Okay, I'm so sorry about the long wait! I was smacked in the face with a massive dose of writers block and I just... okay, I really didn't get past it. This one chapter is all that was stopping me- I'm actually extremely hyped about the Tenrou arc. I still don't know what it is, but something about this chapter just frustrated me so much, I couldn't even do it like I wanted to. I still got in the basics of what I'd planned, but it's just not as refined. I'm sorry for the drop in quality, but from here on out, I'll be back into the zone! Still, as much as I wanted to do more aftermath, more conversation afterward, but this is all I could summon the strength to do. So yeah, sorry, but I simply don't have the heart.

Thank you all so much for your patience in waiting for this- don't worry, from here on out, the chapters will be much more consistent, longer, and better!

Thank you so much to those who are new and old to the story, and a special thanks to those who've reviewed! It really helps the writing process more than you know when I understand what you loved about it and what I need to fix.

It was a long trip back to the guild hall, injuries many but none too serious. Wendy had nearly passed out after healing Ayrae's injuries, the guild now collective moving back across the border, returning to Magnolia. The members nursed their wounds for three days, waiting for Ayrae to wake up, worry running high for the girl. Porlyusica had stopped by, declaring that Ayrae should be fine, assuming Kyja didn't have an adverse effect on her that the healer couldn't detect- a fact she made sure they understood. She'd laid even more enchantments on the bandages that the girl wore before screaming angrily at Makarov for his stupidity and storming out of the room.

Throughout the three days, it was as if time had slowed down. The guild never was quite as rambunctious, the glances upstairs always present, just as the constant knowledge in the backs of their minds that Ayrae might not really be okay. Lucy visited often, usually with Natsu and Happy in tow, Erza picking out the best flowers she could find, Wendy stopping in and trying to subtly heal her, hoping to speed up her recovery. Gray spent as much time as he could waiting by her bedside, looking after her while she slept.

The sun was gleaming on the fourth morning, Gray asleep in a chair next to her bed, slumped backwards and shirtless as ever, he snored along as Ayrae shifted in her sleep under the sheets. Letting out a soft groan at the sun on her face, she slowly blinked blearily, head slow as she tried to process her surroundings.

"What the..." The girl slowly sat up, wincing at the stiffness in her heavily bandaged arms, glancing around as everything started to make sense, her head pulsing and numb. She recognized the Fairy Tail spare room, which was basically an infirmary at this point, for how much people were in it with injuries. It took nearly an entire minute for her to conclude that there were indeed flowers on her bedside and another minute to figure out they were purple.

Her eyes fell on Gray, snoring in his chair, a small, albeit confused smile on her lips. She didn't quite understand her surroundings, just slowly pulling together what was around her and a strange feeling of being cold. The window, the soft sunlight that crept in the window. Slowly, her head was pulling together, her thoughts finally solidifying- only for the recent events to flood back in.

Kyja.

Demon's Shadow.

Diviner, Doppelganger, Gray...

Her hands quickly moved to her throat, running along the lines of her bandages, extending her arms in front of her to look at the already blackened cloth around her wrists and biceps. Oh no... Shit... I actually did it. I let her take over like a coward.

The girl shoved aside the sheets, suddenly turning red at realizing what she was wearing. Her black leggings were torn, yet still in decent shape- it was the shirt. A simple white button up that was all too familiar- Gray's shirt. Her face turned red, realizing her robes must've been too tattered to wear any longer. She really didn't want to think about whether or not Gray was around at the point when she was between garments.

Turning, she slid her legs off the bed, her toes grazing the cold wooden floor. Trying to stand, her legs buckled, falling right back a a sitting position, the sound waking Gray with a jolt. Sitting up rapidly in his chair, he blinked at her for a second before grinning. "You're finally up!"

Standing quickly, Gray moved toward her, aiming for a hug, hesitating just short, eyes on her bandaged arms, wary in case he might hurt her. Seeing this, Ayrae teased, "I'm not made of glass, Fullbuster."

