"One can endure sorrow alone, but it takes two to be glad."
- Elbert Hubbard
If his life was a movie, this would be the slow-mo part.
"You're here!"
Even through the chaos that was happening in the room, all that was in Gray's eyes were him, the girl thought to be dead, and the distance between them. A surreal wave of terror washed over Gray and his throat suddenly went dry.
He could've sworn he had seen the girl dead in the car crash just moments ago. He could picture her arm peeping out from the truck and the pungent scent the trickling blood emitted.
Was this all a hallucination?
"Gray-sama," a third party spoken up and Gray blinked, Juvia now entering his line of vision. "Is everything alright?"
Juvia. School. Gray hadn't realized it but he had become inept at breathing, the shock at hallucinating a dead girl must've jarred his senses. After gathering his composure he plastered a passable smile and tried to engage himself in the conversation Juvia started. Just as a few minutes passed and Gray finally calmed down, he felt a poke and turned, only to find the blonde at his side again.
"How mean," She pouted, "to ignore me!"
"Hallucination, this is all a hallucination," Gray mumbled, his heart beating rapidly again.
"What's that, Gray-sama?" Juvia stopped detailing her story about how her childhood friend, Gajeel Redfox, was ignoring her for some blue haired bookworm. "If you need any advice, then you can always tell Juvia-san."
"Ah, no," Gray started to accumulate beads of sweat as he tried withstanding the glare the hallucination was sending him. "it's just…the wind-"
"So I'm denoted as an intangible object!" The blonde cried, slamming her hand a place on the desk which didn't touch Juvia's leaning body and Gray's resting arm. Gray flinched at the impact but took note of Juvia's lack of reaction. "Gray, talk to me!"
Finally unable to take both girl's demanding looks, one aggressive the other kind, Gray wearily pointed to the blonde and looked at Juvia, "You…see this blonde over here?"
Juvia blinked and looked towards where Gray pointed in confusion. "Blonde? Gray-sama, if Juvia is not mistaken, the person Gray-sama is pointing to is Erza-san."
"What?" Gray dropped his pointing finger to stare at Lucy and then behind her. Sure enough, standing a few desks away was the school student president, Erza Scarlet. She was currently talking to a yellow haired student reclusive, Laxus, about getting the required credits to pass high school. Good thing too. Gray wouldn't know what to do if Erza had noticed him pointing at her. After all that had happened, a normal conversation with her or the others would be a dream come true.
But the current matter at hand was the blonde girl who had suddenly sprung from the dead and couldn't be seen by anyone but him. Gray sighed and looked back at Juvia who was still standing in front of him patiently. He couldn't say the same about the blonde, however.
"No one can see me, you know," she said, walking beside him to plop down in an available seat, "it's just you."
Gray grinded his teeth from letting out a frustrated yell. If she had said that from the beginning then he wouldn't have freaked out on the one person who had talked to him normally throughout all these years. He got up and signaled for the blonde to follow, heading out the classroom and dogding the spitballs that were launched at him.
"Where are you going, Gray-sama?" Juvia said, chasing after him, "should Juvia follow?"
"Nah, it's alright," Gray said over his shoulder with great difficulty. Lucy stood only a centimeter away from him and her soft, blonde hair kept tickling his chin. "I need to use the bathroom."
He was only one footstep away from stepping foot into the school hallways when an arm appeared in front of him. The owner was a certain scarlet. Gray's eyes widened in surprise and he thought what could be the matter. It had been made clear he should be avoided at all times. What was this now?
"Where are you going?" came her stoic but firm voice that sent a militia fleeing to their homes, "class is about to start."
"I'm going to the bathroom," He hated the tremor evident in his words but then again, who couldn't speak without fear to Erza who wasn't her friend? He once belonged to those select few who could be considered her equal, her friend. But that time had passed. This was now. "Can I?"
"I don't know, can you?" She said immediately, her expression demanding him to fight back.
And maybe he would've if times were different. If he had more guts. Guts to stand up for himself and guts to confess the truth that had placed him in such a miserable condition in the first place. Originally, he had friends to talk with, to cry with, to laugh with. He hadn't realized how fragile friendship was at the moment but now he had. But now was too late.
"HURRY UP!" Gray peered, out of the corner of his eyes, the blonde who had already slipped into the hallways and had her arms placed at her hips importantly, impatiently.
He sighed and asked timidly, "May I?"
The scarlet bit her bottom lip as though to figure whether to let the boy go or not. Finally, she shook her head and let him pass but grabbed his shoulder and whispered harshly, "This is the last time I'm letting you go, Fullbuster. It's only for old time's sake but what happened in the past is absolutely unforgivable."
