I've taken a break. I hope I can be a little more consistent now. XD Doubt it, but whatever, ammirite?
I have taken a little bit of time to catch up to where I was, and I know where I am heading again. So let's just start fucking writing/reading, shall we?
I don't remember if I mention this before, but there will be a few changes (Big & Small) that will be seen throughout the story. They will come in all types, time differences to plot devices. Just thought i'd get that out there, just in case I never said it before hand..
New arc: Preparation
::-()-::
(1 day later)
"I take it you have everything you'll need? Because you may not remember, but S-Class Jobs usually take up to a month, if not a handful."
Mirajane Nodded, motioning down to the suitcase behind her. When Erza raised a brow in confusion she spoke. "There's more in their than you might think. I don't need to lug armour with me wherever I go, remember?"
The comment made the Redhead scowl, if not just slightly…
"You make a good point. Anyway, the trains almost here, keep a lookout."
Mira gave her a short nod in return. This hasn't been the best start to the job.
::-()-::
He needed to clear his head. He wanted some space. Anything that would give him some tiny iota of clarity for him to work with. Even if all he got was some time spent alone in a damn prison cell with no lighting, he'd be fine with that.
The confines of his house weren't very helpful in his goal. Not because of happy, but because it was something familiar and unchanging. His useful possessions strewn about on the floor and even some on the walls reminded him of what he used to have and what he had done before. One bitterly melancholic library of treasured memories and the other unpleasant-at-best recollections of ilk that made him sick to think about.
Had he actually acted like some spoilt kid? Had he actually said those things to Lucy before they all went to Tenrou? Had he actually Ignored everyone's feelings on his opinion at the time?
Had he actually treated Gray like he was some reincarnation of Zeref himself?
The thought struck some kind of cord within him, making him cringe hard. What had he become? The memories flooded back into his head like some mental dam had violently burst and now nothing could stop the resulting overflow.
He felt his entire body seize up and after a few painfully long seconds, he turned to look at the red insignia on his shoulder, the design had become his life. It meant everything to him, without this brand, he was nothing. Although, after everything he had done in the past year (skipping the incident on Tenroujima) he might as well not be part of the brand.
But it also meant the same thing for Gray too…
It meant a lot, if not everything to everyone. Lucy, Erza, Mirajane, Gajeel, Happy…
And… Gray…
The tears finally came, in the darkness of his messy dumpster fire of a room, Natsu finally let go of all that he had become…
::-()-::
Gray was bored…
He hated to admit it to himself, but he was completely and utterly bored.
He had trouble flicking through the pages of his book, the pages either kept sticking to the pages below or the cover would slap itself back into its closed position. It was frustrating, but he was able to find an awkward way of getting past it, although his little finger was getting tired.
He was acutely aware of his missing limb. It was not something that one could forget. Although he had only been disabled for a few days, he was already tired of it. He just couldn't do things he was able to do before and that was what truly grated on his nerves. He had quite liked the abilities he was capable of before being maimed, like flipping through books!
"Screw it..." He growled, lifting his arm up before violently launching the book at the opposite wall, wincing at the sudden loud smack it made connecting with it. Luckily, he had managed to not leave any kind of mark, but the book probably had a few crumpled pages. If it didn't, then it at least had a mark on the outside.
Regret swelled up within him, this was, for all intents and purposes, Flare's home and it had been for seven years. He had no right to smash anything, especially due to her hospitality. But he couldn't do much any more, even the most normal, everyday actions were made ten times harder than they were before.
He remembered yesterday, when he tried to help her cook.
::-()-::
"Hang on, what's this thing?"
"It's a sieve, Gray."
"It's metal!"
"That's the weird thing? Not the magic?"
"Wait, there's magic in this thing- AAH!"
"That should answer your question."
He had almost dropped the damn thing when it had started vibrating viciously. Obviously to make the job it was made for easier. But what was the point in that? Everyone was capable of shaking. Hell, put them in the cold for long enough then they practically mastered the motion. Even he could still shake his arm.
"I already hate this thing." He grumbled. Only to glare in Flare's direction when she chuckled slightly.
"So did I, you'll get used to it." She replied, smirking a little at his sour expression. "Now, make yourself useful and start pouring the flour into that thing, let it shake and then take it away after 10 seconds. That will be perfect."
He was still getting used to the attitude that she was equipped with now. Last time he saw her before his seven year nap, she had almost no confidence around him. It was actually kind of nice, he missed her and missed the time that passed in between. But he was happy to see her more confident in herself now. It seemed that most of what Ivan had did to her since he was gone had propelled her into competency.
He hadn't got much out of her about his actions, but he could tell that he wasn't nice to her. That was enough for him to dislike the guy.
"Attitude, Flare."
"S-Sorry, Gray."
He grinned. It seemed he was still influential with her.
Gray slowly took opened the bag of flour, letting Flare do her part. But when he grabbed the bag and tried to lift it, he was met with a surprising resistance. He had forgotten about his situation and suddenly, the bag tipped and the counter was quickly turned white with the flour pouring straight out of the bag.
"Shit!"
"Gray! What happened?"
"Exactly what it looks like."
Flare rushed over to him, ushering out of the kitchen and back onto the couch in the living room.
"Sorry Gray, I shouldn't have given you the task of lifting that bag, it's heavy enough with two arms."
"I'm fin-" He was interrupted.
"I should've taken your condition into consideration!" She lamented, going on as if he'd never spoken.
"Flare, i'm fi-"
"I'm so so sorry, Gray!"
"FLARE!"
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Silence ensued, though Flare had stopped talking so he had achieved his purpose in that regard…
"I'm fine." He said slowly. "I am not hurt, I am fine. Calm down."
His words seemed to have an effect, Flare's widened eyes slowly going to normal and her tense body slowly starting to relax…
He should've known that she wasn't completely okay…
"I'll let you get on with the cooking… Sorry for that problems..."
::-()-::
God, he hated himself…
He used to be able to do everything on his own, fully independent and competent in his own skills. He had his magic that he was noted for, being called one the most skilled and quickest Maker Mage's out their as well as the wielder of Ice-Make, one of the rarest forms of Maker-Magic. One hell of a title to hold for his age.
Now what was he?
Maimed, damaged, broken and utterly unable to perform magic or even independently take care of himself… It was the ultimately insult to his life.
Though he had gained almost all of his strength back due to Flare's nursing. He was still going to struggle, if not never be able to use his beloved magic ever again… If now, he could feel it, writhing and pleading with him to be used, given purpose.
And he simply couldn't.
And that, in itself, was unbearable…
::-()-::
One of my shortest chapters, and one of my longest brakes. One that I forgot to tell you all about, so my apologies for that.
I am no longer going to say that I will get chapters out regularly, because I clearly haven't been able to do that for the past 2 years. But again, I still hold myself to completing my stories when I start them, I hate unfinished jobs. XD
So this chapter was really just the beginning of a new arc, this is a big mini-arc, one I hope to do for at least 5 chapters. Hopefully it isn't a mess. This chapter certainly feels just like that.
Thanks for reading,
-Viperhat