READ THIS NOW

I WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE THE NAME OF THIS STORY!

There are a lot of Fairy Tail Academy ones, and honestly it doesn't fit the story as well as I would like it to. So I'm thinking either:

A.Losing Control

b. Losing your Memory

C. Keep it the same

LET ME KNOW IN YOUR REVIEW/PMS!

-Thanks!

October

Gray's favorite part of this school wasn't the classes (which weren't as bad as normal high school classes, the perks of lazy teachers) the food, or the general company he somehow accidentally surrounded himself with everyday, it was the school grounds.

The school was wonderful, to his surprise. He was actually okay with the people who made him sit with them at lunch everyday, and while he wouldn't call any of them his 'friends' (simply because he didn't have such things) he tolerated their presence enough to sit through their chatter. He actually found that he was starting to become aquatints with some of them, such as the school drinker Cana (who'd he'd only met on his third week because someone forced her to come to class), Lucy (who was as happy as ever), and even Wendy. He still was annoyed every time Natsu entered the room, and Erza frankly was too much for anyone to handle. She was a newbie just like him, but everyone already regarded her with a scary respect fit for Gildarts. Every time they face each other, they argued, and he'd taken the chance to strip purposely whenever he could just to annoy her.

But, back to the school grounds. It was October (a month or so had passed since he entered the school) and already the green leaves were starting to turn orange, the grass starting to yellow, and the air becoming cooler. The lighting was beautiful, the golden fall light, which was perfect for artists. So Gray, when he wasn't being forcibly dragged by Lucy to lunch, or dragged by Erza to his classes, or sleeping, he was outside in the fresh air.

Of course, he was outside when the dreaded Halloween dance came up. The girls had been squealing about it for weeks (as it seemed they had Halloween dance instead of Homecoming), debating on which dresses to wear, who would be their partners, if they should go on diets… blah, blah, blah. He had listened, just today, to Lucy and Levy practically screaming to the rest of the lunch table (Which now consisted of himself, Erza, Wendy, Natsu, Lucy, Levy, and a scary man named Gajeel with lots of piercings Gray had never talked to.) Gray had wished he had taken up Cana's offer on joining her in a drinking fest that afternoon, anything to escape from that squealing.

When asked whom he was taking to the dance, he simply said he wasn't going… which was the absolute truth. Nope, he was taking the absence of people in the grounds to paint. Now, he couldn't see much of the setting sun beyond the high wall that bordered the school's property, but there was a river that ran through the place he longed to draw. He hadn't painted in a long time, but with some borrowed materials from the art room and a blank canvas, he was ready to give it another try. (See what peace and quiet could do for his happiness?)

He took from his room a dark jacket, not because he needed it. He didn't want some stupid teacher patrolling the grounds to yell at him to get inside because he wasn't properly covered, and he knew for a fact that they wouldn't listen to reason.

When he passed the gym, he caught sight of all of his 'lunch buddies' dancing, even the fiery idiot. Shaking his head slightly at the sight of Cana attempting to dance, he exited the school before his eyes could be further scarred. It wasn't that he didn't like the people who constantly insisted he be by them; it was more the fact he felt like they wanted him to open up to him. He got the same feeling from Mira as well, considering him and Erza hadn't spilled a word in the last month, leaving their therapy sessions long and wordless.

It didn't matter if he had been in the school for a month, it still felt like yesterday. Of course it had felt like yesterday for the past seven years.

"I've freed you from the darkness Gray." He stood still, his eyes widening. Stop it. He told himself, stop it right now.

Sometimes she allowed herself to cry. It wasn't very often; usually she swallowed the tears and maintained the strong look for everyone else. She wanted them to believe that her parents were perfectly normal people that simply thought she had a problem. That was what she wanted people to believe, and in some ways she felt like it was true. She had never felt like she belonged in this life, almost like she had a second identity she'd forgotten.

When the Halloween dance came to pass, she secretly had hoped that someone would ask her. Someone would want to dance with her, to see her in a pretty dress. When the days passed and soon everyone had a date (even that drunken girl Cana) Erza soon lost hope. She told everyone she didn't even want to go to the dance, which was a lie. So instead, under the pretense of studying (which was mostly to fool Wendy who was also attending the dance) she snuck out onto the grounds.

