Chapter 4 Special Friendship

"She's bleeding!"

"Is she okay?!"

"Get a medic here quick!" ordered Natsu.

"Mira, you're the medic! C'mon!" Erza shouted.

"Coming!" shouted back Mirajane. She was running down the staircase carrying a first aid kit. She knelt down and quickly put on some ointment on Akane's wounds. She then wrapped them around with bandages and wiped the blood off with a towel. Akane kept on shouting because of the unbearable pain. Her screams filled the guild.

"Will she be alright?" asked Sora.

"I don't know yet. Her wounds are pretty deep and they won't stop bleeding," replied Mirajane. "What the heck happened on your mission?!"

"We already defeated the enemy and we were preparing to go home with our new-found member when Akane fell to the ground and wounds appeared in an instant," explained Natsu. Natsu put his palm on Akane's forehead. "You'll be alright, Akane."

Akane nodded, breathing hard for air. Suddenly, Gray came and knelt beside Akane then held her hand. "You're gonna be okay. Don't worry. You can do this." Gray tried his best to comfort Akane. Mira kept on healing her wounds. She put some water on one of Akane's deep wounds on her right leg. Akane let out a small cry because it hurts. Then she suddenly started to calm down.

"Do you still feel any pain?" asked Erza.

"Not quite. It's starting to go away thanks to Mira," answered Akane.

"Well, that's good. You have to heal a lot faster so we can have that battle I was looking forward to," said Erza. "Maybe we could do it when you're fully healed, deal?"

Akane did a thumbs-up which meant yes. After a few hours of healing, Akane could start to stand up but she still felt some pain when she shifted her weight on her right leg. Akane sat down for a while.

"Thank you, Mira. If it hadn't been for you I would've died of pain right now," said Akane. Mira smiled.

"No need to say thank you. That's what I do. Help whenever I can," she replied. Akane smiled back at her. Akane tried to stand up again because she wanted to go home and rest but she fell down again. She was looking down on the ground and then hot tears began to stream down her cheeks. She looked up and saw a hand offering for her to stand up. She held it and stood up while trying to keep balance.

"Thank you, Gray," she said.

"No prob," he replied. "Want me to help you walk?"

"No, it's fine. I could do it all by myself," she said. But it was obvious that she couldn't. She took a few steps then started to fall off balance but Gray caught her.

"C'mon I'll take you home so that you could rest," said Gray.

"Okay, fine . . ." answered Akane. Gray swept Akane off her feet and carried her bridal style.

". . . but not this way!" shouted Akane. Akane started to complain but Gray calmed her down. In the end, Akane wrapped her arms around Gray's neck and let him carry her all the way home. Along the way, Akane wanted to ask Gray some questions because it was just so quiet.

"Hey Gray, did you get to meet Sora?"

"Yeah, I did. She was a nice girl. And you know what? When we shook hands, she blushed like crazy," said Gray.

"Looks like someone likes you," Akane teased. Gray laughed.

"But I like a different girl," he said.

"Who?" Akane asked curiously.

"Well, she's beautiful, kind, caring, smart, thoughtful, loving, friendly, and she tries to get along with other people a lot. Not to mention she has these amazing, sparkling brown eyes," Gray said then he quickly looked at Akane's eyes and smiled.

"Well, I know a lot of girls with brown eyes . . . but I don't know who you're talking about," Akane said. "Just tell me."

Gray hesitated for a moment. and sighed.

"I would tell you . . ." Gray said. Akane started to feel giddy. ". . . in one condition," Gray added.

"Aww . . ." said Akane. "Okay, tell me the condition."

"I would only tell you if you tell me who you like," said Gray. Akane hesitated but finally said yes.

"Well, I still couldn't confirm my feelings for him but I do like him a little. You'll know exactly who he is after I say two words," Akane said.

"Go."

Akane breathed in a huge amount of air. While she was doing that, Gray was hoping that Akane would say something that would describe him but it didn't turn out good.

"Pink hair."

Gray instantly knew that it was Natsu. Gray felt down a bit after he knew.

"What do you find in him that's so attractive?" asked Gray.

"Well, he makes me laugh a lot and we're really close. He's also kinda' cute," said Akane. "Now it's your turn."

Gray was currently not in his self. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. Him . . . cute?! Gray said in his head. He quickly snapped out of it when he heard Akane call out his name.

" . . . Gray . . . Gray . . . Gray! You tell me who you like now," Akane ordered.

"I decided not to tell you," he said.

"What? Why?"

"It's because . . . 'cause . . . 'cause . . ." Gray couldn't finish.

"Just say it1" said Akane.

"It's because I'm too shy!" Gray shouted.

"Oh c'mon, you're a tough guy. You could certainly overcome this," Akane said convincing him.

"No matter how much you convince me, I will never ever tell you," said Gray.

