I wish this site had a "Kudos" or "Like" button like AO3 does, because I understand there are so many hinderances to giving reviews, but simply knowing your story is being enjoyed is such a great motivator to continue.
On that note, a big thanks to primorialpaper for their awesome review for chapter three, the first review in a while. Those few words of appreciation and encouragement really made my day.
Anyway, enjoy another appearance by Asuka. She proves to be an important componant to Gray's healing throughout the story.
And look, the app's finally letting me add line breaks!That was fun to go back and fix.
Lucy and Erza were eating breakfast at LaCroix's, the little cafe by Erza's favorite bakery. That is to say, the little cafe that was attached to Erza's favorite bakery. What she had neglected to tell her friends the first time they were to eat there was that this cafe served sandwich's, pastries, and desserts, along with other delicious wares, supplied by the bakery situated on the other side of the restaurant. Erza was ecstatic that she could enjoy a meal and her favorite cake at the same establishment now. Which was why she and Lucy made it a point to stop in at least once between missions.
They had just completed one yesterday, a simple caravan escort quest to a trade show in the next town over. During the mission, Natsu had developed a fascination with the clay artisans at the show. Specifically those that fired their clays to make sculptures and pottery. At some point during the show, one of the kilns had failed. Natsu was quick to step in to fire up the batch of clay that had already been half finished inside of it, saving the potters a great deal of time and effort in having to wait for the delicate clays to cool before removal to another kiln. In gratitude, some of them offered various samples of their wares. Natsu, fascinated by the idea of making his own creations, asked if he could take some clay instead. He was at that moment sitting in the guild, trying his hand at sculpting.
"Do you know what you're having, yet?" asked Lucy.
"The strawberry crepes, of course," Erza replied. Her standing order.
"Of course. Man, everything here looks so good. I wish I could just order everything."
"Why don't you?" Erza asked with a dreamy gleam in her eyes.
"Because I don't have a stomach like Natsu. If he saw that much food here, he'd probably challenge us to a food eating contest."
"We both know only Gray would accept that challenge."
Suddenly, her eyes widened. She slammed her hands on the table and stood, knocking her chair back.
"What's wrong?! " Lucy asked, instantly alert, her hands reaching for her keys.
"We've made a grave error. Something totally unforgivable!"
"What? What'd we do?" She asked, concerned.
"We've neglected to invite Gray for his rain check!"
Lucy instantly relaxed, then reran Erza's words in her mind. Her eyes widened as well. All those months ago, they were all supposed to come to this cafe together. Now here they were, enjoying this time of bonding in a place that had practically become a team tradition, and one pivotal member of their team had yet to join them here. Now Lucy felt awful.
"To be fair, I'm not sure how much Gray would enjoy coming out here. It's almost a coin toss most days of whether he's in the mood to socialize or not. He's still kinda sensitive about strangers seeing his disabilities, as well."
Erza responded, "There isn't much we can do about how strangers may perceive him, but his friends should be willing to go the extra mile to include him in things, even when he's in a poor spirit. He can't help his mood swings, and he shouldn't be punished socially because of them."
"You're right. So, should we go to his place real quick and invite him?"
"We'll have to do that at a later date. By the time we'd get back, the breakfast service would be over. But we can order some meals to go and eat with him at his home."
That idea would also allow them to see how he's been since he'd learned of the necromancer's death. Lyon had suggested allowing him a cool down period, so the team had taken that escort mission in the meantime. Placing and receiving their order for four meals to go, they gathered their things and headed for Gray's house.
After a ten minute walk, they found Lyon outside, watching as some people were delivering an ethernano powered furnace, to be installed later today. Due to Gray's powers, he'd never had use for one, opting to use the fire place if he ever had to entertain guests in the colder months. Now that Lyon knew of his predicament, as well as the fact that he had a strong dislike of fire now, he had ordered the furnace to be delivered and installed as soon as possible.
"Good morning, Lyon. What's all this?" asked Lucy.
Unsure if Gray would want his friends to know yet about his waning cold resistance, he simply said, "Just updating some of the appliances. What can I do for you?"
"We brought breakfast," Erza said, brandishing the bags enticingly, "We hope you two will join us. Is he up yet?" She asked, peering into the open front door.
