Asuka was very upset. She hadn't meant to cause trouble, even if everyone said she'd done nothing wrong. No one was at fault really. It was more a lapse in judgment than outright negligence that no one had told her about Gray's memory loss, nor his new tendency to violently lash out at unpredictable provocations. She stood with her mom now, who kept apologizing, saying she "hadn't meant to do it." That it was instinct. And it had been. A mother protects her child.

They could only watch as everyone either tried to help, or stayed out of the way. But most of Asuka's attention was on her Gray-ni, as he kneeled beside the overturned table, bracing one hand against it to stay upright while grabbing at his head like it was about to burst.

People were yelling and causing an uproar. They didn't realize they were adding to the problem. Gray was screaming again, veins noticeably pronounced against his too pale skin, eyes red with tears as pain overwhelmed him. If he could actually make a sound, Asuka was sure his screams would be louder than everyone else's.

"Please, everyone! Calm down. The noise is making it worse!" Lucy cried desperately.

"Everyone SHUT UP!" screamed Natsu. People started to quiet down, but there was still a nervous droning of concerned voices throughout the guild.

"Gray-san, can you tell me what's happening? Can you hear me?" Wendy asked frantically.

"Is Porlyusica on the way?" asked Lyon.

"I sent Happy to get her. Ice Block, come on, say something! What's going on in there?" Natsu wondered.

"This the the worse I've seen. Have they ever been this bad before?" asked Erza.

"No, never," answered Lyon, "This is something completely different."

Lyon and Natsu were standing close to Gray, both afraid to touch him again, as he'd reacted violently the last time one of them tried.

Gray's eyes shot open, his head shifting back and forth, as if searching for something, or seeing a great many somethings? His breathing rate increased, his shirt soaked in sweat to where you could see the dressings and scars through the silk. Looks of hopelessness and primal fear appeared on his face, but they soon gave way to anger, then rage.

Something was happening.

He dropped his hands, falling forward to catch himself now that he'd let go of the table. He forced himself to kneel upright, just long enough to bring his hands together.

Lucy didn't know what he was thinking, or seeing. Whether it was a very realistic hallucination, or a flashback, or if his body just reacted on its own, but she knew what he was about to do.

"No! Gray, don't do it! Natsu, get Freed! Hurry!"

He didn't even ask for what reason as he ran to the Archives.

"Lucy, what—?" asked Lyon.

"He's trying to activate his demon slayer powers!

ooooo

(several minutes before)

As soon as the necklace touched his hand, Erza new something was wrong. Even she could tell he had been about to say "mom," when he'd abruptly stopped, bringing both hands up to grasp his head in pain, the necklace clattering to the table top, forgotten. He was gasping breathlessly, his eyes shut tightly, his body trembling.

His friends all stood up, coming around to his side of the table, crowding him, each understanding that this was worse than his usual headaches. This was the first time Asuka had witnessed one of these kinds of episodes, and she couldn't understand what was happening, was at a loss for what to do. Usually he'd just go very still for several moments, or fall asleep but not, which was still kind of confusing to her, but that's how her mommy explained it. But in either case, he was often either afraid or just very tired. And sad. But she wasn't used to seeing him like this. Bisca was also worried, and stayed to offer any assistance they would need.

"Gray-ni, what's wrong? Does your head hurt? Are you gonna be okay? Why won't you answer?" She kept asking these things, and more, to him and to the rest of his team, growing more scared when no one would answer. Because they too were trying to get answers of their own.

Meanwhile, Gray was lost, constantly having his attention forcibly shifted between what was happening out there, and what was going on within. He kept seeing flashes of... many things, hearing snatches of words and phrases, feeling phantom touches and sensations. It was too much, too fast, too soon. He couldn't handle so much stimulation at once.

The floor and walls glowed a malicious shade of red...He flinched, and started a renewed but fruitless effort to break his bindings. If only he could see what was happening... "...you'll still be th...the pathetic old man...hiding behind a corpse!"'It's too loud.'...The cold. But cold was good for pain. Wasn't it?...The smell of death permeated the air....It was her voice that tormented his mind as she sliced into his flesh....Please, let me go back...'...It had looked too human, but it was indeed a monster....It was her face he last saw, before she burned his eyes away.

"... back... back to where?... I don't... No... It was...'.

...

but he could do nothing as the taste of decay and ash suddenly filled his mouth

'... to where it was quiet...'

...

"We're already dying! I won't let my friends die and do NOTHING!"...In moments, he'd be dead, burnt beyond recognition.

'...It was so peaceful there... so warm...'

......Her hands that tore away his guild mark and tossed it aside like garbage..."You can...take my magic... my eyes, my ears...my freaking tongue!..

"Hey, does he need help?"

...

His body tensed, and he grabbed onto Lyon's shirt, burying his head into his brother's neck, his chest heaving...

"I'll go get Master!"

...

His screams could hardly make it passed the mass of writhing darkness driving itself deeper...

