Author's Note: The new chapter for a New Year, I know I'm slow on an update but I felt that this should be worked on extensively. Let's get this chapter on the way, so review and enjoy!
Chapter 18
The next day things were just as regular as it could possibly be with everyone in Fairy Tail, save for a completely pissed off fire dragon slayer. Said slayer was busy pouting as he sat with the rest of his team after hearing how Levy's day went as soon as she came back the evening before, finding it completely unfair that he gets beat by Erza for kissing Gray while the bluenette gets excited squeals and praise. Sure his was accidental and he tripped over Happy's fish, but it was still a kiss anyway you look at it and does he get any attention? No, he just gets punched into the next support pillar and gets stuck having to watch what he says around Erza.
"It's like she thinks she'll lose Gray for forever or something..." Natsu thought to himself grumpily as the others continued to speak enthusiastically at how Levy had created a perfect scenario for her to lose herself in the moment.
"Come on girls, it was a sweet moment and I think it was also sweet of him to change the awkward air around us when I ran off right after." Levy was still trying to get past the entire ordeal between the ice mage and Gajeel, but even though she may not be as great of a concealer as Gray, she still believes that since her friends haven't said anything yet on how off her mood was then it was all good.
"That may be the case Levy, but you are technically our set point in the race of Gray ever since the meeting. Meaning that anything that has happened before can and will affect the final outcome, but this is where what we do now truly shapes how the entire thing will end." Erza spoke up as she made sure to have herself on alert in case something were to blindside them. She could never be too careful, especially when a formerly retired demoness is up to the challenge and ready to get back in the game.
"What I don't get is why we're here instead of going to the ice pop's house and walking walking to the guild with him?" Natsu asked as he lazily placed his head in his arms, burying most of his face underneath his scarf since he was bored beyond belief.
"It was the deal we made with Gray, Natsu. We agreed not to disturb him if he showed us his house, plus we can't really afford to annoy him if we want to stay on his good side." Lucy answered as the same thought had crossed her mind earlier, but she had taken into account of who would be going and decided that it wasn't worth the risk.
"Tch... I just wish he was with us than with Juvia." Now that was another reason why Natsu wasn't in the brightest of moods, since Gray had come in that morning much earlier than any of them it became open season for anyone to get his attention. Obviously his die hard follower had been the closest one and immediately sprang for the opportunity as the ice mage was arguably in a good mood.
Many people were disappointed to miss a golden opportunity so early in the morning and they all had a general idea of what Juvia would do. She had been trying to get his attention for months, so she basically had to be her regular self and it would be much harder since she'll most likely double her efforts. Needless to say that no one was as annoyed as Lucy, since she was Love Rival number one in Juvia's book and it would simply be the water mage flaunting herself all over her Gray while she was powerless to do anything. Aforementioned blonde and her team mates looked on at the interaction that was happening between their ice mage and the water woman at the bar counter.
"Gray-sama have some of these cookies Juvia baked for her beloved! They're tasty chibi versions of Gray-sama!" She excitedly claimed pushing forward a small basket of freshly baked cookies of her love in chibi version.
"As much as it bothers me to see my face on a pastry like that, I can't really deny that they're pretty good." Gray had to admit that even if it somewhat freaked him out to always see his face on a cookie, Juvia wasn't that half bad a baker herself. "But like I said before, you don't need to overdo it on small things for me all the time Juvia." It wasn't the first time she's done this, but he was getting tired of telling her that it wasn't necessary; however, the ice mage felt as if she hears it for a second and lets it go right after.
"How pitiful that you can't accept such a lovely gesture from such a beautiful woman Gray." Gray stood up from his stool and inwardly cringed as he heard one of the most annoying voices that makes a close second to Natsu's. One he hadn't expected to hear this early in the morning.
"Lyon, what are you even doing here?" Gray crossed his arms as he watched his former senior casually walk towards him, although his gaze was more focused on Juvia than him.
"Two reasons of course; the first is to make sure you don't hurt the feelings of my lovely Juvia," As he said this he had managed to squeeze his way between the two and act as a barrier that not many onlookers were complaining about. "And the second is because I had received a call to come by your guild."
"Who the hell would want to call you, ya ice bastard?" Gray remarked as he leaned against the bar counter, glaring at him as he gave a smirk towards his fellow ice mage.
"I did..."
Gray turned to see Loke make his way towards the three, leaving the ravenette baffled that he of all people would want to call on the ice prick standing next to him. He thought it was all a joke, but that serious face the lion spirit wore was telling him something different. The ice mage wondered what Loke would ever want with Lyon, he barely knew the man to be anything more than an acquaintance.
"Oi Loke, care to explain why you called this idiot over?" Gray questioned as Loke flashed him a charming smile as he began to pull Lyon away from them.
"I needed him to get some info on this really cute girl in Lamia Scale is all, Lyon looked like he was close to her so maybe he could tell me a little more about her. I would do my thing naturally, but I wanted to improve my charm a little more if you know what I mean." The strawberry blonde spirit kept moving on with Lyon as said mage blurted a number of things proclaiming his love for Juvia and the such that Gray could care less about.
"Now I've seen it all if Loke needs help getting a girl." Gray commented as he sat right back down on his stool, but right before Juvia could enjoy even more time with her Gray-sama her hand was grabbed and she was being led away by Lyon.
"Lyon-sama where are you taking Juvia?" She wasn't expecting him to take her away so suddenly and it didn't help the fact that she needed to stay at her Gray-sama's side or else she'll be left in the dust by the others.
"Why rescuing you from a lowly heathen that doesn't appreciate what you do for him of course!" Lyon exclaimed as he dragged her away from Gray who was getting ticked off by the things Lyon was saying, but couldn't retort fast enough before he was out of earshot.
