Hey guys! Kytrin here with your Wednesday update! A quick note before we get started, there's a spot or two in the second part of the chapter that, ehm, isn't entirely work safe? But it's literally only a couple lines and vague so I don't think we really need to worry about purity marks. Just be mindful they're there.

CHAPTER 36

Shipshape

The ship is managed and clean, everything is under control

Natsu was seated close to the bow, hoisted up on the railings to where the hull was connected to the edges of the ship. He had his back turned to the sea and his eyes remained closed, an incense burning just below him on the deck.

Gray thumped towards him, the dragon not even moving when he approached.

"You done dickin' around sailor?" Natsu drawled at Gray, his left eye creaking open to eye him with a hint of boredom, "I've just been sitting here makin' a dent in my ass for the past three hours waitin' for ya to decide whether or not you wanted to figure out how to grow gills when we were getting the ship repaired."

"Hey, It wasn't something I could just decide now! That would be like you giving up your scarf!" Gray responded hotly to him.

Gray watched his other eye open, the dragons slitted pupils catching him in their sight and bearing down on his with an ancient weight he wasn't expecting from the old Pirate King.

"And how would you know my scarf is important to me Fullbuster?" Natsu asked slyly.

Gray blinked in surprise, confusion flickering over his face, "Well, you never take it off."

"It's what enables me to have legs." Natsu replied wryly, "Of course I wouldn't take it off."

Gray frowned a little, "Well, yeah, I know that." He replied, sounding puzzled at his own confusion, "But it wouldn't be your talisman if it wasn't important to you right?"

Natsu raised an eyebrow and leaned forward a little, "For all you know, Juvia created my talisman out of coral and turned it into a scarf." He smirked slightly, "Try again."

Gray frowned, his fists unconsciously clenching, "I don't know alright?" He finally growled, "I just know the damn thing is as important to you as my pendant is to me!"

Natsu leaned back, a grin curling his lips, "You're right."

Gray blinked at the easy reply, "I... am?"

Natsu nodded, and gently caressed the scarf, "You are. Dragons may be raised communally, but we still know who our own parents are. It's traditional for our blood parents to give us a gift of their own scales imbued with Metallicana's blessings on our hatching. Usually it's a blanket or similar, but dad was more practical with mine."

Gray absorbed that for a moment and moved to sit down heavily next to Natsu, "There's no way I could possibly have known that." He said slowly, and shot Natsu a look, "Not even the fact the only one you trust with it is Lucy should've told me that."

Natsu cocked his head at him, "If you've got somethin' to say, then spit it out."

Irritation crossed Gray's face, "Was I your first mate four hundred years ago?" He demanded, "Am I the one Juvia keeps referring to? The one that..."

"Was a complete pain in my ass at my every waking moment?" Natsu smirked, "Or was so star struck over Juvia's? The one that was so stubborn he'd fight a sea serpent with his teeth if he could?"

"Oh wait, that's all stuff you did last week," He drawled.

"Natsu," Gray snarled back at the mischievous dragon, not at all in the mood for his stupid sense of humor.

"Yeah yeah, fine. You were my first mate," Natsu gave Gray a sharp look, "You saved my life a long time ago and sacrificed yours and your future with Juvia to ensure it. Damned if I know why."

His eyes narrowed on Gray, looking none-too-pleased by the thought, "What I find interesting though, is your stubbornness even through this life. You went out of your way to help me in your past life, and it seems that's stayed the course in this lifetime too."

"What makes you say that?" Gray demanded, wanting to tear the man's scarf from his legs so he could at the very least watch the smug man flop around like a fish out of the water on the deck.

"Because you made your way back to the Fairy Tail. Back to Lucy's side to protect her, just like you promised me long ago," Natsu said calmly, "I don't think that's a coincidence. Do you?"

"I don't get it," Gray mumbled.

