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Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.

CHAPTER 27: MOVING FORWARD

LISANNA'S POV

I had watched from my place at the bar as Natsu came in from his short mission. It didn't take long for me to notice how weary he was, his body moving as if everything hurt, and his face...he just looked so defeated. I hated seeing him like that, and more than anything, I wanted to over there and hug him. But I couldn't.

My shoulders slumped at the realization, and I sighed. I missed him. I knew we couldn't be together now, and I even knew why. I agreed with the decision to stay apart, but I couldn't deny that it was hard. Trying to distance myself from him would never be easy for me, but I was doing it. The fact was we'd made a grave mistake, and I was determined to make up for it.

The only problem was I couldn't figure out how. For the most part, everyone avoided me, except for my siblings of course. I wasn't sure if it was simply because everyone was busily doing what they could to help Lucy or if they truly didn't want to be around me, but I was leaning toward the latter. It hurt, more than being in Edolas had been, because they were all here, so close but yet so far.

Shaking my head, I scolded myself. Lucy was in pain, so much greater than my own, and all I could focus on was how much I missed my friends. It wasn't her fault they had turned away from me and Natsu. That had been our own doing.

At least Natsu had found a way to be useful. I still hadn't figured out what to do to help Lucy. I could go on a mission, like Natsu had, but Mira and Elfman were quite adamant that I not go on my own. And now that everything had come out, it wasn't likely that anyone else would be willing to accompany me.

I could perhaps do errands for her or clean her house or something domestic like that, but I knew she wouldn't want me there. I couldn't blame her for feeling that way, but it certainly limited the ways in which I could assist. So I was left with the question of how I could do my part.

"Lisanna!"

I turned my head at the call and found Kinana heading toward the back with an armload of plates. "Can you help Juvia?" she asked breathlessly.

"Sure," I replied, attempting a smile for her sake. I moved toward the blue-haired woman waiting at the far end of the bar and nearly sighed again. She'd certainly gone out of her way to avoid me. Summoning my courage, I again tried for a calm smile, knowing that the edges were sure to be frayed. "Hi Juvia...what can I get you?"

The water mage pulled herself upright and spoke stiffly, "Juvia would like to get a glass of water and a slice of strawberry cake."

"O-oh...I didn't realize you liked cake."

"Juvia doesn't. The cake is for Erza," she explained brusquely, turning her head aside to signal an end to our rather short exchange.

Feeling a pang in my chest, I moved to the cake and cut a healthy piece before setting it on the counter in front of Juvia. I missed talking to her, and with a fair amount of trepidation, I tried again to start a conversation with her. "So, where's Gray today?"

"Gray-sama has gone with Cana to see Lucy."

"Oh really?" I asked, while filling a glass with water. I was pleased that she had continued to talk, even if it wasn't much. It was a step in the right direction, right? "That's nice. I was kind of expecting him to be with you all day. I mean, after how close you seemed to be the other day, I thought-"

Her eyes narrowed as she cut me off. "Juvia is Gray-sama's friend, and Juvia understands that he needs to worry about Lucy right now. Juvia is also worried and will be there for Lucy and Gray-sama anyway they need. You should be more concerned with how you can help than with everyone's love lives."

My face fell at her censure. She was right, but I felt so lost in our guild. I had only been trying to find some way to bridge the gap between myself and one of my friends, and that had only served to make things worse. "I do want to help, Juvia. But I can't go on a mission alone, and no one's willing to go with me. And I can't go over there to apologize or help out around her house. So what am I supposed to do?" I asked, throwing up my hands in frustration.

"You have no right to be upset!" A voice rang out to my left, and I turned to see Erza glaring at me. "You don't get to be frustrated that you haven't gotten a chance to apologize to Lucy. You're the one who did the wrong, not her, and I'm not about to listen to you whine about yourself. Stop being so self-centered!"

Snatching her plate from the counter, she gave me a final grimace and spun around to stomp off as she called out to Juvia.

"Erza..." I lifted my hand to her, wishing I could explain what I had meant, but I just didn't know how. Would I ever be able to make things right?

