Aftermath Pt. I
The city was rebuilding, dozens of people were reunited with loved ones that were lost during all the chaos although not everyone had that luxury. In the week that followed from the attack, a massive ceremony was held in remembrance of those who had died on that fateful day. Families, friends and soldiers alike came out to mourn for those who were caught in the crossfire or sacrificed themselves for Fiore's victory. Though it weighed heavily on the Queen as the attack shouldn't have happened at all and felt the blame should be placed upon her for this tragic event.
Her father had said; "heavy is the head that wears the crown" and all the political actions she's had to get through were nothing in comparison to achieving justice for what had happened. Her thoughts muddled with what the future holds for her country as a dark time is fast approaching with uncertainty clouding everything before, which led her to her current arrangement. Seated at the head of her council, Queen Hisui has been speaking with top officials on the matter at hand and it seemed that everyone was too split to come to an agreement.
A portion were for a full-blown war with the enemy and to make them pay for their transgressions against Fiore, while others had been against the notion. They had claimed that undergoing such action would cause uproar with the citizens as leading more of their fellow countrymen to their death wouldn't help the situation from getting any worse. In the Queen's opinion, she was in accordance with avoiding a war at all costs as she's seen how disastrous such an endeavor would be on Fiore. The Alvarez Empire's attack fresh in many people's memory and what had happened to some mages who fought against its army.
"We can't sit idly by and allow the enemy to get away with their attack! We may have dealt a harsh blow in retaliation, but what's to say they won't come back with an even larger force?" Saul Bauru, a respected politician in Fiore's Senate of Land Representatives, argued aggressively as he wouldn't allow weakness to represent his country.
"You can make that point, but why would we want to send away more innocent lives to God knows where the Gate leads to? We'll only further destroy a means of protecting ourselves when they return or a threat on our own turf decides to make a move." Samuel Devonshire, an equally respected politician as Saul, countered as the need to shed more blood was needless.
"And you have us do what? Wait patiently until the enemy strikes again? Please try to see the bigger picture here, our people seek retribution and they should be given it." What many know about Saul is the fact that he wishes to resort disputes in the timeliest manner, often consisting of violence since it gains the most results for him.
"There must be alternatives to fighting, not everything should be solved with both sides brandishing swords against the other." As for Samuel, many familiar with the man know his pacifistic nature although it only goes so far as he is willing to resort to violence when left with no option. "We may walk a path of ruin I don't want our people to suffer through, you know this as well Saul."
"All I see is us looking like cowards when we should be showing the might of Fiore for all to see, we even have the most powerful guild following our Queen to support us." Saul hated to be seen as weak as it didn't fit his belief that only when one is strong do they prevail.
"As supportive as the two of you are, you both fail to see the implications our ally will have of us if we do not act accordingly." Clara Greybourne, one of the country's leading ambassadors that stood alongside Hisui when creating and signing the treaty with Alvarez, spoke up as it meant a great deal to save face when handling a surprise attack like this.
"You think Alvarez will back out of the treaty because we won't counter this cheap tactic used against us? They should be helping us in our time of need as an ally, it was their technology that failed to detect this enemy." Saul spat as he couldn't come to accept that Fiore had been surprised in such a way with technologies so advanced at their disposal.
"Our technology did not fail you, this "Gate", as you all seemed to have called it, was magically summoned by powers not of our own." A new voice was heard as all heads turned to the entrance of the room to see a bikini clad woman in a long coat make her way deeper into the room. "Keep up Lenard, would you?"
"It's Leonardo, Miss Myu." A well-dressed man said in reply following close after her, nervously chuckling as he entered the room unlike his casual companion.
"And who are you?"
"This, Mr. Bauru, is the ambassador representing Alvarez; Miss Brandish Myu." Clara said as the aforementioned woman gave a curt nod before sitting down at an available seat with Leonardo quickly sitting beside her. "And with her is a representative of the Alvarez Research and Development League; Leonardo Marcetti."
