Paper gone soggy, dried out and then doused in rainwater again littered the school's entryway. Natsu navigated it clumsily, barely caring that he dragged his bare feet so much that his toes caught the ends of books and scattered them wildly. Beneath the damp pulpy layer scurried sow bugs, their armoured plating grinding in Natsu's ears. It wasn't truly loud, he knew that, the noise sliding beneath everyone else's attention, but everything felt so raw. So absolutely deafening.
So far ahead that Natsu could barely see his cap of dark hair, Gray seemed equally irritated, muttering about putting down dogs, finishing what he started or inviting disaster. Again and again. There came a point where eventually, Gray stopped talking and focused on breathing unsteadily. Judging by the push of unstable magic, Natsu imagined that it was because he was fighting for control, not because he'd had a change of heart. He could smell Gray's sweat. Pungent. Mixed with Juvia's, and the blood and the myriad of other bad smells in the dilapidated school, Natsu felt sick, and like his skin was too small for his body. I have to get out of here. Or else he was going to lose his mind. A look over his shoulder brought the off-kilter door they'd entered through into view, its frame so badly bent twelve months before that it didn't even keep the wind out. Go.
"There is still running water to the building." Jellal's voice broke through Natsu's mounting panic. "The town decided not to turn it off in case displaced people needed some place to rest for a few days. No one comes in here, though. At least, not in the time we've been here. The washrooms and the showers are working. You can all get cleaned up. Juvia, you should have those wounds looked after before you do anything."
Through the bodies, Natsu found Juvia beside Gray. She looked just as pale and just as sweaty as he did, caked in blood, bruised, broken likely, fractured at least. Guilt hit Natsu hard. Those were his fists, in a roundabout way. 'Do you know how many people have suffered because of you?' Gray's words could leave him hollow.
"I'll help her," Cheria said and let go of her hold on Wendy's hand. Until that moment, they'd been inseparable.
"Thank you, Cheria. You can choose a classroom for some privacy," Jellal said, "Most of them are empty." He turned his gaze to Lily while Cheria got Gray and Juvia mobile. "There should be more than enough room for us as well as the other group, too, when they arrive."
Lily replied, "As soon as we've settled, Happy and I will find the Strausses and Laxus' team and bring them here. In the meantime, I think we should do a circuit of the building, make sure we don't have any surprise visitors."
"Aye," Happy muttered quietly, Carla mimicked him. They chatted, talking about routes and buddies and the idea of splitting up, and the final decision to stay together. Natsu barely listened to them plan, busy watching Cheria's retreating back. Gray and Juvia limped on after, greatly supporting each other. He kept his eyes on them until they ducked into a room and disappeared. Unsurprisingly, distance didn't stop him from feeling the other man's volatile anger, the call of his magic. He found himself wanting to respond. It was hard to ignore the urge, even knowing that if they were to fight again, he would be hurting Juvia and Meredy as well.
"How long until the sensory link can be broken?" Natsu surprised himself by asking.
Jellal responded, "As soon as Meredy's awake, we'll try to figure out what went wrong. Until then, stay away from Gray."
Natsu hoped that he could. And subsequently, that Gray could as well.
A door to the right opened and a lithe woman stepped out, catching his wandering attention and refocusing it. Scantily clad in a white something that could hardly be called clothes, she leaned up against the doorframe of one of the classrooms, looking bored and mean and obstinate. "Jellal, you came back. And you brought visitors. After you told us not to have contact with anyone in Magnolia. I think someone's a hypocrite." She sang the last word almost playfully.
Jellal barely glanced at Sorano. "Show Natsu, Lucy and Wendy where the washrooms are, then take Carla, Happy and Lily around and show them the rest of the building."
"Pretty please?" she jibed.
Jellal responded by saying, "Now."
The girl huffed and muttered about redeeming her sins in a way that was a little more fun. She moved, though, and everyone fell into file behind her.
Wendy looked back over her shoulder; Jellal wasn't there anymore, stepped into one of the classrooms. "What's wrong with him?"
Sorano glanced back at her, her mean edge softening some as she addressed Wendy. "I suppose he's worried. Richard and Sawyer are dead."
"Dead?" Natsu repeated.
"Richard died on our way to retrieve Cheria, attacked in the valleys by some... thing, and Sawyer... Jellal didn't say much, but Macbeth says he was a real mess when they pulled him out of the canal. Jellal thinks it's Zeref. Says he felt his aura or some crap."
