A/N: ...

So, hello again ladies(say ayee!) and gentlemen(say heyaaa!) haha. I'm here once again. Sure, I'm really taking long to reach the climax, eh..and I honestly don't have any plans for the three(oh, you know who they are). I already had a plan for the ending, though. Hiiieeeeee!~ must overcome (my dearest enemy) writer's block.

The next events would probably be hurriedly paced. I'll try my best(est) to keep this story simpler-hopefully, more GrayZa love in the next chapters, well...

PurpMallows:heyaa~ it may seem that I'm a stranger in this place..hmmm~ but I'll be doing today's disclaimer, yeah?~

Disclaimer: Ice does not own Fairy Tail(owwh, what a name) or me, in any way~ enjoy!~

Warning: Grammatical errors. If you're kind enough to point those out^^please do.

- Chapter 8: Comeback

The sun has already peeked through the horizon, as one lone figure witnessed them all unfold there in a certain spot. Gray heaved a sigh, adjusted himself in the creaking wood for support, and ran a hand through his raven locks. Daylight has begin to reach him from afar and he felt at ease. Alone he was, perched atop from the highest place there is in the guild's building, where a clock ticks and rings when it's time. So much for the good in the morning, he thought, when you wake up from an unnerving dream.

But then, you can't ruin the good feels in a beautiful sunrise, right? That's right, watching it rise and at the same time how it set from the same horizon he'd see in Magnolia. Why, it's always better to look something from the beginning till the end.

The end...

'That's a little harsh.'

The end of the story begins now.

'Shut up! What the hell! Why am I talking to myself! And who the hell are you messing up with my head!-Urrhhh!'

"Good morning, Gray." came a cheerful voice from behind, immediately halting his actions.

"M-master!" Gray almost fell off.

"Yo! I see you're quite accustomed to coming here, no?"

"U-uh.. I usually go here to clear my mind.." he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. Makarov sat beside a spot next to the ice mage.

"Oh, something's bothering you then?" asked a worried old man.

"Nah, just a nightmare." there was silence between them. Silence to enjoy the last bits of moments of peace before they go down to face the day ahead. But Gray knew better-

"You're the one who seemed troubled, old man.." he glanced sideways, the wrinkles and sags even more visible in the sunlight.

"It may be my old man's instincts-but I feel something's coming up, boy.."

"... I need to ask you a favor." This took the ice mage aback for a second or two. Well, he's earned his title as an S-class mage, these are the things that made him giddy.

"We made it! We reached Magnolia before noon!" Coral-streaked locks jumped up and down in the big, crowdy streets. The older figure had her hands on her hips while grinning.

"We finally made it back, been a long time, no?" The scarlet stretched her hands upward, with an undoubtedly happy face. Beside her was an equally cheerful man, who smiled after heaving a tired sigh.

"I'm beat...I'm glad they gave us a break."

"Come on, lazy head! Last one's a loser!" Jellal almost kissed the ground when the armored lady tapped his back too hard. And off they go running like young teenage students in their hippie days. Like running with grayed coats didn't make them stand out and gained a few curious eyes from the town folks.

"Hurry up, you're getting older!"

"I'm not gonna lose to any of you.." the devil Titania spoke, with an all-glowing eyes. Erza,who took the competition too seriously like always, ran a full speed ahead with a blazing trail of dust and and earth.

"Looks like you're the ones losing-" she smirked like she's sure to win. She didn't take too much attention to people she ran into. There were familiar faces, people she's meet and helped a couple of times before, many people had recognize her, too with her signature hair color and greeted along the way. Erza slowed down when she felt like she needed to. To take the all-familiar scenery, the noise, but that is just a part of the things she missed. She missed her guild, her friends, her-

And for whatever in the wind that caught her attention, something-someone perhaps-? She looked back..nothing. A teenage boy waved at her, and she smiled back.

"Hey, Erza! Talk about not losing, huh?"

'Must be my imagination..' she took one last look, a distant look from the concrete but vintaged walls.. There was that certain spot, she didn't know why she was drawn to it. Then she turned back.

"Come on, Erza! I'm starving!"

'Sorry.. It may have been good to see you again.. But not now.'

- They finally arrive at the guild. Everyone was at first,meet wide-eyed like time stopped. But then, a certain blonde was the first to break the stinging silence..like this...

"Erzaaaaaaaaaaa! You guys are back!" The gang was meet with hugs and cheers and warm greetings like the first time. Soon enough, a party( Fairy Tail style) has started and all was in a mayhem. Erza and Jellal chose to seat at the bar counter where they're served by an overjoyed Mira, beside a giddy Natsu, an enthusiastic Lucy, a happily drunk and a smiling Wendy. The rest were laughing their selves out and probably started another brawl( Ultear and Meredy included) and somehow the four of them were having a pretty great time for a warm welcome. Wendy's now a big girl with waist-line ocean blue hair( still frustrated for some reasons; Cana's finally an S- class and now only drinks in special ocassions( like four times a week, still the same barrel count per day); Levy's grown two inches or three; Lucy's still the same (with much grown body); Macao's drinking beer while saying he's gonna retire soon and is passing the title to a certain headset-wearing blonde; and a lot taller Natsu with barely mature attitude (sigh) though he's earned another S-class and a fairly good name for him being a (in)famous mage capable of burning anything( actually everything), along with that strippe-

"Hey, does everyone seem to forget Gray?" came a bewildered question from the blonde girl.

"He should be here, right?" Wendy followed.

"I hear he's out on a mission. Oh, dear he's definitely chose the wrong time to go out an entire continent far..." Mirajane swooped one glass to the counter.

"No one can blame him, though.. We're really surprised you guys came today!"

"Oh..."

"That icehead.. Missing out all the fun!" Natsu bellows, obviously drunk.

"Hey guys, you're staying for Valentines, right?"

"Uhh, is it already near?" Erza looks up. Jellal's the same.

"Yeah! We can celebrate together with you, lovebirds!" Lucy clasped her hands with all the glitters and shimmers in her eyes. The two mages choked on their drink, now beet red. Hopefully, the two recovered but it also earned giggles from their friends.

"I don't know... We don't really know since anytime the Council will order us around again.." Erza spoke in a sad tone.

"Don't worry, Erza! We'll still have fun!"

"We can go shopping!"

"I'm going with you guys!"

"You girls can go yourselves! Hey Jellal, drink your share! We're not getting you off the hook!"

"Uh, no tha-" before the guy could reply, the Card magic user had already chugged a barrel unto him, forcibly.

"Come on, you don't wanna get beaten by your old man, do ya?~hic" Makarov holds his glass high up and grins, and when nobody's looking, worry was etched on his face, staring at an equally face of anxiety of the blue-haired man. When a hand slips through his, from the now armor-less scarlet saying,

"Forget about it, Jellal... We'll save that later.." and then squeezed his hand, Jellal smiled in reassurance, Makatov was able to lift his own heavy heart a little. 'This whole thing may be coming to us without knowing, but I'm sure our family will handle anything for our comrades'

"Come on, Erza! The day's not getting any younger!-Meredy, Ultear-san! You should come along with us, we're going to have fuuuun!" called Lucy to the riot that had now occurred in the hall( or what's left of it)

"Comingg!"