We stood atop the temple as we watched water flow from cracks inside of it. It was the former ice that was once Ur. Deliora had only been awakened only to let out his last dying breath. So basically all this time he'd been dying until he just…crumbled. The ice that was once Ur had melted and became water that flowed into the open sea. I took a small vial and scooped some up. I wanted to put it in a pretty bottle and save it. Gray must've been overjoyed. The monster that had been haunting him for 10 years of his life was finally gone. He had nothing to ultimately fear anymore.

Lucy, Erza, Happy, and I, met up with Natsu and Gray at a rocky part of the beach. Natsu was jumping with joy that we had finished an S-Class quest. I was pretty proud of myself too. It wasn't my first request, but it was my first major job. I couldn't wait for the money to be rolling in.

"You think Master Makarov will let us on the second floor now?" Lucy asked. It would make sense to let us. Then we'd automatically become S-Class wizards. Unfortunately, that seemed to be the wrong thing to say. I wasn't looking at her, but I had a feeling Erza was shooting a dirty look at all of us. Oh yeah she's here to take us back because we disobeyed guild rules. Ugh. But that wasn't what she had said at all.

"Isn't there something you're all forgetting about?" she asked. "You came to this island to cure villagers. You were supposed to return them to their original human forms." Uh but hello? The Moon Drip ceremony has stopped occurring and Deliora is definitely dead. So they should be back to normal already. Problem solved.

"Wrong," she said and I really thought that she had read my mind. But she was talking to Lucy. "They have been effected by the intense magic energy released from the Moon Drip spell. In other words, Deliora's death isn't going to change a thing." So in a way we were back to square one. We had no idea how to change the villagers back even though we had stopped the Moon Drip and killed Deliora. But I guess Gray thought someone did know how to change them back, because he'd turned towards Lyon (whom we had to bring back with us because he was injured) and asked, " Lyon, do you know?"

Lyon looked at us all blankly with his slant eyes before saying, "To be honest, I don't have a clue." So we were officially back at square one. But then there were certain variables that didn't add up to put us there.

"That..makes no sense at all," I said. everyone looked at me. "It doesn't add up," I continued. "Lyon and everyone who'd worked with him were also exposed to the energy of the Moon Drip. They were also extremely close to it. But they haven't changed. So that obviously means Moon Drip doesn't effect the human body."

"Raphael's right," Lucy chimed in. "It doesn't add up. For the three years you've been here Lyon, the villagers have always seen the Moon Drip but they never went out to investigate it. Not once. So what exactly is going on?"

"Someone's either lying, or we've got another problem," I said.

"If I were you I wouldn't trust those villagers," Lyon had said as we began to head towards the village. I don't know what it was, but I just decided to listen to him instead of judging him. For some reason, I had a feeling there was something strange going on. But then again this is a strange island. Gray was stuggling behind us and I was almost about to stand and wait for him, but then I saw him start talking to Lyon. I've never really had friends before, so I wouldn't know what it'd be like to see one again after ten years. But what I did know was that Gray and Lyon would stay friends for as long as time would give them.

We'd gotten back to the refugee camp and no one was there. They'd all just disappeared. Where were they? As we looked around Gray had gone into one of the tents, the infirmary where we had him sleep the night before. Before he went, he looked me straight in the eyes, beckoning for me to follow. I slipped in right after him.

"What is it?" I asked him, as he gathered some bandages and medicine.

"When I was fighting with Lyon, he used his magic and had an ice tiger go straight through my body. I sealed it up, but I need to know if I've lost too much blood," he said. The minute he said blood, I knew I was needed.

"Well then, let me see," I told him. He turned around and I saw the slash that had teared right through his perfectly sculpted body. With regular materials and medicine, it would heal, but slowly. It would also leave a scar. I don't know if he cared or not, considering there were other little scratches all on his body, but I could heal him without the scar.

"You may have sealed it, but you've lost some blood. Based on where that injury is you should be passed out, dying," I told Gray, stepping closer to him.