Gray took the hint, wrapping his arms around her, though he still was careful. They didn't know all the damage that had been done. Pulling away, he joked, "We were starting to worry you'd never get up."

Ayrae slowly nodded, managing a smile. "Yeah, I'm betting I napped a whole day away."

Gray snorted. "Try three."

Ayrae's smile gained sincerity as she questioned, "That seems to happen a lot lately. It seems you guys are bad for my health."

Gray shot back, "And you're hell for my peace of mind."

Ayrae frowned, tapping her chin. "Wait, isn't that my job? What do I get paid for that?" The two exchanged a look before making horrible efforts to stifle their laughing. Ayrae could tell that Gray needed this as much as she did- just as she was trying to avoid thinking about what had happened, Gray was looking for assurance she was alright. She'd give him that, even if it wasn't quite true.

Too true, little one.

The familiar voice seemed to echo for a moment as Ayrae processed what she was hearing, her blood suddenly running cold as she tried to push to her feet, eyes wide in panic. "Kyja?!"

Stumbling as she tried to stand, Gray quickly stepped forward, catching her before she could even start to fall, looking around for the threat. "Where?"

Oh, this is adorable. Yes, look and look for me, but you'll never see where I am.

Ayrae's head whipped around in horror, heart pounding as she tried to find where her voice was coming from. "How are you separate from me?!" Gray's arms still on hers, he didn't let go, now staring at her, eyes muddled with confusion.

But I'm not, love. I'm right here- just like I've always been. Just strong enough to speak my mind these days.

Gray looked around, quietly saying, "Rae, there's nothing here."

Ayrae's chest rose and fell rapidly, eyes still wide with panic. "H-How... I can h-hear her..."

Obviously, you little brat. I don't have control of our body- I'm simple speaking in our shared mind. I figured even you could understand that much.

Ayrae's hands clamped over her head, hoping to block out the voice to no avail as she mashed her eyes closed, growling under her breath, "Get out of my head! Leave me alone!"

Gray quickly circled her to be face to face, still holding her up by her shoulders. "Rae, what going on? Rae?"

I'm afraid I can't do that, love. You've given me few options with your ridiculous willpower. I'll admit, you're more than I expected- but you can't contain me like before. These bandages may keep me from gaining control, but they can't silence me. No matter what you do, I'll be right here, waiting for my moment.

Ayrae shook her head, swaying in Gray's grip as he yelled for help. "Rae, come on, talk to me!"

Ayrae tried leveling her breath, though her panic stayed the same. She managed to murmur, "I can hear her... She's in my head..."

Gray's face creased in worry as the door burst open, Porlyusica sweeping in, quickly ordering, "Sit her down, you idiot!"

Gray quickly guided Ayrae back a few steps to the bed, Ayrae still clutching her head. Gray whirled to Porlyusica, the woman now running her hands over the bandages on Ayrae's arm, looking for tears. "What the hell is going on?!"

Porlyusica snapped, "Shut up, you brat! I'm trying to find that out!" Gray backed up slightly, Porlyusica trying her best to pull Ayrae's arms away from her head so she could inspect them, Ayrae's grip releasing as the healer found her bandages to be intact.

Ha! This old hag things thinks she can block me out? She's done everything in her power and both of you are barely holding me at bay. No my little Shadow, you're stuck with me for the rest of our lives- though I assure you, I'm going to be freed very soon.

Ayrae whispered, "No... I won't let you..."

Porlyusica scowled as she growled, "What do you hear?"

Ayrae fought to differentiate what was in her head, recognizing the woman's voice. "Kyja... I hear her... She's in my head."

Porlyusica frowned, leaning forward to look at the back of her neck, brushing aside Ayrae's hair. The bandages wound tight, the woman noticed something that hadn't changed since they'd brought the girl here. The veins from underneath the bandages and running into her hairline were visible, only because the blood ran black. Branching out from the hidden lacrima, Porlyusica had tried every cure she knew of that could help, nothing making the coloration disappear.

