Sadness
"Oh great, where did that Iceblock go now?" Natsu whined, He had just turned around to ask Gray if this was truly the way out and how he had known, but when he had turned around... Gray was gone; once again.
"Gray!" Lucy shouted, hoping to get a response. She waited for a few seconds and sighed.
"How about we keep moving. Maybe we'll find him?" She suggested.
"But we would have seen him, Lucy." Happy said, flying up next to her.
"Well what other option do we have then? Natsu can you pick up his scent anywhere?" Natsu was already sniffing the air when Lucy had asked. He was looking all over the place trying to catch Grays scent, and after a few seconds he nodded.
"Yep," He replied, then he pointed straight ahead; down the road. "It's that way."
As the team were following Natus's nose, Natsu had another look around the town again. The place seemed to have gotten darker, the snow was a darker white now, and the fog around the place was a darker colour than it was. The houses has even lost that fiery, candle glow; now it was only a faint, dim glow. It was kinda creepy, Natsu thought, how the lights were on inside but nobody was in there; he could see outlines of other objects like a couch or a bookcase but there was no movement at all.
The house up ahead looked like a castle but only smaller. The colour of the house was a light, grassy, green colour, it was a two story house that each story looked to be about the same size of the guild hall. Natsu looked down at the front of the house where the door was. It was a big, oak door, that had a snowflake on it. Some of the snowflake was a bright silver and the other bits had a nice, grey colour. The door was built between two large pillars that were the same grassy, green colour but they had sparkling, gold stripes going down. On the left pillar he realised that there was someone sitting there, crouched down with their head on their knees. As the group walked closer to the person, he started to look more and more familiar. He recognised that raven messy hair and the scent was the same as... Grays! But once again, he was different; this time he wasn't wearing the orange coat or his normal white cloak, it was GREY!
"Oi Gray! Where did you go, this time?" Natsu asked, as they came closer.
"Yeah. You just disappeared on us again." Happy said flying up to Gray who was still crouched down, crying.
"Gray, are you alright?" Lucy asked cautiously, putting her hand on his shoulder. As soon as she made contact with him he flinched. Lucy shrieked a little, taken aback. Gray didn't look up; his head was facing down and his arms were covering his face.
"Th-there're all gone." Gray said suddenly, in a small voice. When Gray spoke up
"What do you mean, Iceblock?" Natsu asked, trying to mask the concern out of voice, but failing.
"M-my family, and my f-friends; all gone." He sniffled a bit and continued. "He came through the night. The demon-the demon took everyone away from in one night. There was blood, screaming, fire and blood. Oh God." He started hyperventilating now. The others looked at each other in panic.
"Uumm, ok Gray. Hey it's ok. You just need to calm down now ok? Just take deep breaths. In and out." Lucy instructed as she walked over to him and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. Gray did what he was told. He took a big breath in and a big breath out.
"There. Are you better now?" She asked, uncertain. Gray gave a shrug. To Natsu, he looked so small and vulnerable, it shocked Natsu. This was definitely not the Gray he knew.
"Do you want to come with use and help us find a way out Gray?" Happy asked, trying to snuggle into Gray's lap. Gray looked down at him, and shrugged again.
"Bu I can't leave, I just can't! This is my home, and where my family should be. I want to be with them, I want them back!" Gray shrieked, looking up at them, tears streaming down his face.
Lucy looked up at Natsu, confusion written all over her face. What do we do? She mouthed at him. Natsu just shrugged.
"Hey Gray," Natsu started and crouched down next to him. "Listen. I know what it's like to miss someone, but you know that they're not really gone, right? They'll always be with you and you have a new family now as well, you're family and friends would want you to move on, and live. They'll want you to be happy." Natsu said. Luce was looking at him shocked but also in awe.
"But you don't understand." Gray said, angrily. "There're all gone because of me. It was my fault that my Master died, and my fault that my parents died because I didn't listen to them. My parents told me to run and I didn't and my Master said that I couldn't go and fight Deliora because I wasn't strong enough, but I just ignored her. IT"S MY FAULT!" He yelled. He put his head on Happy's and hugged him tighter. natsu and Lucy looked at each other again, hopelessly.
"Hey Gray. You have to know that it wasn't your fault that they died. You were just a kid. And i'm sure that they don't see it as your fault," Lucy tried.
"I know that, but I can't stop thinking like it is my fault." Gray spoke quietly, his tears were stopping.
