Turning the Tides

Summary

What happened to Gray and Erza while Natsu and the rest were dealing with problems of their own? An alternate reality version…

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Author's Notes

Set during episodes 77 – 'Earthland', 86 – 'Erza vs Erza' and after the arc.

Unfortunately, I was so inspired by episodes 77 and 85 that I failed to check up on how the story was supposed to have progressed—and I wanted to do something that was close to the storyline!—I just pieced them up with the bits and pieces I knew.

By the time I realised that, I had some major editing to do. So I thought I'd post this AR version first while I edit the other which I'll probably post after the Edolas arc.

Anyway, I wasn't too disappointed and hope you aren't too. XD

Enjoy and please, no flames.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

The hair on Gray's nape had been standing up all day and he glanced out the windows of the guild at the approaching thunderstorm. He caught frantic movements out of the corner of his eye and turned to the blue-haired mage sitting beside him, her hands sticky with caramel and an upset look on her face.

He gave an inaudible sigh at the sticky mess she was in.

"You're way too sticky. Can't you eat it without getting it everywhere?"

"This is the first time Juvia has eaten it," the water mage answered, trying to pry her fingers apart.

Gray leaned his elbows on the table so he could better face her. "You eat a caramelised frank like this. You open your mouth really wide and then…" he demonstrated by taking a neat bite, "It ain't high class food, you know!"

Juvia tried to copy his action and her response was muffled by the bun.

Gray gave a faint smile at her perseverance and his thoughts flashed back to when he had also taught another mage how to eat a caramelised frank.

Erza had been eager to try out new things. He supposed having lived in slavery all those years meant missing out on things kids at her age would have taken for granted.

He had discovered her sweet tooth quite by accident when she'd stopped at a bakery with a wistfully expression on face, nose pressed flat against the glass pane as she looked longingly at the assortments of cakes and buns.

They had just been back from a mission together then, and he'd taken the opportunity to show her around Magnolia. A decidedly belated tour that she had nevertheless been grateful for and he, slightly regretful when she'd dragged him into every shopping mall.

But it was a delight to see the light and excitement shining out of eyes that were often too solemn for someone so young an age. It was decidedly one of the few times he'd seen her girly side. He felt honoured that she'd trust him enough to allow her shields to drop.

Seeing her looking at the bakery with such a regretful pout had made him want to put the sparkle back into her eyes and so he'd suggested that they go into the bakery.

The banked hope that had lit up her eyes was too much to resist and he had dragged her into the bakery when she still seemed hesitant. The moment she had passed the threshold, her whole being had shivered with suppressed delight.

They'd toured the bakery and the dazed look in her eyes at all the choices available to her had melted his young heart. When she couldn't decide what to try out first, he had pointed out that she could always come back every day until she tried out everything on the menu.

She had timidly asked him if he would come with her. Surprised, he had nodded his consent and they had settled for a caramelised frank.

The look on her face was one he would cherished forever when she couldn't fit her little mouth around the bun enough for her to take a decent bite. She'd ended up with her nose and cheeks covered in caramel and he'd nearly choked on his own frank when laughter bubbled out of him.

Erza had blushed and he'd offered her his handkerchief—which he'd somehow, miraculously, kept with him—and they'd cleaned her up with the water from the river they were eating beside.

"Would it always be this messy?" she had asked him as they watched the sun set together, her knees tucked beneath her chin as she wrapped her arms around her legs. He had been lounging back against the ice rock he had conjured, legs stretched out in front of him and hands behind his head. He'd somehow lost his shirt and pants again. At least he still had his boxers on.

"Nay, they get easier to eat after the first few times, but you get tired of them pretty soon too," he'd reassured her.

She'd wrinkled her little nose at him and he'd grinned. They'd gone to the bakery everyday after that. Most of the time was spent watching her enjoy her sweets while he took only tea.

It was during those days that she'd discovered her love for cheese cakes and soufflés. When she'd become an S-Class Wizard, things changed but they still made it a point to get together on a Friday.

And every caramelised frank they had after that was shared between them. Cut in half down the middle lengthwise so that it wasn't so big and that Erza could eat them comfortably.

That said mage was presently giving Alzack and Bisca some excellent advice.

Exasperation tinged his already edgy mood at the way the two gun-wielding mages were oblivious to each other's feelings. Everyone in the guild could see that they were made for each other, except—apparently—them. In fact, there were even bets running around the guild on how long before those two would finally get together.

He heard Master calling Erza and saw her nod at whatever the Master was saying.

He had just finished his frank and was tossing the wrapping paper into the trash can a few tables down when he felt energy cackling in the air. He looked out the window once more, his hand easily tossing the ball of paper without looking to see it drop into the can neatly.

