Fault Lines in the Sand

by Rook2020

An ordinary mission turns life threatening when Natsu’s demonic nature is forced to the surface. With the others sent to separate locations to quell the damage, Gray is left to fend off E.N.D.’s rage. It’s a rematch of Gray VS E.N.D. However, while E.N.D. very much wants to see his foe dead, how does a demon slayer fight a demon he doesn’t want to slay?

5. 5

-Now-

Natsu's discomfort was unbearable as he and Gray stared at each other, his eyes still locked on that grievous injury, while Gray observed the myriad emotions playing on his face.

Gray felt an uncharacteristic apathy towards his friend's plight, and knew his wary mind had granted him some level of detachment to help him deal with this encounter. His desire for a quick reconciliation warred with his recent, deeply ingrained instinct for self preservation. Meanwhile, this new coldness he was feeling left him numb to either desires.

Deciding Natsu needed a push, he cleared his throat to draw his attention, saying, "Looks worse than it feels."

Those words shocked Natsu out of his stupor, making him feel incredulous. It took him a moment to find his voice.

"Baa-chan must have you doped up on some strong shit, cuz that looks f*cking bad."

"I try to enjoy it while it lasts. You came at a good time. The potions always knock me out as soon as I take them. After I wake up, I get a few good hours, but they tend to wear off long before I'm allowed to take more. It gets pretty bad, I'm told. Probably good I don't remember those times. Everything's pretty numb right now. Have a seat."

That speech hadn't eased Natsu's mind one bit, and he got the impression Gray hadn't been going for that either. Juvia was right. Gray was never so open about his injuries, always playing them off as nothing. As he stepped forward, he didn't miss how Gray's pulse and breathing rate increased as he came closer, though he kept his outer appearance calm enough. Except for his eyes, which held wariness as he tracked every movement he made.

Natsu avoided the chair Lyon had vacated, opting to pull a spare one to sit at the opposite side, and tried his hardest to look anywhere but there. He took inventory of the rest of the injuries he could see, comparing them to how they'd looked before. Though still visible, their diminished severity had the effect of lightening his burden just a little.

When Mest had returned to the scene with Wendy in tow, she'd gone straight to work on Gray. Finding several organs had ruptured, and that he was bleeding internally and barely breathing, she'd initially prioritized those issues above everything else. As soon as she'd deemed him stable enough to move, which took far too long for Natsu's liking, she'd had Mest whisk them both away to Porlyusica's, leaving the rest of the team to deal with the aftermath.

Even from his self-imposed isolation, Natsu had allowed the others to keep him apprised of Gray's condition. His nose and cheek bone had been fractured, the eye socket almost caved in, but they'd saved his eye, thank God. Deep red remnants of blood still stained parts of his sclera, and there were green and yellow splotches along the surrounding skin, an improvement from the dark purple and black Lucy had reported before.

He'd been taken off the ventilator after the first week, not long after he'd finally woken up. His neck and torso were still wrapped, and would likely remain so for the next month. As such, Natsu couldn't see the multitudes of lacerations his claws had made. He hoped Wendy had been able to get to those before they'd leave permanent scars. Gray might not care if they were visible, but he sure as hell would.

Erza had mentioned Porlyusica needing to go in surgically in order to piece his crushed rib cage back together. Apparently, it was like putting a puzzle together, and screws were involved. He'd never known she had such skills. Wendy had worked alongside her, using her powers to quickly heal the most minuscule pieces together. She'd found it difficult at first, almost growing faint at seeing her friend like that, but being able to actually see the bones had allowed her to ensure they mended properly.

"There's nothing else missing, if that's what you're looking for."

Natsu was startled out of his fixation, cursing himself for staring so obviously. He felt queasy at the bluntness of Gray's words, and the coldness in his manner. How could he be so cavalier about something like this?

"You need to see under the blanket to be sure? Now's your chance while the girls aren't here. Not that they haven't seen it all before."

