Gray sighed, laying his head down on his arms. Juvia sat beside him at the guild bar, wanting desperately to comfort him, but not quite sure how.

"Gray-sama…" she murmured.

"I just...don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do Juvia," he stated. "I'm losing her. We promised each other we'd stick together, but now…" He sighed again.

"What if you tried to...accept Gajeel-kun? As Nyx-san has," she suggested tentatively. Gray's jaw tightened and his fists clenched.

"I can't do that…" he growled through gritted teeth.

"You've accepted Juvia. Juvia came from the same guild as Gajeel," she pointed out, biting her lip. Gray shook his head.

"You're nothing like him!" He turned to look at her, his expression stern. Suddenly his eyes betrayed pain, and a little fear. "You didn't see her laying there, at the base of that tree. He did a number on Levy and the others, but Nyx...I thought she was dead. The left side of her body was...it was shredded. I'm sure he enjoyed it too." Juvia rested a hand on his bare shoulder.

"He's different now…" she said quietly. "He really does care for her." Gray was silent for a moment.

"I know he does," he finally said. "I just can't bring myself to trust him. He cares for her now until he loses control, or realizes the rush he could get by going back to the way things were." Juvia shook her head.

"He wouldn't."

"I can't know that. Even watching him walk off with her this morning terrified me." His eyes focused on the grain of the bar.

"But you didn't stop them, Gray-sama?" He laughed bitterly, shaking his head.

"No, I didn't. Nyx's eyes...when she looked at him she wasn't afraid. She was always afraid, but not this time. There was something different this time." Gray let out a frustrated huff, then glanced at Juvia. He could clearly see the disapproval in her eyes, but he knew she would never admit that she disagreed with him. Still, that disapproval brought on wave of guilt, which Gray quickly drowned out. He knew that if he let go of his distrust for even a minute, Nyx could be in danger.

Nyx shuffled through a pile of job requests that Gajeel had thrusted into her hands. He had asked her to pick one that was to her liking. She sat under a tree in the park, leaning her back against the iron dragon slayer's side. They had spent the peaceful afternoon talking, with Nyx holding up most of the conversation, until Gajeel had, at some point, fallen asleep against the tree. Nyx couldn't help but smile and laugh as he snored, and occasionally grumbled gibberish. As she looked through the papers, a job caught her eye. It wasn't the job itself itself that excited her, but where the job was located. A business was requesting wizards to use their magic to draw crowds at Akane Beach. She grinned at the thought of getting to relax on the beach for a while.

"My magic is flashy enough for this... " she murmured to herself as she read the details. She glanced at Gajeel. She knew that he wouldn't be particularly thrilled with her choice, but he did tell her to pick. She heard him sigh, and his head fell to her shoulder. She laughed as his thick, black hair tickled her face. Nyx pushed his head up. "Gajeel!' she said still laughing. He stretched as he slowly came to.

"What do you need Jewels?" he asked drowsily, followed by a yawn. She held the paper out to him.

"I've decided on the job." Gajeel sat up with a slight grunt, then took the paper from her hand. As he read through it, he scowled. He then looked up at Nyx, one of his pierced brows raised.

"No," he stated simply. Her blue eyes became pleading.

"Come on, why not?"

"My magic isn't for some damn show and tell," he snapped. "And neither is yours." Gajeel's words brought a smile to her lips, but she wasn't giving up.

"I know it's not the best job, but look." She pointed at the description. "It's at Akane beach. I would love to spend a couple of days at the beach!" Gajeel let out a gruff laugh.

"That's why you wanna take this job?" She nodded. Gajeel sighed. "Nothing too flashy, got it?" Nyx grinned.

"Well, no promises there, but…" He pulled her close with one arm, kissing her forehead.

"You're a pain in the ass sometimes…" he muttered, his tone playful. "Well, guess we should be getting prepared to leave in a couple days. And Nyx, tell your brother the truth this time." She bit her lip and nodded sheepishly. He got to his feet and then helped her up. "Lets get going." Nyx nodded, already going through the potential outcomes of her nearing conversation with Gray.

Nyx slowly pushed her front door open, peeking inside. Seeing no sign of Gray, she stepped in quietly and closed the door behind her. The moment the door clicked, she heard footsteps coming from the kitchen.

"Crap…" Gray appeared within moments, wearing nothing but his boxers. "Gray, put your clothes on!" she nagged. He looked himself over, not even surprised by his unconscious habit anymore.

"Glad you're home. Where have you been?" Once upon a time, Nyx would have thought her brother was just starting conversation, but now she knew he was prying for different reasons. She walked over and took a seat on the couch, letting out a sigh.

"I was with Gajeel," she said tentatively. She could clearly see Gray tense up, and his displeasure fell off of him in waves, but when he said nothing she felt it was safe to continue. "We, well I, was looking through some job postings and it looks like we'll be going to Akane beach in a few days," she explained. Gray shook his head, then sat down beside her.

"No way. You are not going to the beach with him," he said, crossing his arms. Frustrated with her brother, she grabbed the pillow from beside her and whipped it at him. He held his arms up in defense. He grabbed the pillow as it hit him, and threw it aside. "Damnit Nyx! I'm serious," he snapped.

"I am too Gray! Gajeel is not some monster, he just-"

"He just nearly ripped you to shreds!"

"I've told you I don't care about that. He regrets it. He's changed Gray, why can't you see that?" she asked desperately. His gaze became intense.

"Because all I can see when I close my eyes is you laying on the ground, lifeless." There was a long, heavy silence. Finally Nyx rested a hand on her brother's knee.

"Gray, I understand what you're saying, where you're coming from. I get it, really I do, but please...try to do the same for me." Gray's jaw tensed and relaxed a few times as he contemplated her words.

"Fine, go to the beach with him." Nyx grinned. "I'm going with you guys though." Her eyes widened and her smile fell slightly.

"Wait, what?" Suddenly, someone charged into the room.

"Juvia would love to accompany Gray-sama to the beach!" Nyx looked over at the bluenette, surprise written across her face.

"Juvia, have you been here the whole time?" Nyx questioned incredulously. Her friend nodded. Nyx looked back and forth between Gray and Juvia, a quizzical eyebrow raised. She shook her head and moved past her confusion.

"Uh, yeah. That could be fun I suppose." Juvia smiled, clapping a little, and Gray grinned as well.

"It's settled then, we'll all spend some time at the beach," he stated decisively. Nyx sighed, not exactly unhappy, but a little worried.

"Gajeel is going to love this…" she muttered.