'Do you know how many lives you've taken?'
"That's horrible," Wendy murmured.
'How many have suffered because of you?' Natsu chose his path less carefully than he should have, unmindful of the broken bits of tile and brick. It was a kind of punishment for this. The cold in his chest. The memories he couldn't quite capture, but lingered like ghosts in fog. The sympathy he felt for Zeref even after everything. Juvia and Lucy and—
"Your feet are bleeding, Natsu. Be careful."
Natsu startled; he'd forgotten Happy was there. "Thanks, Happy." He didn't bother treading more carefully.
"I'll call Virgo again and ask her to get everyone something to wear." Lucy spoke quietly from Natsu's side. Her hand slid back into his, her fingers tighter than ever. Natsu clutched her for dear life
Sorano turned left down a long hallway. "There's glass on the ground here." A liberal spray of it from glass cabinets that used to hold trophies, recognition plaques and other nonsense. Natsu felt it all dig into his skin. Sort of. He felt the bite, felt the pain, but didn't feel concerned like he thought he might.
Their guide came to a halt outside of a pair of twin solid (and ugly) off-lime green doors. "There're girls' and boys' washrooms, I'll let you choose."
Lucy tugged Natsu toward the closest one: the boys' room. "This is fine. Thank you."
Sorano smiled vaguely. "Well, Exceeds?"
"Lead on," Lily replied.
Distantly, Natsu heard Happy murmur about catching up in a few. When the others left, he stayed by Natsu's side as Lucy pushed open the door to the wide and mostly intact room. White tiles scrubbed to a polish with vinegar were only dulled by a year's worth of dust and some minor imperfections: cracks here and there, black fissures that Natsu imagined, if he tried really, really hard, could hide beasts. His feet slipped over the tile floor, wet with blood.
Wendy came to his side and tugged his other hand before he could get too far. "Sit. We'll fix your feet." Right there on the floor.
His depreciation didn't extend to stubbornness; Natsu was too tired for that. He pulled out of either girl's grasp and let himself drop down, feeling the floor's grit beneath his palms. Lucy stayed standing and brandished Virgo's key. The dragon slayer watched her out of the corner of his eye, unconcerned with what Wendy was doing down at his feet. Small tugs and clinks told him she was pulling glass from his skin. Happy got down beside her and passed her a cloth from his pack so she could mop up the excess blood. As she worked, he presented questions: How are you feeling? Are you tired? When she assured him she was fine, despite her pale and sickly complexion, he asked, What did you do all year? Did you like travelling with Erza? Did you train lots like me and Natsu?
Wendy answered all of his questions thoroughly; Natsu got the impression that she used them as a focal point to keep her mounting exhaustion at bay.
"That's enough, Wendy," Natsu said finally when she was mostly done with his feet and tried to move on to his other injuries.
"You're still hurt," Wendy protested.
His face, knuckles and ribs all bore signs of his fight. "I'm alright." He'd had worse, probably.
Wendy curled her lip up in a new and stubborn way that was reminiscent of Erza. Natsu derailed her argument. "Take care of Lucy." Lucy, who now stood alone beneath a mountainous pile of clothes.
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine."
"But—" Wendy started.
"There are people more hurt than me, Wendy, and there might be more, we don't know. Please don't waste your energy," Lucy said.
Wendy buckled. "Maybe you're right."
Natsu almost told her to do the work anyway, that way he wouldn't look at the bruise on Lucy's neck and think about how that was his doing in a way as well. His mouth remained firmly closed, reason winning out. Lucy put clothes in his hands, a pair of plain black pants, a long-sleeved black shirt and a black coat trimmed with silver. The boots she left on the ground beside him were combat-style, the tongues reaching to his shins at least.
Then she rocked back on her heels and nibbled her lip. "Virgo gave me stuff for Gray and Juvia, I'm going to deliver it." She looked like she was waiting for Natsu to argue.
She was right. "You should stay away from him." It didn't take too much effort to recall Gray's breath attack barreling toward her, strong enough to take her away for good.
"Like he thinks I should stay away from you?" Lucy was ashamed as soon as she said it. Natsu looked like she'd slapped him. "Natsu, I didn't—"
"It's okay," he replied abruptly.
It wasn't. Lucy felt everyone's eyes on her. Her neck got hot. "I'll only be a few minutes. We'll talk after."