She didn't dare try to remove it, the risk too much that it would kill her. Reaching out, the woman barely brushed a finger against the blackened skin, rapidly pulling back from the same bone-chilling cold that had been there since she'd returned. Looking at her fingertip, frost had already spread almost to her joint.

Rubbing the icy coating on her dress, she sighed. "I was afraid of this. The connection between the lacrima and her skull can't be covered. I tried, however the bandages were destroyed by the magic protecting it. I believe Kyja is putting all her power into defending this connection. I can't sever it or remove it without severely injuring her, perhaps killing her. There's nothing I can do."

You hear her? I'm here to stay, love. And I promise you, until I get control back, you'll be hearing from me often. We're two sides of the same coin now, sweetheart.

Gray could only watch Ayrae cringe, her fingers nervously twisting her hair, wondering what Kyja was saying. The demon had known so much about them, she'd gotten in their heads... He could only imagine how it was when she was literally in her head. "Rae?"

Ayrae was slowly pulling her breath back into a slower rhythm, a small smile spreading across her lips as she looked up. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

As if, though I'll applaud your efforts. You're getting better at lying.

Gray scoffed. "You're not fooling anyone, Rae. You're anything but fine."

And yet Ayrae smiled, carefully placing her hair back behind her shoulder, over the back of her neck. "Actually... I think I might be." Her smile was growing genuine as she examined her hands as if wondering what they were for. "I always was terrified of Kyja getting loose, of being too weak to hold her back. Well, I was. But I think now... I can take it."

Porlyusica scowled. "You have a demon in your skull, you idiot. Nothing about this is okay." Storming over to a small table, she rapidly flipped through the pages of a book, mumbling to herself.

Ayrae protested, "This isn't that bad, I swear! I just panicked because I thought she was gaining control. I'm used to her annoying, 'I'm-better-than-you' talk."

Well, I'm am better than you.

Gray frowned, asking, "This isn't the first time?"

Ayrae shook her head. "Gray, when I was younger, I couldn't keep her out of my head like I could, let's say four days ago. I heard her all the time back then, and even a few days ago, sometimes she'd slip in a word. So what if she's a little louder? I'll live."

Porlyusica looked like she was actually going to accept this grudgingly when she turned to see Ayrae trying to stand up. Suddenly, Ayrae found herself in Porlyusica's shadow, sweating in terror of the pink-haired woman's rage. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! You go head to head with a demon and within minutes of waking up, you try to stand? I swear, you kids get dumber and dumber every time I see you! Now, you're going to sit there and you're not going to give me any trouble, got it?"

Ayrae, suddenly seeing a bit of resemblance between Kyja and the healer, weakly agreed, "Yes, ma'am."

You really are pathetic. You can't even hold your own against a powerless old witch?

Porlyusica backed away, even Gray having slightly pressed against the wall and out of her range of wrath. "In that case, I'm done here. I'm sure being around you fools has lowered my intelligence significantly."

Ayrae smiled, offering, "Thank you, Porlyusica. You've done a lot for me. I couldn't ask for anymore."

She could see the older woman felt guilty one of her many remedies didn't hold the answer, yet Ayrae was legitimately content. She was free of the fear that had overtaken her for years, even if she had a constant whisper in the back of her mind. She would've had that even without Kyja.

The pink-haired woman gruffly excused herself from the room, Gray glancing worriedly back to his friend. A few seconds of silence pervaded until Ayrae's cheeks tinted pink. "... Thanks for the, uh... shirt."

Aaaand now you're a blushing village girl. Wonderful. I'm ecstatic to share a body with you over the next hundred years.

Gray fought to keep the blood from rushing to his face, appearing calm as he shrugged. "Your robes were coming off while we brought you here, so I did what I could. Porlyusica said not to irritate your wounds with tight clothes, so we didn't switch them."

Ayrae suddenly smirked. "'We?'"

You humans are absolutely ridiculous. Pull yourself together- it's just embarrassing at this point.

Gray couldn't keep down the red that highlighted his cheeks, turning away as he attempted to keep his voice level. "I meant the girls! You know I wouldn't- you know I'm not..."