"Damn that bastard, always finding way to get under my skin." Gray grumbled to himself as he got another "Gray cookie" from the left behind basket.
"Oh my, could you be jealous of him Gray?" Mira said as she walked up to him, her hands holding a few breakfast platters.
"As if I'll ever be jealous of that idiot, Mira" Gray replied with a smirk as she placed the platters down for the two guild mates waiting for it at a nearby table.
"I suppose not Gray, but there is something I want to speak with you about in a few minutes." Mira said as the sound of someone jerking up in their seats was heard, but was mainly ignored by the ice mage as he looked over at Mira.
"Sure I'm not doing anything important right now, so long as you aren't busy that is." Gray replied, but of course the other half of him had to say something as well for Mira, "I will always have time for you Mira no matter what."
"O-Oh don't worry Gray, I'm not very busy and Kinana can hold down the fort for a while." Mira replied as the faintest glow of pink began to form over her cheeks; however, that didn't stop her from flashing a victorious smirk over to her main rival that she knew must have heard what was going on by now.
"Well alright then, I'll probably be still around here for you to find me." Gray watched as the barmaid simply give a meek nod before going off about business, all the while Gray could feel an ominus glare on him and it felt like there was more than just one.
Back at Team E.L.L.N.'s table a very angered Titania was doing her best to keep her anger in check, sadly it came at the cost of Natsu's arm held in a death grip. He overheard Mira talking to Gray and was about to charge in their and fight him to stop the conversation from going anywhere, but Erza grabbed a hold of him and kept him in place. She of course had to remind him that they couldn't interfere with anyone who managed to get Gray for a bit, but her mood made an instant 180 when she saw the smirk Mira gave her. Erza never really liked it when the demoness would steal her things when she wasn't looking and she'd be damned before she allowed Mira to do it again especially with Gray. Though it was because of how serious she stayed to her word that prevented her from taking the ice mage away from the white haired demon he was talking to.
"E-Erza come on, let go of my arm! I need it to bash the snowman's face in for agreeing with Mira!" Natsu exclaimed as he was slowly losing the feeling in his hands and could swear his fingers were turning purple.
"Yeah Erza, all we can do now is act calm and hope Gray doesn't fall for her." Levy said as she cautiously tried to calm down the angered redhead.
"What you two don't understand is that blue eyed she demon's going to stick her fangs in my Gray and he'll become powerless to her charms." Erza seethed as both Natsu and Levy flinched at her attitude, full knowing that the redhead has possibly reverted to her old ways when it came to Mira.
"Don't you think you're exaggerating a little Erza?" Lucy squeaked as she noticed the murderous aura she was giving off, much too afraid to voice her opinion any louder.
"You haven't been around the guild since we were children Lucy, for if you were then you'd understand that what I've said can be no closer than the exact truth!" Erza was frightening already when she was angry, but Lucy could only imagine how scary she was years ago when Mira was just as bad.
"Aye, the Great Erza knows what she's talking about." Happy chimed in from his spot on the table, watching with an amused smile of what was happening to his best pal.
"Suck up..." Lucy automatically retorted until she realized that Happy was with them the whole time. "Wait a minute, Happy do you even know what is going on!?"
"Aye, all of you are after Gray so he could stay on your team and Levy's helping you." The blue furred cat replied as both the blonde and blunette looked at each other quizzically then turned their gaze over his caretaker and pink haired best friend.
"What? I explained it carefully to Happy so he wouldn't think things were getting weird or something." Natsu replied as his face turned into a pained expression once again. "Now could you guys help get Erza off!" Even while they talked, Erza had yet to release her grip on Natsu's arm until both women slowly eased her off and tried to calm her down.
"Come on Erza it'll be okay, plus we're going to need Natsu at some point. That means he's going to need his arm back, before he loses feeling in it." Lucy was relieved when the red head slowly loosened her grip and calmed herself with a few long breaths before she spoke once again.
"I apologize Natsu, I did not mean to cause you so much pain. My own grudge against that she demon went unchecked and for that I am sorry, please strike me for what I have done." Erza bowed her head to him and everyone was more or less in complete awe at how fast she was able to get herself in order so quickly.
"T-That's alright Erza, he doesn't need payback." Lucy spoke up as she patted the requip mage's shoulder gently.
"But..."
"Right Natsu, you only need her word of apology." The dragon slayer would've retorted, but the look he was receiving from Lucy shut him up and he decided to concede.
"Fine, Luce's right and I don't need that free hit to accept it." Natsu sarcastically replied, slightly bummed out that he didn't get a free hit on Erza.
"Well it's great to know that we settled it rather easily, but I'm still curious as to what you make of this Happy?" Levy asked towards the small blue cat who was busy chomping away at his fish Kinana had brought over while they were calming down Erza.
"I find it funny that Natsu's so serious in making sure Gray stays on your team and Erza doesn't like it when Mira takes things away from her, ever since they were young she never liked it." Happy replied as he got a curious stare from Lucy, while Levy signaled him to go on with his explanation. "Basically, I understand why she would say it was her Gray because he is her team mate, but what I don't get is why Natsu's always grumbling about Gray being his after he talks with Gajeel and after they fight too."
"Well from what I know, Gajeel's been thinking about forming his own team with Juvia and was thinking about having Gray on it too." Levy said as the blue cat nodded his head in understanding, coming to his own conclusion that Natsu was being like Erza and didn't want something he had taken away. "By the way, did you ever find out who Natsu likes?"
Levy wanted to know as she overheard him saying that simple catch phrase on Natsu some time ago and thought that he already had an answer. Plus she wondered what his reaction was when he discovered it was Gray.
