Makarov pushed open the doors and scanned the room, his heart heavy at the reality of his children being hurt. If only he would have gotten back from the Alvarez Empire sooner. He could have protected them. He flung up his hand and squeezed his heart as pain rippled through him. Taking a deep breath, he subdued the pain for now.

Erza lay on one of the beds, her mangled Heaven's Wheel armor clumped next to her on the floor. Her hand had fallen over the side of the bed and rested on the armor as if she was seeking comfort even in her sleep.

Makarov grimaced, she always overworked herself. But what else should he expect from her?

His eyes moved on to the next bed where Gajeel and Levy laid, both clasped together in an iron hug. He chuckled at his own lame joke.

Cana was sprawled in the bed next to them, the majority of her body bandaged up. There was no questioning that she was Gildart's daughter.

His eyes narrowed when he saw an empty bed that had the sheets rustled. The blood stains were still fresh. A bad feeling began to form in the pit of his stomach.

And then, in the blink of an eye, Loke appeared before Makarov. His eyes widened in surprise as he inquired, "Leo the Lion. What a pleasant surprise. What are you doing here?" Makarov asked with a slight grin.

"Hey, master." Loke responded, flashing his beloved guild master a warming smile. But it quickly faded away as he had business to pertain to. "Is Wendy here?"

Makarov raised an eyebrow, "She's currently resting in the next room. She's healed quite a few people today, I'm proud of her." He nodded in approval, Wendy was becoming stronger each and every day.

Upon hearing the news, Loke grimaced, this wasn't the news he was hoping to hear.

"What's wrong, my boy?" Makarov asked, it wasn't like Loke to bear such a face.

"Lucy's injured pretty badly." He muttered, staring blankly at the floor as he thought of a backup plan.

"What?!" Makarov exclaimed, his eyes widening. He didn't need another one of his children hurt. The pain shot through him again but he refused to let it show on his face. "Where is she?" He demanded.

"She's currently in the Celestial World. I saved her from a deadly attack." His eyes darkened as he remembered the scene.

~*~*
He was having dinner with Aries and a shiver ran down his spine and he broke out into a cold sweat. He immediately pushed back his chair, sending it flying onto the ground with a loud thud. Within seconds he was in the earth realm and his heart dropped upon the scene before him.

A light almost as blinding as his Regulus attack was forming before him. At one end stood Natsu, with tears sliding down his face. On the other end stood-

"Lucy!" Leo yelled. His body immediately moved, sprinting to Lucy's side as fast as if he had Hermes wings on his feet. He gathered her up in his arms and disappeared back into the Celestial World. His heart thumped as he clung her to his chest. "Thank goodness I got to her in time..." He sighed in relief. He took note of her wounds, grimaced, and prayed to the Celestial King that he would be able to control himself the next time he saw Natsu.

He headed towards the Ram's constellation.

Aries ran up to Leo and gasped, bringing her hands up to her mouth in shock. "What happened?" She squeaked, looking up at Leo with terrified eyes.

Leo just shook his head and gently laid Lucy on the bed, kneeling beside her and smoothing back her hair, careful to not touch her wounds. "Aries," He said gruffly, bringing the Ram's attention to him. "Please take care of Lucy while I go attend to some business." Leo's face was no longer laced with his carefree smile and warm eyes. And that scared the Ram.

"Uh..um.. I'll try my best." She said timidly, avoiding Leo's gaze. Even if the gaze wasn't directed at her, it was still terrifying.

"Thank you." Leo gave Lucy one fleeting look as he created a gate into the earth realm.

~*~*~*.
Makarov took a small pause to gather his thoughts. "Was she attacked by the same thing that caused the current state of the others?"

Loke furrowed his eyebrows in confusion but then it clicked and he whirled on the back of his heel. His eyes widened for a quick second as he took in the state of his friends. A good portion of the guild laid in the infirmary.

"No way..." He uttered, slowly turning back to face Makarov.

Makarov took in Loke's shocked expression and said, "I'm just as disgruntled and shocked as you are. When I caught word of it, I came here as quickly as possible."

A small bit of dread coursed through Loke's body. No, it can't be.

"And when I find out the idiot who dare mess with my children, I'll pummel them into the ground!" Makarov yelled, breathing heavily in rage.

"I think you and I need to have a talk." Loke stated, grimacing as he led Makarov out of the infirmary.

Juvia stumbled around Magnolia, using the walls for support. Now that the adrenaline from the fight and the trauma of it all had worn off, the pain hit her like a freight train. She smiled wistfully, grateful to Gray for protecting her. If it hadn't been for him, she wouldn't be able to even stand against the walls. And that is why she has to find him.