He frowned at what he saw and stood up, quickly making his way to the doors. So when the first tremor rocked the guild, he had already reached Erza's side, catching her just in time as she stumbled. He braced them both against a pillar, covering her protectively as screams and surprised shouts sounded throughout the guild.

Erza clung to him, her armour clad fingers hanging onto his shoulders and he winced slightly at the nicks they made on his naked skin.

His ears, alert for any unusual sound that might give voice to the reason for the sudden earthquake, heard Wendy's faint voice outside the guild and felt a moment of fear for the little girl left unprotected outside.

"Everyone, we have trouble! The sky…" her high voice was cut off when a bright white light engulfed the guild and everything around him disappeared. He was aware of Erza's armour disappearing and soft curves pressing against him as strong gusts of wind whipped around them.

Gray burrowed his face into the side of her head as Erza wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him tight, her face buried against his chest.

And that was all he could remember until he opened his eyes and saw Mystogan and Gajeel standing in front of him. His arms were wrapped around something cold and hard and he frowned. He looked down, expecting to see Erza and nearly panicked when he saw the turquoise hue of a lacrima Erza.

He calmed down when Mystogan's hand landed on his shoulder reassuringly, his hand lifting a vial of little cherry red pills to his gaze. He watched anxiously as the masked man tilted the bottle and two red little balls fell onto his palm.

He passed the pills quietly to Gray and instructed calmly, "Take one for yourself and give the other to her."

Gray hesitated before taking the pills from the former guild member and complying. Gajeel had freed Erza from her lacrima state and he pressed the ball against Erza's stiff lips.

He caught her as she began to slip to the floor, her eyes closed, breathing shallow and face still slightly pale.

"Erza!" he called gently, tapping her cheek with his fingers as he tried to rouse her.

"Give her some time," Mystogan intoned, his voice inflectionless.

"But is she alright? I mean, you gave me the pill and I'm alright, right? What's wrong with her?"

Mystogan's gaze softened slightly at the younger man's obvious concern.

"Her body's probably trying to reject the pill. It'll take her a while to adjust," he explained, looking slightly disconcerted.

"Is there anything I can do?" Gray asked, looking up at the masked man.

"I'm sure you holding her will be enough to help her." He was told gently before their rescuer took his leave. Gajeel settled himself on the floor with his back against a wall, legs drawn up and arms draped over his knees.

Gray sighed as he cradled the young woman in his arms, settling himself against a lacrima-ed wall opposite the Iron Dragon Slayer. He brushed the hair away from her face and thought he saw her smile faintly before she snuggled into his body, seeming to crave his warmth.

He raised one knee so he could better support her and watched as she readjusted herself to his new position, her hand drifting to press against his still naked chest as her head dropped onto his shoulder comfortably.

He was surprised to note that Erza wasn't in her armour. Neither was she in her normal sleeveless ruffled shirt and blue plaid skirt. Instead, she was dressed in a soft green sundress.

The lacrima must've messed up her requip somehow, Gray mused thoughtfully, keeping an arm around her waist as his eyes surveyed his surroundings.

He watched in sorrow at the state the guild was in and silently vowed vengeance on the people who did this.

Jet, Droy, Levi, Cana, Macao, Wakaba, Alzack, Bisca and even Master were all in their lacrima forms and splayed in all kinds of positions the earthquake must've forced them to take.

He waited patiently for Erza to wake while he chatted softly with Gajeel—their voices echoing unnaturally in the solid lacrima if they spoke too loud. He was surprised to hear that Wendy, Natsu, Happy and Carla were nowhere to be found. Hmm…All dragon slayers. Interesting.

He stroked a hand through her scarlet tresses and felt Erza stir against him. She pushed herself away from him, her actions feeble and half-hearted and Gray gave an impatient sigh before tugging her close against him once more.

It stated a lot for her condition that she allowed him to do so.

"Where are we?" she asked, her voice faint but discernable in the deafening silence that had been his companion for hours, Gajeel having left them a few hours ago to scout for further information and to meet up with his Edolas self.

"A parallel universe called Edolas," he answered. Mystogan had visited them once more, bringing some food and drink, to check on them. They'd talked for a bit as they waited and the other man had taken a short nap.

Gray had seen how exhausted he was but had kept his mouth shut in face of what he had been told. Mystogan had caught Lucy and given her one of the pills. Unfortunately, he hadn't seen Natsu, Wendy, Happy or Carla since the lacrima sucked the guild right out of Magnolia.

Though he did hear that Fairy Tail—the Edolas one—had had to make a move to avoid detection and that they were planning to use the Earthland Fairy Tail guild lacrima as a bomb to defeat the Exceeds.

Gray chafed at the inactivity but knew it was futile to go in there while Erza was still out of commission. What they lack for in magic, Edolas made up for in sheer numbers. Something Mystogan—and earlier on, Gajeel—had revealed. If they went in half-charged, magic or no magic, they were going to end up destroying the guild's only chance at being saved.