The blue-haired water woman sighed deeply, her mouth pursing in distaste. "Juvia thinks you still have much to learn. You say you want to make up for what you've done, but you still speak only of yourself. You want to help but you can't. You want to go on a mission, but you can't. You want to go see Lucy, but you can't. All your help is based on what you want, not what anyone else needs."

"That's not...What I wanted to do-"

"Is irrelevant. Everyone has put their personal interests aside to help Lucy, but you. You cannot seem to forget yourself long enough to do anyone any good. Juvia thinks you need to grow up."

With that, Juvia turned and left me standing there with my mouth agape. Was she right? Had I still been far too focused on myself? Thinking over the last few days, I found myself cringing at the amount of time I'd spent bemoaning my sad circumstances. Guilt struck a moment later when I realized how very few of my minutes had been spent thinking of Lucy's plight.

My eyes filled as the understanding came, and my heart pricked with shame. I had been everything they'd accused me of, thoughtless, shallow, self-centered. I didn't deserve another chance, but I would work hard to make up for all I'd done.

All along, I'd been doing everything I could think of to fix things with the people I loved, but I hadn't seen that I was doing it to gain what I had lost. My reasons were selfish, not to truly make up for the wrong I'd done, but to make things better for myself. When did I become so self-serving?

Lifting my head, I found Natsu watching me from across the room. As our eyes connected, he shook his head sadly, his face etched in disappointment. It was the proverbial nail in my coffin, hammering home the truth of my affliction. Even he could see what I had turned into.

Feeling a sob bubble up my throat, I cupped my hand over my mouth and rushed out the back door of the building. Leaning against the outside wall, I crumpled to the ground and finally let it all go. I sobbed out my guilt and shame there in a final farewell to my preoccupation with myself.

I would do better, I vowed. I didn't want to lose everyone I cared about, but that wasn't all of it. I wanted to make things better for Lucy. I wanted to help all the people I loved. They were my family, and somehow I would find a way to make up for my mistakes. Somehow, I would fix it all.

CANA'S POV

We pushed through the doors of Fairy Tail, feeling much lighter than earlier when we'd left for Lucy's. Maybe she really was on the mend. Maybe it really would only take time. Though, what Rogue had told us before we left about Lucy's harming herself still hit home. It was hard to believe, and I probably would have questioned it if I hadn't seen her in the bathroom.

I hated seeing her so cautious around everyone she loved. It had to be hard on her, because she'd always been such a friendly, open person. But I had to believe we'd get her back. I had to trust that one day, she'd find all the bits and pieces of herself, and I'd be right there to help. She'd beat this. She had to, because anything else was too horrible to contemplate.

Brushing the melancholy thoughts away, I focused on our time with her and the fact that she'd smiled, laughed even. She would get there. I just knew it. She was too strong to let something keep her down for long.

At our entrance, nearly the entire guild turned and shouted out questions about Lucy's condition. I smiled at their concern, loving that our guild was like a big family. They all cared, and they'd all fight to their deaths for each other. We truly were quite a group.

Gray and I were herded to the back of the guild where Master was waiting with an uncertain expression. "How is she today?" he asked quickly.

Gray shook his head wryly as he looked over at me. "She's-"

"She smiled!" I broke in, grinning wildly. I was nearly jumping up and down in my happiness, and moments later could see it infecting the others around us. Everywhere I looked, I could see smiles, the likes of which I hadn't seen in a while.

Gray grinned at my excitement and added, "We got her to laugh a little too."

Murmurs went up all over the guild, everyone chattering in the wake of such great news. I felt light for the first time in what felt like years. It was like we had been stuck in a nightmarish storm for so long, and now the clouds were slowly clearing the sky.

My friend was going to make it. I had been telling myself that since I had heard about Lucy's attack, and this was the first time it felt real. Until now, it had only been a hope...a wish...a prayer. But it felt like the truth this time.