"You're coming back?" His guileless question almost broke Lucy's heart. She reached down and cupped his cheek with her free hand. His skin was cold and rough with stubble.
"Of course I'm coming back. Don't go anywhere."
He couldn't imagine leaving yet. "I was just going to shower."
Lucy refused to be embarrassed as she said, "Wait for me."
Happy made a strangled noise. Lucy didn't look at him.
Natsu searched her eyes. "Okay."
Lucy bent and laid a kiss to his temple. When she stood and faced the door again, she couldn't help but look at a red faced Wendy and a smirking Happy. Movement helped keep her from blushing. Wendy fell into step beside her.
"I'm going to help Cheria with Gray and Juvia," she explained when Lucy raised an inquisitive brow.
"Sure." The bathroom door closed behind them, blocking Happy and Natsu from view. Being out of sight didn't vanish him from her mind. Lucy worried at her cheek, playing the scene in the bedroom over in her mind again and again. Gray chirped in her ear. 'Did you not hear me? He's END.'
"Don't look so worried, Lucy, everything will be okay," Wendy said.
"Yeah," Lucy agreed with a bland smile. She tried to be more positive. "It's good to see you again, Wendy. I missed you."
"I missed you, too," she returned. "Not that Erza gave me much time for it, we were always on one job or another."
"I couldn't even imagine how hard it was travelling with her. Did she even sleep?"
Wendy laughed. "No. Not really. It was hard, but I wouldn't change it. I learned a lot."
Lucy stopped in front of the plain wooden door Gray and Juvia disappeared behind and hesitated with her fist raised to knock. Wendy only let her dither for so long before she knocked for her. Yes, she'd learned plenty from Erza. How not to procrastinate. How to be bolder.
The door was pulled back. Lucy's stomach jumped unpleasantly as Gray came into view. His cheek was swollen and black and his skin had a parchment look to it. There was still blood at the corner of his fat lip. He looked worse than when he'd first burst into her room an hour before, which was saying a lot, because he looked like shit then, too.
He didn't say anything as he took her in. He stepped out, Wendy stepped in and the door closed, leaving them alone in the long, mostly dark hallway.
"I brought stuff for you and Juvia." Lucy lifted the clothes half-heartedly.
Gray glanced down. "Thanks." He took them from her hands.
"How is she?"
"Hurt."
"But she's responding to Cheria's treatment?"
"Yeah."
Having a conversation was like pulling teeth. Lucy kept at it. "What happened?"
Given the look on his face, Lucy thought he'd tell her to mind her own business. But no. He seemed more than happy to purge himself of this guilt, it was only getting started that was the issue. "I made a sensory link with her last night. Everything I experienced, she did as well," he said. "We were attacked, I thought... I couldn't feel her anymore. So I didn't care." It was half the truth. Facing Natsu, he couldn't think.
"What attacked you?"
His fist clenched. "A demon."
Lucy was sorry she asked as soon as he spat out the word. "Where is it now?"
"I don't know, hopefully dead."
He looked so righteous saying it. Thinking she knew what was coming, she tried to sidetrack him. "Well, I'm glad Juvia's okay. I thought… maybe I could talk to her?"
An emotion flitted over Gray's face so fast, Lucy didn't quite catch it. "I don't want to bother her, Lucy, she's tired."
"Oh." She didn't have the courage to push to talk to Juvia and she didn't have the courage to ask about Gray's altercation with Natsu. She wasn't even brave enough to keep standing there. "I hope the clothes are okay. I'll see you in a little while, alright?" She was turned around and three steps in when Gray called her name. Lucy stiffened.
"You're not going back to him."
It took her a few seconds to process. "I'm not?" That was rather presumptuous, wasn't it?
"No one should be near him. Stay here and..."
Lucy thought she knew what Gray was gearing himself up to in his pregnant pause. She couldn't look at him.
He chose his words carefully. "And wait with Juvia while I take care of him." Careful or not, Gray's delivery left a lot to be desired, his voice strangled and brimming with violence.
Lucy focused on the row of lockers ahead of her. The metal rippled and the grey paint chipped, their structure set to rot by rainwater leaking through the holey ceiling. "Take care of him? And what does that mean, Gray?"
Dropping the clothes, he grabbed her wrist and turned her around so she could see the sincerity on his face, and the regret. "I want everyone to be safe."