"I'll find you and protect you, Gray." She promised, sliding along the walls.
She stopped a few people along the way, asking if they had seen a handsome ice mage anywhere. They all shook their heads and gave her concerning looks, some even offering to carry her to the doctor.

She would just smile and tell them that she was fine, just a few bruises and cuts that weren't healed yet.

Person after person didn't know where he was, and Juvia was starting to get heavyhearted.

She sighed in disappointment and was about to go back to the guild and wait like Gray asked until a girl tapped Juvia on the shoulder.

"Um, excuse me, miss." The girl said timidly.

Juvia turned around and gazed at the girl in front of her. She had pink hair that glittered in the sun. "I think I know who you're talking about."

"You know where my beloved Gray is?" She exclaimed excitedly, a grin spreading from ear to ear.

"Come this way, please." The girl beckoned Juvia, leading her down the cheerful, festive streets. The rainbow cherry blossom viewing was about to start any day now.

Juvia obediently followed.

"How do you know master Gray?" The girl asked, glancing back at Juvia.

Juvia's eyes widened in shock. "Ma- master Gray!?" She exclaimed, grabbing the girl by her shoulders. "You know him?"

"Yes! Well, sorta.. he waved to me once." The girl exclaimed back in the same tone as Juvia.

Juvia fell to her knees and a storm cloud appeared above her. "It's all over." She muttered to herself, draping her hand over her eyes.

"Are you okay, miss?" The girl asked in concern, kneeling in front of Juvia.

"Drip. Drip. Drop." She mumbled miserably. Her clouds were back.

"I'm not so sure why you're upset with master Gray. He's one of the most amazing ice wizards I've heard of! I read about him in Sorcerer's Magazine whenever Matsuki manages to get something on Gray. He doesn't like Matsuki." She giggled as she sprung up to her feet and looked up at the clear sky. "One day, I hope I'll become his apprentice." She said dreamily, smiling down at Juvia who had a tropical storm down pouring on her by the time the girl finished speaking.

Juvia slowly got to her feet. "Please... just show me where you saw him." She pleaded through gritted teeth.

"Right away, ma'am!" The girl responded in a military fashion. And as she took in the condition Juvia was in, she placed Juvia's arm around her shoulders and let her lean on her side.

Juvia followed alongside the girl miserably, as the rain continued to fall down on them.

-
Gray looked up from where he lay at the bottom of the hole that Natsu created in his fit of rage. The sky was a vibrant hue of blues with the occasional passing cloud. Yet he could have sworn he heard thunder. He returned his gaze to the vast wasteland, wondering where Natsu and Loke had gone. Suddenly, he felt a drop of water fall on his head and he whirled around towards the direction it fell from.

"Gaaaaah!" He yelled as he clutched his heart which was beating a thousand times per minute.

Rain dripped onto his horrified face. He just stared on with his mouth gaped open.

"Gray." He heard the mass of gloom utter.

He gulped and started to shake. "J-Juvia?" He stuttered.

The gloom nodded.

"What the heck happened to you?" He exclaimed. "I haven't seen you like this since I went on that mission with Lucy!" He quickly got to his feet, concerned about Juvia's current state.

The gloom darkened even more, as if that was possible. All that he could make out were the glowing red eyes. The dread inside Gray grew as the rain threw down even more, drenching the earth within seconds.

Suddenly, a flash of pink hair skidded down the mound of earth. At first, Gray thought Natsu had returned but there stood before him a girl he had never seen.

"Heyah!" The girl said cheerfully, quickly waving a hand in front of her as a greeting. "I'm so excited to finally meet you face to face master Gray!" Her face brightened up.

"Master?" Gray asked in confusion. "I'm not no master."

"I know." The girl responded immediately. "But you should be."

Gray became a little flustered at the statement. But he quickly snapped out of it when he felt the radiance of negative energy on his back. He gulped as he refused to turn his head; Juvia scared him when she was like this.

"Is something wrong, master Gray?" The girl asked, tilting her head.

"Nothins' the matter." He gulped nervously, the energy getting worse.

"Do I know you?" He said loudly, hoping it would pacify Juvia. The energy lessened a little and he let out a small sigh of relief.

"No, but one time I walked passed the Fairy Tail guild and you smiled and waved at me! I was so thrilled!" The girl squealed.

Gray's heart leapt in dread at her answer. He expected the impending gloom to get worse, but it actually lessened until he barely felt it anymore. He swirled around to see what Juvia was up to and his eyes bulged out of his head when he didn't see her.

"Juvia?" He called out, but she didn't respond. He clamored out of the hole.

"Hey! Wait!" He called out again, running after her retreating form. He stumbled over his feet but managed to regain his balance.