"Not really, but I'm pretty sure it's Lisanna!" He chirped as the entire table looked at him in wonderment, except for Natsu who was looking at a different direction while he spoke.
"What makes you think that? Couldn't he be into someone like Lucy since they spend a lot of time together?" Levy asked as the mentioned blonde blushed from her friend's claim and Erza nodded her head in agreement.
"I would've thought the same way as well, before the recent information presented to me that is." Erza said as Happy gave some thought to it, but gave a regular smile and crossed his arms.
"There's no way someone would like Lucy, she's too loud." Happy replied as the blonde gave out an insulted "Hey!"
"Besides, Natsu and Lisanna played house all the time together when they were kids and she's the only girl I know that makes his face go all pink sometimes." He continued as all the girls looked over at said dragon slayer who was facing them with a hurried expression until he caught onto their looks.
"What?" He asked as the others gave exasperated sighs, their thoughts on how the dragon slayers feelings for the white haired girl dashed away as they understood how he was with a love interest.
"Nevermind Natsu, but what was with that face you just had? It was like you wanted to tell us something." Lucy said as his face perked up again into the hurried expression he had earlier.
"That's right! I was going to tell you that Gray and Mira already left together!" He exclaimed as it finally dawned on them that the eldest Strauss had a plan of her own set in motion.
The others were once again thrown into worry over what Mira could possibly have in mind for Gray and it didn't help their imaginations knowing that she is a queen in her field of matchmaking. All outcomes they had in mind had a similar ending with Gray holding Mira tenderly and she would claim that it was all over and that his heart belonged to her. While their faces turned into moping ones, Happy was just giggling at how Lucy's face morphed into a distraught one until he looked over at Natsu's. The pink haired slayer's face looked to be filled with determination about something and as all cats are (in Happy's for sure reasoning) his curiosity gnawed at him to know why the news made the others mope, but not him.
"You seem to still stand strong Natsu, how come?" The dragon slayer merely grinned down to his blue furred friend before igniting his fist on fire.
"That's simple little buddy, cuz if there's one thing I'm making sure of, then it's getting Gray to come around to like me the way I do to him and having him stay by my side! He'll be closer to me than anyone else!" Natsu still had his determined face as he spoke while Happy was making his ever so devious face to him.
"Natsu llllliiiiiikkkkkeeeeesssss Gra- wait a minute... Natsu you like Gray!" Happy's world was shifted upside down now as the impossible had just happened.
Was his best friend and caretaker now interested with his biggest rival? It didn't seem possible in a million years and Happy would bet his fish on that without question, but to hear him say that just blew him away. How could it happen, last time he checked Natsu was a bit of a stumbling mess after Lisanna told him that she'd be his wife someday. Sure it was a long time ago when she said it, but he knew Natsu would still think about it from time to time. Even with his mind becoming jumbled and the way of order was shifting before his very eyes, Happy held one thing that Natsu said in his head much longer than anything else.
"He'll be closer to you than anyone else?" Happy's voice slightly quivered as he repeated what Natsu said and tears started to form at the corners of his large eyes. "Does it mean that you're replacing me Natsu!?"
"What? There's no way I'd do that little buddy!" Natsu tried to reach out for him, but Happy stepped back as anime tears streamed down his eyes.
"Than I'll make sure of it, I'll tell Gray not to get close to you so there's no chance I'll get replaced!" With that the little blue cat flew off in search of where ever the ice mage went off to with Mira in hopes that he'd at least hear him out and help in some way.
"Wait Happy don't say anything!" It was already too late for him to stop the flying blue cat as he was already out of the guild doors and Natsu gazed on at his retreating form in defeat.
"What are you doing Natsu, go after him!" Lucy said as he looked over at Erza and back to her.
"I can't, cuz I'm not allowed to "interfere" when someone has Gray to themselves." He replied as the sarcasm hadn't gone unnoticed, especially around his emphasis on the word interfere.
"Well it's not right leaving Happy to go on and tell Gray." Levy spoke up as she could tell that it wouldn't be the wisest idea to let him be on his own in that state.
"She's right Natsu, if Mira discovers that there is division within our ranks, than she'll capitalize on it." Erza added in as she could see how it would benefit the elder Strauss in her ways of gaining Gray. "She'll most likely help Happy in making sure you don't get close to Gray, thus helping herself gain a foothold on us while assisting in Happy's wishes." Mira was clever when it came to strategy and ever since the meeting it has become a no holds barred situation.
"Alright I get it, I'll go after him. Just hope I find him before he finds them." Natsu quickly sprang to his feet and ran out of the guild doors; however the girls were still unsure if they should've let Natsu go alone.
They all knew if any one of them had tagged along with him and were somehow caught, then there would be a price to pay for interrupting Mira's time with Gray. Although it was also bad that they sent Natsu alone, meaning that there was an overly excitable dragon slayer who would most likely be tailing them. With that, who knows what he'll do when Mira makes a move on Gray whether it was intentional or not, but there was one person that could not be counted as interfering. Use one dragon slayer to stop a possible problem, send out another to go after him and make sure he doesn't become the problem.
Erza immediately called for Wendy and explained the situation they were in to her, she of course was their best option to make sure nothing would happen if she kept watch over him. She may not be in the race with the rest of them, but one may say that the little dragon slayer had a bias towards Team E.L.L.E.N. since her new brother was a part of the team that made three-fourths of it. Even so, they really couldn't call her out on it since who would do that to a little girl and besides ,what trouble could she possibly get into if her main objective was to make sure Natsu doesn't make a mess of things?