My eyes misted at the thought, but it couldn't dim my smile. I turned to Gray, looking up at his own tear-filled eyes and whispered, "She's gonna be okay."

Giving a peaceful smile, he tugged me forward, wrapping his arms around me. His hand cradled my head and then he spoke, his voice a soft murmur in my ear, "Thank you for helping me get my sister back."

His words touched something deep inside me, releasing the tears that had threatened to fall only moments before. I clung to him, letting him hold me in the safety of his arms. It was rare that I let anyone comfort me, and now that I thought of it, it made sense for it to be Gray. There was no one I trusted more than him.

He tightened his hold for just an instant, and then he released me, stepping back. I lifted my hand to wipe my eyes, when I realized that Gray was standing there with not a stitch of clothing on his upper body. It had been so long since I'd seen him do that, I couldn't help but laugh.

Gray looked at me questioningly. Somehow, he hadn't noticed his clothing disappear. I never could figure out how he didn't feel the difference. I giggled again and pointed at his chest. "You lost your shirt."

His eyes dropped to his chest, and he yelped, "Wha- When did that happen?"

He immediately spun around, searching the area for the missing article amidst a chorus of laughs. I watched him with a silly grin, enjoying seeing him doing something so normal. Well, not necessarily normal for most people, but normal for him. Shaking my head, I rolled my eyes at my wayward thoughts, when something caught my attention.

I froze in place as Natsu approached Gray, his arm extended in front of him, a familiar looking bit of cloth in his hand. Gray stiffened as the pink-haired man stopped in front of him, his hand holding out the shirt like some sort of peace offering. For a moment, I thought Gray might snap again and hit him, and looking out around us, it seemed I wasn't the only one.

There wasn't a sound to be heard throughout the guild, everyone pausing in their activities to see just what the two would do. Gray for his part remained calm, saying nothing as he reached out for his shirt. He didn't make any move to put it on though, just stared at the man who had been one of his closest friends only days before.

I moved closer, hoping it wouldn't come to blows. I certainly wasn't happy about what Natsu and Lisanna had done, but I didn't want Gray and him to keep on fighting. Looking in Natsu's eyes, it was easy to see that something had changed. Gone was the simple-minded boy he'd been. He'd been doing some growing up, and though I was happy to see it, I hated that it had come about because of this situation.

Natsu and Gray stood there, staring at each other, neither seeming able to break the silence until Gray stepped forward. "You know, it really pissed me off when Happy brought that money to Lucy. I couldn't believe you thought you could buy your way back in like that."

"That's not what I was trying to do, Gray-" Natsu started, but was cut off.

Gray's eyes narrowed. "I wasn't finished." He waited until the slayer quieted, then continued, "I wanted to refuse your help, but I couldn't do that, not to Happy or Lucy. Besides, I'm a big enough man to admit that you did a good thing by remembering her rent. It hadn't even crossed my mind."

Natsu's eyes widened as he listened to what Gray said, and I had to admit I was surprised too. I had expected anger or at the very least, dismissal. I hadn't anticipated him being so generous when I knew Gray was still so angry at Natsu.

"So, I'm saying thanks. I appreciate you looking out for her, and as much as I'd like to throw your gift in your face, I won't. Cause that won't do Lucy any good. Don't read too much into this, Natsu. I'm still pissed as hell at you, but until she's alright, I've got more important things to worry about." The ice mage didn't wait for a response, as he pulled on his shirt and walked past the stunned slayer.

I sighed in relief. That had gone better than I had thought it would, far better than the last time they'd spoken. Still, I knew it would be a long time before they were able to get past it. The trust Gray had always placed in Natsu had been damaged, his faith in his friend rocked in a way he hadn't been able to handle, and now there seemed to be this giant chasm between them.

It was a sad thing, seeing them like this. I missed the easy, crazy way they used to act with each other, their stupid fights and ridiculous nicknames. Theirs had always been a strange friendship, but it had worked for them. It hadn't always made sense to me, but it was easy to see that they'd been close in their own way. And I couldn't help but wonder if they'd ever find their way back to that.