"Juvia!" He yelled, frustrated at being ignored. He saw that she was limping and it made him worry. And his worries were justified as Juvia staggered and started falling to the ground. But before he could reach her, the same flash of pink hair raced passed him and caught her.

"Are you okay, miss?" The girl asked worriedly, her eyes full of concern. Juvia smiled up at the innocence of the girl. "Yes, thank you."

The girl looked over at Gray, her cheerful face turning serious. "It was him you were looking for, right?"

Juvia nodded her head.

Gray knew that look in her eyes. "You traveled all this way, in that condition just to see me?" Gray asked in disbelief. "Are you insane?"

Juvia remained silent, her rain clouds disappearing.

Gray's eyes softened and he sat next to Juvia, taking her from the girl's grip and pulling her gently onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her as he rested his chin on her head.
"Thank you." He said after a few seconds.

They sat like that for a bit before they were interrupted by the pink haired girl. "What happened here, master Gray?" The girl inquired, sweeping the area.

"Some pyro went crazy and destroyed the place." He said, his voice and facial expression made it seem like it was a normal event. "And you can quit callin' me master. I told you I ain't no master."

"I'm sorry." The girl apologized. "But I would like to be your apprentice one day." She said shyly, staring down at her boots.

"Not happening." Gray responded, giving her a steady gaze.

The girl quickly looked at him, her face filled with disappointment.

Gray sighed. "Not now, anyway." He gave the girl a smile despite what he was feeling.

He looked down at Juvia. He felt trapped by the situation, and that wasn't something that settled with him. He cared far more than he showed.

"Hey, kid." Gray said, getting the girl's attention. "Do me a favor would yah?"

"Anything!" The girl said excitedly, clasping her hands together.

"Pick up Juvia for a second."

The girl did as she was told and Gray turned around, getting into his fighting stance.

"Who's there!" He demanded, scanning the area.

"I-it's me." A timid voice reached his ears.

"Aries?" He asked in confusion, relaxing his stance as the shy Ram slowly walked towards them. "What are you doing here?"

"Loke told me to bring you to the Celestial World. Could you, um, please come with me?" She asked, bringing her hands to her chest as she looked at the ground.

Gray nodded and faced Juvia, prompting the girl to hand her over.

"You better get home, kid." He said as he clung Juvia to his chest, who was breathing heavily. He grimaced as he walked through the gate Aries had created.

In the Celestial World, there was a river of stars gleaming in the sky and Gray couldn't help but stare up at them in awe.

"They look beautiful." He heard a soft voice say and he glanced down at Juvia who had the widest smile. The stars were reflected in her eyes.

A warm smile spread across his lips before he followed Aries through the Celestial Realm.

He stopped short before blurting out in surprise, "Gramps!"

"Hello, my boy." Makarov greeted him, who was sitting down at a table across from Loke.

"Loke?" Gray asked in confusion. "What the heck's going on here?"

Makarov's face became very grim. "I need your help to take down the person responsible for hurting my children." He said, getting straight to the point.

"Gramps! What are you saying?!" Gray protested, shocked that his own master would even consider taking down one of their own nakama.

"This is unforgivable." Makarov stated simply, his face void of any emotion.

"Bu-" Gray began but Makarov raised a hand to cut him off.

"As the Guild Master, my judgement is final." He said sternly, but his face softened as he looked at Gray. "You need to have more faith in me, my boy!" He joked, pushing himself off the seat.

"Come." He commanded, his hands clamped together behind his back as he walked towards another of the constellations.

Gray followed obediently and after a few minutes, an enormous vase, seemingly floating in the air by itself, had a torrent of water flowing down from it.

Water sprayed him as he got closer to the magnificent sight. But something seemed off as he stood before it, the master standing beside him.

"Is... is that Natsu in there?" Gray asked uncertainly, squinting his eyes as he tried to make out the form that was in there.

"Yes." Makarov answered him. "This is one of Aquarius's most powerful spells. The Water of Wisdom." He took a pause as he admired Aquarius's work. "The being that has this water befall on them will be stuck in a limbo as the user decides the punishment for their crimes. An extravagant spell indeed." He mused.

"Why?" Was all that Gray could mutter.

This time it was Loke that answered. "That was the only way I could prevent whatever was taking control over Natsu to become suppressed, avoiding any more damage to us or him."

Gray took a deep breath and he exclaimed impatiently, "Gramps. Will you just tell me what's going on? I'm tired of being in the dark."

Makarov's face turned to complete seriousness. "I am going to use one of the three great Fairy Magics. Fairy Law." He stated, analyzing Gray's face as he revealed to him his plans.

Heeeeyyy! Sorry for taking so long to upload the new chapter... I hope you enjoy. Votes and comments are greatly appreciated! ^_-