"Yeah me neither, you have a chance with Juvia and she isn't even cursed to prevent you from falling in love with her. Why are you stopping yourself from pouncing on her?" Natsu demanded.

"She's a goddess!" Gray snapped, "And weren't you the one who warned me off of pursuing anything with her back in Crocus anyway?"

"Yeah, that was before I remembered it was possible." Natsu waved his hand negligently, "Hell I didn't even remember you at the time Frosty." He canted his head slightly, "But you know, now I do remember. And you'd be an idiot not to take her up on what she's offering."

Gray scowled, "And what would you know about it?"

"I know because I've been there." Natsu growled lowly, his gaze locking on Gray's, "I know what it is to watch your goddess's every move and want but not dare to touch. I know what it's like to have her slightest touch burn into your skin and the memory alone torment you in bed at night. I know Gray. More than you could ever imagine."

Gray's expression shifted to one of surprise, "Lucy?" He breathed, "But she's not..."

"She was." Natsu cut him off, "Once. A long time ago. And she will be again once she regains all her memories. And then, as now, I will be her Champion. And maybe one day, if I'm super lucky, her lover."

Gray found himself taken aback by the fire burning in Natsu's eyes, "I love my goddess. More than words could ever express. And I was fortunate enough that she loved me back. Your goddess is inviting you to take what I feared I would never have! And if you don't accept it you're an even bigger fool than I have ever been."

Gray froze at Natsu's fierce commentary. He was speaking the truth. He could see the lifetimes in the dragon's eyes, the happiness over being given another chance with his goddess.

His own memories had holes in them. He didn't remember who he was or where he had been in a previous life. But maybe that didn't matter in this case. He steadied himself, not willing to fall apart now that they had come so far.

"It's not that easy," he grumbled.

"Yeah it is, do you think she will tell you no?" Natsu barked, "Come now Fullbuster, ya know her better'n that!"

"Do I though?" He protested

Natsu smirked, his eyes narrowing, "Yes you do!"

"Just think about those quiet moments with her and how you felt during those times. How your mind could have been racing but she steadied your tide." Natsu grunted, "A single touch was all it took from her to soothe all your worries away."

"Give her the chance to do it for you again." He said softly, "You already sacrificed too much."

"Don't throw away another chance before you lose it to a dolphin spraying you in the face." Natsu spoke from experience.

Gray raised his eyebrow at the dolphin analogy, but he figured he got the point well enough. And maybe there was some merit to the Pyro's words, but before he could dwell on them long they were interrupted by Lucy and all their resident gods, plus half the crew, approaching.

"Is it time?" She asked Natsu softly, and he nodded as he hopped down.

"Now's as good as any." He replied, "Short of sanctifying the whole ship there's not much more we can do. Are you ready?"

Lucy took a deep breath, her hands tightening around the compass curled in them, and nodded, "Yeah. I am."

Levy laid a steadying hand on Lucy's arm, "Remember Lu, this is only a conversation."

Lucy nodded and gave Natsu a firm look.

Natsu smiled at her and shooed Gray off the railing to go stand by Lucy before turning to the impromptu altar he'd set up and kneeling before it.

"Lord of Stars, keeper of souls, and bringer of life, hear our call." He intoned formally, unable to get away with his more informal summoning habits under the circumstances, "We beseech thy counsel and thine aid in this time of uncertainty and need."

He slid a recently sanctified dagger across his palm and dropped the blood that pooled onto the altar, "We pray you accept the sacrifice of blood and hearken unto us."

"Oh, I haven't heard that invocation in centuries!" Levy breathed with a nostalgic sigh, "I'd forgotten how elegant it was!"

"Aye." Juvia agreed, "You don't think about how much the traditions have shifted until you hear one of the older ones again."

The stars overhead seemed to twinkle more brightly, and the wind picked up and swirled around them, motes of magic filling the air as the wind coalesced behind the altar and glowed brightly before fading away to reveal a smiling young man with blue hair and an intricate tattoo.