At least this was relatively safe, familiar territory for them. Natsu grasped at the chance for a normal conversation.

"You're naked under there?"

"I'm pissing in a bag right now. Pants are a hassle. At least Erza doesn't fuss at me."

So much for safe.

"Don't worry. It's just until I can walk again. Gotta get my strength back. Oh, and Wendy was able to piece my spine back together, so that was nice. Sucks I had to be awake before they could try to fix it, but I had to be able to tell them if they f*cked up any connections as they went. At least they thought to repair the damage before they actually plugged the nerves back in, though I think we all underestimated how bad off the surrounding muscles were. We learned from that agonizing mistake very quickly, so that's a nonissue. She and Porlyusica are more worried about my balance now. Seems I might lack coordination with my body being less than symmetrical at the moment."

Natsu felt like he'd faint any moment. No one had ever told him he'd severed Gray's spine! Part of him understood why they'd keep that a secret, but he felt no appreciation for their discretion at all. Had they kept anything else from him? What about Gray? He sure as hell didn't seem like a man relieved to see his "once dead" friend back from the grave.

"They said you thought I was dead."

"..."

"..."

"Did they? Huh... I vaguely remember something... Everyone tends to tiptoe around me a lot these days, leaving certain things unsaid. For my peace of mind, I'm sure. They like to save the crazy for during those times I tend to forget, I guess. Can you believe Porlyusica's the only one I can have a real conversation with? She has no problem giving it to me straight. You've been a good sport, though. It's refreshing having someone else around who doesn't change the subject to nicer things right away."

Or perhaps Natsu felt he was simply undeserving of having his feelings spared from the harsh realities of all he'd done.

Taking a shaky breath, he scrambled for something else, anything, to fill the silence that followed. Gray wouldn't stop staring at him, and Natsu felt like he was the one who had the right to feel threatened, not the other way around. He couldn't help it as he averted his gaze, being unable to look at anything else but that covered stump.

He couldn't resist as he blurted out, "Why is it still gone?!"

If only he could fall dead right now, and escape this torment.

Gray blinked, turned his head to look at his shoulder, as if to verify what he was talking about, and looked back to reply.

"My arm? We tried that once, when they thought I was strong enough to survive the surgery. Didn't go so well. I don't remember all that happened… Par for course right now, isn't it? Whatever I did, however I reacted when they brought it out, must have been bad enough for them to stop the whole procedure. I only remember waking up still in pieces.

"Oddly enough, I wasn't disappointed. Damn thing was torn to shreds. Bone shards were sticking out. Guess I wasn't eager to have that mess reattached right away."

Natsu couldn't help the sudden thought that perhaps Gray was subconsciously stalling out of a sense of guilt.

'Because you thought I was dead? Because you thought you'd failed to save me? Or am I just making excuses based on my own guilt?'

"Porlyusica was afraid I'd freak out again if I woke up suddenly whole, even if Wendy healed the injuries beforehand. For the sake of not causing another mental breakdown, she thinks it would help if Wendy could heal the arm first, so I'd see for myself it was completely intact before they'd stick it back on. How sick is that? I'd still be looking at my own severed arm, but at least it won't look like butcher scraps. She's the expert, though. What the hell do I know?"

'That's not right! You don't deserve that fear! Or the blame! That was all me! I did that to you!'

"Wendy's tried to explain, but I haven't been able to pick up on all the reasons for why it takes her longer to heal a detached limb on its own. Did you know it takes the combined energies of both herself and her patients to make her powers work properly? She can fix it, but it takes using her healing magic in ways she's not used to. Glad she can gain new experiences.

"Doesn't leave her much for helping me heal afterwards, but priorities, you know? There's only so much time before it starts to decay. Or maybe that's one of the reasons for the wait. You think she's having to keep it from rotting all the time? I should get her a gift later on. Something nice. What's a good 'Thanks for piecing me back together' gift?"