Besides, two men exiting the lacrima with a semi-conscious redhead who just happened to be the exact image of the Edolas Captain of the Royal Army was going to cause quite a stir. Anonymity was what they needed now.

They moved out of the lacrima that night when Erza felt well enough to requip a cowl to cover her scarlet hair.

Mystogan had provided him with a cloak and he drew the hood up to cover his face. The same cloak Gajeel had on, he noted. Escaping from a lacrima was no easy job but with Mystogan's magic, they were able to make it safely to an inn.

They'd ordered one room for safety and also because they didn't have that much Edolas money with them. A shower was bliss for them all and they took turns taking it.

For some reason, Mystogan never took off his mask, even when there were only the three of them. He supposed it was in consideration of Erza's feelings. It didn't bother him since he had never truly been acquainted with Jellal.

Still, she tensed up whenever she caught sight of Mystogan. They never spoke to each other unless necessary. Going out to eat was always a silent affair and they kept to the restaurants nearby. Talking was out of the question since the only topic they would—and could—talk about was rescuing their friends and the huge lacrima crystal.

Erza linked her fingers with Gray's, intertwining their arms and hugging his arm whenever they had to leave the room. Even with the urgency hanging over them, he knew Erza was interested in the sweets and clothes the parallel world provided.

Her eyes frequently strayed to the clothing stalls and bakery stalls and if it weren't for her hold on his arm, he had a feeling she'd have bumped into every obstacle and person on the street. As it was, hanging onto to him enabled her to see the sights and still keep track of her friends.

Getting lost now in a foreign universe would really put a hold on their plans, not to mention further endangering their comrades' lives. Erza knew this and so she clung tighter. But he wondered if she didn't have some other ulterior motives. After all, he hadn't managed to strip—not once—with her unrelenting hold.

They left Mystogan to order their food for them, the Earthlanders being unfamiliar with the name of the dishes and unwilling to draw attention. Fortunately, the food he ordered was familiar despite the difference in name.

Ale was still ale and chicken rice was still chicken rice. Although there were a few dishes they were gamed to try such as desserts and soups that Mystogan recommended.

The room the inn provided had only two beds and without speaking, the three of them had come to a consent on where each would sleep. There weren't any couches in the room either. Theirs being the last room available in the inn as the extraction of the lacrima was a huge event and garnered visitors from all over.

Erza curled up against Gray in her sleep and he wrapped one arm around her waist, keeping her close.

The rest of the time, they plotted and waited, keeping tabs on their friends where they had been spotted and tracing their progress. He was relieved when they could finally make their move and knew Erza was too.

When the giant cat lacrima had fallen from the sky and they saw the Edolas army going after their friends, they had sprinted into action, parting with Mystogan. Before disappearing, Mystogan had handed him a couple more of the X-balls, giving orders that they were to be given to Natsu and Wendy.

The dungeon was a maze and they came up to dead ends a couple of times. Natsu's and Wendy's shouts and screams echoed eerily through the hallways, making their hair stand on end. Gritting their teeth, they pushed on and used it to guide their way, hoping they weren't too late.

Suddenly, they heard crashes and screams, armour scraping on the floor as though many soldiers were on the move. They stopped, trying to pinpoint the exact location—sound travel could be pretty deceptive as they'd found out earlier on.

They nodded at each other.

Their only option was to break down the wall. But things had gone strangely silent and they were reluctant to make a move in case they should harm their friends. They waited. When no further sound came, they decided to carry on; listening to Natsu's yells was distressing Erza and Gray had to admit it worried him too. No matter his belief that Natsu would never give up.

Frantic cries came through the wall and they heard more crashes and screams as the walls shook.

"Lucy!" Erza exclaimed, recognising the scream.

They now knew they were close to their friends. Erza pressed herself against the wall, straining her ears. Gray did the same on her other side. What they heard confirmed their suspicion and silent communication passed between them.

Erza stepped back as Gray took his stance, striking his fist against his palm. Their only strength now was the element of surprise. She braced herself as Gray unleashed his magic. Mist gathered as the after effect.

"Hey, you there. You did this knowing they're members of our guild?" Gray called, stalling for time as they took stock of the number of enemies.

"We will never forgive those who lay hands on our fellow guild members!" Erza asserted fiercely, taking in the state Lucy, Happy and Carla were in.

"But, how did you…" Carla asked, shock colouring her tone as she tried to get up.

"All of you are now our enemies! Enemies of Fairy Tail!" Gray declared. So far, their odds seemed pretty good, he decided.

"Gray! Erza!" the relief in Lucy's cry was profound and grateful.