"Gee thanks, glad I'm still alive," he replied. "So what are you going to do to help me?" he asked.

"Well I'm pretty sure the others are waiting on us, but I'm going to use everything you have here. But with my magic, I'll be able to seal up the wound better. Then you won't have a scar."

"Aww, does someone not want my perfect skin to be marred for eternity?" he cooed. I rolled my eyes.

"When we find a place to rest for a bit, I'll do it. But try to use as little magic energy as possible because that is what's going to make it worse for you," I told him.

"Thanks Raphael," he said as he followed me out of the tent. Just then one of the demons, I mean villagers, had approached us. He needed us to get to the village as quickly as possible.

I was in pure shock. The village had gone from a complete wreck, to exactly how it was when we'd first arrived. How they did it I'd never find out. But it was scary to see how no one cared that it was just fixed magically liked this. It couldn't have been any of Lyon's followers. And I was certain that none of the villagers were wizards. So why the hell is no one questioning what's been going on? Chief Moka had thought we were the ones who had restored the village, and he was very grateful. But he still wanted us to destroy the moon. How many times do we have to tell him that the moon has nothing to do with it?

"Destroying the moon is a simple task sir," Era said. I sucked my teeth at her. Just how much of a big shot was she?

"Oh come on," I said, rolling my eyes. "No one can destroy the moon. Not even you." Ok, so maybe that last part was just to get back at her for being so bossy and demanding, but I could feel the air thicken with awkwardness as soon as I said it. Wow, they were really scared of her.

She ignored me, saying to Moka, "Before I do that I need you to call everyone to the center of the village for a meeting. Can you do that for me?" Bossy ginger.

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We soon figured out that the Moon Drip spell had released evil energy in the form of the gas. It crystalized over the island, forming an invisible shell over it. So that's why it looked purple here and not anywhere else. Now that it's been broken thanks to Erza and Natsu's magic, the villagers should revert back to their human forms right? Wrong. I watched as all the villagers had glowed like they were about to change, but instead, nothing had happened? Wait what? I thought that if the shell broke they'd turn back. What's going on here?

"These are their true forms," Erza said walking up to us. "The Moon Drip never had any effect on their physical appearances, thought it did alter their memories."

She laughed a bit before saying,"They think they're humans who've been turned into demons when it's actually the other way around." So these demons are actual demons? No way. I didn't have a problem with it really though, I couldn't figure out why everyone was so freaked out. And they couldn't go near the temple because the moonlight there was sacred, so creatures of darkness couldn't go near it. So why could Rogue and I go near it? He's definitely a creature of darkness and the mark…

Anyway, the villagers, I mean demon villagers, wanted to have a big party to celebrate their freedom from the curse. "I don't know," Lucy said warily "I don't think I'm rowdy enough to party with demons."

"Oh come on!" I said, slinging an arm over her shoulder. "Live a little Lucy!"

The party was pretty great. Everyone sat down at tables filled with food…really weird looking food. Some of it had eyes and some of it looked like giant maggots. Though it may have looked weird, it tasted delicious. Thankfully they had some wine, so I was able to wind down a bit about…well everything. I was completely drunk enough that I didn't remember what Gray had asked me to do for him. I saw him leaning against one of the fences, drinking some soup from a bowl.

"Hey there hero," I sang lightly as I sat beside him. He smiled at my little joke and continued eating.

"So I'm your hero now hmm?" he said. "I'm flattered, really." Why do guys always have to think that what girls say about them is to boost their ego? I punched him lightly, rolling my eyes.

"Oh get over yourself," I told him. "You almost died. Your heroism has a flaw or two. Anyway, since we're sitting down now and I see that you haven't let that medical supplies leave your side, why don't we patch up that nasty little wound hmm?"

He smiled saying,"That would be great." and then murmured, "I knew you didn't want to see a scar my beautiful skin."