With a few more words, the young dragon slayer set off after Natsu with Carla following close behind her as a second form to stop Happy, of course she didn't know the last part. Levy and Lucy hoped she found him in time before things went south, but Erza had confidence that Wendy was very capable in handling the situation.
With Gray and Mira, the ice mage was asked by the barmaid to accompany her on a small errand run around Magnolia for the guild. Of course Gray being himself didn't feel up to it and denied, but Mira played her crying card and his answer immediately changed. She knew that Gray wasn't a fan of a girl's tears and was always willing to find a way to make them stop which always made him go into a panic state when she did it. Showing tears and feining that she was crying worked in her favor against Gray for many years, ever since she learned one truth he didn't reveal to anyone but her when Lisanna "died".
Gray on the other hand was grumbling to himself for falling for Mira's fake tears routine again, knowing that it was something that would always get him one way or the other. He hated to see girls cry, something that always bothered him ever since he was young and could either place it on how his father taught him or just by his personal feelings on the matter. It was one thing getting taught not to make a girl cry and to try and make them feel better, but when he saw it for himself it was a completely different experience. At times he wondered if a girl's tears were one of his biggest weaknesses outside of combat, yet he felt it to be one of his biggest motivators to try and uplift them from their sadness.
In his travels to the west he saw and met plenty of people, some he helped to the best of his abilities and that girl he rescued from that guild, Chrono Sound or Noise which ever one since he couldn't quite remember, was the first time he witnessed a girl's tears. Even when he saw them again when he helped her reunite with her family, Gray knew that the ones that impacted him the most were those from Erza and Mira. Two of the toughest girls he has ever known who could even rival Laxus in a fight showed tears of true despair, the same ones he wishes to never see again and would do everything in his power to avoid seeing them. Now that he thought about it, maybe that was the reason he so readily changed his answer for Mira whenever she did her crying routine.
"What do you think Gray?" Came the sweet voice of Mira that instantly snapped him back to reality as he turned to look at her apologetically.
"Sorry Mira I didn't catch that, can you run that by me again?"
"Sure thing Gray, I asked you if I should place an order of fruit to be delivered to the guild so I could make that punch from the celebration again." Mira had received a number of requests to make her punch again; however, she lacked the necessary ingredients to make it again and was asking Gray at the moment if she should place an order so she can make it sooner or wait a bit longer.
"Well I didn't get a chance to drink it last time, so I say yes. It'll give me a chance to get a taste of your punch Mira." He replied until he glowed in a beautifying light, "Hopefully that's not all I get a taste of from you, Mira."
Mira blushed furiously as she looked away from the mage and asked the man behind the counter to place the order for Fairy Tail. He wrote down the number and types of fruits she wanted on his notepad, giving her a kind smile as he told her that it'll be at the guildhall on time. She thanked him, although her face still held a bright blush as she bid him goodbye and moved on to the next place she needed to visit. The ice mage following her at her side, but she felt slightly down knowing that Gray was aloof for a bit while they were together.
"I guess you're a little bored being with me, huh Gray." Mira said as the ice mage quickly denied it, stuttering for an answer until she giggled, "It's okay, when Elfman comes with me he gets like that too."
"It's not that I was bored Mira, more like I got deep into thought is all." Gray knew he had been doing that a lot recently, but he wouldn't outright say he was also thinking about her and Erza; however, his beautified self would do that for him. "To be honest, I was daydreaming about you."
"Oh, I-I see. Well maybe you can tell me about it some time." To be fair, Mira always received pick up lines and flirty remarks from a number of men, but to get one from Gray along with her interest in him made it an all new experience.
"Maybe I'll take you up on it." Gray replied as they continued to walk through the market area, but something felt off for Gray.
As he walked alongside the white haired mage, the constant feeling of being watched creeped up on him every time he turned his head. For a split second he could've sworn he saw brown hair duck behind a box some time ago, but it didn't seem to be what was grating on his surrounding senses. He tried to place it on something until he caught the jealous glares from a number of other guys he passed as he continued walking with Mira. He easily deduced it to just be the constant stares he was getting from walking with the barmaid, Mira was of course one of the guild's beautiful gems that not a single man has gotten to have for their own. Gray could say he was lucky for knowing her pretty well from being guild mates, but he wasn't one who was fond of having all the attention on him which was already gnawing at his nerves.
"Gray you know you shouldn't strip in public." Mira reprimanded as she handed him back his coat and shirt, both of which he stripped as they stopped at another vendor.
"Sorry about that Mira, guess I'm not use to having so much attention on me." Gray mused as he took back his clothes and placed them back on, yet Mira was just getting used to the sight of his bare torso.
"Well it's a sight to see when Mirajane Strauss has taken a gentleman caller." An old woman said as she looked at the pair from her place near the register.
"I woudn-" Gray was about to reply to her, but Mira stopped him when she took a hold of his hand and wrapped herself around his arm.
"Well it's a first for me, but I'm sure that if there's someone out there that I could believe in to keep my spirits high, it's him." Mira flashed a loving smile up to the ice mage and he was at a loss for words.
"C-Come on Mira, you don't really mean that do you?" Gray was one person who knows how Mira could be, especially since she's just as mischievous as she was in her rebelious years.
"Oh but I do mean it Gray. If there was a person I could say that would keep me happy, then it'd be you." Mira was well aware that admitting your feelings to your love interest in a cute way would sway them in your favor.
The older woman simply giggled at their banter, seeing young love at its finest in this generation and was happy to know Mirajane had found her interest. The dark haired young man was a questionable one at first glance if she were to be honest, but there was something about him that she could instantly tell could have a good impact on a person's life. To say that Mira found her match was still up for debate on her behalf, but this young man seemed to be good choice and if the citizens of Magnolia knew something about Mirajane, then it would be her excellent judge of character.