She tugged out of his grasp. "Then turn your attention outward. We're being attacked every time we turn around, and it's not from Natsu."
He searched her eyes. "It won't be long."
"Until what?" she whispered harshly. "Until you both tear each other apart? And for what? An accusation that means nothing?"
He grabbed her wrist again, and the other, too, and pulled her in closer so they were almost body-to-body. "What's the matter with you? I tell you he's END and you tell me it's nothing?"
They were too close. Closer than they'd been in months and months. Lucy tried to wriggle out of his grasp and could not. Gray's skin got several degrees colder, the black fractured mark stretching up his bare arm a few inches. She refused to panic, meeting his gaze steadily. "You say END, but what are you even going off of?"
"My instincts," he said immediately.
"Instincts?"
"Yes. I can feel it. And the demon that attacked us confirmed it."
Lucy would have thrown her hands in the air if she could. "Gray, demons lie. They lie all the time! I can't believe you're considering seriously hurting one of your best friends over something a damn demon said!"
Gray tightened his grip, face going taut. "Do you think I like this?"
"You must," she replied, "Otherwise you'd see reason and stop." There wasn't any keeping her voice down, every time she tried, it just got louder again. "You've known Natsu almost your entire life! You know this is a lie. He's as human as you or me."
He shook his head. "You saw the exact same thing I did when I came into your room. If all those scales weren't enough proof, you've been spending time with him. You know he's not right."
Loyalty and panic conspired to make Lucy's throat small. Swallowing didn't help any. Neither did breathing deeply. "Stay away from him."
"I can't," Gray said simply.
"Gray, I swear—"
He squeezed her wrists until it hurt. "You don't understand, Lucy. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. Just being near him makes me sick. I have this compulsion and not following it… it's not a good scene. I know it's not what you want to hear, I know it's hard and you think you love him or something, but he needs to be taken care of."
Lucy still couldn't jerk out of his grasp. She settled for spitting venom. "Taken care of? You're talking about killing him. Call it what it is."
Her words had a physical effect. Gray's body convulsed, his mind and his magic and his heart all at odds. It passed as he came to some kind of resolution. "To keep everyone I care about safe? Yes. I'm going to kill him. Go inside, Lucy; don't make this harder than what it already is."
Lucy primed a volley of curses. She didn't get them out, distracted as the classroom door opened and Juvia stuck her head out. Most of her bruises were gone, and when she stood, she didn't bend over her ribs, gasping in pain. She didn't look at Lucy, leaving the blonde to wonder if they'd ever meet each other's eyes again or if those days were just gone. Her chest panged hollowly.
"Gray-sama," Juvia spoke. "Come inside."
Gray's body became rigid. He looked into Lucy's eyes, seemed to realize how close they were, and dropped her like she'd burned him. Lucy's wrists ached in his absence, cold and sore. She rubbed them; it did little to make them feel better.
Though he'd released her, he hadn't let up on his crusade. "I can't let you go back to him."
"You don't have the right to make that choice," Lucy replied, all too aware of Juvia watching the exchange.
"Lucy," he started again.
"Leave it, for now, Gray-sama," Juvia said.
Gray warred with himself; it was a long, drawn-out battle. He stepped away from Lucy eventually. Freed from the stalemate, Lucy rushed back to the washrooms alone.
"What's wrong, Natsu?"
The dragon slayer rolled his head on his shoulders and found his best friend gripping his tail nervously. "Nothing's wrong, Happy."
"That's crap," the cat replied. "Why were you and Gray fighting?"
"We always fight," Natsu dodged.
"Not like that." Happy stepped closer to him. "What is it? You can trust me."
Natsu opened his mouth to shoo his friend off again. The words fizzled out. Very quickly, he realized he didn't have the energy to lie. "Gray accused me of being END."
Happy let that sink in for a moment, then shook his head incredulously. "What? Where the heck did he get that idea from? You told him he's crazy, right?"
"No."
"You should have. He's said some really stupid stuff over the years but this has got to take the cake. What a dummy."
Natsu couldn't argue with that. Gray was pretty dumb.
Happy said, "I got your back—I'll tell him for you." He started for the door.
"No, Happy," Natsu said.
"Don't worry, he hates you, not me," Happy was nonchalant as always. "I'll be fine."
"No, I mean…" Just spit it out. "I didn't tell him because it's true."
