The man's face remained stoic as he raised a hand in greeting. At this, Lucy was stuck in her spot, unable to move or even yell at him for he wasn't supposed to be pointing a gun at his friend. Why was he going to shoot Jellal?

Gray tilted his head back, staring at Jellal through narrowed eyes.

"Yo... Jellal."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Gray!" Levy gasped and screamed as a hand was thrust forward to the side of her face. She crouched down and threw a knife at the opponent. The man fell to the floor with a grunt and the bluenette stood up, clasping her hands together while she turned to stare at the raven-haired man.

Her lips quivered, "Gray... why?" She felt a drift behind her and when she turned around, her face was slapped to the side and she was thrown to the floor.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Gray!" Erza barked. Her eyes grew wide and she leaned back, dodging a kick. She gritted her teeth and threw a knife at the woman, glaring at her, "Move out of the way!"

The redhead clutched the knife in her hand tightly, crouching down and slicing the knife at an enemy's leg. The man howled in pain and Erza took this as an advantage, diving forwards and stabbing the knife in the man's forehead. Blood was splattered all over her face and when she withdrew the knife, her fingers trembled and the knife slipped from her hands.

With a growl, she turned around and glared at Gray, "Don't do anything reckless, idiot!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Laxus grinded his teeth together in anger, turning around and landing another punch on the man's face just before he could fire his gun. He picked up a forgotten pistol on the floor and pointed it at the man. With a snarl, he pulled the trigger and the man's body went limp. Another one ran at him, face in a wicked smile. He held a shotgun in each of his hands, shooting at the blonde who hid behind a pillar, hiding from the man. After sucking in deep breaths, he faced the man again and appeared behind him, twisting his neck and throwing him aside.

He turned around to stare at Gray, "Bastard! What are you doing?" He clenched his fists and threw a butcher knife behind him, "DROP YOUR GUN!"

The knife hit a woman's chest and she screamed, falling to the floor.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Lucy's fingers trembled and she held her gun with both hands, pointing it at Gray who refused to turn his gaze to her. She bit her lower lip, "Why, Gray? Why?!"

The said man pursed his lips, "Stay out of this, Lucy."

"I can't stay out of it! You're going to kill my boyfriend!" She cried out, tears slipping away from her eyes, "I don't want to hurt you, Gray. Drop your gun and everything will be fine."

Gray sighed, "I can't do that, Lucy."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Who is that guy?" Haru asked, jumping left to right as he looked over his shoulder. The woman in front of him screamed in frustration.

"STOP MOVING!" She barked and Haru smirked. He back flipped and when his feet touched the ground, he fired his gun at her and the woman landed on the floor with a thud, blood pooling around her body.

Zen shrugged, yawning, "Apparently, he's part of the Student Council."

"If that is so, why is he pointing a gun at Jellal?" Haru asked, raising a brow.

"That, I don't know."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"So, he's the guy I've heard about," Elie said, frowning as she twirled the guns in her hands. Smirking, she ducked down and fired her two guns at five approaching enemies, "Jealousy took over him."

Yukino took a rifle and fired it at a woman, "This is bad."

Elie laughed, grinning, "As long as Lucy-sama doesn't get shot, it's not that bad."

The white-haired woman sighed, "I guess you're right.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"I didn't predict that he would show up," Loke hissed, holding his bleeding arm in pain, "To think that he was this jealous... damn it!"

"You're not the only one surprised," Natsu said, eyes narrowed into slits as he gave Gray a sideway glance before setting his gaze on the enemies in front of him. He wiped the dripping blood on his chin by the back of his hand, "I've known Gray for a long time now and I know that he didn't decide this on his own."

Loke tsked as he barely dodged a bullet, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm saying that someone must have tempted him to kill Jellal," The pinkette said, reloading his gun and punching a man in the chest, "Gray's not that evil to kill a friend but if someone convinces him to do it, he'll do it."

The ginger-haired man gulped, "Then that means..."

Natsu closed his eyes and he gritted his teeth, "There's no way to stop him."

Bang! Bang!

"I'm warning you, Gray, drop the gun or else I will shoot you," Lucy reprimanded, swallowing thickly, "Just drop your gun-"

The raven-haired man stared at her from the corner of his eye, "Go on, shoot, let's see if you really can kill me. If you pull that trigger, I'll pull mine too."

Lucy's eyes widened and a chill went down her spine. She regained her composure and she narrowed her eyes, "Don't you dare..."

Gray didn't waver at her glare, instead, he smiled softly, "It's fine, if you kill me, he'll be dead too and you won't have to worry about protecting him anymore. You won't have to worry about walking in a trap and getting yourself killed. Your safety matters."