"Now you take good care of her young man, Mirajane is a sweet girl and anyone would be ecstatic to be with her." The old woman informed to the mage as he looked back her way with a friendly grin.
"Sure thing, besides it's not my style to hurt my guild mates." He replied as Mira waved goodbye to her and were once again on their way, but she had yet to remove herself from Gray's arm.
"Hey Mira, um...how come you're still holding my arm." The ravenette was no stranger when it came to someone latching onto his arm, but he felt odd having Mira do it.
"That's easy, it's because I want to." She replied with a bright smile as he scratched the back of his head in confusion, but a small brunette face palmed at watching the two.
Carrie had been following the pair ever since she saw them together after her last delivery, she wouldn't have thought much of it if she hadn't caught the look Mirajane was giving Gray while he was off in space. She's seen a number of looks people could make, from hatred to disgust and the one the white haired woman was giving her big bro was that of a woman in love. Knowing how Gray was, Carrie deduced that he accepted going along with her for some reason or maybe dragged into it, but she made it her mission that the former model wouldn't get her hands on Gray. He was already dating Erza Scarlet, so she wasn't going to allow him to become a cheater on top of being known as the city's local stripper.
The young Cromwell knew the ice mage was a good man on the inside that some people didn't get to meet, but she couldn't let anybody think he was a no good two-timer and vowed that not even Mirajane Strauss would make him one. So Carrie took it upon herself to follow them and if she tried to make a move on him, than she'd try to the best of her abilities to make sure it fails. At the moment she was lucky he was still pretty dense at what she was signaling at him, but she could tell that Gray had a feeling that at least someone was following them.
"Sometimes even I have to wonder when Gray started to legitimately flirt with other girls." Carrie thought as she continued moving from cover to cover, waiting on when Mirajane would make her move.
"Come on Wendy, this is a great plan! All we have to do is follow those too and make sure Happy doesn't make it to Gray." Carrie looked to the right of her and just across the street she saw the dark haired girl accompanied by the one she knew to be Gray's biggest rival.
"Huh, so he does have bright pink hair." Carrie mused to herself although, unbeknownst to her, the dragon slayer's ear twitched at the comment.
"It's not pink, it's salmon!" Natsu hissed over to where he had heard the voice until his eyes caught Carrie's as the young Cromwell nervously laughed.
"What are you doing here?" Wendy quickly moved across the street with Natsu, hoping that they weren't seen all the while holding the young Cromwell's stare.
"I could ask you the same thing, Wendy..." Carrie simply crossed her arms to her in an ignoring fashion as Natsu looked between the two, unsure of what was happening.
"Do you two know each other or something?"
"That girl is Carrie and as far as it goes, she and I are simply acquaintances for the time being Natsu-nii." Wendy replied as a smirk formed on Carrie's face, one that the little dragon slayer didn't like so much since it was directed at her.
"Oh is this your brother Wendy? If you have him then I guess it's only fair that I get Gray." Both girls had their own stare down at each other and Natsu could've sworn he could see a lighting clash between each of their stares.
The pink haired slayer was at a loss, it was one thing that Wendy was responsible for him in not messing up on his Happy prevention duty, but he felt that she was going through her own little problem with this other girl. In the time since Wendy joined the guild, Natsu had seen the different reactions she's had with other people, but they way she was acting with Carrie was something new. He personally wondered what was going on and was about to ask if it weren't for the small shadow that flew over them, which in turn made his heart drop when he saw an all too familiar shade of blue with wings fly by. Without a second thought he grabbed both girls' arms and rushed off after him as the two they were following had gone on ahead.
"GRAY!" Happy cried as he awkwardly face hugged the ice mage who was trying his best to peel off the cat on his face. While the two dragon slayers and young teen hid behind cover, of course Natsu was urging Wendy and Carrie to go get him since he wasn't allowed to be seen.
"Alright Happy you got my attention, now get off my face." Gray said in a muffled voice as the blue cat had yet to release his head, which Mira giggled to herself to see the predicament the ice mage was in.
"G-Gray is it t-true?" Happy hiccupped as his tears slowly fell on top of the ice mage's head, who was still trying to pry his paws off the sides of his face. "A-Are you r-replacing me?"
With another pull, the ravenette managed to get him off and held the crying feline at arms length to get a look at him. "Replace you? How could I do that, I'm not an Exceed if you haven't noticed."
"N-Natsu said he wanted you to be the closest p-person to him" His tears continued to fall and Gray was feeling pretty awkward at the moment since he was holding a crying blue cat. As far as the ice mage could tell, his pink haired moron of a rival must have worded his sentence like an idiot and Happy got the wrong idea.
"Umm...Gray could we get Happy for a second." Said maged looked behind him to see both Carrie and Wendy standing there with nervous expressions. What he didn't know was that the eldest Strauss was giving off a very displeased aura that had them shaking in their shoes.
"Sorry girls, I need to share a few words with Happy. Could you two keep Mira company while I speak with him?" Gray knew he had to clear this up with Happy or else the blue bundle of tears wouldn't get the right idea of what was going on in Natsu's mind.
"Sure..." Carrie meekly replied as he walked off in a random direction, leaving them with Mira who was smiling cheerfully to them.
"Look Happy, I don't know what that moron said and frankly I couldn't give two Jewels to want to know, but you gotta understand that you're not getting replaced." The ice mage sat down at a nearby bench and placed Happy down next to him. "You and the flame headed numbskull are inseparable, not to mention that I can't stand the idiot long enough before a fight breaks out."
"But he looked so determined that he wanted you to stick to him."
