"NATSUUUUUUU!"
Lucy let a heart-curling yell, begging for the pink-haired man to return. Gray looked half-dead, his brother just left. Again. Happy was flying around, asking, "Natsu?" as tears streamed down his eyes. It was only a few moments ago he was reassuring them that he was there and that he was fine…
But he mustn't have been. He was gone. Surely he hadn't disappeared? Surely he had just left them, ran somewhere else, perhaps he even ran ahead….
They all knew the truth however. The book, even though it was completed, was gone now that Zeref had died.
...Funny, how your enemy destroyed your ally, even after death.
It was no laughing matter, however. "Gray…" Lucy just barely murmured. He looked at her with his half-dead gaze, not sure why his name was on her lips. "Gray." She repeated.
"Is he coming back?"
It was that one question that they all knew the answer to, but no one wanted to respond.
Silence was her only answer; it weighed down on her like a ton of bricks, threatening to crush her. And she would gladly let them. Dammit, she wanted him!
Gray left her hanging, not daring to speak. But as they say, actions speak louder than words. So with what little energy he had, he put his arm around Lucy, offering her a little comfort. She stared at him and offered just the tiniest ghost of a smile.
He hoisted both of them up, Lucy stumbling a bit, and Gray shouted, "Natsu!"
Lucy looked at him in surprise; He still had hope.
Happy came flying back, the salty tears still hitting the cracked ground with a tiny plop. "I can't smell him…" was the only thing the Exceed said.
Gray continued yelled the dragon slayer's name. Soon enough, Lucy was yelling his name as well. Happy deactivated his Aera magic, sitting down and muttering, "It's hopeless...we'll never see him again."
Lucy turned to him, her eyes just gaining the tiniest flicker of its original spark back. "...No, maybe not, but it can't hurt to try, can it?"
The blue exceed looked up. Of course it wouldn't hurt to try; but it was hopeless, wasn't it?
But...what was he thinking? They're Fairy Tail mages, for crying out loud. They never give up. Natsu wouldn't want them to.
"Yeah…" Happy left the thought hanging and activated his Aera magic again, shouting the same name he had shouted for the past few minutes. Lucy joined in as well not long after.
Gray let his lips twitch a little; perhaps, if they looked enough, they might find him under a different sky.