His face fell, and he ushered them inside, closing the door behind them. Gray wasn't on the couch where he normally slept.
"Where is he?" asked Lucy.
Lyon nodded his head towards the dining room. There he was, asleep at the table, his head resting on one of the throw pillows, which hid his crossed arms. A blanket that had been placed over him was slipping, threatening to reveal his bandage-clad body. He'd taken to sleeping there ever since hearing the news from Black Vox, as a new fear of being alone in the living room had developed. Lyon couldn't understand Gray's rationale that simply being one room removed from the site of his assault made so much of a difference. But it made sense to Gray, so that's all that mattered. Lyon had offered to sleep on the recliner so he'd be there with him, but Gray refused to allow Lyon to suffer discomfort over his phobias. Lyon had tried to persuade him otherwise, but his growing agitation reached its peak when he angrily threw a vase, shattering it against the wall.
At first Lyon was shocked, then concerned when he saw blood seeping through Gray's sleeve. He had pulled too hard at a graft in his arm, causing a small separation along an edge. Gray was too in shock to realize he was hurt, just staring off in disbelief at what had just occurred.
Lyon was quick to sit him down, pulling off his shirt to see the damage. Porlyusica was summoned, who fixed the damage while Lyon cleaned up the vase. Observing Gray's subdued state, Porlyusica advised that he be indulged for a few days.
So he'd left him with some pillows and blankets, thinking he'd sleep on the floor of the dining room, or maybe even on top of the table. He was shocked the next morning to find him as he is now. The floor, as Gray explained, was difficult to rise from, especially if he rolled over in his sleep and spent the night with too much pressure on his back. On top of the table was just out of the question, as it was too much like sleeping on a certain frame in a certain chamber.
As for sleeping in a chair at the table, it couldn't be all that restful, as Lyon had often checked on him throughout the night, finding him pacing or just sitting there, staring off into the darkness, tapping his fingers in conjunction with the ticking of the mantle clock. A consultation with Dr. Crenshaw left them with no answers about why the sedatives he took every night only worked about half the time. Just that his insomnia was somehow overriding the drugs, and upping the doses would be dangerous because of the fact that they did work sometimes. He'd eventually just slump over in exhaustion, at which point Lyon would place a pillow under his head and throw a blanket over him.
He hated to wake him up, as he'd had another late night last night. But it'd be good to get him to eat as well.
Placing his hand lightly on his shoulder, he quietly called, "Gray. It's time to wake up. C'mon. Erza and Lucy are here. You should get dressed. They brought breakfast. Let's go. It's getting late."
Gray stirred, raising his head and blinking his eyes a few times before settling on keeping them closed. They were too heavy to keep open, anyway. And what did it matter to him if it was late or early? With no light, it made no difference when he did anything these days. Those were his thoughts as he sat up. He allowed Lyon to take the pillow away, letting the blanket slide down to lay behind him in the chair. It's not like they'd never seen him in bandages before. Erza placed his food before him, strawberry crepes with powdered sugar and whipped cream, with a side of eggs and coffee. Smelling it, he went for the coffee first, downing the whole cup in a few gulps.
Neither girl commented on the fact that they could see the seals on his abdomen for the first time in a while. He either forgot about them (unlikely), just wasn't thinking about them, or didn't care. None of those options were encouraging.
Everyone sat together to try to enjoy their meal, filling the room with idle talk about the escort mission, and lauding LaCroix's award winning white chocolate baguettes.
Gray ate about half his meal before he pushed it away. Erza was about to insist he finish it before she saw Lyon shaking his head. She kept her peace as Gray excused himself to get cleaned up.
"Be happy he ate as much as he did," Lyon began quietly as soon as Gray was out of earshot, "Try to remember that he's constantly struggling with nearly depleted magic stores. He's been feeling the effects of that really hard lately."
As if seeing the ever looming seals weren't a good enough reminder of that.
"It must be difficult having such a major aspect of your life taken away like that, on top of everything else," said Lucy.
"Has he made plans regarding training once he gets his powers back?" asked Erza.
"He's gotten to the point of believing that, even if the seals do ever get removed, he'd probably have to give up Maker Magic anyway," he replied.
"What? Why?" gasped Lucy.