"I prefer being addressed as Lady Brandish, but Miss Myu is just as fine too." Brandish said as she looked uninterested towards the elder gentlemen and women within the room, save for the Queen herself as she knew who to give her respect to. "Leonardo is fine for him as well."
"As you say, Miss Myu." Leonardo quickly began rummaging through the bag he came in with while Saul wasn't so impressed with her entrance or title.
"Well young lady, what made you qualified for such a position?" Clara had to restrain herself from reprimanding Saul's behavior as his lecherous eyes strayed away from the woman's eyes and down to her ample bosom.
"Focus your eyes on mine if you know what's best for your wellbeing and as for your question, I was a former member of the Spriggan 12 and was able to convince many leading heads of Alvarez to get along with the treaty."
"You were part of the vanguard that attacked Fiore! How could you allow someone like this into the castle my Queen!?" It was Samuel who reacted first as he knew about the former Spriggan 12 that had even managed to convert God Serena into their ranks.
"It's quite alright Mr. Devonshire, she may have been a member years ago, but she had no real part in most of the fighting that actually took place. She was on the sidelines for the majority of the attack."
"That excuses her from what her people did!?" Saul, too, couldn't believe that such a person should be allowed back in Fiore and his claim rallied many other heads as well.
"Enough!" Hisui raised her voice, which easily quieted the room down as the Queen isn't one to raise her voice often. "Guilty by association comes to all your minds, but she did everything in her power to change the minds of her countrymen into becoming our ally. Have respect for the woman who helped the other half of our treaty."
Many bowed their heads in apology towards their queen, which in turn was given to Brandish who wasn't very concerned with the opinions of such weak people. Though she did enjoy the ever-stoic queen upset, if only a little, at her own people.
"Now Miss Myu, could you please explain the reason for your visit." Hisui asked as the bikini clad woman casually flicked Leonardo on the arm who shot like a cannon to his feet.
"Yes, your Highness!" He chuckled nervously after his reaction and cleared his throat as he activated a lacrima projector that produced the Alvarez R&D. L. symbol for all to see.
"This should be good..." Saul remarked sarcastically, but was otherwise ignored by the majority of those in the room.
"After we received word from your kingdom that the radar technology had failed you, we acted as quickly as we could to supply your country the necessary support for your army. A majority of these state of the art tools have just completed testing and are ready for the field, if the need requires them that is." Leonardo flicked his hand as the imaged changed to what looked like a magic mobile, although heavily modified.
"What you are seeing right now is the A12 all-terrain infantry vehicle"
"I call it The Rhino..." Brandish added as everyone looked amongst themselves at the odd name the green haired woman decided to give it.
"Right..." Leonardo said as he regained attention to the projector. "It's capable of reaching speeds of at least one hundred and twenty-five miles an hour, equipped with magic disruption lacrima within the armor plating to diffuse low to mid-strength spells and house at least ten people. All on a lacrima battery, which can be recharged with any mage, to avoid expending magic reserves of any combat mage before a battle."
"That's all nice and dandy, but how do you know we will have use for them?" One representative asked as Leonardo looked to the Queen for an answer.
"All your questions will be answered once he has finished, continue Mr. Marcetti." Hisui said as the man gave a thankful nod to her before changing the slide.
"This next vehicle is the A6 scout cycle"
"Jack Rabbit" Brandish once again added as everyone had quickly and collectively come to the conclusion that the ambassador would be naming many of these tools.
"The A-" Leonardo stopped himself as the stern gaze Brandish was giving him was enough to know that he mispronounced the name. "I mean, the Jack Rabbit is an equal to the...Rhino in terms of operating on our newer lacrima powered technology specifically built for vehicles, but isn't so heavily armored. Capable of withstanding minor spells and physical abuse, its main purpose is to act as the name implied; a scout vehicle. All vehicles will be equipped with small communication lacrimas so that each one can report in much easier across long distances.