I cut my eyes at him before saying,"Ok turn your body towards me and unwrap the bandage." He did as he was told and a big nasty wound was staring right at me. I opened the medicine jar and saw that it was the same glowing green paste Dad had used on me to heal my bite marks Rogue had given me when we were bound to each other. I stopped staring at it and dipped my fingers in, scooping out a good amount. I spread the green paste onto and around the wound which was starting to close up.

We were quiet for awhile, my fingers massaging his hard abs. I didn't want to look him in the face it because it was so awkward. My fingers, along with my eyes, wandered slightly feeling the taught abs, biting my lip slightly.

"Is that better?" I asked, concentrating on the wound. "I've used this before. It's supposed to numb pain. Does it hurt still?"

"Not as much as it did earlier, no" he answered, although his voice came out slightly strained. I continued rubbing on the paste, watching it disappear into his skin. Now was time to use my magic. Slowly, I used my fingertips to lightly rub circles onto the wound, pulling the severed veins together. I watched as, in addition with the paste, his wound gradually closed up, leaving a shiny thin scar.

"There," I said. "All better. That scar will peel off real easy the next time you take a shower. You won't even feel it come off."

"Thanks, but I wouldn't mind a scar," he said. "Hey what did you do anyway?"

"That paste is supposed to be good for numbing pain, stopping burning sensations, and closing up wounds. On a regular person like you, that would all work, except it would take much more time and the scar would stay there forever. So I lightly used my magic to accelerate the process and closed up the wound, though even with this there'd still be a scar. But thankfully, it'll just fall off."

"Wow," he said amazed. "Wait a second," he asked, "What did you mean by 'a regular person like you' ?"

I hesitated before saying, "As in not me." I didn't want to talk about the strange benefits of my magic. It's not my favorite subject to talk about with someone I barely know.

I guess he could tell I didn't want to talk about it, because then he asked, "How come when you healed me, no magic circle appeared?"

"Oh that's just based on the strength of my magic I used," I answered. "Since I was barely using any energy at all to help you, the magic circles didn't appear. If I was doing something else like shifting Rogue into scythe mode, then the magic circle would've appeared."

He nodded, satisfied with my answer when one of the demon villagers came up. She looked nervous,as though she wanted to say something to Gray. And then more girls came up, crowding around Gray and I. He had fans.

"Sorry," he murmured as they held onto his arms and swooned about how they were all in love with him. Blecch.

I leaned over to him and whispered, "It's ok. This is what good guys look forward to when they save people right?"

And I walked away from the fence, leaving him in the hands of the demon girls.

*FLASHBACK*

I sat against the tree, hugging my knees to my chest, trying to hide my embarrassment. I'd messed up and I didn't need anyone's pity. It was supposed to be a simple exercise, a climbing exercise. I was too arrogant, and so I'd fallen. On my way down, I'd hit multiple branches, causing scratches and cuts to appear all over my arms and legs. There was even one on my face. Of all the injuries I've had, I always make sure to leave my face out of the equation.

Rogue and Ezekiel came over to me, and when they saw my injuries, Ezekiel scooped me up and brought me back to the house. He sat me down on the porch and went to go get Dad. Rogue stayed by my side, stroking me with his tail. I was waiting for Dad to come outside and try not to yell at me. If I ever messed up, I didn't need someone to tell me about it. I was usually mopey about it for a few hours before reverting back to my old self.

But this was just a major mess up. I hated climbing anyway. It was too much of an effort. I don't even know why I did it anyway. Did I do it to prove I could do it, so that I'd never have to practice it again? Maybe. I didn't know anymore. All I knew was that my cuts were starting to hurt for the first time. I guess I was too shocked to realized I'd been bleeding this whole time. I was so hypnotized by the rivers of red on my legs and arms, and the small spots that fell onto the porch and seeped through the cracks, that I didn't notice my father standing beside me. Rogue had slithered off somewhere.

"What happened this time?" he asked calmly.

"I went climbing. As you can see, I failed," I answered.

