It's Monday!

guest: Wait for it~ I'll do ya one better. XD Sink Gray's new ship? It's funny you mention that. The guys have that exact conversation a couple of chapters from now. So trivia for you: Gray's ship Fairy Tail was supposed to be a parallel to the guild hall in the anime. The first one was destroyed during a raid by Phantom (Gajeel, Juvia and the rest of the Element 4). In Silence, stole the name Phantom Lord to use as Jose's title (partly as a reference to canon, partly because all those souls he steals are pretty much phantoms) to be my villain, but I kept the rest of the Phantom team together. The new ship is supposed to be like the new guild hall, which was the same as the old, only better. I don't know if anyone caught that (or if I already told this story in my A/N at some point), but that's where my head was at.

darling spider: ;) The pieces are going to start coming together. I think you'll like it.

guest: That's an interesting point. In this case, he's just razzing Gray for the fun of it. ;) Don't get me wrong; I super love the Gray and Lyon as brothers dynamic and turning them into a triangle with Juvia is totally my speed. :) But to keep things fresh, I give myself rules in each universe that I write. In this universe, I didn't let Lyon even look at Juvia. I tried to keep him out of the limelight because he's my favorite and I'm forcing myself to ignore him. XD

- K. Chandler


The ship's galley was below deck, which made it an ideal hiding place. As Knightwalker had guessed, Lyon was there, along with Levy. As Gray descended to the galley, he could hear snatches of their conversation, their voices echoing in the stairwell.

"They're not dangerous, Sire. Once this is all over, I think we should ask them to be our allies," Levy was saying. "You'd feel the same way if you'd speak to one of them."

"That's a matter to be considered once we're back on shore," Lyon replied.

"But, Sire!"

"I'm not opposed to the idea, Miss McGarden. But none of that has any bearing unless we manage to defeat the Phantom Lord. I don't want to use Fiore Law if I don't have to."

Gray almost choked. They were considering using Fiore Law? It wasn't necessarily fatal, but the cost to the caster was so high, that Fiore Law was a spell used almost exclusively in times of war.

"Don't we have any other options, Miss McGarden? The ancient spells are not to be taken lightly," Lyon reminded her.

Levy leaned against the counter, a worried frown scrunching her features. "I know that. And besides, it wouldn't do us any good for you to use it now. Not while Juvia's contract is still in effect. As long as that's true, the Phantom Lord is essentially invulnerable. We'll need to break or somehow invalidate the contract before we can even consider our plan of attack."

Lyon crossed his arms. In his formal attire, he looked out of place in a humble ship's kitchen. "I swear, for both of them to get mixed up in this nonsense… It's absurd."

Contract? Mixed up? Gray wasn't sure what they were talking about, but now wasn't the time to ask.

"You are not using that spell," said Gray.

Lyon looked entirely unsurprised by his sudden appearance. "Ah, Gray. Miss McGarden was just catching me up on her latest discovery," said Lyon conversationally. "We may need to have a chat afterwards."

"What?" Gray blinked at Lyon's nonchalance. "Yeah, whatever. Later. Stop dodging my question."

"I don't recall a question being asked," said Lyon.

God, he was infuriating! Gray ignored the urge to sock his cousin in the face. "You aren't planning to use Fiore Law, are you?" asked Gray.

Lyon looked away.

"Lyon!"

"Let's hope it doesn't come down to that," he said grimly. "But I doubt that was what you came tearing down here for…"

"Have either of you seen Juvia?" asked Gray. "I was hoping I'd find her with you."

"She was. But she joined the fight a little bit ago," said Levy.

"She what?!" Gray couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How could you let her do something so stupid?" he demanded.

"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."

"What? What are you talking about?" growled Gray. Then he threw his hands up. "Forget it. I don't have time for this!" he shouted, taking the stairs two steps at a time.

He had to find her.

"Juvia!" he shouted.

Where could she be? Why would she jump into a fight like that? She wasn't a trained warrior like Cana or even Captain Knightwalker.

After what she did to your last ship, she might be a better fighter than you are.

What did Lyon mean by that? He and Juvia hadn't met until after the destruction of the original Fairy Tail. And Gray had sank her himself.

"Juvia!" Gray looked around, scanning the battlefield for Juvia.

He caught sight of her at the edge of the fray, loose curls flowing around her, dodging Jose's shades with the measured steps of a battle-hardened warrior.

She raised her right hand, a tentacle of water emanating from her fingers to slice through two of Jose's shadowy henchmen. Her eyes blazed with determination as she brought her arms together, crossing them at the wrists. She flung her arms open, a towering cyclone of water bursting forth, sweeping shades across the deck.

Gray was struck with a sense of déjà vu. After what she did to your last ship… The sensation of pins and needles stung Gray's skin. A battle that raged around him. Flames rampant on the deck. And a burst of water magic. The night the Fairy Tail sank.

The memory was hazy and chaotic, but Gray remembered looking at the enemy over the edge of the hull, catching sight of one of the female combatants in the water. She had a small, expressive face framed by flowing curls and that same determination burning in her eyes.

Juvia.

Gray felt like his throat was closing up. He couldn't breathe.

Juvia was a Sea-Person. Juvia was the enemy. Juvia had attacked his ship and his friends!

Juvia… wasn't even human.

He thought he knew who she was, but now…

Gray watched Juvia dispatch three more of the Phantom Lord's shades with unearthly efficiency. It was like they were nothing at all.

Gray followed her gaze as she turned toward the sea, a concerned frown pulling at her features. One of her accomplices lay in wait, his menacing, studded face rising above the inky, black water.

He seemed vaguely familiar as well. Gray suspected that he, too, might have been there the night of the attack. Is this what Juvia and Levy had been hiding from him earlier?

The studded Sea-Person had raised his hands to his face, taking a breath, the way Natsu did before he unleashed one of his breath attacks.

Gray brought his own hands together, a fist pressed solidly to the opposite palm. He wouldn't let this metal-faced freak hurt his friends. Over his dead body.

He prepared to retaliate, surprised when the whirlwind of molten metal was directed towards three of Jose's minions that were sneaking up on Cana. Did that guy just try to help them? Why would he do something like that?

They're not dangerous, Sire. Once this is all over, I think we should ask them to be our allies.

Was that what Levy had meant?

A pulse of dark energy rocketed toward Juvia from behind. Her eyes on her comrade in the sea, she didn't seem to notice it.

"Juvia!" Acting on instinct, Gray sprang forward, the words tearing from his throat.

His feet pounded against the wooden deck in time with his heart. Desperately, he elbowed his way past Natsu and Jellal. Though he didn't know why, Gray knew he had to reach her.

Juvia turned at the sound of his voice, eyes wide as Gray shoved her out of harm's way. He twisted, trying to avoid the blast himself. But either he was too slow, or there just wasn't enough distance.

The blast hit him square in the chest, sending an explosion of pain coursing through him. His vision tunneled, flashing white. He slammed his eyes shut as he was flung against the deck.


Oops. That's gotta suck. (...But that seemed like a good place to stop. Yeah? XD)

Sea-People. Friend or foe? As you can tell, Gray's sort of conflicted right now...

Next time, in Silence: Then, gradually, the feeling started to fade as he drifted back to himself. Fading away, away… into nothing.

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