Ayrae tried to keep from laughing as she played dumb, tapping her chin as if contemplating. "Well, I know you're a bit of a pervert..."

Gray shot back, "As if! It's just an old habit!" The two stared for a moment before bursting out laughing.

Oh my immortal creator, just either kiss, fuck, or murder each other. That's all you humans ever do.

Ayrae couldn't ignore that particular piece of Kyja's grumbling, her face turned a deep shade of scarlet, though it was at least disguised by their laughing. Still, when the laughter died out, their moment of levity had had its run, the hidden elephant in the room rearing its head. Gray glanced at her hesitantly, weighing his options before steeling himself for what was coming.

"Rae, are you really alright?"

Ayrae's blush started to fade, her smile slipping. "Gray, I know this is hard to understand- I'm even surprised. But... I think I'm going to be okay." Glancing past her friend, she whispered, "Is Porlyusica really gone?"

Gray nodded slightly. "Yeah, she should be. Why-"

Ayrae immediately stood, swaying for a moment as she did. "Finally. I want to be on my feet again."

Gray immediately insisted, "Porlyusica said-"

"Yeah yeah, but I feel perfectly fine." Ayrae winked at Gray, assuring, "Besides a bit of stiffness, I actually feel pretty good."

Yes, and isn't it obvious why?

Ayrae ignored the demon and Gray stared at her, one eye twitching. "You. Were. Bleeding. Out. If Wendy hadn't been there, you would've died! And you're 'fine?!' Rae, you-"

Ayrae reached out, hands clasping onto his. "Gray, I know it was hard to face Kyja, but you have to understand when I say that. I really shouldn't be okay, but I am. Please, just take my word for it."

And why should he? You've not exactly been truthful over the last few years. You're lying to him now, even if not about your well-being.

Gray felt warmth in his cold fingers from her touch, yet his eyes were still cold. "I watched you turn into a demon, Rae. You had horns, scales, and a tail. You expect me to think you're okay after that?"

Ayrae glanced away, not noticing how her hands tightened around his. "Gray, are you sure..." She hesitated, steeling herself for what she was going to ask. "Are you sure this isn't about Deliora?"

Ah yes, Deliora. He really was one of my better siblings, though he was still below me. A shame that ice bitch killed him.

Frost spread across Ayrae's fingers, Gray's hands shaking with a mixture of grief and simmering anger. His voice was burning with obvious outrage that she'd bring his past forward. "The hell is that supposed to mean?"

Ayrae fought the urge to looking away, keeping her eyes on his despite his intense glare. "That you've lost a lot to a demon and you don't want Kyja interfering with what you've built here."

Interfere seems to be a weak word for what I would do. Obliterate, decimate, ravage- oh, I like that last one.

Gray pulled away, crossing his arms as he growled, "We're not discussing this. Not right after you woke up." He let out his breath, his anger obviously fading as he reined himself in. "Come on, the rest of the guild will be coming in for the day soon. They'll want to know you're okay."

Ayrae nodded, allowing the subject to slip as she walked toward the door, peeking out warily as she whispered, "Is she here?"

Gray smirked, walking back to the window in time to see a pink head disappear around the corner of a house. "You're safe."

"I swear, if you're lying to get me stuck in bed for a week, I'm going to frickin' kill you." Walking out into the hall, she kept a wary had on the wall just in case her legs gave out again, despite the strange lack of pain she felt.

Zeref's immortal power, you're ridiculously stupid. You don't even understand our connection?

Ayrae took a deep breath, trying to tune out her voice in the background as Gray walked behind her, wary of her shaky stride.

Reaching the steps, only a few had trickled in for the day so far- Mirajane seemed to be the only one who had arrived yet. At seeing her, Mira quickly smiled behind the bar. "Ayrae, you're up! How are you feeling?"

Ayrae returned the smile, starting down the steps. "Pretty good, conside-" Ayrae was cut off as her ankle fell out from under her, Gray too slow reaching forward to keep her from falling straight forward and slamming her head against the next step.

Fuck!