"He probably meant to keep an I on me so I don't surpass him, but I'm sure he'll be lagging along one of these days." Gray replied, smirking down towards the blue feline as he had stopped crying. "Anyways, just have Natsu apologize to you for not being clear enough, that is if he would stop hiding behind that sign of course." For what the ice mage knew, Natsu must have ran after Happy after someone told him what he did and simply hid away so that he wasn't caught by him and being made fun of.
The dragon slayer jumped a little at the fact that Gray had caught him hiding, but in reality the ice mage saw his feet and a tuft of his hair popping over the sign. He reluctantly emerged from his hiding spot and walked over to the two, but Gray stood up just as Natsu sat down next to Happy. The ravenette waved his hand goodbye to Happy, allowing the two to have a one-to-one chat to clear Happy's misunderstanding although Gray could've sworn the blue cat wanted to tell him something else if he weren't blubbering the whole time he tried to speak. In the end he simply thought of it as him trying to say that he felt hurt or something like that, but what he found interesting was that Mira looked like she was talking about something important to two young girls he left her with.
"Now you see what was going on, there's no need to think that way since nothing is happening at all." The white haired woman smiled down at them and with understanding nods went on their way once they saw Gray coming back.
"What was that all about Mira?" He asked as the two looked to be speed walking further away down the street.
"Oh nothing Gray, just a small case of misunderstanding is all." She replied simply as she went back to walking with Gray again.
"Are you sure Mira because it looked like there's more to it than that."
"Do you truly wish to know what we were talking about?" Mira asked with a hard gaze directed towards the ice mage, who reluctantly nodded his head even if a part of him was scared for his life. "Very well then. Carrie, I believe her name was, had asked if you were cheating on Erza with me."
If Gray had any form of liquid in his mouth, he would've done a spit take right at that moment from hearing one of the wildest things ever. With what Gray has heard in his time knowing both women, it was every man's dream to have either one under their arm, but to be with one and cheat with the other at the same time was an unspoken rule you were never allowed to break. To think Carrie thought of him as a cheater soured his mood sure enough, but he feared the results of Mira knowing something was going on between him and Erza. The ice mage was almost afraid to ask what her response to the question was. Almost.
"So...what did you say?"
"I told her that she was mistaken, that you two weren't dating each other since I would know before anyone else. Although, I did also say that since you're single, it made you fair game and I was just...testing the ice." She replied as Gray drew back from her in surprise, easily understanding her analogy and bewildered at the thought that Mira was doing her own testing.
"Y-You don't really..." It dawned on Gray that Mira was simply teasing him again and just wanted a reaction out of him. "I see what you're doing Mira, I've got to admit you almost had me there. I'm not going to fall for your teasing again, so don't try anymore." Given that she's teased him over hundreds of times, he was positive that he wouldn't fall for it this time.
"What do you mean Gray? I'm being serious."
"Sure you are and Natsu's actually a genius." He wasn't going to fall for it, she's made him eat his own words before and he wasn't about to let it happen again.
"You're mean Gray, here I am telling you that I want to have something with you and you're calling me a liar." Mira pouted, doing her own puppy dog eyes and preparing tears just in case this wouldn't break him. Mira was good at a number of things and bold tactics were one of her specialties, since they do well when applied to her matchmaking plans.
"It's not like that Mira, honest! I thought you were just joking with me, don't cry!" Gray hastily exclaimed as he could see that tears were forming in her eyes, but to Mira he fell for it again and it was her time to act.
"Then do you now know what I was trying to signal you?" She asked, sniffling to put a little more depth into her act.
"I uh...when did you? No, why me of all people?" It was official that this was out of character for Mira, he couldn't believe that she was into him.
"What? I don't understand Gray."
"Just that, why me and not someone else more suited for you?" He wanted a straight answer since both Erza and even Cana had out right confessed to him with reason, but to have Mira do so was way beyond what he thought could happen.
Mira could see that he was being serious, his demeanor wasn't so different when he was at the guild yet it was through his eyes that she knew he wanted an answer. She gently reached for his hand and began to lead him out of the commercial area and into the park, although Gray was still waiting on an answer. She continued guiding him to an unoccupied bench and sat down with him, but she used this as a way to collect her thoughts for an answer.
"To tell you the truth Gray, I never really thought about being in a relationship and I was pretty much more inclined helping others than myself. Even if it never occurred to me to find someone for myself I didn't really mind, but something had happened and that's what got me thinking that I should at least try finding my match." She replied to the ice mage who was taking all this info in; however, he had yet to get his answer from her.
"I don't see a problem with that, but I just don't get why someone like you would choose me." The ravenette had plenty of emotional baggage within him that would give psychologists a field day and he doubted himself on being the best choice for someone like Mira.
"Oh my, is the Great Gray selling himself short?" Mira mused as Gray simply gave her a look when he was called his old nick name again.
"I don't sell myself short, plus I haven't gone by that nickname in years." Mira simply giggled at him as he continued. "I'm serious Mira, so stop dodging the question."
"Alright I guess I've had my fun, you see when it came down to it I thought about a person who would be right for me. Out of all the people I had thought of, you were the only one that I could truly say I wanted to be with." Even if her infatuation with Gray had come up just recently, Mira did see Gray as a good romantic partner. "You were someone who had the biggest impact on my life Gray."
"I guess I played a hand in it, but there were plenty of people who helped you out when you needed it most. Like Natsu for instance and the Master, they did the best they could for you, Elfman and Lisanna while I just did what I could at the moment." Gray new this to be the truth, the flaming hot head and gramps were two of the biggest influences on the Strauss siblings throughout their time in Fairy Tail.