"Because in the last few days, he's started to let doubts seep in. One of those being that it might be too late to restore his sight, even with magic"
"Oh, no! Is that true?"
"We're not sure. But the longer we wait, the stronger the possibility. And Maker Magic relies so much on sight... He's been pretty upset about it."
"That's an understandable fear, but he is not without hope. Porlyusica-san could always replicate him some new eyes," Erza said with confidence born from experience.
"Yeah, that's right! And until then, we should find ways to keep his skills sharp," enthused Lucy.
"That's a good idea. But how?" asked Lyon.
They took time to think about it, trying to figure out how to train a magical skill without the use of magic.
It was while Erza was doodling swirls and peaks in her whipped cream and strawberry syrup that she come up with her idea.
"Of course. He should do crafts!"
...
...
"What?"
"You know. Painting, sculpting, drawing. His magic is all about creation. In order to keep himself sharp, he needs to create!"
"That's... a really great idea, Erza," Lucy said, surprised.
Lyon was nodding. "It has merit. I think we should give it a try. If anything, it might also help lift his spirits to have something new to do."
"That's right. And I have just the thing to try. We just need Gray to come to the guild. Right now."
"Wait, it has to be at the guild? Right now?" asked Lyon.
"Of course. Why not? Is this not a good time?" asked Erza.
"Not for me, it isn't. The laborers are coming over soon to install the new...appliance. I've got to stay to direct them to the right location and assist in the installation. Can it wait until later?"
"I don't think so. We only have so long before Natsu fires up all the clay," said Erza.
"Clay?" asked Lyon.
"Yes. Gray is going to practice his molding magic by literally molding something. It's a perfect way to begin redeveloping rusty skills. And don't worry about coming along. Lucy's gotten pretty good at reading Gestures. We'll take him to the guild and bring him back safely. You can count on us." Erza replied.
A shrill whistle interrupted their plotting, and they turned to see a visibly irritated Gray in the doorway, lowering his fingers from his mouth. "Do I get a say in my social calendar?" he asked, annoyed.
"Of course you do," Lyon began, "We just thought you might enjoy getting outside the house today. And Erza was hoping having a creative outlet would help keep your other skills sharp."
"By doing arts and crafts," he added dubiously.
"It's good to work with your hands," said Erza.
"Still blind. And half my hands are covered in scar tissue. That's what I feel when I touch things. Making candy dishes and pencil holders isn't going to help me mold Ice that I can't see or barely feel."
"...You sound like you're giving up." Lucy said sadly.
He sighed, taking a seat and placing his cane on the table, as if they needed the emphasis of what he was saying. He rubbed his face with both hands, sparing a few extra seconds on his eyes, before putting his hands down and facing towards them again.
"Was I ever in this battle to begin with? Because I'm fighting on so many fronts right now, I don't think I can deal with any more."
They thought he meant his struggles against depression, fear, pain, and everything else they've seen him go through. And they were partially right. But what he didn't want to elaborate on was his compulsion to please them. He was tired of scaring them, of taking his issues out on them, of constantly trying to "do better" so they wouldn't have to worry. It was like an unending performance, and all he wanted to do was bow out. Now they expected him to pretend he could actually do something about his nonexistent magic?
"We don't want to add to your burden. We just thought that maybe this would help lighten it a little. That maybe if you could do something that was even a little bit related to your powers, it might help you in other things. I don't know. We're pretty much making this up as we go. But I know you're not one to give up. We know you're going through things that we couldn't possibly understand. But we want to help you carry that burden. Please?" Lucy pleaded.
'Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more,' he thought. But one thing Gray couldn't deny was that his friends did have his best interests at heart. Maybe he was letting too much of the negatives influence him. If they thought this would help, what's one more volley to take for them?
He nodded, stood up, and held out the shirt he'd had draped over his shoulder, waiting for Lyon to help him put it on.
The girls smiled and cleaned up as he got ready to leave. Soon, donning his sunglasses and with cane in hand, they were on their way to the guild. Lyon had made sure they knew Gray was perfectly capable of finding his way there, and to not hover around him as he went.
-Guild Archives-
Pages flew as Levy read through the ancient tome, picking out every nuanced script through her gale force reading glasses. Freed arrived with a carafe of coffee and two mugs, setting them down away from their workspace, which was strewn with volumes and scrolls from all over. He peaked at the notes she'd taken from the last few books, before moving to his own notes attached to the large board they'd hung up for that purpose.