"Who told you that you failed?" he asked again. Couldn't he see that I was miserable? Was pretending that I hadn't let him down enough for him?

"N..no one had to tell me," I replied. "My scars are enough to tell anyone that I can't complete the simple task of climbing."

Dad sat down beside me, putting his arm over my shoulder, my bloody shoulder. "Ever since you took a liking to that snake, you've been such a cynical little girl," he said.

I looked up at him, showing my face to him for the first time. I saw his eyes cloud a bit at my cheek scar, but he was still calm.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"It means you're too hard on yourself. I'm going to have to have a word or two with that Rogue of yours," he said. "Anyway, princess, just because you failed at this doesn't mean you're not going to be a good wizard. You already excel at so many other things in our area of magic."

I hugged him. I didn't think he would get it. I just wanted to be strong like him. I knew I wouldn't be perfect. I would never be perfect. But I knew that I wanted to be like my dad.

"Daddy I know that but…but look at me. I'm so scarred. My skin will be like this forever," I whined. It was true. The way the cuts were on my skin, they were like red tiger stripes that circled my limbs. It would never go away.

Dad chuckled. He was laughing at me! Why was this funny? I was already a freak, did I have to look like one too?

"Raphael," he said once he'd stopped laughing,"I guess that snake really hasn't taught you anything but to be a brooding little girl. Don't you know the extent of your magic? There's much more to it than draining people."

I look at him puzzled, so he continued. "I want you to think about the cuts and bruises and then I want you concentrate all your magic on them. Do you understand?"

I nodded though I didn't understand the point of it. I thought about the cuts, how they covered my arms and legs, and then my magic pulsed through me. I closed my eyes and exhaled and inhaled deeply. I felt it. Felt all my scarring go away, closing up. I opened my eyes and saw my skin. It was perfect and new. No scars.

"What did I…what did I do?" I asked him.

"You healed yourself," he answered. "How do you think I come out of the fights I get myself into without a scratch? It's a healing ability all Morphomagus blood mages have. But yours, because you have Rogue, it comes naturally to you. Think of it as when a snake sheds its skin."

"You mean I just shed my skin?" I blurted out, shocked. I could never tell anyone that. It sounds disgusting. I looked through the cracks in the porch to see if I could catch glimpse of a piece of scarred skin. My skin.

My dad started to laugh so hard, he was practically doubled over with laughter. "Princess you don't shed your skin. You heal it by regenerating it back. I just said the snake thing because when snakes shed their skin, they come out with fresh, new skin. Leaving all their scars behind them."

"Well this'll be useful in the future," I said standing up. "Because I'll never let my enemy see one droop of my blood."

Dad smiled at me. "Oh? And why is that?"

"Because my blood is special. Too special to spill anyway."

A few hours later, I heard my dad basically scolding Rogue for, as he put it, "darkening my imagination" and "screwing up my innocence". He was so angry that Rogue hadn't even taught me the self-healing method and how Rogue would have to start stepping up during our private training sessions. I knew Dad was angry, but I so badly wanted to go out and tell him that it wasn't Rogue's fault. Dad's voice suddenly got softer, and then I heard him say, "You know there are things that I can't teach her, that she'll never know unless you tell her. So please, try and teach her as much as you can. We're going to have to get ready to move again too. I just found out some wizards are looking for me, and I don't want Raphael or Ezekiel tangled up in that mess."

It would probably be a few weeks before we'd move. Whenever we did it was never for the same reasons. Sometimes, we'd moved to a place where our magic was illegal, or maybe I messed up and used my magic on someone, or just got into really bad fight in general. Or someone would have seen Rogue slithering around and freak out. Then, at times like this, we'd move because someone was looking for Dad. On our way to our new home, they'd always catch up with us. But they would never make it back to where they came from.

Now that I knew that I could heal myself, I wasn't afraid anymore. I knew I could die still, sure. But I was confident that I wouldn't spill a drop of blood.