He radiated power and strength in a way none of the other gods in their crew did apart from the time Levy had been invoked, and instinctively all the mortals knelt in reverence.

"A formal invocation Natsu?" Jellal asked as he took in his surroundings, only for his gaze to freeze on Lucy's form, "Lucy..."

"Yeah the circumstances, were pretty demanding this time around." Natsu began, shooting Jellal an apologetic look, but trailed off at the look on his face. The powerful god looked as if he were frozen, unable to tear his stunned gaze away from and equally stunned looking Lucy.

If she didn't believe who or what she was prior to that moment, she certainly did now.

Natsu huffed and reached out for Lucy's hand. She accepted it hesitantly, her eyes flickering back and forth between Natsu and Jellal.

"Captain, this is the Celestial Spirit King, your brother Jellal," Natsu reintroduced them, "He is the leader of the heavens and the only one who can help us."

"Wait? My brother? I thought he celestial spirit king was my fath—" Lucy whispered but cut herself off when Natsu slid her hand in Jellal's.

She felt a shock of magic travel through her, something indescribable as she felt it quiver through her chest and spread through her veins.

"Lucy, there will be time to answer all your questions soon," Jellal said with a thick emotion, "But it is so good to see you again. Sister I've missed you..."

Jellal saw his sister getting overwhelmed but shook his head, "Don't worry Lucy. I know you don't remember me right now. That's fine. I'm here to help you now where I can." He pulled his hand from hers and dropped it against Natsu's shoulder.

"Now what do you need from me Champion?" He asked.

"Protection." Natsu replied instantly, "Juvia's are wearing off, more and more each day. Worse, thanks to the bastard's curses, none of us can walk on land and the third relic is in the mountains."

"More than that the ship is in need of repair." Lucy joined in, recovering her voice at last, "Gajeel thinks we'll need to be in dry dock for a while after our last two encounters with Acnologia's fleet. If we stay in one place for that long..."

Jellal frowned thoughtfully and crossed his arms, "Yes, I see the difficulty. Such protections are possible, but will require great sacrifices to do so. Even so they wouldn't last forever."

"We know." Lucy replied, and took a breath as she held out the compass in her hand, "I'm... I'm prepared to sacrifice my mother's compass for this."

Gray sucked in a breath and looked at her in concern, "Lucy, are you sure?" He breathed, "That and your keys are your only keepsakes from her."

Lucy's eyes shimmered but she nodded firmly, "Mom would want me to." She met Jellal's eyes, "I don't remember my celestial mother. If I even had one. But the one I do remember was a good woman. She loved me with everything she had, and I know she would want me to do this to break our family's curse and find happiness. That would mean far more to her spirit than my clinging to a memory."

Gray stared at her for a moment and stepped up beside her, pulling off the pendant around his neck, "You're right." He told her softly and held out the pendant with a stubborn look, "I will offer no less a sacrifice. This pendant has been in my family for generations. It belonged to my father, and is all I have left of him."

His hand shook slightly, "My family has suffered under that bastard destroyer's curse for centuries. I want it to end! And if that means giving up the last tie to the remains of my family I have beside my magic... I'll do so without hesitation."

Jellal studied them both solemnly, and bowed his head, "Such passion." He murmured, "Such determination." He looked up and smiled, "I would expect no less of my dear sister and our champion's most devoted follower."

He nodded, "Even one such sacrifice is more than enough to power the protections you long for. However, as I said, there are still limits. Nothing short of a life given would give you more than a moon. And once invoked they cannot be turned off."

Lucy glanced at Gajeel, who shook his head.

"Moon ain't enough time for repairs and a trip t' the mountain cap'n. We'd need at least half that if not a whole moon to make sure Fairy Tail's fighting ready for the next fleet attack."