Before anyone could even say a word, she immediately sat up, a confused frown on her face. "... I could've sworn that should've hurt."

Gray was quickly by her side, holding her by the shoulder. "Rae, what the hell do you mean?"

He reached out, worried eyes on the cut across her forehead, bleeding down her temple. Freezing the wound, Ayrae reached up, touching the ice. "Wait, I-" The pieces quickly fell into place.

Took you long enough, you fool. Try being careful for awhile, kiddo.

Staring at the steps, Ayrae slowly said, "I think... Kyja's trick of me feeling her pain might've been reversed. I don't... feel any of it." She once again touched her forehead then looked to her hand as if expecting to see blood. "I'm really not sure if I should be terrified by this or excited."

It all depends on your perspective- do your human survival instincts depend on pain?

Ayrae didn't really feel like answering her personal demon, instead standing with a bit of support from the railing and Gray, she shot Mira a smile before turning the gesture to Gray to her side. "Don't worry, we're all good."

Gray looked like he wanted to strangle her at this point, Mira simply worried. "Are you sure? I could still go get Porly-"

"No!" Ayrae quickly protested, eyes wide. "Please, I've got one demon on my ass- I don't need the pink one too." Making it to the bottom of the steps without further incident, she pulled loose of Gray as she resisted the urge to pick at the ice. "I'll just ask Wendy for a bit of help when she gets here. It can't be that bad, after all."

Mira wrapped her in a hug, Ayrae glancing away. All she could think about the feeling of her claws in Mirajane's side during the fight, slamming her to the ground. She softly whispered, "I'm so sorry."

Mira insisted, "Don't be- it wasn't you." Holding her friend at arms length, the white-haired girl smiled kindly, as if nothing had happened. "Wendy fixed me right up- I don't want to hear any more "sorrys" today- everyone already knows, and we understand."

Ayrae nodded slowly, though obviously wasn't in agreement.

Sitting down with Gray at a booth, the guild slowly filing in. The day passed quickly, no one really talked about what had happened- at least not loudly. It was obvious to Ayrae everyone was trying to hold back their questions, attempting to avoid upsetting her or bringing it up too soon. Instead, they simply asked how she was, if she was alright- she'd lie and say she was fine, barely even realizing the day had been passing so quickly.

However, the after-victory partying hadn't died out yet. Despite Cana having drained a large amount of their alcohol supplies, the guild went their usual brand of wild, despite the circumstances. Ayrae displayed her usual aversion to alcohol as the night grew darker, a massive fight breaking out that wiped out most of the guild.

Most.

Ayrae couldn't sleep.

After being unconscious for several days, it was as if her body simply wouldn't obey, insisting she'd rested enough. Every time she closed her eyes, a cold chill would flood through her body, freezing her blood and a feeling like frostbite over her skin.

Good luck sleeping anymore, little fairy.

Glancing to the side, Gray still snored softly in the booth beside her, head lolling back, Juvia sleeping quietly, head resting against her folded arms on the table.

Somehow, Gray's touch had been helpful. The cold she felt whenever she touched him was... different. Less like a threatening blizzard, and more like a gentle snowfall. It was comforting, just being around him- it was just so... familiar.

Slowly, she sat up, trying to keep quiet so not to wake Gray slumped beside her, wincing slightly at how her arms pulsed painfully at the movement. Her arms wrapped in the new bandages Porlyusica had made, twice as powerful as the last set with how many layers of magic she'd inlaid this time. Looking around as if expecting the pink-haired healer to appear from the floorboards, she slipped under the table so not to wake Juvia or Gray as she slipped outside, quickly using a short burst of magic to leap up to the roof.

Pulling herself onto the roof of the guild hall, laying back against the shingles with her eyes tearing through the sky, she smiled vaguely at the constellations she had met in human- or mostly human- form. She couldn't rest, so the best she could do was to at least stay up here and think- besides, after so long as Guildless, she always felt more at ease outside a building.

"At first, I thought you were running off again."