*END FLASHBACK*

We ended up taking a pirate ship back home that Erza had taken control of somehow. It was fun for awhile, being on a pirate ship, until the pirates started leering at Lucy and I. No wonder my brother was so protective of me. I couldn't help but think about him this entire mission. I thought about how useful he could've been. He could've figured out what was wrong with the villagers, the Moon Drip spell, and how to stop it all. Ezekiel had always been smart like that. He'd drown himself in history and folklore whenever Dad and I were training. Later on, it'd be his job to teach me what he'd learn, or at least most things. I wasn't very good at paying attention to the history of landmarks.

When I think about him, I think about how different my life would be if he'd…never left me. I laughed as I thought that I'd probably end up like Erza. Speaking of which, Erza and I were so different, I doubt that we'll ever really get along. She was all about the rules and I was all about breaking them. Erza was all about doing the right thing and I, I was all about getting things done, no matter the sacrifice. Well not exactly. I tried to keep the body count around me low as best as I could, though being me, it wasn't an easy task. I just wanted to try and get my job done without taking unnecessary precautions or screwing up. And there's nothing wrong with that right? My brother always told me that, as long as I had good intentions, I could do whatever I had to. Well, mostly good intentions. Mostly.

Once we'd docked in Magnolia, Lucy, Gray, Natsu, and Happy, all started freaking out about the upcoming punishment from Makarov. At one point Gray was on the ground shouting, "Not again! Please don't make me go through that again!" I couldn't help but laugh them all. I knew I wasn't getting punished. I'd done my job retrieving Lucy and Natsu. The only thing I was getting was payment for even bothering to go get them.

"What's so funny?" Gray asked. "You're getting punished too remember."

"Oh Gray," I cooed. "Silly, silly Gray. I'm not getting any punishment because I'm not the one who stole away on an S-Class mission. If anything, Natsu and Lucy may be the only ones punished, you know, if Makarov spares you."

"Wha-what?" Lucy cried. "But you guys were on Galuna island too! If anything Erza's the one not getting punished."

"That's what they want you to think," I told her. "But really, all Gray and I were supposed to do was get you back. And well, it's not my fault if I'm excused from all punishment."

Erza stopped walking. She turned around and glared at me as she said,"What do you mean all punishment?" Oh I was so ready for this.

"I mean ginger, that I get to walk a free woman. You weren't the only one playing bounty hunter today," I answered, an evil smile on my lips.

"Oh come on," Gray said, rolling his eyes. "By those standards, I shouldn't be punished either."

"All of you are being punished!" Erza yelled. "I will make sure you are punished to the full extent, every single one of you." She looked at all of us as she said these last words, stopping to glare right at me. I so badly wanted to flip her off.

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A beer slid to my end of the bar as I sat at in the guildhall. Gray smiled and sat next to me, clapping me on the back as he did so. Erza was so angry that I wasn't punished that she stormed off, ripping a request off the board as she left. Neither Gray nor I were punished, but I don't know what happened to Natsu or Lucy. We were dismissed as soon as Makarov was about to reveal what they'd have to do. And I haven't seen them since. Oh well not my problem. Well actually it is. Geez, why did money sway me?

"That's for the cutie who saved my skin and my dignity," Gray said as he took a sip of his beer.

"Oh, uh it was nothing," I replied. "I'm a bit privileged here that's all." I took the beer in front of me, since it had slid in my direction. I wasn't a fan of beer, but I could drink when I wanted to.

"Though I think Erza's pretty steamed about it," he said a bit later. "You've got her riled up you know that?"

I smirked. So redhead's world's been turned upside down since I arrived huh? That sounds like a personal victory to me. "I seem to do that to a lot of people," I answered.

"I for one would know."

"Oh?" I asked. "And can I ask why?"

He smirked saying, "A hot mage decides to join our guild out of the blue? Well I'd say I'm intrigued." I noticed Mira giggle near us before going off to serve some drinks.