His shoulder felt sore by the time he had exited the classroom.
"Well?" Gray asked his hallucination after they reached an abandoned classroom in the north wing. "Why are you looking for me? And how did you find me?"
The blonde lied down on two tables she had pushed together, rubbing her stomach. "I don't know why. I just sort of…sensed your presence."
"But why me?" Gray pressed. When the girl gave him a confused look, he snapped his finger, "Wait. I know. This must be me dreaming 'cause I'm stressed or something right? Karma?"
"I'm wounded, Gray, really." The blonde sarcastically whined. She got up from her sleeping position and walked to Gray who was leaning against the chalkboard in front of the classroom. Placing a hand on his chest, Gray felt his heart thudding even more rapidly, his body suddenly feeling warm despite the lack of heat that came from the girl's body.
"Am I a dream, now?" She asked and Gray nodded no, trying to keep his eyes from wandering to body parts he wished not to see.
He liked to consider himself a gentleman and not a pervert—even towards a ghost.
When he felt his hormones couldn't take anymore, he pushed the girl lightly aside and settled his slightly tussled shirt before reaffirming with the oblivious blonde.
"So you're a ghost," he slowly said, and the girl nodded. "You felt like you had to see me?" Another nod. "But why? Shouldn't you be up in heaven or dead or something?"
Lucy shrugged, "I remember reading books that people rise from the dead because they didn't fulfill some sort of wish."
"Wish. Okay then, what's your wish?"
A chuckle escaped her blue-black lips. "I don't know. Even if I do, I don't think it's something that can be fulfilled easily."
Gray frowned. He had done his part of accepting that the dead had risen and was haunting him. Shouldn't she do her part and tell what the hell she desired so he would just put her to sleep or something already? Trying to get chances to talk to her like this was completely ruining his low exposure policy. A policy he was determined to keep ever since the scandal.
"What do you remember then?"
"Not much," Lucy confessed, "Only that I met you before I died. A few glimpses of the people I knew. And…a few of my old habits I guess."
Gray sighed, rubbing his temples. "Okay. Fine. I'll deal with your problem after school I guess. For now I have to get back before class starts."
Lucy agreed and they walked out of the abandoned classroom. It wasn't until a few minutes into walking did Lucy said she had heard the late bell ring during their conversation.
Fuck.
The rest of the school day went surprisingly uneventful. Aside from Lucy trying her best to stay entertained by looking over the backs of those who read manga during class, Gray had to say everything went smoother than expected. He was only hit once during lunch time and only for one class was his homework stolen.
"Juvia has to go to club right now but will Gray-sama be alright?" Juvia had said when the dismissal bell rang and Gray nodded.
"I'll be fine, Juvia. Bye."
And she left, stealing a second glance at him which made Gray feel uncomfortable.
"She likes you, you know." A voice next to him spoke up. He jumped to see Lucy standing and staring at Juvia's receding figure.
"Don't do that!" Gray exclaimed.
Lucy stared at him innocently, her black eyes glinting brown for a millisecond. "Do what?"
"Never mind." Gray disliked the idea of having a casual conversation with a ghost. Felt too unnatural.
They walked with silence in between them. Gray determined to lose Lucy. Chances of her tagging him along to home everyday if she was able to catch up were high. Judging how happy she seemed despite the fact that she was dead.
"Aren't you scared?" Gray said finally when the walk had finally taken a toll on his body. "you're dead and now you're a ghost. I'd be scared if I were you."
The girl paused to stare at Gray, her black eyes devoid of any life. But a smile, much like Cheshire's, widened on her abnormally pale skin and she said, "I'm given another chance to live. Another chance to see how different my life could've been."
"But didn't you commit suicide because you disliked life?" Gray countered and Lucy walked a few steps ahead of him, her back against him.
"Don't know. I have absolutely no recollections of my past life besides tidbits here and there."
And no more was said until their walk to Gray's house came to an end.
Lucy popped her head into the empty house, yelling childishly, "Hello? Anyone home-"
"-stop," Gray cut as he entered the house and locked the door behind him, "no one can hear you but I can. You're creeping me out."
"Hmph," Lucy pouted her cheeks as Gray walked past her, "and this comes from a person with a stripping habit. I see how it is."
The raven haired boy made no combat and, instead, dumped his bookbag on the living room couch and headed to the kitchen. He felt Lucy following him but tried to remain natural. He grabbed an empty glass and poured himself coffee that he brewed this morning but unfortunately hadn't gotten to drink. In a way it was good since he always hated how hot coffee was but loved it for its bitterness. He was about to offer Lucy some but wondered if ghosts could drink.
