Erza's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Since Erza won't let us finish our fight, we can decide the winner another way!"

"Oh?" Gray looked faintly interested and motioned for him to continue. "How do you propose we do that?" he drawled.

"We'll make a bet! Whoever beats the demon first tomorrow wins. And the loser has to do whatever the winner wants as a punishment," Natsu babbled excitedly. He rubbed his hands together and smirked evilly as he tried to come up with the worst possible thing he could make Gray do when the ice mage lost. It would have to be something utterly humiliating.

Erza didn't bother stifling a derisive guffaw of laughter. "You really think that you can take a demon down by yourself?" she asked dryly, shaking her head in amused disbelief.

"'Course I can," Natsu insisted. "Or, you know, it can be whoever delivers the killing blow. Whichever."

Gray seemed to consider the proposal for a few moments before nodding. "Alright then, squinty eyes. I'll take you up on that."

"Yes!" Natsu exclaimed gleefully, his eyes lighting up at the prospect of a good competition. "I'm all fired up!" He smirked over at Gray. "I'm totally going to win."

For a moment, Gray just stared at him silently. Then he exhaled softly. "I sure hope so," he muttered so quietly that even Natsu had to strain to pick it up.

The dragon slayer frowned. Gray was just as competitive as he was. The ice mage would never admit defeat or wish for someone else—especially his rival—to beat him.

Before Natsu could open his mouth to ask Gray what the hell he was talking about, the other mage smiled at him condescendingly.

"Like hell you will," he sneered. "Bring it on, flame brain."

"Just you wait," Natsu shot back, jabbing his finger at Gray's face as he was instantly distracted by the ice mage's scornful words. "I'm going to wipe the floor with you!"

"I said, break it up already!"

The boys jumped apart to avoid Erza's wrath.

"I'm going, I'm going," Gray said hurriedly, waving his hands at the scarlet-haired girl in a hasty gesture of placation. He looked back over at Natsu and smiled. This time his smile wasn't condescending or competitive, but so open and genuine that Natsu blinked in surprise. "I'll see you tomorrow."

The ice mage turned and walked away without another word, picking his way around the broken tables and scattered bodies that were courtesy of the earlier fight. He made his way to the front of the guild and pushed the doors open, but Natsu couldn't resist having the last word.

"Don't forget about our bet!" he called after Gray. "Just you wait until you find out what your punishment is!"

Gray just laughed. "Goodnight, Natsu."

And then he stepped outside and disappeared from view, the great wooden doors swinging shut behind him. Natsu stared after him for a moment, wondering if it was just his imagination that Gray was acting a little odd. Then he brushed it off. He had more important things to consider right now. Like what the most humiliating punishment for Gray would be. Natsu couldn't wait to see Gray's face when he lost.

The next day, Fairy Tail fought the demon.

Natsu had never regretted losing a bet more in his entire life.

Note: And it's over! About time, huh? Look for the second companion piece under the title "To Those Left Behind", if you're interested. If you can stick with me all the way to the end, I'll be impressed, ha ha.

Anyway, thanks to those of you who made it all the way through this story : )