Natsu tried not to flinch when he heard Wendy stifle a sob.

"Oh, I should do something for Lyon, too. Their teamwork isn't bad, but it makes sense if you think about it. Have you ever done the math? Probably not. Not really your thing. Turns out Wendy's spent more time in Lamia Scale than in Fairy Tail. Blows your mind, doesn't it? Don't look at me like that. Tenrou doesn't count.

"It's fine, though. They work well together. It's been nice having Lyon around. He's been helping her with her little project out there. They need to keep it on ice to slow the decay. Come on, admit it. Ice is f*cking awesome, isn't it?"

Natsu wanted him to stop, but like a guilt-ridden masochist, he couldn't bring himself to ask him to.

"It's a shame I'm not a lizard like you. Maybe I could just grow a new one. That'd be pretty cool. What do you think?"

That wasn't amusing at all, but Natsu was too timid to feel mad about it. It was a little disturbing though.

"That's not... really something we can do."

"Hmmm… Good to know. Hey, since we're sharing secrets, I'll let you in on one too. Don't tell the others. The pity's stifling enough as it is," he paused, eyes losing focus as he revealed, "I can still feel it sometimes."

"… Feel what?" Natsu asked, wishing he hadn't. Would he have left it there, had he kept his mouth shut?

"My arm. Like it's still there. I've heard of phantom limbs, but I never knew they could be such a mind f*ck, you know?"

Natsu went pale.

"How… how much can you feel?"

'Dammit! Shut up, Natsu!'

"All of it. Sometimes, without thinking, I'll try to bring my hands together, and I'll sit there like a fool, wondering why I can't see it. I can feel its presence, feel it moving into place; but when I try to touch it? Nothing. That's usually the first sign the potions are wearing off. Shit gets real when I really start remembering…"

He tapered off, thoughts turning inward, hand fisted as unbidden memories came to the surface.

"You should tell them about that. I'm sure they can do something about it," Natsu responded awkwardly. He wondered how out of it Gray must have been to not realize the others could hear every word they spoke.

Gray gave a small nod, not really promising anything.

A silence once again stretched between them, though Natsu seemed far more bothered by it than Gray. After several minutes of this, Natsu felt it was time to lay some of his guilt on the table.

"I remember everything too."

That seemed to pique his interest at least.

"Erza says whatever you did to me in the end probably saved a bunch of lives. You wiped out the curse that was affecting me. If I was still under the influence of that talisman when the Knights showed up, chances are, a bunch of them would have died before they got around to canceling the spell.

"I remember when I came to my senses, the first thing I did was throw up. Oh my God, I can still remember the taste. I can't get it out of my head. I haven't wanted to eat any kind of meat ever since. I can't even stomach the thought of it now. And when I saw you laying there, I…"

Natsu was losing the courage to continue, angry at himself for his cowardice, when he'd just moments ago sat there listening to Gray bare his own soul to him. Looking up, he found his narrowed eyes fixated on him. His head was tilted like he was finding something odd or curious about him. Had he said something upsetting?

"What's wrong?"

"… That's so freaking insulting."

"W-what?"

"You found my arm so disgusting, you puked it all back up?"

"The hell?!"

"I should be offended. No, I am offended! Not only was it not good enough for you, it was so repulsive, it made you swear off meat altogether?"

"That's not funny at all! How can you possibly joke about that?!" he asked in anguished disbelief.

"My bad. Sorry," Gray replied, not seeming the least bit contrite. Was he really not joking at all? Then, looking at his shoulder, drawing Natsu's eyes there as well, he continued, "Guess I'm just not all here at the moment."

Now horrified, Natsu's anger started to show. He stood up, knocking his chair back, looming over him as he demanded, "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

He caught himself from going any further in his outrage when Gray flinched away, lone arm raised uselessly to block any perceived threat. His face was turned away, bracing for a strike that wouldn't come.

"Shit! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! Look, I'm backing away! I'm not gonna hurt you. See? It's okay. It's okay!"