"But that's..." Lucy's voice trailed off and tears continued streaming down her cheeks, "But if he's dead, what would that do to me? I would mourn for years and I would lose my confidence! His death will be the cause of mine!"

Bang! Bang!

"Gray..." Jellal whispered, "Why?"

The raven-haired man stared at him, "It's simple."

"I fell in love."

"I have to... run faster!" A girl with cerulean-colored hair screeched, pushing her feet against the floor, "Faster! I have to run faster!" Her bangs were blown back by the wind and her yellow-bluish eyes narrowed in concentration.

Her eyes widened in surprise, "N-Nii-chan's being t-targeted?"

The woman in front of her nodded, frowning deeply, "It seems so, I'm a spy in the Tiger Gang and I heard that Minerva managed to talk someone into killing your brother... He's going to arrive at the ball and I'm sure your brother will be there too, am I right?"

"Yes... he told me that he and Lucy-san had a fight and he wanted to apologize," The bluenette pressed her lips together, "I don't have that much power but..."

With a determined look in her eyes, she clenched her fists, "I will stop him!"

She touched the tattoo on her cheek and she bit her lip, "I have to run faster!"

"Drop the fucking gun, Gray," Gajeel growled, pointing his gun at him as well. With the movement, Virgo, Haru, Zen, Elie, Rin, Len and Yukino pointed their guns at Gray as well. Gajeel frowned, "I don't want to kill you, dude, but if you're going to kill Jellal and take Lucy-sama's happiness away, I'd rather kill you."

Gray's eyebrow rose in amusement, "Well, aren't you committed?"

"She saved my life," Gajeel said, his lips curling into a grim line, "I was on the brink of death. I had no place to go, I had no family, money, food, it was my fifth week on the streets and I was going to die. Then there she was, stretching her hand out to me and asking me to come with her."

He sat on the streets, face skinny and lips dry. Black circles surrounded his eyes and he stared up at the gray sky dimly, arms limp. Soon enough, droplets of water dropped from the sky and each drop hit his face. He weakly opened his mouth and caught the rain, drinking the water hungrily. He coughed and closed his eyes, the sound of cars going by now distant and faint. Every sound was fading away. Every movement was still and frozen as if time stopped.

He knew his time was up. It's been five weeks since his family died in a fire and he had nowhere else to go. He didn't have any relatives. He had no food. He had no money. He didn't have a house to live in. He didn't have anyone who cared for him. He had survived for the first two weeks but he was at his limit, he couldn't go on any further.

He was going to die any time now.

But out of a whim, she was there, holding an umbrella with one hand and the other stretched out towards him. She looked like an angel with her yellow hair like a halo and her brown eyes like a spell. Was he dreaming? Why would someone suddenly offer their hand? Why?

"Come with me," She said, her lips tugging upwards in a smile, "I'll take care of you."

With that, he took her hand and grasped it tightly, not letting go.

"I owe her a huge debt," Gajeel said, closing his eyes and looking away, "If it wasn't for her... I-I would be dead right now."

Lucy's lips trembled, "Gajeel..."

"If you kill Jellal, you're dealing with not only her," Gajeel glared at Gray and the members of Lucy's gang stood behind him, faces distorted in anger, "but you'll be dealing with her family as well."

"Gah, I love you all so much," The blonde leader said, chuckling as she dried her tears, "It's fine, I'll take him on."

"We're your family," Haru said, frowning, "We will help you."

Elie winked, "That's right!"

"I'm new to your family but I'll support you all the way!" Yukino beamed, smiling brightly when she noticed the tears gathering again in Lucy's eyes, "Don't cry, Lucy-sama."

"Yea, don't cry, Princess," Zen said, laughing, "You don't cry, remember?"

Through all the hard times, Virgo managed to crack a smile, "Zen-san's right. Princess, don't cry."

"I agree with Zen and Virgo," Len said.

Rin giggled, "Lucy-sama must not cry, it's a weakness."

"That's right," Gray's lips tightened into a straight line, "You're not supposed to be crying, Lucy. You're supposed to be smirking, no?"

"Shut up," Lucy snarled, her face in a look between anger and sadness. She was sad that Gray was blinded by jealous, so blinded to even be tempted to kill his own friend. On the other hand, she was angry that he went so far as to killing Jellal. She hated him for that but she couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger. They weren't that close like she was with Jellal but they were friends.

The raven-haired man was silenced and his heart squeezed in pain. With a sigh, he moved his hand and pointed the gun directly at Jellal's heart, "What would you do if I killed him?"

"I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth!" Lucy growled and she gripped her gun harder, "I will hunt you down!"

"And if you find me?"

"I..." Lucy's voice wavered and she grinded her teeth together, "I'll kill you..."

"And what would that do anything? Would it bring back Jellal from the dead?" Gray asked, his eyes serious and dark, "Answer me."