"Funny." He was almost at the door.
"I'm not kidding around."
It took the cat a few solid seconds to turn and face Natsu again. When he did, there was doubt on his face, and a tinge of fear. "You're Natsu Dragneel, not END. I think I'd know if my best bud was a demon."
"Happy…" Outside, the wind howled, loud in the quiet that followed.
"You're serious?" Happy asked.
Natsu showed him his palm, the scales that had shrunk but were starting their migration once more. His knuckles were sharp and black. "Yes."
"I've known you forever, Natsu, and you've never been a demon before," Happy protested.
Natsu scrubbed his hands through his gritty hair, feeling bits of sand caked in with some blood he wasn't sure was his or not. He tried to think of how to explain everything. There was no easy way, so he launched into an abbreviated version of the last few days, starting with that annoying little thorn and ending with his last dream—by the river, Zeref's shoulder abutting his, the news of Master Makarov hanging between them.
"And you believe him."
"I didn't at first. But… Yeah."
Happy was quiet. Finally, Natsu couldn't stand the silence and said, "Zeref wants to end his life."
"Then I say let him," Happy replied fiercely, suddenly animated—pacing and wringing his tail and puffing up his fur, things he wasn't even conscious of.
It was hard to remain looking at him. Natsu managed somehow. "We're connected."
Happy came to a halt. "What?"
"If he dies, I die." His chest burned with the memory, the puckered white scar Zeref's knife left behind still visible and tender.
It was hard for Happy's eyes to get wider. " If what you're saying is true, then we need to disconnect you."
Natsu's responding smile was more than a little weak and a lot of sad. "I don't think it can be done."
"Then we'll find a way."
Of course, he'd be stubborn. "Let me rephrase: I don't think I want it done."
Happy went right back to pacing and wringing his tail. "Why the heck not?"
Natsu sighed. "Because I'm the only one that can put a stop to this. No one else is strong enough to kill him. Because I'm his brother and it's my duty."
Happy reeled on him, swinging back into denial. "Natsu, do you hear yourself? This is crazy. We should talk to Porlyusica, see if we can't get you medicated or something—I think that last punch Gray gave you knocked a few screws loose."
"I'm not crazy."
Happy was more than glad to latch onto his own explanation. "It's okay. You've been under a lot of stress. That crap with Lucy, and the guild, and all those people getting hurt in town. Now Master Makarov. It's enough to make anyone feel a little funny."
"I don't feel funny, Happy."
"Sure." Happy released his tail and glanced toward the door. Natsu recognized that look.
"You're not going anywhere, not to tell anyone I've lost a few marbles."
Happy pleaded, "Natsu, let me help you."
"No. I don't need help. You keep this between me and you."
"Natsu—"
"Promise me."
Tears filled Happy's eyes. "No—if you're not mental, you're asking me to let you die!"
Hearing it spoken aloud so candidly was like having the wind knocked out of him. Natsu weathered the abuse. "This is the best way to keep everyone safe, you know it, I know it. Swear to me you'll be quiet."
The dragon slayer knew Happy believed him more than not when the cat asked, "What about Lucy?"
Yes. Lucy. "Don't say anything to her either. I don't want her to hurt any more than she has to." She'd just obsess and cry right up until the moment it happened, and he wasn't sure he was strong enough to do what needed to be done if she begged him not to. Even if it meant she was safe.
Happy looked like he was just shy of hitting him. "You promised her you wouldn't leave anymore, Natsu!"
Natsu shoved his hands through his hair again, frustrated beyond belief. "Don't you think I know that?"
"Maybe you do, but I don't think you understand. If you don't tell her, I will."
"No, you won't," Natsu said with surety.
"Watch me."
The door chose that moment to open. Lucy came through, looking disheveled and manic and more than a little scared. The fear didn't leave when she looked at Natsu. It didn't grow either, though. Natsu glanced down at Happy, waiting, waiting, wondering what he'd do if he gambled wrong and Happy opened his mouth.
"Lucy," the cat forced her name out. Natsu tensed.
The girl looked away from Natsu and met Happy's eyes. "What is it, Happy?"
He took in a deep breath, full of bravery and stubbornness, and then he released it weakly, filling instead with loyalty. "…Your shirt's ripped."
Lucy looked down to the frayed ends of her long-sleeved T-shirt. "I don't think it's going to get repeat wear."