"And I'm grateful for them, but it was you who did the most for me. You helped me get past the darkest point in my life and helped shape the person I am today." She gently reached out for his hand, her smaller and warmer hand held his colder one as she could feel the small jerk he did when she grasped it. "Please Gray I want you to understand that even if you think you won't find that special someone for yourself, know that there is someone waiting for you."
Mira tightened her grip, the ice mage had noticed that something all too familiar was happening, but he couldn't counter fast enough once he looked into her sky blue eyes. Gray knew how to be a master seductor when out on a job to get info and the likes, but he felt powerless when compared to Mira's charm. It was at this moment that he realized that he may be a master on others, he is but just a novice when compared to the white haired beauty in front of him.
From the looks of it, Mira could tell she had caught Gray in her trap, but at the same time it was if she was caught in her own. She couldn't tell whether or not the drumming beat of a heart was hers or his and the look of adoration pulled her even closer into making the ice mage hers. If being the match made than the match maker as like, then she would've decided to try it herself for a change a lot sooner. Gray was ever so close to her, the feeling of his cool breath on her lips was nothing more than a reminder of their distance and with another mental push she gave him a loving kiss. The barmaid knew it was much bolder to go straight for the lips and would no doubt have him further in her grasp, but it felt much more intoxicating with the mage compared to the other times she's kissed someone. With a flushed face she drew away from Gray, the speechless ice mage only looked on as the demoness gave him another warm smile before saying that it was time they should be heading back to the guild.
Gray followed behind the barmaid, although he walked with a bit of a sway in his step as he had realized that his life was practically over if Erza finds out what had just transpired between him and Mira. His everyday life, the one he didn't mind changing, just got a whole lot more complicated now that he's dealing with his new emotions and old ones. Not to mention the unexpected ones that could very well help bury his grave, but the repercussions if someone like Carrie found out that it's not just Mira and Erza that are interested in him would definitely do him in. A girl's mind at her age could think of a number of things she'd end up calling him; womanizer like Loke, a cheating dog, maybe go as far as call him the harem king and that's the last royalty title he needed next to his stripper title. "How could this have happened?!"
As for Mira, she was in her own realm thinking about how her plans were flowing very orderly, although she still had her doubts as she fully understood that not all plans could be seen through to the end. She was a master in her field with not many people capable of equaling her in the matters of the heart, so if Gray was able to resist then it would still leave him the impression that there is something between them. Even though her plan was capable of success, her main problem would be her attachment to him and it would only hinder her chances if jealousy reared its ugly head while someone was with him. Nevertheless, Gray was a fundamental part of her new beginning and she wouldn't let someone like him out of her sights especially for the fact that he was the only one that stood up to her and set her straight when she had nothing more than a bitchy attitude and the strength to knock a person out in a single blow if she wasn't feeling malicious.
FLASHBACK ~A couple of weeks after the death of Lisanna~
Mira was a wreck, her heart couldn't take the loss of her little sister and the tears she always expected to dry up kept falling onto the tabletop in her kitchen. Nothing was going her way anymore, the people at the guild gave her their condolences but it mattered little to her because her baby sister was gone for good. Natsu had already told her it wasn't her fault, but she couldn't look him in the eye since every time she did, she'd see him and Lisanna playing with Happy. She couldn't bare it any longer and simply resorted to yelling at many of her comrades, demanding to be left alone as this was her one defence mechanism. She knew that Natsu lost his dragon father sometime ago and was always willing to go on a search for him, but that's about it for people who've experienced deep loss as Laxus couldn't give two shits about his father after a few weeks. No one knew loss like her and Elfman, no one could understand how empty it feels and what really happened to her little sister.
It crushed her on the inside that, like their parents, they didn't have something to bury underneath Lisanna's grave, just an empty casket. She disappeared in her hands, the beautiful eyes of her sister that matched her own held her final tears before she dissappered in a shimmer of gold light and Mira damned the world she walked on for not allowing her to have the remains of her dear sister. It wasn't fair to her, to Elfman or to Lisanna as she left them alone in that rocky mountain side with nothing, but the news of her passing and broken hearts. She wanted time to heal herself and was glad that Elfman was willing to continue working to help pay the bills of their home, but she just couldn't bring herself to get back out there again.
This was the last place Lisanna knew to be her home alongside Fairy Tail and now, now it was just an empty house filled with nothing but regret and sadness. As far as she knew, Elfman had stayed at the guild, surely drinking away his sadness with Cana's help which left her all alone in their home filled with memories. How ironic that the toughest chick Fairy Tail's ever had, besides the tin can she calls a rival, struggles to even want to perform magic; her own fears of failure stopping her from doing anything at all. "How pathetic of me..."
"Hey, Mirajane...?" Normally one would instantly react if they heard a random voice when their alone, but she knew this one to be that of the great Stripper King himself.
"What do you want?" She may be depressed, but she was fully capable of making snide remarks and she wasn't about to let herself be seen weak in her own home.
"I just helped Elfman get home and I wanted to say that...I'm sorry about what happened to Lisanna." She could tell just by looking at him that the ice mage was pretty awkward in giving his apology; she guessed it as him being forced to do this and no doubt by the Tin Can.
"Is that all? If so, then get lost already. Elfman'll thank you tomorrow or something." She didn't want to be weak in front of anybody and she knew the mage had some brains to understand that she really wants him to leave.
"Uhh, yeah that's it...I know it's hard, but um...you'll get through it." She knew he was feeling awkward with what he's saying, but for some reason it only pissed her off even more.