Deciding that offering a drink to Lucy was provoking conversation; Gray remained silent, sipping his coffee while Lucy stood in front of him with a nervous expression.
"You live here alone?" Lucy finally spoke as Gray took another sip.
It wasn't a harmless question so he nodded, "Well, mom's always out at work and father's never been around. I guess you can call it living alone."
"Must be lonely."
"Don't need a ghost to tell me that."
"Gasp!" Lucy struck a comical distressed expression, "how mean, Gray!" She composed herself but humor vanished from her tone when she spoke, "Ne, earlier at school before we spoke in private, that red haired girl seemed distressed. Something happened between the two of you?"
He didn't consider Lucy as observant even if he didn't known her for long. "Nothing. Nothing happened."
If he was irritated by her presence this entire time, Gray took it back. She didn't pry for more information. She seemed to have understood he didn't want to talk more and didn't ask anymore.
He continued drinking and was almost done when he suddenly spitted the liquid from his mouth onto the kitchen counters as Lucy exclaimed, her voice abnormally high, "Your pants!"
Gray was reluctant to cook dinner for a person who probably couldn't even digest it and who he hardly knew but having manners forced him to set an extra set of platter on the spot across from him.
"Itadakimasu!" she exclaimed happily, with her hands clapped, when she saw that she was offered dinner.
Gray stared in puzzlement as the phrase rang through his ears. The word was so foreign. He hadn't remembered the last time he had dinner with his parents and heard the warm compliments itadakimasu conveyed. It tugged the sides of his heart and Gray refrained himself from looking as if he was touched. Instead, he buried himself with cynical thoughts that Lucy would never be able to eat the food since she was a ghost.
Ghost couldn't do more than touching the human skin, right?
However, to Gray's surprise, she was able to pick up the chopsticks, pick the side dishes she wanted, and eat the food much like how a living being did. In fact, if it weren't for the dried blood on her shorts, he would've mistook her for a regular girl.
Blood?
Gray nearly choked on his food and Lucy stopped eating, handing a glass for Gray to down the leftover food that had clumped up in his throat. After devouring it properly, Gray pointed at Lucy.
"You really love to point at people, don't you?" Lucy lamely stated and Gray face palmed himself.
"You have blood on yourself," Gray scowled, and Lucy peered downwards, her eyes widening slightly in realization.
"Oh. I do."
Not taking her ridicule any longer, Gray went to fetch a wet towel and returned later to wipe the blood from her clothes. By the time he had wiped it off all the blood from her shorts and was about to wipe from her shirt, Lucy finished her dinner.
"…you clean the rest yourself." He said, hiding his reddening face.
"Huh?" Lucy looked at herself to figure out the cause and started to redden herself when she did. "O-okay."
The rest of dinner was spent with Lucy frantically wiping the blood from herself and Gray trying his best not to look.
"You sure I can sleep in your room?" Lucy asked for the umpteenth time and Gray sighed.
"Yes," Gray affirmed, "I'll be taking the couch."
It was only thirty minutes after eight but Gray felt too exhausted from all that had happened. Lucy agreed that it was time to sleep as well but Gray suspected she only said so since she would have no one else to speak to. He didn't think ghosts could sleep but if they did, then he might as well be courteous and sacrifice his room in the meantime.
"If you say so…" Lucy finally gave in reluctantly, "…but won't you be uncomfortable."
"If you're worried that I have a porn stash, don't worry. I hid it someplace else," Gray stated bluntly and his face was met with her fists.
"P-pervert!" She squeaked and she ran away. Gray rolled his eyes and rubbed his sore spot as he settled in the loveseat couch.
He wasn't entirely alright with the idea of being the only one to see a ghost. It nerved him but what was more unsettling was how he felt at the same time more at ease with her. And it had only been a day.
"Fuck," he mumbled before he fell asleep, "better find a way to get rid of her before…"
Word count: 2,681
Edit: ~06/28/12
A/N: Thanks for your reviews/subscribes! Really touched me that people are reading this story. ^^I think Gray's decision of taking in Lucy may be rushed but his character is kind of confusing in this story. He's kind of lost any will to do anything whatsoever so I guess that sort of explains his quick acceptance? If it's still too much then I'll be changing it. ;D
thebeautywithin13: well, not much has happened but there will be more to come, promise! ^^ Thanks again for your review!
Hachibukai: Thank you! And hoped the release was quick enough. ;)
anon: Thank you so much! ^^
blissfulme: Thanks for the compliment~