"Right. I'm going to catch up with Carla and Lily," Happy said shamefacedly. He walked out without another word. Natsu released the breath he didn't know he was holding. He'd been fairly sure Happy would come through, but it was still a relief.
"What's going on with him?" Lucy asked.
"He's just scared," Natsu responded and felt bad for the lie.
"Everyone is." Lucy returned to the door and flicked over the deadbolt, partially for privacy, partially to keep Gray out—not that she thought it would sidetrack him for long if he really wanted to get in. The clunk the metal made falling into place resonated with a sense of finality. She wished there were more locks to engage. She looked away, otherwise she'd stand there all day thinking of ways to make it more secure, and came back to him. He was reluctant to give up his scaled hand when she grabbed it. Lucy was dogged, dissatisfied until their fingers were tangled together and she'd pulled him to his feet. "How are you feeling?"
Looking down, he could see the golden flecks in her eyes. "I'm okay."
"You should have let Wendy finish with your wounds. Gray is looking worse for wear, too."
Natsu squeezed her fingers. He didn't want to think about Gray. Lucy wouldn't let up. "He's—I don't know. He's gone crazy. He wants to kill you, Natsu. And I don't think he was just talking. I think he really meant what he said."
Because that's what devil slayers did, they killed demons.
Natsu didn't have a good response.
"…You should leave Magnolia."
"Leave Magnolia." Speaking aloud didn't help with the digestion of Lucy's words.
"Yes. I'll help out here until we've taken care of Zeref and his lackeys, then I'll meet up with you and we'll… we'll go anywhere. You, me and Happy."
"Run away. Why would you say that?" Natsu asked.
In the most earnest way Natsu had ever heard, Lucy said, "Because, I keep thinking, when Gray accused you of being END, you didn't shoot him down. You looked scared, Natsu. And you still do."
He opened his mouth—to refute her, or to spit out the truth, he didn't know. Lucy laid her finger against his lips and silenced him. "I don't know if I believe it or not, but I know what Gray thinks and I know what devil slayer magic is good for. Please."
Natsu almost said yes, if it would dispel the panicked look she wore. The truth of the matter was, "I can't."
She grunted in frustration, incorrectly reading his stubbornness. "I don't know why you always have to be at ground zero. You can trust us to take care of this."
She didn't understand and he didn't know how to make her, not without making her cry more. "Everything is going to be okay."
"Everyone keeps saying that. I want to believe you, but you're acting so weird, Natsu. Hot, and then detached. You're scaring me." Lucy was already on the verge of tears without his help.
"Because of what Gray said?"
"I don't care what he said," she replied. The odd thing was, he believed her.
Braver, Natsu tugged her closer and repeated, "Everything is going to be fine. Trust me."
Some of her tension eased. "I do trust you."
Natsu bent and brushed their mouths together, just to see if she meant it. Lucy didn't stiffen, afraid, she didn't push him away, disgusted, she breathed unsteadily and clenched his hand and his shoulder, drawing him closer. Her lips opened. She tasted like dust residue and a hint of this morning's toothpaste.
Untangling their hands, Natsu weaved his fingers through her messy hair and kissed her properly. As soon as he did, he realized there was an unexpected side-effect: his mind blanked of almost everything but Lucy. He kissed her more firmly. Maybe he was END, he didn't have to let it consume his every thought, though. Mouths together, he didn't have to think about his growing discomfort, the scales inching over his body again, or fate looming over his head. Everything muted beneath hands and lips and suddenly bare skin.
"We shouldn't, Natsu…" The protest was weakened by plucking fingers. "The door's locked?"
"You locked it."
"We should check."
With great effort, Natsu looked over his shoulder. The deadbolt was in place. "It's fine."
Lucy put herself against the wall, facing him this time. Without the floor being wet, it was easier to grab her by the hips and lift her. Pain faded, fear and coldness shortly behind it. He forgot about END and Gray and Zeref for moments, just long enough to squeeze out a little more enjoyment.
After returning to the room they'd chosen (language arts, with all of its saggy bookshelves, swollen pages and dust-covered desks) Gray realized that the hardest part wasn't facing Juvia after everything, but banishing Wendy and Cheria from the room. They wouldn't go easily, not without healing some of his wounds, too, regardless of how much he protested.