The blonde roared in anger, "I don't know!" She lowered her head, "I don't know... Gray. Tell me, why are you doing this?"

"Because I love you-"

"That's not good enough!" Lucy hollered, her eyes wide and furious. "If you love me, you wouldn't kill the man I love. If you love me, you'll let me be happy!" She glared at Gray and she wrinkled her nose in disgust, "This is not love. This is possession!"

Bang! Bang!

"Hey, Zen, do you hear that?" Haru asked, frowning, "There's distant running."

Zen rolled his eyes, "Many people are running, be specific."

"It's the running footsteps of a girl, it's noticeable for its lack of weight but it's fast and... it's pounding hard!"

The light-haired man went quiet and listened quietly. From afar, he could hear faint running and heavy breathing. The footsteps were hard but they were certainly light. He pouted, "It's a girl. What's a young girl doing here?"

"I don't know," Haru said and his eyes narrowed down, "All I know is that we can't get her involved. This is a gang war and children are not included."

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap!

Rin blinked, "Someone's..."

"...Coming?" Len finished and he raised a brow in confusion. The sounds of guns firing and bones breaking faded away while they all listened to the sound of running footsteps.

"Who is it?" Yukino asked.

Elie shrugged, "We don't know, we didn't ask for backup from the southern division."

"You have another division?"

"Yup, but they're free-lancers. They only take action when we need their help."

"Wow..."

Tap. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thump!

"Jellal-nii?" A small voice cried out.

Lucy and Jellal's eyes widened, both faces turning into a look of horror as a cerulean-haired girl ran to a stop in front of them. She was sucking in deep breaths, drops of sweat sliding down her body. The girl couldn't help but roll her eyes at the reaction she received. After inhaling a few more breaths, she straightened her body and ran a hand through her hair shyly, "Am I... Am I late?"

"Reina..." Lucy whispered voicelessly, her eyes blinking back the tears of happiness and fear behind them.

Jellal stared at her in confusion, "Why are you here?"

Reina shrugged, biting her bottom lip, "Aunt Milly told me that someone was going to kill you today. I was worried that I wouldn't get here in time."

"You were planning to stop Gray?" The older Fernandes asked breathlessly in amazement, "You're just a little girl, Reina."

"I knew I wouldn't be able to do it," The cerulean-haired girl mumbled, eyes focused on the ground as she crossed her arms over her chest, "But I knew that Lucy-san would be here and if she's here, she would help me."

Lucy's gaze was fixated on the young girl, "How could I help you? I mean, I could stop this on my own but..."

"You would tell me the truth," Reina said and her chin was raised high proudly, "With the truth, I'll be able to save brother by myself, am I right?"

The blonde's eyes widened, "How-How did you know?"

"It wasn't easy," Reina admitted, smiling wryly, "It took a while before I noticed what was wrong."

"Impressive," Lucy muttered, "But we're not safe yet, Gray is still pointing his gun at Jellal."

A woman stepped out, "That's right; you have to think fast, War Maiden."

Lucy's gang's eyes widened and they all breathed out a name.

"Minerva."

The purple-haired woman grinned deviously, her eyes narrowed down. She stood behind Gray and she placed her hand on his shoulder. With a smirk, she massaged the shoulder softly and the man in front of her tensed slightly, alarmed. "Nice to see you," Minerva said, chuckling, "It's been a while, no?"

"Huh, it has been a while," Lucy mumbled lazily, "Has it been so long that you decided to dye your hair violet? Gross."

Minerva's smile dropped and she glared at Lucy, "Shut the fuck up, bitch."

"Right, right," Lucy contemplated, laughing softly, "You look ridiculous."

The purple-haired woman growled lowly, gripping Gray's shoulder hard, "Shoot."

"I can't... not yet," A chill went down his spine when Minerva leaned forward to whisper in his ear.

"If you don't kill him now, I will shoot Lucy."

Gray gulped and sweat slid down his forehead as he tried to find the feeling of his legs again. His legs felt like jelly, they were so frail and weak.

With a smirk, Minerva blew hot air in his ear, "Now, you don't want that, do you?"

"I don't want that," Gray shakily said, swallowing a lump in his throat as he stared at Jellal apologetically, "I'm sorry... president."

Reina's eyes widened and she screamed, "Stop! Don't kill him!" She was about to run forward when Gray stared at her sharply.

"Don't move or else I'll shoot," He firmly said, his eyes narrowed into slits while he played with the trigger. He gave Lucy a sideway glance. Caught in the moment, he could only say sorry to her through his eyes and she nearly wavered at the gesture but couldn't stop herself from running towards Jellal.

She spun around quickly, "No... no, don't kill him!"

Bang!

"LUCY!"

.