Gray's terror filled gaze met his, his breath shaky, lips quivering as he gauged the truth of those words. He squeezed his eyes shut, lowering his arm as he breathed a heavy sigh. His skin burned red with shame as he opened his eyes again, but failed to look his way.

Natsu retook his seat, keeping a safe distance, wishing someone would interrupt them, and save him from continuing on this trainwreck of a meeting. He watched as Gray pulled himself together, somehow looking more defeated than he had when he'd first laid eyes on him. Suddenly, after several quiet minutes, he spoke.

"I have to. I don't have any other way. The dark humor, the detachment, the cold honesty; they're the only things keeping me sane while in the presence of the man who… who resembles the creature that almost killed me."

Natsu had known from the start that this would be an issue. He'd told the others, multiple times, that Gray would be better served if he never had to see his face again. After all, if he was having so much trouble coming to terms with what he'd almost done, how much more mental turmoil must his victim be suffering?

"Do you, uh, h-have nightmares too?"

Maybe he could start over with a more sympathetic ear?

Gray wasn't offering anything in return, however. He kept silent, staring at the wall in front of him, unmoving. That's it. He'd screwed up. He'd been warned about Gray's odd behavior, and knew he, more than anyone involved in this incident, had every reason to have acquired weird coping mechanisms to survive the ordeal. What had possessed him to yell at him? A few morbid jokes? Who yells at a sick and injured friend like that?

"… He made me watch."

Natsu resisted the urge to jump at those sudden words. He could only hope he could maintain the facade of calm as he realized what he was talking about.

"At first I wasn't sure what he was holding. It was all crooked and bent out of shape, and had already lost all its color. The skin was almost translucent. I don't know what he did to break it in so many places, but it was so… F*ck. The f*cker forced me to watch as he tore into it. Like a vicious animal gorging itself. He didn't even chew. Just swallowed the pieces whole. The disgusting pig.

"I get to feel all of that. Those phantom pains I was telling you about. Everyday, soon as the potions' effects dwindle down, I start to see it all over again. Feel it all, over and over again. I think that's the price I pay for being a Maker Mage. It's all about creation. My brain's already wired to imagine things in exacting detail. But hell, I've never been eaten alive before. How can I possibly know what it feels like? It's not like it was still attached when he started eating—"

"I'm sorry!"

That loud, desperate cry interrupted his growing tangent, which he was grateful for. He preferred to save those breaks from reality for when he was too out of it to remember them afterwards.

Still, what was the Flame Brain going on about?

"What the hell are you apologizing for?"

"I'm sorry I almost killed you, dammit! I remember everything! I know what I did, and I can't live with myself! The girls come everyday to check on me, and I'm scared to death that I'll lose myself and attack them again. All I hear is that sick laughter every time I try to sleep; and when I'm awake, all I can think about is the sight of you lying on the ground, broken and bleeding everywhere. I'm so angry at myself for what I did to you! And… and… Why?! Why didn't you stop me! You could have! It wasn't like before! I was bat shit crazy, but you were still yourself. You could have killed me. You should have—"

"Shut the f*ck up!"

Natsu did, stunned. Gray looked beyond pissed, and Natsu wondered how he could be made to feel so small under his glare when he otherwise presented absolutely no threat to him at all.

"How dare you! You have the nerve to say that to me, after all the times you've had to ram it into my head to not die over your sorry ass. How dare you think it's okay for you to die for my sake, not even giving a shit about what that would do to me! I don't need anymore deaths on my head. Sacrifice is never the first answer, you selfish son of a bitch!"

"But it's okay to let me kill you instead?! To rip your arm off, and eat it right in front of you?! To beat you senseless, tear your flesh apart, crush your bones into a bloody paste?! You're a demon slayer! You could have stopped me. You should have!"

"You think I didn't try?!"

"I know you did! You had me beat, several times. You should have finished the job while I was down, when you had the chance!"