"It seats two people, up to three if one or all passengers are of smaller stature. These are the more readily available land vehicles we've got on hand; an aerial variant is still in the works as it's minor issues revolve around the weapon systems. We do have base defense weapons ready for deployment, one leading weapon is the mobile artillery unit..."
Everyone seated had awaited Brandish's remark of what animal this military tool would take, but she shattered expectations as she merely shrugged her shoulders.
"I'll let you name this one, Lenard."
"It's Leonardo Miss Myu and thank you. If you are not familiar with a portion of the design, know that it is very reminiscent of its predecessors and shall be dubbed as Jupiter Mk. III. It can fire at one-fifth the necessary charge time although it comes at the cost of only dealing one-fifth of the damage output to keep it in balance."
"I've heard of this weapon, Fairy Tail has one of their very own although it's only mobile when people move it; what makes this one special?" Another representative noted as some had remembering hearing about a powerful weapon in their hands.
"This is a tracked vehicle with a three hundred and sixty degree turn radius, powerful as artillery and can reconfigure into a heavy assault tank for land combat. Though engagements are best at medium to long ranges. The discharges are very devastating at closer ranges."
"Such a thing should consume great amounts of magic to fire, have you people managed to counter such a thing. It becomes useless if the ones manning the thing are drained of their magic." Saul was intrigued with the weapons themselves, but knew that everything had a weakness to it.
"Our researchers have found a way to bypass the magical drain by using lacrima shells instead of pure magic, very efficient although that's what causes the drop in damage output." Leonardo was a man in his zone when explaining the advancements of their technology compared to the rustic world Fiore kept itself a part of, but even he knew that mages are still the far superior weapon to exist.
"An interesting presentation Mr. Marcetti however, are our troops capable of using such things in live combat?" Samuel could only feel like a fish out of water with all this advancement before him and couldn't begin to fathom the learning curve the soldiers would have to go through to even understand what they're doing.
"If your queen allows it, we'll provide some soldiers to train your troops into using the equipment. As for the Jack Rabbits and Rhinos, so long as they know how to drive either a magicycle or magic mobile then it's pretty straight forward." Brandish answered him in a bored tone as everything else was pretty much radar equipment and mapping devices as they go about the land.
As Leonardo went on to explain other details about what he and his team have been up to, Brandish thought about the pink haired dragon slayer. Natsu was his name if she remembered, but what piqued her interest was for the fact that he looked like he was ready to explode when she caught a glimpse of him on her way here. The green haired woman truly wondered what was riling him up so much and if she'd see him blow his top when she was done here.
At another section of the castle, the aforementioned Fairy Tail mage was busy pacing angrily long enough that he left burn streaks from where he went back and forth from. He was reaching a limit with those hot air-filled politicians talking and talking about who knows what when they should've been already marching their way into the Gate after the ceremony. How is it not obvious that a threat attacked, killed and kidnapped so the right thing to do is strike back and rescue their own people. But no, they want to talk about some stupid procedures that needed to be done or something boring like what the Magic Council does all the time.
"What could those idiots be talking about in there!?" Natsu angrily growled as he's waited long enough and there wasn't going to be any force known to man that would stop him.
"Those "idiots" are highly respected land representatives, advisors and generals that also include the Queen herself, Natsu." The pink haired slayer thought too soon as a glaring red head stood before him, arms crossed in a very telling fashion that she's just about done with his nonsense.
"Yeah well that doesn't mean they should think too hard about what needs to be done. We can't communicate with the enemy and I know that the only thing they wanted were slaves." It was a sore topic that Erza genuinely hated to discuss, but Natsu was done holding back. "If they spend one more day in there, I'm rushing the damn Gate and bringing back our people alone if I have to."
"And if you get hurt on the other side, what are we supposed to do then?" Erza retorted and Natsu was well aware that she was testing him, but he wasn't in any mood for games.
"I won't get hurt, nothing on their side can hurt me. Their mages are nothing more than jokes, one of their strongest attacks was a combined lightning and fire storm, which I ate in one breath. Steel and iron swords melt before they could even touch me and that's if I haven't melted that stupid armor of theirs to their skin first."