"Gray look, I am positive that they still love you, and they don't think that it's our fault, alright? And I'm sure that the're happy knowing that you have a new family. Don't let them down by crying." Natsu said. Gray gave a small nod, and Natsu smiled, relieved. "Good. How about you show us the way out?" he asked hopefully.
"Ok." He replied in a small voice. Natsu grabbed Gray's free arm and helped him stand up. Gray looked down at Happy who was in Gray's other arm and hugged him a bit.
"It's this way." Gray pointed down the right street. They started walking where Gray had pointed.
"Hey Gray, just wondering. How do you know where we are going?" Lucy asked out of curiosity. Gray shrugged, hugging Happy tighter, and pulling him close.
"I don't know. Sorry." He replied looking away from them; tears were starting to form in Gray's eyes.
"Uuuhh, it's ok. I was only wondering." Lucy said, trying to reassure him that everything was all good and t make him start to cry again.
"Hey Lucy?" Gray asked suddenly.
"I'm sorry about breaking into your apartment every time, and reading your novel without your permission." Lucy was startled and confused at this apology. 'He doesn't usually apologise for stealing my novel. We really need to find what's up. First he's angry and now he's said.'
"Uhh, that's ok Gray." She didn't really know what else to say.
"And Natsu." Natsu looked at him, confused as well.
"I'm sorry for all the times I've called you an idiot, and the times I've called you flamebrain. And those other times when I pranked you, and those times I blamed you to Erza for my mistakes. and-"
"Just shut up already! Will you?" Natsu suddenly shouted, at this Gray went silent. Natsu was so confused. Why was Gray apologising for this stuff. I do all of that to him to. Natsu thought.
"I'm sorry." gray said again, but looked away, scared because of Natsu's glare.
"Listen, Iceblock. I do all the teasing and pranking you too. It's kinda our thing, you know?" Natsu said. Uugghh, how am i supposed to handle this. The iceprincess isn't usually like this. What is going on? Mood swings?
"Listen Gray. It's all a joke and you don't have to feel bad about it alright? Because if you do than I guess I kinda will t and I don't want that because I like our friendship the way it is. Ok?" Hopefully that did something. Natsu's pray was heard when Gray sniffled and nodded. Natsu sighed with relief.
"Phew. I hope I never have to go through that again." Lucy and Happy laughed, and Gray chuckled. Geay quickly stopped chuckling and looked down confused.
"That's never happened before. It shouldn't have happened." He muttered. Happy looked up at Gray.
"You alright Gray." Gray shook his head and shrugged.
"Mmh." They walked onwards again through the town.
"Hey Gray I got another question." Lucy looked up uncertainly at Gray.
"Yeah? What is it?"
"That house that you were leanimg against. What was it?" She asked.
"Oh that was the chief's house for my village. It's a pretty amazing house if you ask me. I-I ised to live there, you know. But now-now it's all covered in snow and half of it's d-destroyed." He started to tesr up again.
"Uugh Lucy." Licy looked at him, angrily.
"What? I didn't mean to make him cry." She walked over and wrapped her arm around his shoulders.
"I'm dorry Gray. I didn't mean to make you cry. I-I was just curious that's all." Gray gave a small nod and sniffed again.
"It's ok i'm sorry for crying ao often. I-I can't help it."
"Like I said, it's ok Gray and you don't need to apologise."
"Hey Gray? You said that was the chief's house and you used to live therthere. Were you the chief or something." Natsu asked. Happy and Lucy both sighed in annoynce. Gray shook his head.
"No my Dad was the chief. I just lived there." He whispered in a small vocie.
"Oh ok." Natsu nodded, then as Gray's words processed in his mind...
"Wait WHAAAATTT!" Gray flinched at his shout, but nodded.
"So you were going to be chief someday." Gray shrugged again.
"Yeah I guess. Look it's that way." He pointed and the others looked upahead again.
"Ok- Huh!" Lucy looked to find Gray was gone again. "HappHappy where did he go?" She asked him amd Happy shrugged.
"I don't know. One minute I was in his arms then the next minute i'm down here."
"Oh great we lost him again." Narsu muttered.
"Let's keep going. Maybe he went back to look for somethong and he's going to meet us?" Lucy suggested. The others half nodded half shrugged.
"Yeah I guess. Let's go. Hopefully Gray isn't weird this time." He said and they headed of.
Alright hope you enjoyed chapter 3. Thank u for reading and please review. Thanks.
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