"If you had any hope of both of us coming out of that alive, would you have chosen lethal force, just to end it quicker?"

"You were alone with me! I was going berserk, in freaking Dragon Force! What hope could you have possibly had other than 'kill or be killed'?!"

"I wasn't alone, Natsu. I had you, and the girls. Erza was fighting too, trying to defeat that thing on her own front, and I knew she wouldn't fail, so I had to keep you alive until the others returned. I had to! I couldn't bring myself to kill that demon, knowing the others were on their way. In my mind, I kept picturing them returning just one second too late, so I did everything I could to push that second further and further down the line, waiting for them to return."

"Look where that got you! Do you still think they came in time? What if they had come before things went so far to shit?! What if they'd come before you put the demon to sleep?! Even Erza says I would have been impossible to stop without your powers! I would have done to them what I'd done to you! I was a monster! I should have been put down like a rabid dog! You should have killed me!"

"IT WASN'T YOU, YOU STUPID F*CK!"

Natsu jolted in his seat, shocked by that outburst.

"It wasn't! It was never... I couldn't... couldn't let it... Not you! *Gasp*" Gray had to stop, unable to continue.

Natsu's eyes widened, while Gray's had closed tightly as he leaned heavily against the pillows. Beyond the curtains, Natsu could hear the others stirring, reminding him how they weren't the only ones present, and that Master and the others had probably been paying rapt attention to their conversation this whole time. He could hear Juvia telling Lyon to sit back down, and his reply of "We shouldn't have left him alone with that—with him!" Natsu resisted flinching at that. He couldn't help but to agree with Lyon.

He'd also heard the desperation in Gray's words. There wasn't just a stubborn denial of whom Natsu firmly believed was the true villain here, but a great need to reaffirm his own beliefs; that his refusal to see his attacker as anyone but E.N.D. hadn't been done in vain. Gray cried out as if a man falsely accused of madness was trying to prove his illusions had always been true, and Natsu kept contradicting him, practically calling him a liar.

Hearing Porlyusica's gripe about Gray needing to keep calm brought his focus back to him. He instinctively stood, worry etched on his face and hands hovering, wanting to help, forgetting how he'd been reluctant to even touch him since he'd first seen his crippled body on the ground. His eyes were still closed, face in a grimace as he wrapped his arm around his ribs, taking slow, shallow, steadying breaths.

"I'm sorry! Does it hurt? Dammit, of course it does. What should I do? I'll get Wendy, or Baa-chan, or—"

"—You can sit back down and stop squawking like a damned vulcan. Nothing's out of place that wasn't already. I moved too suddenly, and I shouldn't have yelled like that. That's all."

"Your ribs shouldn't hurt just from yelling."

"Guess they didn't get the memo."

Seeing Gray was taking a moment to compose himself, Natsu did as he was told, retaking his seat, and concentrating on keeping his knee from bouncing out of nervousness. The sounds from out there had returned to how they'd been before, so he assumed everyone had returned to their previous activities. He had no doubt each of them had at least one ear tuned to what was going on in here. He wished they could do this with more privacy, but couldn't get over the fear of being alone with him.

"It was never you."

Gray now spoke softly, but firmly as he opened his eyes, peering at him through pain glazed, tear rimmed eyes.

"The entire time I fought that creature, I never saw him as you. That actually made it harder to not use deadly force, because I was fighting against a monster. But he was wearing your face. And I don't know what the hell was going on with my slayer powers, but they sure as hell wanted to end you. I haven't slayed that many demons, so maybe that... need to fulfill its purpose has always been there; but before, I was never in conflict with it. I kept having to stop myself, having to rethink how to attack this demon who was dead set on killing me, praying I could hold on long enough for the others to return. Killing you was never an option. You were never a demon to be slayed; you were my friend, who needed to be rescued."