"When did you become so bloodthirsty Natsu?" She'd never heard him speak in such a way, although the pink haired slayer always felt that it was a part of him he rarely showed. "Is killing the enemy the only way you can deal with them; do you not feel remorse?"
"Of course I do, I'm not a monster." He replied defiantly although his anger was still ablaze within him. "But I can't say the same for those bastards, they're the true monster Erza."
"Their actions were heinous no doubt, but holding on to such anger doesn't solve anything either." For some reason Natsu felt like he was almost talking to Gray again, but the requip mage was less annoying and more terrifying by comparison. Though equal parts stubborn when it came to the way he acted when concerning the assholes who invaded. "I harbor a degree of anger for what they did here, but I can't let it consume me and blind me to the bigger problems we have yet to face."
"Easy for you to say Erza, you're a walking tank. Just like me, nothing can even come close to touching you, but it's the people who aren't us that I hold all their anger for."
"What do you mean by that?"
"All these citizens were defenseless when the enemy attacked, captured like wild animals and were beaten like them when they defied their captors." Natsu thought back to all he saw and had been relieved that Happy wasn't around to see any of it for himself. "I saw families being torn apart from the death of a mother or father, children man handled as if they were wild dogs even though they didn't resist and then those poor girls."
Natsu's heart tightened at the memory, he couldn't get rid of the images from his brain no matter how much he wished he could blink them away. It didn't help that Erza looked at him with worry as he fell silent and stared off into the distance, how could he not when he could distinctly remember the scenes vividly from the sights to the smell.
"What happened to the girls Natsu?" How could Erza ask him something like that? He knew she was genuinely worried for him, but Natsu thought she could at least pick up something from the way he said it at least.
"What did they do? The real question is what didn't they do." It makes his blood boil to know how anyone can become such a lowly piece of shit as those soldiers were. "Those monsters beat them, humiliated them in front of friends and families and worse still; they raped them!"
What drives a person to do what they did, they had the upper hand, they showed how powerless their captives were, but to break them that much was sickening. He was angry for those girls and dished out righteous justice, but he held in hatred as the thought of 'what if' floated into his brain.
What if it was someone he knew, what if it was Lucy, what if it was Wendy what if he was too late to save them like he was then? How mentally draining it was to try and help each girl find help or counsel them that it was over. How heart wrenching it was to save one who was no younger then him and watch the life drain out of her eyes only smiling in the end because he stopped all of it from going on any further. Natsu heard of Vulcan doing such things to people, but to see another being just like you do it to one of their own was horrible.
So, there he was on the cusp of shedding a hatred filled tear as he had always believed that even if there was evil in the world, humanity doesn't stoop as low as monsters do but he was proven wrong. Natsu told everything to Erza, if she couldn't see where he was coming from then all that he had seen should help.
"Do you truly believe more bloodshed is the answer Natsu?" Erza asked in a low tone, understanding that the pink haired slayer was not accustomed to seeing something as traumatic as that and truly dealing with it appropriately. "Will you stoop as low as they did just to get even?"
"Of course not! But there will be blood Erza and it's sure as Hell not going to be mine." How many did he kill before Gray's words made him aware of what he was doing or the way Lucy looked at him before he held back on killing the enemy? Probably dozens if not more. "They follow a leader and I'll brand him with my flaming fist just to show his people who the Hell they messed with."
"We are not seekers of vengeance Natsu, leading a path of destruction will only make it harder for us to find all the people that were kidnapped. I know that feeling of pure hatred you're holding onto Natsu, even if you don't want to call it that." From the looks of it, the pink haired slayer could tell that Erza was relenting on him changing his ways if only a little. "It will consume you if you're not careful so please listen to me, not as your teammate, but as family; let go of that hatred before it takes away the good in you."