"Aww . . . no fair! I told you who I like and you told me that you'll tell me who you like!" said Akane angrily. Gray was thinking of another excuse but then they already arrived at the apartment where Akane was staying at.

"Oh! Looks like we're here," said Gray. Akane pouted her lips because she didn't know who Gray liked. Gray opened the door to Akane's bedroom and put her on her bed. After that, Akane hugged her pillows and lied down.

"Thank you for bringing me here, Gray. I really appreciate it. You could go now if you want to," Akane said.

"Nah . . . I'm gonna stay here for a while. Besides, you need someone to take care of you while you haven't been fully healed yet," replied Gray.

"Okay . . . sure. Thanks again," Akane replied. Gray sat on Akane's bed beside her and turned on her TV and flipped through the channels. He kept on looking and looking until he landed on this channel where Fairy Tail had a commercial on.

"I didn't know we were on TV!" Akane said surprised.

"Me too! Who do you think aired us?" asked Gray.

"I don't know. I haven't seen anyone at the guild that carried a huge camera or anything," replied Akane. They kept on watching the commercial and saw each and every one of their guild members. The commercial said that Fairy Tail is the greatest guild ever and if people were looking for a perfect place to enhance their abilities, Fairy Tail was the perfect place.

"Hey, there's you!" Akane said pointing at the huge TV screen. "And there's me!" Gray looked at Akane smiled noticing her sparkling brown eyes. Akane looked at Gray.

"Is there something wrong?" asked Akane. Gray snapped out of it and shook the feeling off.

"No nothing. I'm fine," said Gray. He turned the TV off and decided to have a little talk with Akane.

"So, how much do you like Natsu?" asked Gray.

"I dunno . . ." answered Akane.

"Ok, rate it from the scale of one to ten," said Gray.

"I can say . . . eight," replied Akane. Gray was taken aback a bit. Eight was a pretty high number.

"Whoa, that's pretty high. Do you know how much I like my crush?" asked Gray.

"How much?" asked Akane.

"Ten," answered Gray.

"Wow! That's really high. You must really like her, don't you?" asked Akane.

"Yeah, I do. But I doubt that I have chances of her liking me 'cause she likes somebody else," said Gray his voice going low and whispery. Akane looked at Gray intently. He must've been really sad. I'll cheer him up a bit! said Akane in her head. She took her camera from inside her bag and showed Gray some pictures she took at Fairy Tail.

"Hey Gray, check this out! These are the pics I got at Fairy Tail," said Akane. Gray went a little closer to Akane and took a look. Gray and Akane laughed at some of the pictures because they were really funny. There was one picture where Erza was beating Natsu up. And there was another one were they were eating cake and icing was smeared on their faces. There was one where Gray and Natsu were fighting.

"That certainly was fun," Gray said after they looked at the pictures. Akane smiled at Gray's reaction. Akane glanced at her wall clock and saw that it was getting a little late which meant for Gray to go home.

"Hey Gray, shouldn't you be going home now? It's getting dark you know," said Akane.

"It's fine. I'll spend the night here," said Akane.

"Really?" asked Akane.

"Well, yeah. I'll take care of you for a while. If you need anything, just tell me. I'll give it to you right away," Gray said kindly.

"Thanks a lot for the help, Gray. But I'm kinda' worried 'cause you don't have a place to sleep around here. There's no space," said Akane.

"That's not a problem. I'll sleep on the floor then," offered Gray.

"Oh no, that won't be necessary. You could sleep here with me," Akane said and patted her pillows.

"No, it's fine. I'll sleep on the floor," said Gray.

"It's really okay," Akane insisted.

"Okay, fine. Thank you by the way," said Gray. Akane nodded. Then they had dinner. Gray cooked the food. Gray was a really good cook after all and Akane enjoyed the food. Then, they slept. Akane and Gray lied down on the bed and put on the blanket.

"Night, Akane," said Gray.

"Good night, Gray," answered Akane. Gray and Akane faced at the opposite side away from each other. Akane closed her eyes but then opened her right and so did Gray. Akane wanted to feel cozy so she faced Gray's direction and hugged him. Gray was shocked a bit but he didn't do anything to stop Akane. He held Akane's hand then slept.

In the morning . . .

Gray helped Akane walk around her apartment. Akane practiced how to walk on her own but still couldn't do it because her wounds still hurt. So, in the meantime, Gray helped her. Akane appreciated it a lot. Without Gray's help, she couldn't stand up. They walked around her balcony and talked a bit. Akane sat down for a while and put some ointment on her right leg, where her wound is. It hurts a bit but Akane could manage. After all, Gray was there to help her when needed. Gray thought it was really boring just to lounge around Akane's apartment and do nothing. He wanted to do something recreational with her but because of Akane's wounds, they couldn't. But Gray didn't let that stop him. He took his bike and offered his hand out to Akane who was sitting on the floor. Akane accepted it. She sat in front of his bike while Gray drove. After Akane already sat down, he began pedaling. They've gone quite far away from Akane's apartment. Akane wondered where Gray was taking her because she realized that the road they were going on isn't the way to the guild.