Natsu's own tears were threatening to fall as he replied, "But you almost died! I know exactly what my death would have done to you, because I felt the same way! I'm still haunted by what happened. I thought you were dead! I suddenly found myself next to your body, and before I could think, everything came back, and I knew what I'd done!"

At this, Natsu broke, no longer able to contain his grief as he leaned forward, grasping his head in his hands, speaking into them with harsh gasps mixed with sobs as he continued.

"Day and night, I keep remembering; every word I spoke, every bone I snapped or crushed, every time I smiled and laughed whenever I came up with a new way to hurt you. I remember enjoying it! I savored every scream and gasp and whimper, and I was excited when I realized you weren't able to hold them back anymore. I still have nightmares of all the sick things I wanted to do to the girls, and I wake up screaming every night from reliving everything I did to you."

He was shocked into stillness as he felt a too warm hand card through his hair, before resting on top of his head. He flinched, breath caught in his throat, and tried not to panic as he made the connection that Gray was touching him. He was touching him! Was he insane?! Wasn't he aware of the danger he was putting himself in?!

"Shhh. It wasn't you. It was never you. None of this is your fault. You aren't a monster, or a demon. You're my friend and teammate, my rival and best frenemy, and the annoying, rotten little brother I never asked for. You're just Natsu. Do you hear me? You're just Natsu."

Natsu calmed down by degrees, taking in those soft words he still had trouble believing. Slowly, he raised his head, feeling as Gray's hand slid off. He realized too late Gray was relying on his position to keep his arm in place, and moved to catch it as it fell, afraid the sudden jolt would hurt him again. He felt as Gray jerked violently, pulling his arm away, making Natsu scramble back with both hands raised as if to show he was unarmed.

Gray's eyes had widened in terror, staring at Natsu like a prey caught in a predator's gaze. He held his arm close to his chest, breathing heavily, but quickly recovered himself. He relaxed, lowering his arm to grip the bed sheets tightly, quietly cursing as he laid his head back. He closed his eyes and breathed in as deeply as his sore chest would allow, and loosened his grip to beckon Natsu closer again.

Before Natsu could open his mouth, Gray interrupted him.

"Don't you dare apologize again. I know you were trying to help. And before you start lamenting how I'm afraid of you, you can forget that shit too, because it's not true. I'm not scared of you. I can't help how my body reacts when you move too suddenly, anymore than you can keep from jerking away from my touch. It's just some bullshit trauma we have to deal with, and I'll be damned if I let that crap dictate how I choose to live my life, or who gets to be in it."

Opening his eyes again, he looked at Natsu, finding him the saddest, most pathetic he'd ever seen him as he considered those words, and all the others they'd shared.

Gray tsked.

"My God, you're such a cry baby. Come'ere, you idiot."

Before Natsu could protest, Gray had grabbed him by his scarf, yanking him down low enough to grasp the back of his neck. Natsu was too shocked to resist, these movements too reminiscent of Gray's final effort to quell his demons, as his head was pulled down to his chest. By this point, he was too scared to resist, afraid any attempt would hurt his friend, so he waited.

"Do you hear that? It's still beating, still going strong. It's gonna take more than a scumbag with a stupid talisman, or a demon gone berserk, or any number of the other shit storms we've faced, to ever make it stop. So long as it's beating, there's still hope. That's what you have to remember. No matter what we face, so long as there's still life in us; in you, me, the girls, Happy, everyone; there's still hope. It never has to come down to sacrificing one of us. You taught me that.

"So stop crying. I refuse to allow this craptastic experience to ruin us. We both suffered from what happened, and we both need to heal. It'll be easier if we can do this together."

Natsu, feeling overwhelmed, forgot all sensibilities of being too close to his friends, and gently laid his arm across Gray's stomach. He cried unabashedly into his chest, completely ignoring his earlier admonitions to stop. He tried to do so quietly, but that only caused his sobs to come out as hiccuped gasps and shudders. Gray allowed him to grieve, shaking his head, smiling sadly and ruefully as he continued to lightly graze his fingers through his hair.

