A New Home
He never considered joining a guild. It wasn't something he'd planned.
Joining a guild would distract him from his goal.
Joining a guild was another chance, another family he'd ruin and it was too good for a murderer like him
The only reason he stepped into the Fairy tail guild hall was because he had heard rumours that their master was a powerful wizard-
(Powerful enough to fix his mistake? His sin?)
-and that he knew more magic than Gray could ever hope to know.
He slipped through the massive doors in an attempt to remain unnoticed (he had learned from his mistakes at the last guild he had been to, where he had been stupid and naïve and they had laughed and laughed and he still had the scars to show for it)
And as he quietly walked up to the master of the guild, trying to avoid the boisterous bar fight going on-
(Shouldn't a guild be more mature? Why where they laughing? Did they care about helping people? Were they just like the other ones? Would they help him? Hurt him?)
-Gray steeled himself for disappointment. He had come across many different people in his wanderings, some young or old, some small or large
Some bad or good.
The Master was… not what he expected. He was short and old, (older than Gray ever expected to be, to get the chance to become) but his eyes were kind and wise, and he had hope that he wouldn't be adding to his already extensive collection of injuries. Not today, at least.
Then they talked, and his world shattered.
She was gone. There was nothing he could do about it.
He killed her, and could never make it up to her.
The Master-
(who, Gray decided, was much too nice for his own good.)
-steered him to the bar and sat him down, buying him a drink and saying that he could stay for as long as he liked. Could join, even.
Gray nodded mutely, not really paying attention, already knowing that he'd be gone in a few hours as soon as the too-kind master took his eyes of him. Even though he couldn't bring her back, he would spend the rest of his life working towards repaying his debt.
Though that was impossible. Her blood was on his hands.
The noise of the fight in the guild went to a new time high and someone sat on the stool next to him, though he took no notice. He was absorbed in trying to figure out what he was going to do, where he was going to go, how he was going to live.
Someone cleared their throat, and Gray looked up.
A brown haired girl sat in front of him on a stool like his, with her legs dangling down.
"What did the floor ever do to you?"
He blinked. Once. Twice.
"What?"
She snorted. "You were scowling at the floor like it killed your mother!"
He flinched, and she seemed to pick up on the gesture, seemed to know she'd hit a nerve, so she feel silent. The silence didn't last long, though.
He heard an intake of breath that meant she was going to say something else, but he turned away from her in a gesture that made it clear that he didn't want to talk.
She didn't seem to care, however.
"Are you joining the guild? I hope you are. I'm the only kid and it's kinda lonely when the adults get drunk or something, and we could be friends! I promise I'd be a good friend. And we could-"
Seemingly noticing his blank eyed stare she stilled in her rambling, flushing silently and lowering her head. Silence surrounded both of them, and it felt so awkward that Gray felt sorry for her.
"I'm not."
The girl (what was her name? Did she say? And why did he care?) perked up at his answer, before frowning.
"You're not what?"
Gray sighed, already regretting talking to her.
"I'm not joining your guild."
She pouted. "Why not? It's awesome! I mean some people can be jerks, and it can be a bit lonely but with you there it would be so cool. And the master is really nice too, even if he gets drunk a lot. We're like a huge family- sometimes it's a bit embarrassing but everyone's always there for each other.
Trying to swallow the lump in his throat from his own personal F-word, he looked away.
"I don't want it."
The brown haired girl frowned, looking lost. "Why not? Everyone wants family! And I'm sure your lonely since your par-"
She cut herself, looking mortified. Gray clutched his drink so hard he thought it would break.
"I just don't."
I don't deserve a family.
Why was he still talking to her again?
Gray made to turned away, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him, and he meet the brown eyes of the girl.
She was frowning. "What do you mean, you don't deserve it?"
He grit his teeth.
He hadn't meant to say that out loud.
For a split second, Gray hated this whole guild. First he was told that there was no way to get her back, then this girl stirred up all his emotions and feelings and everything else that he was thought he had covered up with layers of ice, along with his heart.
But the girl was staring at him expecting an answer, with confusion and a hint of sadness in her eyes and Gray just…
Was tired. Of keeping it bottled in.
"I did something bad." He looked at her. "Very bad."
She shrugged, not really getting it.
"Everyone makes mistakes. Maybe you're just making it more dramatic in your head?"
Gray frowned, momentarily drawn into memories of Lyon screaming at him, the smell of death in the air all around them.
"It's your fault. You killed Ur."
He shook his head, trying to clear it. He looked at the brunette slowly.
"I don't think I am."
She frowned (he really needed to find out her name) before looking at him carefully.
"Could you… tell me what happened?"
He froze (pun not intended) and felt his magic rise up, waiting for him to use it and protect himself from what had distressed him.
He pushed it down mentally and looked carefully at the girl. Something was telling him he could trust her.
So he did.
It was hard. Very hard, at times. And he stumbled over his words a lot. But she was patient, and despite her pushiness before she was a good listener, and so the words became easier.
He didn't tell her everything. And he left bits out. Some of it was just too personal to tell a person who was practically a stranger, and other things he couldn't physically make himself say.
But he felt a weight off him all the same, in the end.
And after all of it, after he had recounted that day to her, he looked up at the girl (who's name was still unknown to him) and blinked.
She was crying. And when she saw him looking at her, she flung herself at him in an embrace that possibly broke a few ribs. He tensed at the hug, before cautiously wrapping his hands around her too.
When she pulled back, her eyes were red from crying, but she was smiling sadly at him.
"My name's Cana. My mum died of illness, and I don't know where my dad is. I came to fairy tail to look for him, but somehow ended up staying. It's made me a better person, given me a chance to do something good with my life."
Gray blinked in surprise as Cana squeezed his hand.
"I understand why you think you don't deserve a family, but… you're a good person, Gray. And if what your saying is true, then your trying to make up from your past mistakes. And you can do that here. Just please. Stay. I don't know why, but my cards told me that your destiny is interwind with Fairy Tail. So give it a chance."
Gray blinked, a little startled at her sudden speech. He didn't understand what she meant by cards, but he knew that she wanted him to stay. And to be honest? He was considering it. The memories haunting him weren't so strong here.
Cana then grinned mischievously, catching his gaze.
"Besides, I'm here. And you like me, right?"
And although Gray, spluttering, denied it, he couldn't refute that the deciding factor on whether or not he stayed at Fairy Tail?
That was her smile.
—
A/N Cana and Gray's friendship is over looked a lot, so I wanted to write something about them. Next time I'm hoping to write something about Loke and Gray but I don't really like how this turned out, soooo. Yeah