I leaned over whispering, "Don't worry. I'm only as interesting as you'd want me to be." So he thinks I'm hot does he?

"But you have to admit, Erza is an amazing wizard. Strongest female wizard we have actually," he said.

"Fine, that'll be the only thing that I admit about Erza," I told him, taking a sip of my beer.

"Aww come on don't be like that," Gray cooed. "Why don't you like her?"

"Why?" I scoffed. "Can't you tell? We're complete opposites. People like me get on her nerves as much as people like her get on mine. "

I hadn't noticed how close he'd been until Gray leaned back. "Wow," he whistled. "Well I'm not going to force you to like someone but, you might as well try to get along. You're going to be seeing a lot of each other."

"Oh boy I can't wait," I said sarcastically.

Gray laughed before saying, "So I gotta ask, and I usually don't, but how'd you end up here?" Well he's really the first person to ask me that without it feeling so…invading. Well that's not true. I told Mira right off the bat how I got here which she thought was totally funny.

"Well I usually don't dive into the details of my personal life but you seem to make quite the exception," I said, smiling at him.

"I was actually doing some of my own work before I happened upon Makarov," I told Gray. "Well really he was watching me, waiting for me to finish up. Anyway we talked for awhile before I agreed to join this guild and well, here I am."

"You did your own work?" he asked. "What kind of jobs did Morphomagus blood mage take exactly?"

"Hmm well, that'll be the part of my life I keep a secret for now," I said as carefully as I could.

Gray pouted saying, "Aww come on. Do it for the hero."

I shook my head, smiling. "You seem to be the type of guy that likes a little mystery in a girl. Why else would you be so interested in me?"

"Hmm well, since you're so good at reading people Raphael, I'd like if we could continue this conversation on our way home," he said, teasing me. I looked up at the clock. Damn it was late. I nodded, getting up from the stool I was sitting on.

"I'll wait for you at the door," he said smiling. I needed to find Rogue. He liked to slither off somewhere around here, mostly watching the others play card games. I'd found him near Macao and Wakaba, playing a game of poker.

"Rogue come out from under there," I said as he slithered to my side from under the table. He'd been sleeping, having gotten bored of watching the game.

"Oh hey new girl," Wakaba said, as he played ace. "Your snake's very interested in card games. I think he wants to play with us."

"Yeah he's really good at pointing out when certain people are cheating," Macao said, shooting a playful look at Wakaba.

"Well I hope he's been a good snake and hasn't been biting anyone. Name's Raphael by the way," I answered.

"You can let us watch your snake for you any time you're on a date with Gray, Raphael" Macao replied chuckling. I was about to walk away when I remembered. Did he just say date? And now that I think about it, did I just agree to let Gray walk me home?

"Haha, good one guys," I laughed awkwardly. "But that wasn't a date. We were just talking that's all."

"It always starts with talking," Wakaba chimed in. Then they continued playing their game.

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This isn't a date. It couldn't be. He just randomly payed for a beer for and we sat down to have a conversation…oh shit. This so was a date. This is how guys do it. They see what they like at the bar. They swoop in and pay for their drink and when the girl sees what she likes, they talk. And then he brings her home. And they do it. Or at least, that's what happens to me. So it looked like a date but it really wasn't one. I told myself that no matter what, I'd never date a guild member so help me God.

"Ready to go?" Gray asked, knocking me out of my thoughts. All I could do was nod, so we walked out of the guild into the night and for some reason, I felt like all eyes were on us.

The night was warm enough for me to slip out of my leather jacket and hold it in my hand. Though, a few seconds later, Gray was carrying it for me which, I thought was the sweetest and politest thing ever.

"Aww," I said. "Such a gentleman."

"Even I can be civilized when I have to, at least, compared to Natsu I am," he grinned. I couldn't help but notice that he was in his underwear again. This stripping habit of his must really be a subconscious problem, but I was used to it.