"Everyone stand back! Give'em some space!"

"Gray-ni! It's gonna be okay! Why won't to say something?!"

The flashes kept coming and going, not giving him enough time to comprehend what they were, or what they could mean, before disappearing; a never ending parade of faces, emotions, events. There and gone. The noise wouldn't stop. The pain kept rising. It was like something was trying to escape, but his mind was fighting against it.

But some of the memories were remaining.

And they were horrifying.

There were too many people, too many voices, too much noise.

"Gray-ni!"

The noise wouldn't stop.

"Come on, man. Say something!"

It wouldn't stop!

"Gray-san, please!"

It wouldn't stop!

A stunned silence came over the guild hall, brought about by the shockingly loud sound of a crash, as Gray suddenly stood, violently upending the table, spilling drinks and knocking over chairs as well.

"STOP IT! JUST MAKE IT STOP! MAKE THE NOISE GO AWAY! MAKE IT ALL GO AWAY! JUST STOP TALKING, ALL OF YOU! SHUT THE HELL UP!"

He gestured fiercely and "yelled," wanting no mistake in what he wanted from them.

Asuka was beyond shocked. She was paralyzed with fright. Her Gray-ni had never yelled at her, or been so scary to her, before.

Bisca, knowing so little Gesture Speak compared to her daughter, saw only Asuka's fear, and reacted in anger. Out of reflex, she pulled her away, and viciously slapped Gray across the face, the clattering of his sunglasses skittering across the floor sounding uncomfortably loud in the uneasy silence that still fell upon the guild. She immediately regretted her actions, covering her mouth in unbelief at what she'd just done. She didn't have time to apologize, because his response was just as immediate.

He screamed, stumbling back, away from a terror he couldn't understand, tripping and falling against the upended table, grabbing his head as the pain rose exponentially. It was like a dam had burst, and more images poured out.

More memories.

Every one of them.

They kept coming, all at once.

Coming, but not going.

A deluge of fears, pain, regrets, anger.

He was drowning.

ooooo

(now)

His mind was shutting down.

He was losing control over his own body as instinct took hold.

The corridor was absolutely black with shadow, Shades as far as they could see.

The only thing that mattered was that danger was near.

They were almost through!

His body reacted.

ooooo

Lyon about had a heart attack when he heard Lucy's words, and tried to stop Gray from following through. Before he could reach him, however, Gray's body bent upright, and he threw his head back, releasing a silent cry that looked more like a howl, as the seal could be seen glowing beneath his shirt. He fell back, Lyon catching him so his body lay across his lap, bracing him as he struggled. Gray tried to endure the power flowing through him, barely able to take in air to scream again. Lyon held him firmly, restraining his arms so he couldn't smash them against the floor.

Natsu returned, Freed and Levy close behind. Without a word, Levy put on her gale force reading glasses as Freed ripped Gray's shirt open, revealing the glowing seals for everyone to see. They both saw the seals were doing the job they were designed for, analyzing with keen eyes that moved back and forth across every sigil. They didn't glow uniformly; the light that was emitted shimmered and waved throughout the seal, seemingly alive and willful. Many of the witnesses shuddered at the mere sight of it, unable to imagine what it must be doing to him.

Lucy prayed fervently that his skin wouldn't turn black, that his eyes and blood vessels wouldn't take on that eerie glow, that bruises wouldn't start blooming all across his skin from the vessels rupturing. So far, it didn't look like he'd tried to fight through the seal. She feared he wouldn't survive another attempt.

Gray's struggles were weakening, not because the seal was releasing him, but because his own body was giving out, growing too weak to fight. He wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer. Porlyusica finally arrived, merely having to glare to get people out of her way. She was just in time to observe the seals as well. Freed hesitantly raised his fingers to brush against the runes, feeling a heat he did not expect to feel. It didn't seem to react to his touch. The rest of the team were each ready to throw their own respective fits at the lack of action from the people who were supposed to be helping.

"What the hell are you just standing around for?! Do something!"

"Natsu."

They all turned to see Makarov had arrived, and he was watching with a grim expression as the others worked.

"They're doing what needs to be done. Have patience," he said.

"We can't do anything until the seal runs its course. Now be quiet and let them concentrate!" snapped Porlyusica.

Erza went up to Lucy so she could quietly ask, "Concentrate on what? What are they doing?"

Before Lucy could try to guess, Gray gave a relieved shudder as the glowing seal started to fade, releasing him from its hold. He laid there limply, breathing harshly but shallowly, head lolling to the side and eyes half closed. But he was still conscious. Lyon released his arms, which fell without strength to the floor. There were flakes of blood on his fingertips, evidence of how hard he'd been gripping his head.

All the spectators were silent, no one sure what to say or do.

As Porlyusica and Wendy kneeled down to check him over, Freed and Levy rose, Levy removing her glasses and taking down notes at a fast rate, muttering to herself as she went. Freed took the opportunity to borrow her com lacrima to take an updated photo of the now scarred-over seals. He tried not to feel guilty of taking advantage of the situation. This would only help Gray in the end. He moved to stand beside Levy, pondering and mentally categorizing everything he'd been able to observe.