A few minutes of this passed, and Natsu, having calmed down, slowly rose, wiping his eyes on his sleeve while Gray made a mental note to ask for clean, snot-free sheets the next time someone came in to check on them.

Having gathered himself, Natsu said, "You're right."

"Of course I'm right."

Natsu gave a brief, stress relieving chortle, then, "I'm done hiding away. I'm gonna start going back to the guild, and hanging out with our friends. I need to let things go back to normal. And I'm gonna join the others, and do what I can to help you get better."

"Sure. You can help me eat. It's hard to eat with this hand. Plus, Baa-chan's been getting on my ass, wanting me to eat more protein. Says it'll help me heal faster. I'd eat better if I had someone to share a meal with me."

Noticing the pointed look Gray was giving him, Natsu knew exactly what he was doing. There was no reason one of the others couldn't eat with him.

"I don't know if it's a good idea for me to eat meat in front of you."

"Probably not. We won't know until we try. Whatever happens, we'll get through it together."

"Yeah." He supposed that was true. They could always start small. Erza had been right about the salmon, and Gray loved fish. Maybe he could call the girls and make a request for dinner.

A quiet settled upon them, this time without strain or awkwardness. Gray was leaning back against his pillows, eyes once again closed, trying to relax as much as he could before the potions would run out later in the day. He peeked an eye open when he heard a soft snicker.

"What are you laughing at?" he wondered, happy to see Natsu's humor returning.

"Mostly at myself. Normally I'd be upset that you beat me, but not today."

"I don't remember cracking your head during the fight. How are you confusing which one of us is lying in a sickbed?"

"Believe me. I wish it was a concussion talking, but I can admit when I've lost. You did beat me. If you weren't holding back, you sure as hell would have done it sooner. But even holding back, even putting yourself at such a great disadvantage, you still managed to pull off a win in the end."

"I defeated E.N.D., not you."

"Yeah. That's what I meant... At least, that's what I should have said. What I need to keep saying, until I can start believing it."

"I can beat it into you if you need me to."

"Hmph. Looking forward to it... I hate all that happened, and I don't think I'll ever get over how it all went down; but I'm glad you were there to stop me. Or him. Whatever. I'm just grateful that you were able to save me."

"You would have done the same."

"No I wouldn't."

Gray stared, confused, until he clarified.

"I couldn't. Not in that situation. You're the only one among us with the power to defeat E.N.D.. You've proven it. You did it for Lucy, and you've done it for me. But yeah, anywhere and anytime, I've got your back."

Gray had to think about that, before he recalled how he'd used his powers to quell the demonic flames coursing through Lucy's body as she'd attempted to rewrite the Book of E.N.D. He'd never considered how he had, in essence, fought off the demon in that situation, too.

"Guess I'm two for two in saving your ass, then," he grinned.

"More like hundreds of times. But I guess we save each other's asses all the time, so it all evens out, huh?"

"Anywhere and anytime," he agreed, raising his hand up in a loose fist.

Grinning, Natsu reached over, softly tapping his fist against it.

"Hell yeah... *snicker* I wonder what Lucy would say if she found out how E.N.D. was defeated this time. I can already hear her gushing over stupid storybook endings where the evil curse is broken with a kiss. Whatever. So freakin gross!"

Gray returned the smile, chuckling as he replied, "Piss off. Juvia wouldn't complain."

"Man, I don't want to hear about your weird love life, or whatever it is you two have together. Oh shit! You didn't tell her, did you?" Natsu asked frantically, recalling the many times Lucy had complained about the near-death experiences she'd had as one of Juvia's "love rivals".

"They've all been pretty good about not talking about the attack around me."

"Right. Sorry to bring it up."