"I'll let go of it only when I know we've done what needs to be done, no one's going to stop me from that goal. Not even you." As much as he knew that Erza was really watching out for his wellbeing like the elder sister she was to him, he made an ultimatum for the sake of those who suffered. "I'll only show mercy when someone's around me, but I'm not letting Gray stop me again, he has to know that we can't keep our hands clean forever. I've got blood on mine, so you should wonder if he'll own up to what's already on his."
"That's a low blow Natsu, we don't attack our own family like that. You know it hurts him just as much as you losing Igneel forever does, your fight is with those across the Gate not us, not your family." The dragon slayer knew that some part of Erza really hoped to talk him out of this, but he could tell that she'd have to wait and see what he'll do next. "Just know that if you got too far, I will do everything in my power to stop you from destroying yourself any further."
With that, Erza walked off to wherever she was heading as Natsu couldn't even bother to think where the requip mage was going. As the clinking of her armor and steps of her boots began to disappear, he let the last of her words continue to ring through his mind and a part of him felt a sense of relief knowing she meant every word.
"I'm counting on it Erza..."
At one of many available balconies overlooking the city within the castle, Gray contemplated quietly at how much a city tries to heal after such devastation. It's no easy road to take as an air of sorrow hung over Crocus and he could feel the negative energy emanate greatly even from where he stood high above the city streets. His mark was of no positive help in telling him how bad it was since the thing literally fed off it, a buffet to the mark and a heavy heart for the one it was bestowed upon. Was it truly worth having Natsu against him in an ideology battle of wrong and right during war just so he could avoid the mark becoming too active? A hard question with an even harder way of answering it as if he allowed the mark to have its way then the ice mage would be just like Natsu, worse off as he could still feel the remnants of Natsu's Etherious half somewhere inside of the dragon slayer. Another target to aim for.
The last thing he wanted was to try and kill Natsu again, but that would be a byproduct of what he truly feared. If he listened to the mark, he wondered if that old saying of "power corrupts" would come to pass as he whole heartedly believed that he'd be out of control. He only ever indulged the thing when he delved back to his more darker thoughts, feeding the blasted thing more negative energy although he wished it was just him instead of a whole damn city. The one time he really did feel the true outreaching power his mark had was against Invel, a fight he was nowhere near capable of doing on his own, but the amount of negative energy he expelled at Juvia's death was the catalyst his mark needed to unleash a whole new well of power.
All the fear and terror, rage and hatred, soul crushing loss and death itself had fed his mark, but it still needed just a little more before it could truly be unleashed. Then Juvia had to sacrifice her blood to save him and he tipped over the edge, where the very last time he saw her alive was when she held a loving smile just for him.
Did he dip into insanity? Possibly. Was the world only wishing to torture him by taking away everything he ever cared about? Maybe. Did life intend for him to pay for cheating death mulitple times? He wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't."
But in that moment, he couldn't give a single fuck about any of that.
All he wanted to do was end Invel's pathetic life, he wanted to make him suffer, he wanted his happiness back! At the height of his blinded bloodlust, Invel saved himself from Gray by mentioning the black mage who created the demon that destroyed his life in the first place and the real demon he cherished greatly. That's when he knew that his mark gave him great power, but at the cost of losing almost all sense of self. If the love Erza had for him, the love of the guild and the love Juvia tried to shower him in didn't snap him out of it, either he or Natsu wouldn't be standing here today.
With a minor flick of his hand, Gray conjured a bit of water and allowed it to flow between his fingers to keep himself distracted enough so that he didn't reach for the pack of cigarettes in his pocket. He gave up the habit a long time ago and still hasn't smoked once, but after all that has happened, he keeps a pack there just as a reminder, a way to feel the weight of a once less complicated life he led.
"You still think about her don't you." A clear statement than a question was said by a new voice very calmly, but Gray was not surprised in the least as he caught the scent of her sweet-smelling shampoo when she was near the balcony entrance, watching him for the past five or so minutes.
"I've learned to let it go bit by bit, but I thought I'd be honoring her if I learned a bit of her magic myself." Gray said as he noticed her blonde hair sway in the wind at the corner of his eye before she began to lean against the railing herself. "Her blood flows through me, Lucy."
