It's another Mermaid Monday! So Juvia got her voice back last week... all good from here on out, right? Psh! Never gonna happen. I've got four more chapters after this one (three plus an epilogue), and I've still got a rug-pull or two up my sleeve. ;)

guest: Ah, but can you imagine Gray's reaction to hearing her speak? :P (I've been building up to it...I'm hoping it's worth it.) You're right. Of course Jose won't leave without her... he's basically messing with her head. I mean, he looks right at Juvia (who was expecting him) and says he's here for Lucy (who wasn't expecting him)?! What better way to lull her into a false sense of security? Thanks for the R&R!

guest: Aw, thanks so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it!

I12Bfree: But, of course! In the most spectacular way possible. :) Thanks!

- K. Chandler


First aid was much more difficult when the person you were trying to help wouldn't quit squirming.

"Hold still, will ya?" growled Gray.

"Geez, that's cold!" yelped Natsu, jerking away from Gray's hand.

"Of course, it's cold. It's ice," said Gray unsympathetically. He knew that Natsu's flame lacrima made him averse to sudden temperature drops, but this was ridiculous. "Now, hold still."

Lucy held Natsu up from behind, both hands on his shoulders. She kept Natsu steady as Gray iced over the worst of Natsu's injuries: a blackened eye that was starting to swell shut and a deep gash across his thigh that had soaked his pant leg in blood.

"It almost hurts worse than it did before," Natsu complained through gritted teeth.

"Is he going to be okay?" asked Lucy, worrying at her lip.

"'Course, I am. This? This is nothin'," said Natsu, flashing Lucy a pale version of his usual toothy grin. "I'm goo— Easy, man!" he snarled at Gray.

"He'll be fine," said Gray flatly. "It's just a flesh wound—"

"All good," breathed Natsu, making to stand until Lucy yanked him back down.

"—Although the brain damage might be permanent," muttered Gray. "Would you chill out for a sec?"

"We gotta get back in there," Natsu insisted. "Everyone's counting on us. I'm not going to sit this one out. I don't care what you say."

It seemed foolhardy, but Gray trusted Natsu to know his own limits well enough to keep from endangering the rest of the crew. That was one of the first lessons any officer in combat would learn.

"Oh, Natsu. Be careful," said Lucy.

"I got this," he said, flashing her a thumbs-up.

Gray rolled his eyes, leaving his Gunnery Master to his own devices. Natsu would be all right. And if he was looking after Lucy, she would be fine too. Most of his guests were warriors in their own right, so they could hold their own. He was really more worried about Lyon, Levy and Juvia.

Lyon's magic was better suited for delivering justice and ruling the kingdom. He knew some basic defensive spells, but combat magic wasn't his forte. Similarly, as one of Fiore's sharpest minds, Levy's was more of a strategist. The battlefield was no place for her. And Juvia? Gray couldn't recall ever having seen her use magic.

He hoped that the three of them had been smart enough to get themselves someplace safe. Relatively safe, he amended, seeing as there wasn't much place to hide on a ship that was under attack.

Gray pressed his way through the throng of combatants. The air pulsed with the magical shockwave of Jellal's torrent of meteors. He could hear the sizzle of Natsu's fire. Clearing the way with a disc of ice, Gray found himself fighting back-to-back with Cana.

She waved her hands, summoning a spread of ten cards. Another wave sent them flying, each creating an explosion as they found their targets.

"Now would be a good time for one of your famous plans, Captain," shouted Cana.

"You think so?" he asked dryly.

"Anytime now," she said.

"I'm working on it," he hollered back.

Looking around, Gray spotted Captain Knightwalker surrounded by a dozen of Jose's shades. Sword raised, she swung at one, then another, but they pressed in on her like a dark miasma.

Bringing his hands together, Gray fashioned lances out of his magic, skewering enough of Knightwalker's opponents for her to finish the rest herself.

She scowled when she saw him.

"You're welcome," said Gray, not about to let the opportunity to gloat slide.

Knightwalker nodded her thanks grudgingly. "We can't keep this up," she told him grimly. "My men are exhausted. So are yours. There's no end to these shadows that he conjures, and we haven't been able to land a single hit on him yet. Not even with Jellal's heavenly meteors. It's like he's being shielded by something."

"What's your point?" asked Gray.

She drew a careful breath. "We need to withdraw."

"Oh, yeah? And go where?" snapped Gray. "We can't back out now."

"Retreat is our only option. We're not going to win this one," she said in a low voice.

Gray growled. "We're not going to win by retreating either. That Phantom Lord guy is going to follow us no matter what we do. But if you think you can get away, by all means!"

Gray was no stranger to retreat. He knew it wasn't an easy call to make and he appreciated Captain Knightwalker's courage for proposing it. But he wasn't about to run off with his tail between his legs. Not unless he knew there was something to be gained.

Knightwalker scowled, her eyes furious. "Are you calling me a coward?" she hissed.

Gray shook his head. "I just think you're miscalculating." After a slight hesitation, Gray addressed her, meeting her gaze squarely. "Knightwalker. No. Erza… If you and the Heaven's Wheel do withdraw, will you take Juvia with you?" he asked quietly. "And Lyon, Levy, and Lucy—if Natsu will give her up, that is."

Knightwalker's lips parted slightly, surprised by his request. "I thought you said we'd be no better off."

"They'll be no worse off either. I'd feel at ease knowing they were in your care," Gray admitted.

"That's too bad. I've decided not to go. The Heaven's Wheel will support the crew of the Fairy Tail to the end."

"What?! But you just—"

"I just changed my mind. Deal with it. Now, I think I saw Prince Lyon and Levy McGarden headed for galley."

"I'll see if I can find them," said Gray.


The battle does not appear to be going well. Doesn't help that Jose's apparently untouchable, huh? (Why do you suppose that is?)

Also, I couldn't help but parallel Erza's canon plea to Gray to withdraw from the (initial) battle against Phantom. This one worked out a little bit differently (no tears here), given that we're not dealing with 'Erza,' but Captain Knightwalker here. I headcanon that she and Jellal like to make things as difficult as possible for Gray and his team. Gotta love that rivalry! XD

And there was Gray's attempt at 'women and children first'. Well, maybe more like 'evacuate the civilians.' Oh, wait. Juvia's not a civilian, is she...? Won't that make for an interesting conversation...? ;)

(See, Gray still hasn't learned. Run to Cana; confide in Knighwalker. Things blow up and he slips right into Captain-mode, never mind anything else. Hint, hint.)

Next time, in Silence, Juvia's secret is out... sort of: "I wouldn't worry too much about your little strumpet, if I were you," commented Lyon. "After what she did to your last ship, she might be a better fighter than you are."

Stop back next Monday for the next installment, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.