She was almost thinking this was a foolish idea, she didn't own a coat, and her sweater didn't provide much shelter from the cool autumn breeze. It was a new sweater, one she had found in the boy's hallway the first day of school. It had looked rather abandoned, and she couldn't let good fabric like that go to waste could she? She sat still for another moment, before a tear drifted to her one eye. A scuffling of footsteps sounded behind her, and in her surprise she turned around without wiping the diamond like tear from shining out of her eye.

Gray Fullbuster, his mouth open like he was going to fight with her, stopped in his tracks. His mouth shut with a snap and a heated blush rose to his cheeks. Erza quickly wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, before scrutinizing the painter, who indeed had his canvas and paints clutched in his grip.

"What do you want?" She demanded of him, and was mortified to find that her voice still shook slightly from her release of the emotions she had kept inside of her for so long. Gray, usually so smooth and calm with his responses to her, looked startled. He moved to looking at his feet, but her own brown eye never left his face.

"Tell me something," He started warily, as if he was scared for the answer, "Why don't you talk about yourself at all?"

"Turning into Mira are we?" Erza questioned, "And I wouldn't be talking, Mister 'to cool for friends'." Gray turned an even deeper shade of red, which somehow satisfied Erza in some way, as well as made a slightly guilty feeling start in the pit of her stomach. "I don't like opening up, or really being around other people, it makes me uncomfortable."

"Well, you're alone now so why are you crying?" His voice was an indignant pitch, and his head snapped up so the blue of his eyes could meet the brown of her eye. She was taken aback by his answer; so much that she couldn't find the words to reply. It was true; she was alone, where she should feel more comfortable, so why was she crying?

Fullbuster stuffed his hands in his pockets, and moved to sit beside her in a cross-legged position, his back stiff as he unloaded his paints and canvas. She sat beside him, smiling up at the raven-haired boy.

"So you're not going to argue with me today?" She inquired, a playful tone in her voice. It was the first time they had a proper conversation that didn't end badly.

"I can't argue with a girl who's crying!" He protested indignantly. She laughed. He was blushing still. "I'm not good with this." He muttered to himself.

"Not good at what?" She teased him, "Not arguing?"

"Making friends." He mumbled, so she almost couldn't hear him.

"Are you trying to become my friend Gray?"

"I don't have friends."

"I don't either."

"Good."

"Fine."

"Do you know how to make friends?"

"How should I know?! I just said I never had one!"

"I thought Lucy was your friend!"

"I…" Erza trailed off, seeing his point. "Maybe I have made friends." She said, startled.

"Good for you."

"Well you have too."

"No I haven't!"

"Yes you have, because I'm your friend!"

"My record is broken!" He fake wailed, although his blush had faded. "And it's not friendship exactly, it's more like a… truce."

"A truce?"

"Not to argue anymore."

"Alright." She said, and after a couple minutes watching him pick a color she asked another question. "Can I watch you paint?"

"If you gotta." He responded, "What is something you love?"

"I love?" She inquired, "Why does that matter?"

"You know that I love to paint-"

"Strawberry cheesecake." She interrupted him mid-sentence, her face going dreamy at the idea of her favorite treat.

"That's what you love?"

"Don't make fun of me!"

"I thought that's what friends did! Don't hit me-!"

"But people in a truce can hit each other all they want-"

"Ow! Okay fine, we're friends. ERZA I SAID WE'RE FRIENDS DON'T HURT ME!"

"Hey Natsu, do you want to dance?" Lucy asked him shyly. Her mind was not focused on to much else other than the pink haired boy, who was sitting in one of the chairs lined up along the walls with a dejected look on his face. She was certain she looked pretty enough to want to dance with tonight, wearing a tight blue dress that showed off her curves and highlighted her features. His onyx eyes scanned over her form briefly before they resumed staring at the floor.

"BE A MAN!" Came a bellow from behind them, and Lucy turned around to see Elfman, Mirajane's younger brother (WELL WASN'T THAT JUST A RUSHED INTRODUCTION HUH?! Feel free to yell at your author now lovelies.) yelling at them from across the dance floor.