"Then I propose a split." Jellal suggested, and looked at Juvia, "One sacrifice to you now. Your lingering protections would have more strength beneath the waves, and reinforced they should last for as long as Gajeel needs. Provided we don't have another episode like Natsu's. Nor will their curses hold sway there. They could rest in peace until the time is right." He looked back at Gray and Lucy, "Then, when you're ready to storm the mountains for the relic piece, another sacrifice to me then. I will do all I can to ensure you're hidden from Acnologia's sight until you retrieve the relic and return to the sea. Will that do?"

"There's a chance this may not work though," Gajeel warned them, "This magic often can be affected by outside forces. As you are now it will work, but the more your memories return..."

He looked specifically towards Lucy in that moment, "Your returning memories will be especially powerful."

"Because of what I was?" She asked, hesitant.

Jellal nodded and settled a hand over his sisters forehead, "The strongest goddess. Even more powerful than my wife. She misses you by the way." Jellal said softly with a small smile, "She also sends her regards."

Lucy wasn't sure how to respond to that, so she just swallowed and nodded, "Ah. I wish I could remember her."

"One day soon," Jellal allowed, turning towards Juvia, "Have we an agreement?"

"I believe we have." She allowed but looked a little hesitant, "To do so though they will have to return to the sea with me while the ship is docked."

"I'll leave Cana in charge then." Lucy frowned over at Gajeel, "Ya better not add anything weird to my ship!"

"It was my ship first princess," Gajeel grouched at her.

"And that's where you're both wrong!" Natsu said gleefully, "It was my ship before any of yours!"

Lucy rolled her eyes at his childishness and smiled at Jellal, "We'll reach out to you again when we are ready to head to the mountains. Thank you... Jellal."

"You're welcome Lucy," Jellal bowed one last time and glanced at Natsu, "Keep her safe?"

The champion put his fist over his heart and bowed his head, "With my life."

"I certainly hope it doesn't come to that. Again." Jellal spoke dryly before he disappeared in a glowing golden shadow.

-::-

"And just what's gotten into you?" Gray panted with a chuckle as he slowly descended from his high, and rocked his hips slightly where he was still joined with his tempestuous goddess, "Besides me that is."

"I believe you've been hanging around Natsu too long if you're making comments like that!" Juvia laughed breathlessly as she settled down beside him and let him pull her into his arms, "Mmmmm... this is nice."

"Nice yes." Gray agreed, kissing the top of her head, "But you haven't answered the question. What's going on?" He traced his thumb over her cheek, "You've been wound up about something for weeks. It shows in the water, and in bed. Please talk to me Juvia."

Juvia hesitated for a long moment, and looked down at his chest where she was idly drawing on it with her finger, "I want to make you my champion." She admitted, "It's a desire I've had since before you introduced me to your family. After... I've tried to find a way, but I can't."

She held him tighter, "You have to be one of my children, a merman, before you can even test to be a champion. Only the celestials have free reign over who they may choose. The rest of us are confined. Metallicana is confined to his dragons, Levy is confined to her scholars, Erza is confined to her warrior women, and I... I cannot choose outside the merfolk."

Gray gently brushed away her gathering tears, "And maybe that's for the best." He replied calmly, "I would probably make you a terrible champion."

Juvia surged upright indignantly, "What are you saying? You would make a wonderful Champion! You're devoted to me, and you're brave and passionate! I'm certain you would pass the tests!"

"I'm not." Gray replied, as he shifted to look at her better, "Juvia, I love you more than I can express, and I wouldn't hesitate to fight and die for you, but I'm not a good fit for your Champion. Someone like that would need to embody all of your aspects right?" He shook his head, "I don't do that. I've never done that. I have none of your calm, or your patience. And aren't champions supposed to be dedicated to only their deities and no others?"

"I don't mind sharing," Juvia smiled, dragging her arms around his broad shoulders and pressing her nose into his cheek. However he didn't seem to share her humor and collected her wrists to look her in the eye.

"Gray, there is no one in this world that knows my blessing and prayers better than you," Juvia murmured, having trouble understanding where his doubts were coming from.