Knowing both healers would be too focused on their tasks to give a crap about their curiosities, the rest of the team approached Freed and Levy for answers.

"Why the Hell did you just stand there? I thought you were rune experts. You couldn't do anything?!" asked Natsu.

"Natsu, calm down. It was my idea to call them. I wasn't even sure if they could help, but they were the first people I thought of..." said Lucy.

"And they weren't just standing there. Levy," said Erza, "did you guys find anything?"

Still writing things down, she looked up briefly to give a quick, apologetic frown and a shrug, before going back to her notes. Freed answered for her.

"I hate that this happened, but it may be beneficial in the long run. We've been at an impasse for the last few weeks, and were actually considering a request for a demonstration of the seal's activation. We didn't want to put Gray in danger, though, so we decided to save that option for a last ditch effort. It's good you summoned us. This was an opportunity we couldn't afford to miss. Now that we've had a chance to witness it in action, we can analyze what we've seen and add the data to what we've been able to gather so far. Hopefully, we're now one step closer to removing those seals."

"That's good to hear. We'll leave you to your work then," Erza replied. Turning to the others, her face became more somber as she said, "I'm sorry. I should have thought before I offered him that necklace. Something about it caused this strong reaction. I knew he was reluctant to have it returned before, but with the way he was, I thought it'd be fine." She couldn't hide her remorse as she eyed the necklace she had retrieved from where it had fallen.

"... He was about to say it was his mom's," Natsu chimed in.

"His headaches have been getting worse everyday. I guess getting the necklace back, and being reminded of his mom, plus that unexpected... contact... from Bisca, along with everything else, must have been too much for him to handle," said Lucy.

"What do you think you're doing? You need to lie still!" fussed Porlyusica.

They turned to see Gray, having rolled to his knees, trying and failing to stand. He reached out towards Lyon, who at first tried to make him lie down again, but he pulled his hands away and roughly gestured to be taken home, or he'd go on his own. Though he didn't look like he could even make it to the door on his own, Lyon wouldn't put it pass him to hurt himself trying. Looking to Porlyusica, she huffed and nodded, grumbling under her breath about stupid, stubborn humans.

Lyon pulled Gray's arm over his shoulder and helped him stand. He needed a lot of help supporting his weight. He held his other hand against his stomach, trying to ease the still lingering waves of discomfort there, and waited until he breathed through a dizzy spell, before nodding his permission to start walking. Lyon knew by his weak, stumbling gate that he'd be hiring a carriage to take them home as soon as they got out the door. Porlyusica and Wendy readied to follow.

"Gray, where the hell do you think you're going. You need to get your ass to the infirmary!" yelled Natsu.

Gray ignored him, continuing his slow shuffle to the door without pause. As he was approaching them, Erza spoke up.

"Natsu's right. You're in no condition to move right now. Come. We'll help you—"

"You've helped enough. Leave me the f*ck alone."

Natsu was too shocked to repeat to the others what Gray had said, but the look of contempt and malice on his face was loud and clear.

He wanted nothing to do with them, and by his leave, they could all go screw themselves.

Erza was about to insist when Wendy cleared her throat, gaining her attention. She stayed behind as Gray and the others passed, turning towards the rest of the team.

Quietly, she told them, "He remembers, now. Everything. Including what happened just before his heart gave out. He's not very happy with us right now."

"I told him it was me who told you about... her," said Makarov as he joined their discussion, "He was deeply upset, and eager to leave. He said he couldn't be here, in this place filled with too many listening ears and whispering tongues."

Neither of them knew what to think of this situation. It was a relief that he got his memories back at last, but now they'd finally have to deal with the consequences of their ill-conceived intervention. There's no telling what he must be feeling right now.

"Gray-ni?"

They turned to see Asuka and Bisca standing before Gray. Bisca had already apologized for slapping him, which he'd brushed off, and was about to continue on his way when he heard Asuka call him.

"I'm sorry for being so noisy, and for making you remember scary things. I didn't mean for you to get hurt. Are you still sad?"

His face softened, and he freed his arm from Lyons grasp, allowing him to keep him steady as he gestured, "I'm sorry I scared you. You weren't the one I was upset with. I never meant to hurt you." With that, he gently reached out to pat her head, before letting Lyon take his arm again, leading him out the door.

"Porlyusica and Wendy will take care of him. I want you all to give him some space for now. Let him try to settle his own thoughts and emotions. I'm sure he's very confused and heartbroken, and is having trouble trusting anyone right now. The only reason he's allowing Lyon to help him is because he was unaware of what you all knew. Just give it time. He's proven to be rather forgiving these past few months. He'll come around."

Makarov could only hope he was right.


Next chapter: Resentment runs deep, and Gray's not so quick to forgive. Also, trigger warning next chapter.