Prominently centered on that board was a highly defined photo of the seals, taken during the early days of Gray's stay in the hospital. Unlike now, the seals within the photo were still red, crusted with dried pus and scabbed, and swollen with infection. Both of them saw the benefits of acquiring a newer photo, one in which the runes were more notable without the distortions caused by lack of healing, but neither wanted to bother Gray about taking one.
Surrounding the photo were notes and charts, hand drawn sketches and other clues. There was so much information there, and that was part of the problem. How could they wade through all this knowledge without a single clue as to what any these symbols could mean, or even a place of origin. If they could just narrow that down...
But this was a demon language. No human, as far as they could discover, had ever been able to translate those symbols, let alone read them. The magic seal was its own problem. Though created by humans, its use was from long ago as well, and those who knew how to apply them were professional mages attached to high ranking military or noble officials. The seals were state secrets, guarded doggedly by those mages. Their methods were passed down orally, nothing written down to prevent the other sides from acquiring the seals for themselves. Even the languages that were worked into the Runes were obscure and forgotten.
Freed was certain that they'd find the solution to the magic seals long before the demon slayer seals, so their primary focus was on the former. Levy, however, was looking into one of the older history books pertaining to the age of demons again. She believed that if they couldn't find anything to help decipher the language, they could at least find references to the seal's uses, or allusions to past slayers or those whom they fought. Maybe something would just be slipped into the lore and legends that they could use. The tiniest fact could help.
"Anything of value in that one?" he asked as she closed the tome and removed her glasses, accepting the mug of coffee he offered.
"Just a few stories here and there that may or may not mention the seals being used. You know, there really aren't that many stories about demon slayers. You hear about dragon slayers from all over the age of dragons, but demon slayer tales are so few and far between. And I haven't found anything to suggest there being more than one in any given time. Dragon slayers have been known to partner up, but there's no stories of the same happening with demon slayers. If they're so rare, it's no wonder there's hardly anything written about them."
"Hmm. Sounds like a lonely existence."
"That's putting it mildly. Most of the stories tell about doomed destinies and burdens of sacred duties. But apparently they were really good at their jobs, for the demons to resort to coming up with that seal. I only found two references to a slayer seal, and it might not even be the right one. There's no description. The first one, of course, we've just mentioned, about the reasons behind it's creation. The other one tells about how a slayer used it on himself."
"That's very strange. Does it say why he did so?"
"No, just that it was for some greater good. It's all lofty praises about self-sacrifice and honoring one's duty and such. It's probably just a parable or something, but I'm bookmarking it. Maybe I'll find something that relates to it later."
"Well, I'm going to go over the board a bit before I add these notes you've written. We may have to rearrange some data again to find a proper place for them."
"Okay. I'll be starting on the batch of codexes that Hibiki-san sent over," she replied, standing to retrieve a sealed box from the next table over.
"Take a break first. I don't know if you've noticed, but it's morning already."
"Really?" she said, looking at the grandfather clock behind her, "Huh. So it is...I keep feeling like we're letting him down."
Freed looked up from the notes, letting her continue.
"Everyday that passes without a solution is another day Gray has to live with those evil things on his body. I feel guilty having to take breaks, or having to sleep, or taking meals when I could be down here, searching for an answer that might not even exist. If those stupid runes weren't carved so deeply, this wouldn't even be a problem. Just cut the damned things out!"
"You know he'd never consent to that. Not after what happened to his guild mark. We can't force him to go through something like that again, even if we could minimize the pain, and have Wendy heal him right away. Without knowing what the runes mean, cutting it away in pieces could augment the seal in unexpected ways. And if we tried to remove it all at once, he'd most likely die from shock or bleed out before Wendy could do anything."
"I know! I just wish I had a better idea of what to look for!..You're right. A break would help. Maybe a nap, too? Make my brain more alert. Can you..?"
"I can handle the research for a while. Take some time. Gray's lasted this long. And he understands the complexity of those seals better than we do, I think. He'll not hold it against you to take a break once in a while," replied Freed.
She nodded, giving a tired smile, and left.