"That may be true," Gray murmured and he smiled at her, "But that's because I love you Juvia. I always respected the sea before I met you, but I only learned about you in detail once we became friends and then more."

"My dedication and faith, it's always been to the Fairy Tail and my Captain," Gray tucked a lock of blue hair behind her ear, "To the fight and excitement and stupid the ass adventures Natsu always drags us into."

"My love and faith for you come from a different place. They come from my heart," Gray pressed a kiss into her temple, hating the look of disappointment on her face, "That's not enough for a champion."

Her grip around his middle tightened and Juvia curled against him, her face buried into his side. He could feel her upset, feel it in the waters rocking their ship and the way she held herself together.

"Juvia..?"

She shook her head and clung to him tighter, looking up at him instead with watery eyes, "I know, you're right Gray." She sniffed.

"But I don't want to lose you, not to the cycle of reincarnation. There's no telling when I'll see you again, if you ever even return to my waters," her bottom lip wobbled, and Gray gathered her in his arms, hating how vulnerable she looked.

"It's lonely in the abyss," Juvia murmured, her fingers threading together with his, "You're the first time in a long time I've been able to see the sun. It's not fair I'm going to lose you to something like mortality."

Gray smiled warmly at her and lifted her hand to kiss gently, "I may not have the qualities needed to be your champion, but I do have faith in you. I'm sure that if there's a way to keep me by your side, or find me again, you'll discover it." He bent his head and kissed her lips tenderly, "And until then I'll gladly remain your lover and beloved."

Juvia smiled and nodded as she snuggled up to him, "It's a promise."

"Gray..."

Gray smiled and bent to kiss her again as he snuggled closer to her, kissing her softly.

"Gray!"

Gray ignored the voice and began trailing his fingers along Juvia's spine, contemplating another round now that he'd gotten his breath back.

"HEY FROSTBITE!"

Gray surged upwards with a shout, and only the fact that he was the first mate, and therefore had a cabin of his own, kept him from cracking his head on anything, "What the hell!" He exclaimed, "Where's the fire?"

"I got your fire right here!" Natsu cackled as his hand ignited, and cackled more as Lucy swatted him, "We're ready for Juvia's invocation."

Gray blinked stupidly at her for a moment before remembering that Natsu had offered to call his brother and have the proper supplies sent up for the invocation instead of them improvising as they had for Jellal. He'd gone to take a nap while they'd waited, but it seemed they'd arrived faster than expected. Or he'd slept in. He wasn't really sure which.

"Right." He replied, "Give me five minutes, and I'll be above decks."

Natsu snorted and stuck his tongue out at Gray, "Hurry up frosty, we'll be down there for a while, so don't forget to grab your pack."

He thumped back up the stairs, scarf trailing behind him. However before he could completely disappear back above deck, he stuck his head back down with a wicked smirk, "Sorry to interrupt your dream, sounded like it was good!" He teased.

Gray went totally red in the face at that and Lucy gasped as the cackling Natsu jumped up the last few steps to escape onto the deck and avoid Grays wrath.

"I'm going to kill him!" Gray coughed around his burning cheeks.

"You can kill him later Gray, I promise," Lucy sighed and shook her head, heading up the steps, "Really you two fight like cats and dogs."

Gray began to grumble mutinous things under his breath, but merely nodded at Lucy as he got ready. The moment he got above deck he was going to throw that oversized carp back into the ocean.

Still, he wasn't wrong. The dream he had been having was sad and beautiful. He didn't bother with putting a shirt on, knowing that it was only going to be a matter of time before he would have to remove it because of their underwater environment. He did put on a loose cover around his waist and his bag over his shoulder.

Becoming Juvia's champion.

He would have to become a merman like the spell would temporarily invoke for him. This would have been the fate they could have together, but still Gray wasn't sure it was something he would be a good match for.

No one denied his faith and love for the Tempest.