"Where are you taking me?" asked Akane.

"Some place secret," replied Gray. They passed through a thick forest then arrived in front of a huge mansion sitting in the middle of a deserted area. Gray stood up and held Akane's hand giving her support then set his bike down.

"What is this place? It seems kinda' creepy to me," said Akane.

"There's no need to be afraid. Besides, I'm here," assured Gray. Gray lead Akane inside the old mansion. Gray toured Akane around the house.

"This place is huge!" exclaimed Akane. Gray explained that that house belonged to one of the most powerful people in Fiore who died in a raid. His family were killed by rebels who took over his fortune and riches. And that house was the exact place where the raid happened. So now that house sits there without anybody ever going there again, afraid that that place was haunted. Nevertheless, Gray always visited the place whenever he needs to clear out his mind or just wants to be alone and now he introduced that secret place to Akane.

"It's amazing how the structure hasn't come down ever since," Akane said and then remembered the ruins of the temple where their last mission was.

"Like I told you, that man was rich so it's obvious that this place has a really strong structure," said Gray.

"I guess you're right," said Akane. "So this is where you got to every now and then."

"Yeah . . ." Gray said then his voice trailed off.

"So . . . why'd you take me here?" asked Akane.

"So you could also have a secret place of your own. A place to be alone. I decided to share it you," said Gray.

Thank you," replied Akane. "For sure I could use this place. I mean, I always cry by myself and sometimes people in the next apartment could hear me," said Akane.

"Whoa! I never knew a tough girl like you would cry all the time," said Gray.

"I guess I try to hide my gentleness all the time," said Akane. Then Gray remembered one last room that he could show to Akane. He pulled her along with him.

"Hey, don't drag me too fast! My leg still hurts," said Akane. Gray nodded. He went more slowly this time. Sooner or later, they arrived in his huge room with different kinds of instruments in it. Everything was covered in dust except for the piano and the guitar.

"What is this place?" asked Akane.

"This is the music room, as I proudly call it," Gray said proudly in a weird voice. Akane laughed.

"This is where I learned how to play the piano and the guitar," said Gray.

"Really? You learned to play it all by yourself?" asked Akane amazed.

"Yup," he replied. "Would you like to try any of these fine instruments?"

"Well . . . I've always liked to try the piano," said Akane.

"Good choice. Now, sit down and I'll teach you how," said Gray. Akane sat down beside him. He opened a music book and made it rest on the piano.

"Now, first, you have to learn the basics. I'll teach you how to play the DO-RE-MI-FA-SO-LA-TI-DO. Those are called SO-FA syllables," Gray explained. He then put his fingers on the piano and played it.

"Now, you try," said Gray. Akane placed her fingers on the piano did exactly as what Gray did.

"Excellent," said Gray. "Now, I'll teach you how to read notes . . ." Gray went on and on. They spent the whole afternoon learning how to play the piano. Once Akane got the hang of it, she could play on her own. Gray let Akane play the piece all by herself and she was very good at it.

"Excellent," said Gray. "You're a fast-learner you know."

"If it hadn't been for my exemplary mentor, I would've never learned how to play it so well," said Akane referring to Gray. Gray smiled.

They noticed that it was getting dark so they decided to go home. They decided to stop by a restaurant first and eat some dinner. They looked for a table then found a perfect one at the far end of the restaurant. Gray pulled the chair so that Akane could sit then they ordered. While they were ordering, two people were watching them from a near distance. It was Natsu and Juvia. They wanted to know what Akane and Gray were doing so they decided to snoop around and follow them. They kept on whispering stuff to each other as if they had a plan. It was obvious that the two were jealous about Akane and Gray being with each other.

"My dear Gray is with that girl! It is so unfair! How could she be with him? I'm supposed to be with him not her!" Juvia said in a French accent.

"Shut up, Juvia! They might hear us," said Natsu then took a glance at Gray and Akane. They seemed so sweet with each other if you watched from a distance.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Natsu. Juvia then whispered something in Natsu's ear. Natsu nodded. Then, the waiter arrived at their table and served the food. While they were eating, Natsu saw that they were enjoying each other's company. Both of them were laughing and smiling all the time. While Natsu was taking a close look at them, the waiter arrived at their table and took their order. Juvia ordered for them. After a few minutes, their food arrived. Natsu became too tired of watching them so he began eating. He was basically stuffing food in his mouth. While Natsu was eating, Juvia saw Akane stand up. She was heading for the rest room. Juvia also stood up and followed her. But before she did, she signalled Natsu that their plan was already in motion.