They received the expected rounds of greetings as they entered, heading straight for their usual table. Happy greeted Gray as he hopped onto his shoulder, receiving a head pat in return. Natsu had a bucket of clay beside him, and was currently trying to make a sad excuse of a dragon. On the table were other failed attempts at art. Some were childish renditions of various animals or people, while others...no one could really tell.
"Hey guys! What's up, ice block? Check out my new hobby! I'm making my own action figures!"
Gray felt around the table, finding one of the abstract pieces, and knitted his brow as he tried to make out what it was he was holding. It was clay, lumpy and roundish, with long pieces hanging out like spider legs.
He turned his head towards Natsu and mouthed, "What the hell is this, some kind of bug?"
"What? Man, even if you can't see, I can't believe you can't tell Lucy from a bug!"
"What!? That's supposed to be me?!" cried Lucy.
"Well, duh! See? I even gave her big boo—"
"Lucy Kick!"
"There goes Natsu," commented Happy.
"Now then, let's get started," said Erza.
They settled down at the table, each of them taking some clay, because the girls may as well get into it themselves.
Gray thought this was ridiculous. But he made an effort to make a simple cup. As he told them earlier, he had trouble feeling how well he was shaping it, and he almost smushed it all together to claim he was doing abstract art like Natsu. But then the back of his finger brushed against it. It was rather smooth and soft, pleasant feeling even. He recalled his O and M training, with how he now used the back and sides of his fingers to feel his surroundings all the time. He slowly and methodically felt around the bowl, perceiving any blemishes, smoothing them out. The texture of the clay was appealing, and the motions soothing. He started losing focus on the conversations around him, solely intent upon the figure in his hand.
He heard Natsu return, and he had a sudden inspiration as he set the cup down and got some more clay. Just as he began molding something else, he heard a happy squeal of "Gray-ni!" He had just enough time to turn around and catch the bundle of Asuka that just threw herself at him. With surprising grace, he used her momentum to swing her around and land her on his lap, gesturing, "Good morning, Sprite."
"Good morning. Whatcha doing? Can I play?" she asked, reaching for one of Natsu's oddities and squeezing it to globs. Erza kicked him to shut him up before he could make a sound of complaint, and he just grabbed some more clay and got back to his dragon.
"Good morning, everyone. What's all this," came Bisca's curious voice.
"We're making stuff!" said Asuka.
"I see. You got room for one more?"
"Sit right here, mommy!" Asuka said, pointing at the spot right next to her and Gray. She hesitated, knowing his anxieties about being too close to women. But Gray, sensing her hesitation, gave her a reassuring smile and a quick nod, so she sat at a comfortable distance and took some clay as well.
This went on for a while. Asuka had slid off Gray's lap so he had more room to work. She would periodically hold up her project for Gray to inspect, which he'd do so with the same fervor as he does with his Gesture Speak lessons. Mira came by to ask if they wanted drinks. He asked for some small knives and toothpicks, along with a small rolling pin. She smiled. "Coming right up!"
"Asuka, what are you making?" asked her mom.
"It's Happy!" she exclaimed proudly.
Happy hopped off Gray's shoulder for a closer look. Sure enough, she had two small balls stuck together like a snowman, with two pieces of clay on top that looked more like horns. Gray held his hand out, receiving the clay Happy, and smoothed some parts out, thinning the bottom ball a little to look more like Happy's body. Mira arrived with the requested items. He gave the rolling pin to Asuka, telling her, "Don't forget the wings," to which she excitedly got to work on. He took a toothpick and started adding finer details, such as facial features and texture. He handed it back, taking up his own project to continue, now that he had proper tools.
The atmosphere was filled with comments and suggestions, with sounds of laughter and snatches of chatter in the background. Amongst all the noise were Bisca's periodic compliments and praises. She'd reach out to pat Asuka's hair, or touch her knee, or clap and chuckle along with her daughter's enthusiasm. She was the very picture of the fun, supportive, there-for-you mom.
Gray just kept focusing on his work.
Lunch time came around. They'd been at this for hours. Natsu had given up on his dragon, and was now trying to make Happy's suggestion of a fish. The girls had put their attempts aside to watch, enjoying the show. They couldn't quite see what Gray, toothpick in his mouth and knife in hand, was making, as all they could perceive was a round object that he kept cupped in his hand. Most of the extra clay was cleared away for lunch, and as they ate, Gray kept working, taking bites of food only when prompted.
