Cold Hearted?

Lucy embraced the sobbing Juvia as her sobs relentlessly continued. They could hear the sounds of a great battle, and Lucy having grown used to it was able to sense Natsu's thunder flame power. What baffled her was its sudden disappearance, then without warning the rain began to pour. It was obviously due to Juvia's suffering as if all her pent up pain and frustrations were being released all at once.

Cana's dejected appearance wasn't much help. Her long brown locks were clinging to her skin and her eyes were over shadowed by her hair. "Wow this place is so gloomy with all this rain" the sudden intervention of the stranger's vice drew everyone's attention. "YOU!" Cana shouted at the Gray lookalike. He completely ignored her and went on with his plan.

"So whys a pretty girl like you crying." The stranger gave Juvia a warm smile that made both Lucy and Cana doubt whether he was their enemy. Juvia had stopped crying and was looking at the stranger with a transfixed expression.

"Gray Sama?"

"Sorry wrong guy I'm just a hollow man. But I am a gentleman so I can't leave a distraught girl in pain. So how bout this."

He stretched out his hand letting the water flow through the gaps in his hand. That is until there was no longer water falling into his palm but snowflakes. The rain clouds that Juvia had summoned now produced snowflakes. The raven haired stranger gave her a toothy grin in response to her own warm smile. Lucy herself felt as though she was intruding on a vary intimate moment well until Cana stepped forward.

"Where's Natsu?" the stranger smile faded and was replaced a stern look.

"Hmm and what if I don't feel like telling you hmm"

"Then I'll force you to tell me"

"Oh the irony" Cana gave him a quizzical look. He just continued oh "If you're talking about salamander I guess you could say he's dead w-"before he could continue Cana threw a card at him. Despite its high velocity he easily caught, that was not a smart move. Now surrounding him were ten glowing cards. They released strong beams of lights that were all directed to the card in his hands but not exactly. Ten deadly beams pierced his body and then the cards began to rotate dicing his body up.

Lucy looked on with an expression of shock and dread. But then the strangest thing happened his shattered body seemed to be made of ice and then the scattered pieces recollected and reformed his body. "You know you can't kill a hollow man that easily." Cana was petrified; she'd never before seen something like that. Now she really feared for Natsu's well being. She felt a flick to her forehead, it was him. She instinctively backed up a bit.

"Calm down Cana there's no way I could ever hurt you, that bastard would kill me. Anyway I have a message from an old friend of yours, don't bother to ask who it is. Just listen, he said stop chasing after him he can't ever return to that place again." He let out a sigh. "Well now that my jobs done I can finally go back to where I belong."

In an unknown town, there is a young man clad only in boxers carrying a large wooden beam. He has scars above his left eye, a cross shaped scar on his right abdomen and a certain guilds mark on his chest. "Hey kid, take that down the street to the old church." The 'kid' in question responded with a nod. While on his way to his destination he was ambushed by the local kids. "Hey aniki show us some magic!" they all shouted together.

"Hey you brats I'm not your slave you know" he gave them an annoyed glance.

"Anyway I can't right now… let's just say my magic is otherwise occupied." He gave them a look that told them he wanted them gone. Before they left they had one last question for him.

"Hey aniki what happened to your tattoo and why'd you bleach your hair."

"Hey why don't you kids leave your big bro alone huh." The kids said their last awes and were on their way.

"Sup Cassandra" standing before him was one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen. She was an old friend of his since back when he was a toddler. They had been reunited five months ago and she was the reason he was staying in this town helping out with the town's reconstruction. He dropped of the beam and then proceeded to meet up with Cassandra.

"Why are you still here?"

"I could ask you the same thing"

"I'm different from you. I don't have anyone waiting on me"

"Can you stop bringing that up. I've already told you I can't return there. Not anymore."

"You still haven't told me why." He sighed.

"It's simple really I don't want to hurt someone special to me." He looked to his old friend; she too was someone very special to him. He took a good look at her it never stopped startling him how different she was now. Her long golden hair draping her shoulders her fair silky skin in contrast to her bright blue gown. Her delicate frame sat on and old crate and she was staring intently at him with her hazel coloured eyes. They had the look of someone deep in thought. "Do you miss them?" he knew that she wasn't referring to his old friends but to those they had both lost a long time ago.

"Every day"

"Please don't leave me behind again." He could hear the pleading in her voice and just couldn't deny her.

"Never"

Thank you Gray."