"The amount of times you've lost blood, I'm not very sure if any of it is still there by this point." Lucy replied if only slightly awkwardly as it was an odd thing to hear, but then again Fairy Tail was all pieces of weird.
"Knowing how Juvia was, we both know how wrong you are." Gray replied and Lucy awkwardly laughed in turn though his reply was both sad and a bit morbid.
"That's not how blood works you know."
"I know, just a thought I have floating around my mind. Makes a difference sometimes and doesn't others." An interesting way to start off a conversation that was soon followed by silence.
The silence was fine at first, but the blonde couldn't help but watch as the ice mage casually manipulated the water as he weaved it between his hands, and Gray knew that she too missed the blue haired woman to this day. For all the oddities and weird qualities Juvia had, the biggest thing she had was her love, that stemmed beyond any and all of it, that he tended to push off. Lucy felt it stronger than most as she bonded with her on a very personal level before he opened up to her more, so he could tell how the blonde was feeling.
"How long have you been learning?" Lucy asked as the ice mage knew that it wasn't uncommon for a mage to learn more than one type of magic, but potency tends to drop with more magic at a person's disposal. Although Gray didn't feel like any of his magic types grew weaker, truth be told everything felt just fine.
"A few months after the funeral; nothing as amazing as changing my form into liquid, but I've gotten the hang of a few more notable spells she had." It was an interesting feeling Gray had once he realized that he now shared the magic types of all the people he was close to and lost. His father's ice devil slayer magic, Ur's ice make magic he shared with Ultear as well and now a bit of Juvia's water magic. "At least Gajeel isn't as infuriated with me whenever I use it compared to a few years ago."
"Natsu had to keep him occupied for months and fight him so he wouldn't kill you, Erza couldn't step in since he'd eat her armor." It was a nasty time when word came out that Juvia didn't make it and the last time she was seen was with Gray. The ice mage remembered the look on Natsu's face after he said that and the iron dragon slayer tackled him to the ground. "He almost did you in after Natsu told him that you were with her last; it took Laxus, Elfman and Natsu to get him off you."
"The metal head needed some hits on me, I was powerless to save her and he knew her the longest." Gray always made fun of Gajeel for his crocodile tears he'd shed when he got motion sick, but as he was being clobbered by a grief-stricken slayer, he saw a crack in that iron hide of his. "She was the closest thing to a family that he ever had for the longest time and I failed to protect her when she needed it most, when he trusted me to watch over her."
"You two had to face Zeref's closest advisor on your own, there wasn't much either of you could have done when trapped in something like that."
"Yeah well, let's just end it here and move on to what you wanted to tell me." Gray could talk about the subject with Lucy very easily, but he didn't feel like feeding the mark any further than what it already is. "I could tell you've learned something that you wanted to tell me before you got distracted by the water."
"Right, Levy and I have actually found out the language the enemy speaks." Gray raised an eyebrow at that since he didn't expect either of them to be ones to decipher the language barrier between them and their enemy. "It turns out that they speak a dead language that was situated in the area about three hundred years ago."
"Looks like that language isn't as dead as you thought then." Gray commented, but he could tell that Lucy was only scratching the surface of what she had to say.
"More than that; it isn't an adapted form of the language, it is the language itself. The writing, speech pattern and mannerism are a complete match. One prisoner was shocked to discover that we could read what he was writing."
"Alright we can now read what they write, so how can we use it ourselves?"
"Well, we've translated most of their vocabulary already and decided to have people use gale force reading glasses to understand all of it as quickly as possible so the interrogations are easier, but the process is slow since we only made a single translation." He had to admit that Fairy Tail's ace bookworms work pretty fast once their interests are piqued. "Master says that Porlyusica may be able to make something that could help us out as well, but she's still helping Wendy heal the last of the wounded at the moment."
"Well at least there's one fire dealt with, communication's vital in knowing what our enemy is doing." Gray said as knowing what our enemy knows goes a long way, even though it's debatable if the enemy has anything that could prove to be a challenge to them.