Lucy turned back with a hopeful look in her eye, but Natsu was gone. She whirled around, and watched him walk out of the gym's doors without a word to her. The blonde sank down into his vacated seat, and didn't dance with anyone the rest of the night.

Wendy noticed Natsu walk out of the gym and was about to follow him when a small hand gripped her wrist. She turned around in surprise to see a blushing Romeo Conbolt, who let go of her wrist immediately when she turned her gaze upon him.

"He'll be okay." He reassured her, "Do you want to dance?" Shyly she glanced at the floor, and then nodded in acceptance.

Both of them being thirteen, Wendy not having a Mother for- With her special circumstances, and Romeo's Mother having left when he was young (leaving him with a Father who happened to be the gym teacher) none of them had any dancing skills. Romeo uncertainly put his hand on her waist, and they clasped their other hands together, while Wendy placed her other hand on his shoulder. They awkwardly slow danced to a fast song for a couple minutes, both of their faces bright red. It wasn't until Elfman burst in and yelled at Romeo for not being madly enough was when it got fun.

Wendy grinned and bounced on the balls of her feet (which was like laughing for her) while Romeo blushed and mumbled excuses. Wendy dragged him away from the furious Elfman, and outside of the gym to an empty classroom, where they continued to spend the rest of the night doodling on the whiteboards with dry erase markers and simply not talking.

It was the best night of her life.

The girl's feet hit the ground with well-practiced ease, an exhilarated smile lighting up her features as she throws the last she can muster of her swords at the approaching guards. They fall to the ground, howling in pain… but not dying. She would never kill someone! Not after her… past.

She skipped past their fallen forms, her pink hair bouncing behind her as she met at the rendezvous point.

"You always have to make a big scene don't you?" A man's voice spoke out of the shadows, his face hidden by a dark cloak. The girl crinkled her face, pouting.

"Why not have a little fun with these bastards?" She questioned her colleague.

"She wouldn't like it." The man continues, and the girl sticks her tongue out at him.

"They'll be fine in an hour. It just hurts for a little bit." She holds up two fingers to gauge the pain level, "I perfected them so it only causes pain for a bit, and then knocks 'em out."

"She's been training you to create your own ways of using that magic to much." The man sighs.

"Oh lighten up!" She teased. "Anyways, any info on the world's current predicament?" She looked eager to know. The man shook his head.

"Afraid not. Looks like this was just a training base. Sting's going to be frustrated. He was sure that this was it."

"He's been sure for the last year!" The girl nearly shouts, waving her hands in the air. "I didn't know him at all before the incident, and now I know him to much!"

"I know. At least we aren't on the run anymore?" He offered weakly.

"You know I would rather have her back." The girl said, shaking her head. "I wish you weren't always away. You and me are the only one's left of our team."

"That's two thirds." He said dryly, and she absently waved a hand.

"Her presence is effective." Her voice grew darker, "I miss her."

"We both do. But she's happy, remember? We just went and saw her last week."

"I know but, if it wasn't for what happened, for what happened to-"

Shouts from down the hall cut off her sentence, and she frowned.

"Are you out?" He questioned her.

"Yeah. Look, just don't kill anyone. We aren't those people anymore." She reminded the boy, "You got my back? At least we can tell Lis and Sting that we took out the training area!"

"With no deaths." He added, "That would have been impossible eight years ago." She saluted him.

"See you back in the cave!"

"Good luck!" The boy called after her.

A/N: Any idea who the girl is? She's not an OC (I'm terrible at making up original characters.) Okay, so I realized I did a shoddy job at introducing Elfman, Cana, and Gajeel (who I've just refrenced) and Juvia lovers, she will come in later! I should have added Gajeel in later too… but to late!

ATTENTION! NEXT CHAPTER IS WHEN THE ACTION STARTS! LIKE ACTUALLY INTRESTING STUFF BECAUSE THIS IS KINDA DULL HUH?

ALSO IT'S GRAYZA WEEK STARTING THE 18TH! PUBLISH YOUR ONE-SHOTS! Just google GrayZa week and a list of the prompts for each of the days comes up.

I was kinda surprised when so many people followed this… like I feel like it's kinda rushed…. Idek. What do you think?

Okay, Goodbye! *does Fairy Tail sign*