Cheria reported two cracked ribs, a fractured orbital bone, and bruised knuckles. How very human. He felt betrayed by his devil slayer's mark, which really meant betrayed by Juvia and her misguided attempt to make him feel better. He welcomed the first bout of anger and smothered the rest. There wasn't any sense being mad, she didn't know.
When Wendy and Cheria were done, he didn't feel better, not exactly, just like he was falling apart a little less. Everything was still a mess. He was still so cold it hurt. He was still elbow deep in a migraine that was on the verge of making him nauseous. Slouching to the cracked tile floor, placing his head against the wall and closing his eyes didn't offer much relief. Juvia settled down beside him, not tucking into him exactly, but pressing into his shoulder. Her breath was so, so warm breaking over his bare chest. And uneven. Gray hardly dared to ask, "What are you thinking?"
Her soft hand found his. "That…"
"Just say it." He couldn't stand feeling all the apprehension and fear that she did. It would drive him crazy.
"I knew you cared for her, I just didn't realize how much."
He waited for the tears. She sniffled. Gray said, "You know it's not enough."
Her hand went over his heart. "Yes. Tell me you love me, Gray-sama."
Moving was inviting explosions behind his eyes as he laid his lips against her forehead. "I love you."
A small tremor moved through her. She put their mouths together. "You're still angry."
"Yeah, Juvia. It'll pass."
Juvia sniffled again. "I'm sorry. I really thought she was going to help."
Gray couldn't tell where his misery ended and Juvia's began. Who ever thought a sensory link was a good idea? "Forget about it, Juvia. We have more important things to think about. You need to stay away from Natsu. And Lucy, too. He'll be where she is."
"He loves her."
"He's a demon," Gray replied. "You heard the exact same thing I did. Master END."
"Juvia doesn't want to believe it."
He squeezed her fingers tight. "You don't have to. All I need you to do is trust me."
Juvia's breath staggered on the way in. "Yes."
"I'll make it right."
Through the unbreakable sensory link, Gray felt how unsure she was, even if she said the right words. Doubt was the last thing he needed, but it was the only thing that dared court him.
With Lily flying beside him, Happy went as fast as he liked, unconcerned with things like carrying Natsu, or keeping pace with his friend. On high, all of Magnolia was splayed out beneath him like the world's foulest flower. Dappling daylight, morning bleeding into afternoon, couldn't mask the ugliness, the cracked streets, the dilapidated buildings, the citizens that hobbled along, reaching for a semblance of normalcy when everything they'd ever known was thrown into disarray.
"Why doesn't the King send funds?" Happy asked.
Lily said, "He has, but he needs to spend wisely."
"This would be a wise thing to spend it on," Happy replied. "Look at all these people suffering."
"People suffer everywhere," Lily told him. "He can't just send all of his money here, he needs to make sure that all of his citizens are taken care of."
Happy frowned, not sharing the King's views.
Beyond the stretching façade of what used to be the town hall, Happy caught sight of the guild. So far below, Laxus and the others looked small, ants in a colony working together to repair all of the damage done. Or dig a grave, in this case. The tilled dirt wouldn't be hidden amongst the dying grass, rich and dark. Too fresh. It was hard to believe that Master Makarov lay below all that soil.
Happy turned his eyes away from the mound and focused on the group below. Laxus sank his shovel into the earth, finished. Bickslow clapped him on the back. Across the grave, Mira wiped her eyes in the shelter of Elfman's bulk, Lisanna at her side. Freed was talking lowly to Evergreen. Happy swirled, catching one of the last warm air currents of the season and started his descent. Lily stopped him, pointing to the south.
"What's that?"
Happy followed his paw to a smudge of black on the horizon. "Smoke."
"And that?" Lily pointed not so far away, where a woman carrying a child staggered along the cart path leading into town. The child—a young boy of maybe eight—hung limply in her arms. Happy didn't need to ask if he was asleep, his answer was obvious enough: no one could be so boneless.
The woman didn't cry as she trekked or yell to grab their attention. Mira was the first of the group to notice, just by chance lifting her gaze to scout the horizon. The takeover mage moved toward her, walking at first. Then, noticing the woman's macabre cargo and all the blood, she began to run. Near enough to be heard, Mira's clear-as-a-bell voice asked, "Are you okay?"
Happy strained his ears to hear the deadpan reply. "An army is coming. It's going to kill us all." She fell then, spilling with her gross package to the ground. Judging by the wet red flower blooming on her back, Happy thought she was dead, too.