"Speaking of fires, I've been meaning to talk to you about what happened between you and Natsu."
"I was expecting that, took longer for you to actually speak up if I had to be honest." The most awaited chat Gray had to date in recent years, but what Lucy wanted to know was anyone's guess.
"I know the two of you butt heads often, have different views on conflict, but what happened between the two of you was pretty bad. I spoke with Natsu a while ago and... he told me what was bothering him, why he was acting like he was." Gray could make as many assumptions as he could about how bad it was that Natsu saw, but it was best that he kept it to himself at the moment. "He's hard set on getting justice by any means necessary, but aside from the enemy, he seems at odds with you too. Why?"
"It could mean a lot of things Lucy, that pink haired moron is as hard headed as they come. I'm probably just an obstacle he's trying to bulldoze to reach his goal." It was Natsu in a nutshell when it came to fighting for the greater good, but Lucy had a point that the pink haired slayer was trying much harder than before.
"You're almost right Stripper, you are an obstacle but it's because of a very specific reason." Gray and Lucy turned to see Gajeel come up to them, little Gale fast asleep in his arms and the ice mage evaporated the water he was messing around with. "It's because he's marked the cheerleader as his territory."
"He what!?" Lucy squawked, but immediately zipped her mouth shut as Gale began to stir though the blonde still stared at Gajeel with astonished eyes.
"Gihi, relax Lucy it's some territorial thing dragons subconsciously do most of the time and become ferociously protective of when endangered." Gajeel added as he gently rocked Gale so she'd go back to sleep. "Don't worry, you're not that special."
"But you said he m-marked me as his territory..."
"Yeah and? He did it subconsciously, he basically did so for almost all of Fiore and its citizens. A large net he casted to protect and it's the reason he's aggressive with the notion of seeking revenge for what happened to everyone under his watch." The iron dragon slayer turned to look at Gray and the ice mage knew he had some part to do with his behavior. "Because you were so against him killing those that attacked his territory, he has dubbed you an enemy that wishes to encroach on his territory."
"That's stupid."
"It's the truth Stripper, now he'll be up in arms against you because of your actions. It'll be up to him to decide if you can be seen as an ally again." Gray couldn't believe that typical dragon behavior has turned Natsu against him, the moron was causing problems for him on a subconscious level too.
"Is there a way to turn him back, or like bring him out of this way of thinking?" At least Lucy was thinking forward about this, Gray would've let the pink haired idiot sort himself out on his own.
"Afraid not, it won't subside until he feels like the threat to his territory has been eliminated or he comes around. Either way, he's volatile so watch what you say."
"Aren't you the same then? Are you a subconscious territorial marker like Natsu or do you know what territory you've marked?" Gray really did wonder if Gajeel is aware since he's the most knowledgeable about dragon slayer behavior than any other slayer the ice mage has met.
"Of course I know; it's my family and the guild. I know that if these bastards ever touch Gale or Levy, I'll rip their arms off and beat them to death with them." It was very noticeable that Gray and Lucy had the similar thought of a very protective dragon father. "Though you still aren't on my good side."
"I wouldn't have expected anything different." Gray was well aware that the long haired man wasn't a big fan of his, three years and only tolerance is the progress that has been made. It was something at least.
"I acknowledge your abilities and respect what you've done, but don't expect me to really consider you a friend." It wasn't so hard for Gray to know that as much as they made progress, Gajeel would always resent him for what he did. More like what he failed to do.
"Don't I feel special." Sometimes a sarcastic remark is enough to say that you're done talking, luckily the metal head picked up on it.
"Before I go, pull your head out of your ass."
"Come again?"
"Live with the fact that this is going to be war, so get used to taking a life. I try not to take sides between you and Salamander, but you're riding some damn self-righteous cloud and think that you're better than most for not killing an enemy." Was this a warning? Gray was not sure if that was the case as this could very well be advice as well, but he'll let him go on. "War's messy and there aren't any winners on any side. So what they did here, know that we'll probably do something just as bad on the other side."