"Don't worry. I probably need to talk about it eventually. It's weird. I still feel this strange disconnect, like I know it happened to me, but I'm not feeling the impact like I should. I'm sure as more time passes, and my brain's not too much in a fog to process everything, it'll be a different matter; but right now, something feels different. Lighter. I think it helped, actually, talking about it with you. It was easy opening up with you. Guess it helps talking to someone who was there."

Natsu didn't know how much help that could be, considering the only other person who was there was the one who had hurt him so much. He had to force such thoughts aside, though. Gray was also right about this, no matter how much he still had trouble accepting it: He wasn't the one who had tried to kill him. He had to start believing it, telling himself over and over, until it finally sunk in. It wasn't his fault. Nor was it Gray's for refusing to put one life above another's. A line had been drawn, and Gray had refused to cross it.

"If you need me to, I'll be here when the potions do wear off. I'll do what I can to reassure you, and I'll make sure you know I'm still alive. That you did save me in the end."

"Appreciate it. Juvia should be back soon. You should stay for lunch. Her soup's freakin awesome."

"Is there meat in it?"

"What did I say about Baa-chan's bitching?"

Natsu couldn't hide his amusement when he overheard Porlyusica's complaints about ungrateful humans. Seeing Gray's knowing grin, he must have figured out what he was smiling at. He sobered, though, saying, "I guess soup wouldn't be so bad. Thanks."

"Any time. Afraid I won't be much for company afterwards. I don't know if it's all the excitement, or the old woman put something new in the latest potions, but I'm already getting tired."

"Just stay awake for a little while longer. I can hear some of them pulling out dishes and silverware now. We can eat together, and then you can rest. I promise I'll be here when you wake up."

"Hmm," he replied drowsily, "Sounds good. Thanks… Hey, while I'm thinking about it, I'll let you know now. When Wendy's finally finished healing my arm, you don't have to be here when they bring it in. I understand if you don't want to see it. If they weren't so insistent it would help, I'd skip the stupid unveiling myself."

Natsu so very wanted to take him up on that offer, but even through the cool exterior, he could sense the wariness Gray truly felt about seeing his severed arm again. He wasn't about to let him go through that without him, regardless of the number of friends who'd already be here. He had a promise to keep.

"If you need me, I'll be here."

Though Gray didn't answer one way or the other, the grateful look on his otherwise calm, nonchalant demeanor was all the confirmation he needed.

As Gray laid there, trying not so hard to stay awake, Natsu resolved to draw his own line. He would never allow either of them, nor any of his friends, to ever be put in such a situation again. He had to have faith that, no matter the circumstance, none of them would have to face it alone; that together, they could face any obstacles, without having to choose one life over another's.

Tentatively placing a hand over Gray's, relieved that he hadn't flinched away at the contact, he reaffirmed, almost too quiet for him to hear.

"I promise we'll get through this together."

---

Side note, please read: My other story, "Let's Play the Quiet Game- Rescue" got nominated for Best Action/Adventure in TheGuildAwards Tumblr. Please send your votes! You have to sign into google to do so, and your vote can be made anonymously. I would really appreciate your support! Voting begins July 18-August 1!

The title comes from a play on words. Natsu's dealing with self-blame over what he's done, taking all the fault as his own. The lines in the sand are Gray's determination to stop him without lethal force, and Natsu's resolve to never allow his darker nature to put his friends in danger again. Fault lines are geological locations where two unstoppable forces are warring with each other, at times causing massive upheavals. In the case of these two, they both worry over what that battle will have cost them, things they hadn't considered yet. They come to terms in the end, resolved to not let this come between them, and to never allow either of themselves to put the other in the same position again.

So, that was my take on a Gray VS E.N.D. battle. I actually added more detail into the fight scene after receiving the first couple of reviews, stating how much you guys were looking forward to a proper fight, unlike what we received in canon. Way to lay on the pressure, guys! But hey, see the benefits of reviews? You, too, can influence the course of a story! Such power in your hands! Don't be shy about exercising that now. Leave a comment if this story pleased you in any way. Thanks for reading!