He started to slow down an hour later, and the girls could tell he was tiring. At one point, he'd closed his eyes, leaving them closed unless someone was talking to him.
Asuka had finished her Happy sculpture, allowing Gray to inspect it once more, not changing any of the major details she had contributed, since it was her project in the end. He gave his approval. It now rested out of the way, and Asuka continued to watch with the rest of the girls. They were polite enough to not get too up close, as they didn't want to stress him out with their proximity. They just sat, enjoying his own apparent joy.
Finally, he put his tools and project down, and leaned back, allowing Asuka the first look at the finished product. If the look of wonder in Asuka's and Bisca's eyes were any clue, it must have been a true piece of art.
"So? What'd you make?" Natsu asked.
Gray reached out and picked it up slightly, turning it around for them all to see. If only he could see their faces. They were stunned.
It was a baby dragon, it's sleepy eyes and muzzle peaking out of its half opened egg, one clawed hand reaching out as if to say "hi". The detail was amazing, from the tiny scales, to spots and veiny lines across the eggshell. It had a few rough spots, but they added to its charm. It was a thing of beauty.
'His skills aren't rusty at all,' Erza thought in wonder.
He put it down and turned towards Asuka, gesturing, "I made this for you. Sorry I missed your party. Happy Birthday."
She was so excited she cried, crushing Gray in a hug. Bisca watched, her face beaming with a smile, her heart melting. Pulling away, Asuka asked, "Can I touch it?"
"Not yet. Wait a bit. Okay?"
He could feel her nod, and let her go as he reached for the dragon again, holding it up towards Natsu. He mouthed, "Fire it up, Flame Brain."
Natsu was equal parts excited and nervous.
"Are you sure?" he asked, taking the dragon tentatively.
"Yes. With your heat, you can dry it out in minutes...Your powers can help create beautiful things, too." he said, unknowingly saying something that Natsu hadn't even realized he'd wanted to hear.
'My powers can create?' Natsu thought.
Maybe that's why Natsu was so engrossed by the clay sculptors at the trade show.
"Heh! You got it. I'ma back up though. Gimme a minute." With that, he stood and was about to walk back a few steps, but grabbed onto the clay Happy as well. He held one in each hand as he activated his magic. They were glowing red as heat radiated. He backed up even more when he noticed a look of discomfort float across Gray's face for a second. He hid it well. A few minutes later, it was done, and he sat down, holding onto them until they cooled.
Natsu placed them down, saying they were ready. Gray gave Asuka a nudge, so she grabbed them both, smiling so excitedly.
"They're beautiful. Sweet girl, your Happy is amazing. You did such a good job," said Bisca. Turning to Gray, she added, "Thank you so much, Gray. We really enjoyed ourselves. Your work is stunning."
Gray had to put a little more effort in trying not to show his sudden bout of distress, and returned a smile he barely felt, before turning towards Asuka with a real smile now. "Thank you for spending time with me. I hope you like your present."
"It's my favorite present! Thank you!" she said, giving one last hug, which he was glad to return. He felt himself relax in her embrace. If only he could bottle up her joy to take home.
Everyone could tell he was starting to fade, so they got ready to walk him home. Before they could leave, Asuka stopped them one more time.
"Gray-ni, here. This is for you," she said as she placed the clay Happy in his hand, "because you made me a present. So I made you a present!"
He gave her a soft smile and patted her head in thanks. Leaving the guild, he tried to keep these happy feelings alive, but those dark thoughts started encroaching once more.
'Not her.'
I get you're having to suspend disbelief in order to see a blind man with limited fine motor skills skulpting mini figurines. Just chalk it up to a combination of over a decade of molding skills, paired with his incredible imagination, which is very much canon. I can picture him holding the image in his mind as he manipulates the clay, using touch alone to figure out where everything is. He's mastered visualization, is what I'm saying. So anyway, at least he's got a new hobby, now. It's very theraputic. And we'll be revisiting this a few more times throughout the story.
And Natsu gets a taste of what his powers can do that's not all about destruction and mayhem.
Next week: Gray's encounter with Bisca and Asuka this morning leaves his mind...conflicted.