As we walked toward my apartment, we talked about things like our pasts, which I tried so hard to avoid much detail about, and the things like places we've been and things we've seen. Gray was amazed by my wide experience in travel and adventure, though, I tried to avoid the subject of my family as much as possible. I was fascinated with Gray's seemingly hidden creative side. He told me that he loved to use his magic because, he could will it to become whatever he wanted it to be. It was an art.

He also, as we walked together, flirted with me constantly, though he tried to be modest about it. He told me how he liked my fashion style, although he said he couldn't understand it.

"What's not to understand about leather and boots?" I asked. Did he like the way I dressed? Why does that matter anyway?

"Well, the way you dress says something about your personality," he said.

"Which probably means that your dressing style says that you are completely open to anything," I drawled. What would you expect it to say, if you don't even wear clothes?

"Hey that's not my fault!" he exclaimed. "My magic just gets stronger if I'm…one with the cold."

"Hmm I guess I could see that," I said. This made him look hopeful, like I understood. "But then again I don't." His smile dropped.

We passed the canal, where I occasionally came to clear my head and take early morning naps. It was the perfect time of day, or rather in between night and day, when the sun would rise, and one side of the sky was starry and dark blue, while the other was an orangey pink covered with whispy clouds. And the middle…the middle was just a white line separating the two opposite sides of time.

I hadn't noticed I was speaking out loud, because then I hear Gray say, "I like to come here too. Mostly to draw."

"Oh, you draw too? I thought that was just Reedus" I said, thinking about the round man with curly hair. I started to slow my pace, because we were getting closer to my home.

"Yeah. Mostly so that I can remember the amazing things that I've seen when I go on requests," he answered. Rogue had stopped in front of our building, and descended the steps.

"Well this is where you live hmm?" he whistled. "Pretty fancy place for one girl."

"Uh yeah, this is me," I said, smiling. What am I doing?

He gave me a slightly awkward one armed hug before saying," I'll see you at the guild ok?"

As he started to walk away I called, "Wait! Gray hold on."

He turned around, just a few feet away. "Yeah?" he asked. "What is it?"

"Um..uh..maybe you could um...come over some time and show me your drawings. I actually like art," I stuttered. What the hell am I doing?

"Really?" he asked. "Ok then. You just tell me when you wanna see 'em. Hell, I might see you on the canal sometime."

"Yeah," I replied. "Anyway, see you."

"Later," he called as he continued walking.

I ran up the steps and locked the door, sliding down at it as Rogue came over to me. "What the hell was that?" he asked.

"I don't know," I answered.

"Was it a date? Why didn't you tell me you got a date?" he continued to ask.

"It was definitely not a date!" I yelled. But then what was it? And didn't I technically just set up another date with him? I grabbed a wine bottle from the fridge and used my teeth to pop open the cap. I didn't bother with a glass.

"Besides, he didn't seem to have meant anything more than two friends having a drink at their place of work. It was harmless," I said, tipping the bottle back as the smooth wine ran down my throat.

"But didn't you just set up another date with him to come here?" Rogue asked. God damn that nosy snake.

"Uh hello?" I said sarcastically. "It was informal and I didn't set an actual date anyway. He'll probably forget about it soon." I sat down on the bed, bottle still in my hand.

"I can't help it if he thinks I'm cute. We barely know each other. It wouldn't work," I mumbled as I slipped off my clothes and changed. I set the bottle next to the bedside lamp and turned it off.

"It didn't mean anything," and I went to sleep.

Oh Raphael! It definitely meant something. See? I promised chemistry and viola chemistry. Thanks for sticking with me guys! I work especially quickly for you. Funny thing though, my mom caught me reading dirty fanfic so I'll be a little slow with the updating process. It was my fanfic and she read the first sentence of chapter 3. Anyway, Review as much as your fingers will let you. Oh and chapter 8's ending? I had a way better one but I didn't save it so I had to type it all over again. So if it was kinda sucky…I agree. Let's see how Raphael copes with working together with the other guild members shall we?