What could he understand of the pain she felt? What could he say to make her feel better about herself after letting something like this happen to her own little sister? Nothing. There was nothing he could say to change the fact, nothing a stripping boy who's only care in the world was to get by day to day, strip and fight the pink haired flaming boy on a daily basis. He had no right to say anything to her, the mage may have wanted to come off as a nice guy but he hardly interacted with any of them since they joined. He hardly spoke to Lisanna for that matter, he only just managed to talk with Elfman regularly and the only interaction he had with her was when she was beating his ass into the floor for getting in the way of her fights with Erza. He had nothing to say to her, nothing to apologize for and she wasn't going to take his sappy excuse of feeling sorry as a justified way of truly feeling bad about her loss.
"Shut up..." It was a low tone that came from her mouth and the mage only questioned it. "I said shut up!" Mira was unsure why she was so angry, why she felt so frustrated when people kept telling her that they felt bad for her loss and somewhere on the inside she felt that this mage in front of her was the last straw. "What could you possibly be sorry for!?"
"I just wanted to..." She allowed a small burst of magic power to unleash from her being, it was so unlike her to get this angry at anyone, but for some reason she felt better this way.
"No, you have no right to say it! You were hardly around MY Lisanna! How could you feel sorry for someone when you hardly knew the person they lost!?" She stood up from her chair in the kitchen with nothing but the raw emotion she was letting out to keep her going; her frustration against herself and her unwillingness to accept the reality that her little sister was gone from her world.
"Look I know how it feels alright, an-" If what he said earlier was the last straw, then this destroyed the dam holding back her emotions.
"Yeah right, you probably lost your dog snowflake when day when you were six and cried about it for a week until your parents got you a new one. You have no idea of what I'm dealing with, of how much torture it is to know that one of your own blood won't be here to see you again!" New tears began to stream from her eyes, tears of anger and regret poured out but she still stood firm. "I think you've overstayed your welcome, now get the fuck out of my house!"
If her eyes weren't distorted from her tears, Mira would have been able to see that the ice mage looked to be seething with rage. He had a face of unrestrained anger, something that was hardly ever seen from the "cool headed" ice mage. The demoness stood firm with a finger pointed towards the front door, but the ravenette hadn't moved from his spot.
"Didn't you hear me?! GET OUT!"
"No..." He replied as Mira wiped away her tears, already willing to physically kick him out if she had to.
"No? This is my house and I ca-" Before she could continue, the ice mage drew closer and now Mira was able to see a torrent of anger blizzarding in his eyes.
"No you shut up and listen to me." His voice held such a restrained anger that Mira could easily identify it with the voice type from dark mages she's defeated in the past. "I will take all the verbal punishment you deal out, all the physical pain brought onto me too just so I could help out a comrade in need, but never say I don't know what loss is."
Mira struggled to form words to his claim, yet she couldn't bring herself to move from her spot and listened on as the mage continued.
"I came because I can relate to you when it comes down to losing someone important and I'll be damned if I'm accused for not understanding the pain that follows it!" Of all the times that Mira has seen someone so determined and angry, Gray had taken the high spot at the moment. "I lost everyone I ever cared about; my family, my friends even my whole home town was destroyed leaving me the only survivor."
"I-I didn't know..." Mira truly felt terrible for saying all those things now, she's experiencing the pain of losing her little sister, but to lose everyone you ever cared for was something she knew she couldn't handle.
"To be honest, the suffering you're going through is a mutually shared thing amongst some of us and that's why we try to help as best as we can for those who need it." Mira remained speechless to the things he was saying as he passed a hand through his hair with slight annoyance. "I've lost a lot, more than I would ever want to and now I want to make sure you don't get lost in this labyrinth of despair."
"How can you help, Lisanna's gone and I just can't..." She altogether had a different opinion about the ice mage standing in front of her now, he has a past that was darker than what she could've imagined and here he is trying to help her cope with her loss, but she still believed he couldn't do much.
"All you've got to do is let others help you, I vowed to make sure I don't lose anyone I care about again and that includes you too. You're a member of Fairy Tail, we are family and we'll help each other out no matter what so all you've got to do is let us in." She watched as he gave her a kind smile before he scratched the back of his head and started to make his way for the door.
"Hey Stripper, you forgot your clothes." Mira quickly picked up his discarded clothing, bunched it into a ball and threw it at him.
"Thanks, by the way cut that damn tough chick act and stop crying." Mira quickly reeled back at his claim, completely caught in her own act and was about to ask before he spoke again. "It's a front you put up to protect you and your siblings from being tormented again, like you guys were back at your old home, plus I hate to see girls cry since it doesn't suit them at all."
"I didn't think someone would notice and I had no idea you could hate something." Mira replied as this was the first time someone knew she was acting the way she was on purpose and that Gray was capable of having a strong dislike of something trivial. "I guess I didn't hide it very well, but how did you know my past?"
"A drunk Elfman will tell you a number of things, besides being who you truly are will help you out in the long run and not some facade people will fear." Mira took his words into consideration and felt that he was right, but she had also caught a glimpse in his eyes that looked to be that of a pained soul.
He waved goodbye at her and left her front door, leaving her standing in the middle of her living room with a single goal in mind. Her heart cried for the loss of her sister, but the road to mending needed to be taken with the first step of her changing herself. If she was going to get past it, than she'll have Fairy Tail's support right behind her every step of the way and hopefully have the ice mage help guide her as well. Her new journey would begin with Fairy Tail at her side, a new her to show the beginning of her change and the memory of Lisanna in her heart for years to come.
"Thanks Stripper King, for everything..."
FLASHBACK END
Mira took a glance behind as the ice mage continued to stare out into space, a giggle escaping her lips as the thought of him being the reason why her life turned around so much. It goes to show that some people have the greatest impact on a person's life and the demoness was glad she could possibly share a future with that person.
"My Stripper King, I hope you're ready for your Demon Queen."