Gray had been all ready to fight off the Edo Erza when Erza cut in and ordered him to go ahead. He'd left her reluctantly then, knowing it would be more unnerving to fight your own self than have a Fairy Hunter fight one of the members of Edolas' Fairy Tail members which he'd heard that he was. All the same he couldn't quell the unease he had of her being in danger.

Gray leaned back in his seat, arms behind his head, chair tilted on two legs as Natsu, Wendy, Lucy and Happy recounted their adventures in Edolas to their rapt audience. Mirajane handed out drinks dutifully but even he could see that her actions were automatic, her gaze frequently flicking to her long-lost sister who was sitting beside Elfman and listening to the story telling.

Juvia had been nearly inconsolable when they'd returned unharmed but not unscathed, crying torrents of tears that flooded the entire guild and had Erza quickly requiping into normal clothes so that she didn't have to deal with a soaking armour that would have needed extra care so that it didn't rust.

"Hey, Gray," a soft voice called him and he turned his head, recognising the voice. He gave a small smile and dropped the chair on all four legs.

"Hey yourself," he answered just as softly as the red-haired approached him, her hair still slightly damp and in her armour.

She jerked her head to the door and asked, "Wanna take a bite? It's Friday."

Gray nodded and rose carefully so that he didn't make any noise to disrupt the audience's attention. Erza smiled and they headed out of the guild together, heading to the new bakery in town where she'd ordered Wendy's cake.

Right when they stepped out of the guild, Erza's body glowed and she was dressed in a simple blue wrap dress with her hair done in one long braid. Gray grabbed her hand and they walked to the bakery hand-in-hand.

The silence between them was comforting and they left it at that, only speaking quietly when they passed by a villager they knew or calling back in greeting.

They reached the bakery where the head baker quickly came out from his station in the back room where all the baking was done to greet them, having been informed by one of his workers of the arrival of his Friday patrons.

They were seated at a round tea table like royalty before giving their orders. Gray, ever the gentleman held Erza's chair out for her and waited for her to give her order first before requesting for tea.

They were sitting al fresco under a huge umbrella while they waited for their order to arrive. Eating and drinking in silence, they occasionally shared glances and smiles as they watched the villagers carry out their day-to-day lives.

A little boy, blushing furiously, walked right up to Erza and handed her a handful of flowers in as many different colours as his five-year-old hand could hold. Erza, surprised, tossed Gray a lost look before hesitantly taking the flowers and murmuring a soft thank you.

He chuckled softly so that he didn't offend the child who had beamed when Erza accepted his flowers and gave him a hug. The small boy skipped off to join his mother and they waved at the mother and son.

Gray reached over to clasp Erza's hand, teasing gently, "You've made quite an impression," when they heard the excited chatter of the child over the dwindling crowd as stores began to close.

Erza's cheeks pinkened as she acknowledged her uncharacteristic behaviour.

Gray squeezed her hand. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," he smirked and her head whipped up to look at him, mouth slightly agaped.

Then she, too, smirked.

"Not if you don't want me to tell everyone that you kissed a girl!"

"Hey! It was only on her forehead and she made me do it!" Gray protested, his eyes twinkling with mirth at the memory.

"Tsk, tsk, Gray. A kiss is still a kiss!" Erza mock chided as they paid their bills.

"She's only four!" Gray huffed, hands in his pockets as they walked down the nearly empty streets, Erza's arm looped through his.

"And already looking at men."

"She's precocious then!"

"No…I'd say it was more puppy love," Erza teased.

Gray stopped suddenly. "Oh really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Erza stopped as well and looked up at him innocently. "Really…wait till I tell the others," displaying an uncharacteristic mischievous side that only he got to see.

"You wouldn't!" Gray growled, stepping close.

"Wouldn't I?" Erza challenged, also taking another step.

Then Gray's eyes glittered and Erza took it as a warning to flee.

"Oh, it's on!" Gray shouted as Erza ran as fast as she could in her heels, her giggles floating back to him.

Gray grinned in anticipation and set off, taking a shortcut.

Erza glanced behind her to check on Gray's progress and—bam!—ran straight into a hard rock.

"You are going to take back your words, Erza," the rock said, tickling the young woman.

Squeals and peels of feminine giggles intermingled with male laughter as Gray's hands jumped all over her tickle spots.

"Stop! Stop, Gray! I yield. I yield," Erza gasped and Gray released her.

They rested together, Erza on top of Gray who was leaning against a tree as they watched the sun set.

Erza sighed contentedly as she dipped her fingers into the river; the evening air the perfect setting for—what she now considered—her sanctuary.

Gray plucked a few leaves and grass from Erza's hair as they stood up, ready to head home. With the sun down, the sky quickly took on a dark hue as night approached. They had just started off home when Erza turned exasperated eyes on him.

"Gray! Your clothes!"

Yep, it was another typical Friday.

~*~ End ~*~