Ayrae blinked, smiling sheepishly at seeing Gray easily jumping up onto the rooftop. Seating himself next to her and laying down, arms folded behind his head as he closed his eye, he continued, "But you always have loved the outdoors."

Ayrae felt the heat rise to her cheeks, looking back to the stars. "Don't worry. I wouldn't leave again. Not alone, at least."

Gray nodded, the two of them sitting in silence for a few minutes, simply enjoying the warmth of the night.

"I fought Doppelganger." Ayrae's breath hitched, black eyes creeping over to Gray, who smiled at the sky as he broke the silence. "She knew about this one time… When we were younger, I saw how you loved Happy. I tried to find a cat for you in the streets, but when I couldn't, I-"

Ayrae's heart stopped, the beat seeming to fall away completely. "Made one yourself from ice."

Gray opened his eyes, still smiling. "Erza caught me. I thought she was the only one who knew, but Doppelganger must've been watching." Turning to her, he acknowledged, "Your turn."

Ayrae stared for a moment, realizing what he meant. It was the Secret Game, the one they'd play as kids, exchanging stories to understand one another. Her cheeks tinting pink, her feet rubbed back and forth on the shingles. "Uh… Not quite. I guess my secret is that I knew you were looking the whole time. I saw you were missing, so I went looking for you. I heard you muttering to yourself about how you couldn't find the right one, though Erza made me promise never to tell you." The pink in her cheeks suddenly flooded away. "Oh shit…"

Gray felt embarrassment flush through his chest as Ayrae nervously laughed at the shingles. "If I had to guess, Diviner probably had some lackey with Memory Magic, snooping on my mind for some way to trick you guys." Looking wide-eyed at the sky, the girl whimpered, "Erza's going to freakin' kill me..."

Gray laughed, taking a moment to think of something for his turn as he smiled to the stars. These calm nights with Ayrae... It was peaceful, calming. Ayrae was one of the closest people in his life, and when they could simply sit together, friends beneath the stars and speaking... It was one of the things he'd missed most from being young. "Hmm... Well, for my sixteenth birthday, the guild tried to throw me a surprise party. I found out beforehand, though. I still pretended it was a surprise."

Ayrae gave a small snort. "Well, that was a little underwhelming. I'll be pouring out my soul and that's all you've got?"

Gray chuckled. "Well, I'll make the next one good. Now if you're going too 'pour out your soul,' go ahead."

Smiling, she lowered her head, one hand moving to her throat. The arrowhead strung on a leather strap, the necklace managing to have stayed with her, through all her fighting and all her travels. "This arrowhead was... I suppose you could say a gift from my brother. We didn't have birthdays, but we decided that we would choose our own. I choose to be born exactly on the day we were choosing our birthdays, May 15. As a present, my brother Hunter taught me archery. I'm miserable at it of course, but it was fun while I was learning.

"One of my shots shattered against a wall, and I kept this as a bit of a souvenir." Closing her eyes, her fingers closed around the plain arrowhead, the edges too dull to cut her. "It's a reminder for me. No matter how broken I am, no matter how I've been hurt- I can always pick up the pieces and keep moving."

Gray's hand crept over hers, eyes soft as powder snow. "You know, we're always here to help keep you in one piece, Rae." He didn't have to say what she could hear under the words: I'm always here.

Ayrae smiled faintly, though there was obviously something else bothering her. "I know, and there's nothing I appreciate more."

Gray paused before pressing for the unsaid words, "But?"

"But," Ayrae looked back to the stars. "I'm afraid one of these days I'm going to break, and I'll be in too many pieces. I... I won't be able to be put together again."

Gray made a small sound of surprise, his heart suddenly aching. "I won't let that happen."

Ayrae simply looked at the streets below, nodding numbly. "Yeah. I guess you're right."

You humans are so pathetic. You can't hold a conversation even when I give you some quiet.

It was silent again. Hands still touching, they laid on the roof, no words left. Their game was over, Ayrae's powers not even enough to keep her from falling asleep, Gray tumbling as well, the abyss of rest swallowing them, their hands tightening around one another's as they slept.

Please review!