"We're human, we've got the ability to choose in life and I chose not to add more to the chaos. There are more battles going on than you realize, but what do I know?" Gray replied as Gajeel clicked his tongue and walked off, much to the relief of Lucy who could feel the tension between the two.
"Does anyone really know why you seem so disconnected when something as bad as this happens and you're around it?" Lucy knew that asking questions always made the ice mage talk, either to answer them or to stop her from asking more. "Your silence tells me that they don't and I doubt you'll tell me anytime soon."
"So, you have been learning." The ice mage joked and the blonde rolled her eyes in turn, but she wasn't budging this time and simply stood there waiting. "A war is fought on more than one front, casualties will come from more than a single source and I know what it's like being a survivor from one of those fronts."
"But we keep moving forward, right? Take control of ourselves and do our best to see the next morning." In an ironic way, Lucy had actually figured out what really was bothering him. Control.
If he didn't keep it, he would be afraid to see the next morning. To see the face that would be staring at him in the mirror because that all-consuming power he yearned for to save Juvia's life, to stop the bleeding and seal the wound, was only useful for destruction. It changed him to taste what real power was like, but he couldn't come to think of it as good if it excelled at destroying more than creating. It left a small pit in him when he thought back to the destruction of Invel's superiority complex when he defeated him, the lives he took while searching for Natsu and Erza's arm as she tried to stop him from killing the pink haired dragon slayer.
"She's got the right idea Gray, you've got to learn to do that so you won't be so afraid of me." The fact that his mark would communicate telepathically to him from time to time irked the ice mage to no end as this is the first time in months that it's been so active, starting back on the day he arrived for the counter attack.
"Some need to do so more than others." The ice mage was aware that his mark made a point about it, but he didn't fear it taking control of him. He feared it for a whole different reason.
"At least you admit to it, in a passive way, but you still admit it." It said as Gray adjusted himself against the railing, hoping it would shut up soon. "You should be grateful that you've earned my respect, else that hope of yours won't come true as often as it does."
"I'm going to be straight with you Gray, you've got to get past this feud of ideologies with Natsu. You both are too stubborn to let the other win or even call it quits, just be the bigger man and let him follow his own path." The raven head had to admit that Lucy was getting better at becoming much more aggressive these days, though it'll be a while before she becomes as scary as Erza. "It's not good for either of you and I can tell that Natsu regrets some of what he said."
"He needs something to focus his attention on, if he keeps his mind solely on this without someone antagonizing his actions then he'll start to think it's acceptable so long as the situation calls for it." He lied to her, he was doing this for himself most of all but it helped the hot head in a way too. "I'm not letting him become a killer."
"But Gajeel has a point too Gray, no one's perfect and even you will make a mistake. It's not a matter of if rather than a matter of when." That when she spoke about had come a long time ago, but the ice mage wouldn't turn a deaf ear to Lucy's claim.
"Then let me ask you this Lucy; are you prepared to kill someone?"
"...No, I'm not." An honest answer, but Gray knew that the celestial mage had a powerful aversion to death. Loke disappearing was a prime example of that. "No one can ever really be prepared to take someone's life, but I do know that I'll do everything in my power to get back to Fairy Tail, whatever the cost."
"Huh..." That was all the ice mage had to say as she blew past his expectations, though her words resonated akin to something Juvia would say.
As for Lucy, the blonde believed that she got out as much conversation as she could from the ice mage given to his laid back attitude although an air of melancholy floated around him. As much as Gray didn't show how much Juvia's death had affected him, the celestial mage could tell that he wasn't all the same after it. Like he said to her long about the scars that you can't see, they're the ones that sting the most. Without another word, she had decided to leave him alone for the time being and went back inside to find out how Erza faired with her pink haired best friend. Mavis knows if the requip mage had any luck getting through to him, all Lucy knew was that she tried her best and even she still wondered if the dragon slayer really listened to her.
"Things are only going to get harder before they get any simpler."