Akane looked at herself in the mirror and fixed herself. Then Akane caught a glimpse of Juvia in the corner of her eye.

Oh hi, Juvia. I didn't realise that you're here too," said Akane smiling. But Juvia didn't smile. She looked like she meant serious business.

"Okay . . . I uh . . . came with Gray. How about you?" asked Akane. But Juvia didn't answer. She still looked like the way she did before.

"Is there something wrong?" asked Akane.

"Listen up, sister. The only thing wrong here is you with my Gray," said Juvia.

"Wait, first of all, me and Gray came here to spend time with each other. Have some friendly fun and what did you say about him being yours?" asked Akane.

"I don't care what I said 'cause you are toast!" said Juvia and sent a huge splash of water right at Akane.

"Oh, it is on!" said Akane and answered back.

Meanwhile . . .

Natsu approached Gray and pounded his fist on the table.

"Hey Natsu, I didn't know you're here too," said Gray.

"Yeah, and I didn't know you're here with Akane either!" said Natsu and sent a fireball aiming for Gray. Good thing Gray dodged it and the fireball went inside a pitcher of water.

"Let's take this in the restroom!" said Gray. Natsu nodded. So, their fight was on too.

Meanwhile at Akane and Juvia's Battle . . .

Akane dodged a wave of water coming from Juvia and shot a blue-flamed fireball coming from her mouth right at Juvia. Juvia quickly dissolved the fire in the water. Juvia then shot water at Akane again. At that moment, Akane thought of a clever idea. She electrified her hand and threw a lightning-based attack at the incoming water. The water made the lightning stronger which hit Juvia badly. Juvia fell to the ground. Electric sparks still appeared across her body. Akane also fell down on the ground. Her body felt too weak to battle and yet she forced it which only made her condition worse. After they were both unable to fight, Akane decided to say something bravely.

"You know what? Gray's all yours. I never even wanted him to be mine. The only reason why we're together is as friends. We came here to spend some time together, hang out, and stuff our stomachs with food. I know that the only reason why you came here and attacked me is because you're jealous of me and Gray. But you know what? We don't share something really special. We're just friends and we're really close because we're all a part of a family at Fairy Tail. I hope you'd understand that," said Akane and left.

The same thing happened at Natsu and Gray's battle. They were both worn out and Gray decided to tell Natsu that he and Akane were just friends. Gray also exited the restroom. So, he and Akane met outside. Gray was quite shocked to see Akane soaking wet. While, Akane was quite shocked to see gray have a lot of burns.

"What happened to you, Akane? Why are you soaking wet?" asked Gray.

"And what happened to you, Gray? Why do you have loads of burns? Wait, you know what? I don't even care why you have a lot of burns. I'm leaving. I'm gonna go home," said Akane. She pushed Gray out of the way and stepped outside. She immediately got drenched again because it was raining.

"Hey, Akane! Wait up! You can't walk all by yourself and it's raining! You're soaking wet!" shouted Gray.

"I'm already soaking wet! And I can walk all by myself! I don't need your help!" shouted back Akane. Gray ran after her. Once she got to her, he took off his shirt and put it on Akane.

"What is going on, Akane? Why are you suddenly mad at me?" asked Gray. Akane faced Gray and tried to fight the tears.

"It's because I just realized that other girls are jealous of us and that I can't have you all for myself! Gray, I have to admit that I liked you a bit. But our special friendship made other girls jealous and I've been selfish," said Akane. "Thanks a lot for those memories you gave me. Those are memories that I will cherish forever. Thanks also for helping me walk. Thank you for being there whenever I needed you. Thanks a lot for teaching me how to play the piano. We are still friends, Gray. But don't think that that kind of special friendship we had before would ever come back."

"Akane, what are you talking about?" said Gray confused and hurt.

"I'm happy that you've actually found a girl you truly love. That girl with those amazing sparkling brown eyes. Good-bye, Gray," said Akane and handed his shirt back to him. Gray accepted it. "Oh yeah, there's a girl waiting for you at the restaurant. Don't keep her waiting," added Akane then she left. Gray was sad, confused, and hurt. He didn't get the chance to tell Akane that she is the one with the amazing sparkling brown eyes. He still had some trouble processing what he had just heard. He didn't know what to do exactly at that moment. He was alone now. With his loved one gone. He decided to go back to the restaurant. When he arrived, he saw Juvia sitting on a table waiting for him but Natsu wasn't there any more.

"Gray-sama, I've been waiting for you! Let's talk," said Juvia.

"Oh hey, Juvia," said Gray. He sat down and then Juvia started talking about some stuff but Gray wasn't listening. He was thinking about what had just happened between him and Akane. He lost his chances of ever being with Akane. But Gray wasn't planning to give up that easily.