The Lady had always been the goddess he prayed to, but had it been a reflection of his feelings or genuine faith? He wondered...

The more he thought about it, the more he suspected it had more to do with his own feelings than it ever had to do with how he worshiped. His first calling was to the spirit of adventure, of the fight on the open seas and the power of learning control over his magic. His captain had been the one he always held faith to.

That was the path he followed.

And now he wondered if that path perhaps didn't include Lucy, or if it had been a path set for him long ago from his past life. A line mapped out by Natsu, to keep Lucy safe.

Those thoughts armed, Gray walked out of his quarters and onto the deck. He stared at where Lucy, Juvia and Natsu were gathered. He could see the dragon turned with his arms crossed, the familiar looking emblem emblazoned on his arm. The one he shared with Gajeel. Gray frowned, hand lifting to his chest as if feeling like that mark was supposed to be on him as well.

"Feelin' the shades of the past?" Gajeel rumbled softly as he walked up to join Gray and cast him a knowing glance.

"Aye." Gray replied after a moment, "The more I learn, the more it feels like my past has dictated my present."

Gajeel eyed him consideringly, "Ain't that the way it always is though?" He asked, pulling Gray's look towards him, "The past always dictatin' to the present. Fact you can't remember it don't make a difference."

Gray thought about that for a moment and huffed out a chuckle, "I suppose you have a point there. Thanks Gajeel."

"For what? Pointin' out the obvious?" Gajeel snorted, "You ain't awake yet brat. Now get yer butt over there an' get t' work! I ain't leavin' the Fairy Tail in this state any longer than I gotta, so quit dawdlin'!"

Gray snorted back, his eye catching the warmth in the dragon's eyes he was trying to hide, "Yeah, yeah, I'm going. Maybe you can install a Pyro-proof lock on my door while we're gone."

Gajeel flashed him a toothy grin, "I like your ideas runt."

Gray rolled his eyes and stepped forward. His chest still felt strangely bare, but he felt a bit better about everything now, and he supposed that was what mattered. Besides, Lucy had promised to replicate the emblem before this insanity had started. He trusted she would keep that promise once it was over.

Because, no matter what, she was a fine captain, and whether his past had nudged him along or not didn't matter now. Because now he would gladly follow her wherever she led.

And that's the chapter my loves! I hope you all enjoyed! Real quick, I've noticed a bit of confusion about Lucy and Gray's memories, so let me try to clear that up a bit. As of now, Lucy and Gray are both aware they're regaining their memories, but they don't actually have most of them yet. Further, they both have problems of things fading when they awake. It's like when you wake up from a dream and can talk about what you dreamed (assuming you remember it), but a couple days later the details have faded or are gone entirely. In this case though, the more often it happens, the more things start to stick for longer. Hence how they both became suspicious but uncertain before confirmation from others. I hope that helps a little!

On another note, I wanna give a big shout out to all of our reviewers. You guys really rocked it hard and managed to scrape 30 reviews in just two days lol! For that, I present... humor. Enjoy your preview and we'll see you Sunday!

Natsu grinned and took her hand, pleased by how readily she reached out for him. She grinned when he pulled her along, watching as Natsu showed her the throne room and parlor.

"And this my lady is where the Kings of Alvarez pass on their legacy to their progeny through the ancient rite of tail slapping," Natsu said solemnly when they swam into the impressive room.

"Tail... what?" Lucy tried, her eyebrow lifting towards Natsu, whose lips were twitching at the corners.

"Ah Yes, Tail slapping. There's no sport more beloved or important down here, except for maybe Coral Curling," Natsu sighed and settled his hands on his chest, "I remember the Great War. The shortage of coral, the plagues in the reef!"

Lucy snorted at his obvious dramatics and shook her head, "Oh yeah, the coral droughts huh?"

"Must have been terrible," Lucy patted his shoulder with false sympathy.

"Yes, we had to use sea sponges instead. Like barbarians!" Natsu wiped a fake tear