Never before have I realized just how awful I am, but now I see. It's been weeks (I think it's been weeks) and here I am, trying to placate people with chapter scraps. This is not even half a chapter – this is like a fourth, a sixth of a normal chapter. I am sorry.

On another note, I'm dead tired. An hour of World Civ homework on the first day of school will do that to you, I suppose. That combined with the class expectations thingamabob has me seriously depressed, but oh well. I'll just have to show Honors World Civ that I mean damn serious business. Mr. L can stuff it. And while we're on the topic of high school, let me just say that it really shouldn't be that big. It's like they want freshmen to get lost.

Love has reasons which reason cannot understand. -Blaise Pascal

Gray watched Levy walk away down the street, her books still tucked close to her chest. She looked back once, waved and smiled, and then jogged away, her spiky blue head bobbing up and down as she grew smaller and smaller.

"She should have given me that book when I gave her the chance," Grandma B said from behind Gray. "She'll regret ever having anything to do with it."

"What are you talking about?" Gray asked, still staring after Levy and wondering what it was that was making him so nervous. "You're not making sense. How could a book hurt her?"

Grandma B shook her old head slowly as if in despair. "Youngsters these days don't understand the kind of power words have over man. Listen, boy, I don't know what's wrong with this girlfriend of yours, but nothing that comes out of those rituals can be good for her. You don't know what you're getting into."

Finally Gray gave up on trying to understand the antsy tickling in his gut and turned around to stare down the mysterious old woman. "Then tell me. What's in that goddamned book, and why's it so dangerous or whatever?"

Solemn grey eyes gazed blindly through the bridge of his nose and then closed. "I swear to the gods, this brat is too cheeky for his own good. Don't pester an old woman so much, boy. I can't simply tell you. You must know."

"Bullshit," Gray snapped succinctly. "Know what?" He yanked one hand violently through his tangled hair, thrusting the other into his pocket. "I think you just get off on spouting nonsense to freak innocent people out. But this is different – Juvia's life is on the line here. So tell me what the hell this is about or shut the hell up, because I don't have the time to deal with bored creepy old ladies."

Instead of feigning surprise, or leaning forward to share what she knew, Grandma B settled more comfortably on her stool. A toothless grin spread across her wrinkled face, stretching the loose skin tight and compressing the lines in her cheeks. "Ho," she murmured smugly. "So she is your girlfriend, hmm?"

Gray wished he could control the flow of his blood. Then he wouldn't have to feel his cheeks burning in embarrassment at such a ridiculous question. "She's not my girlfriend. Juvia is a guild mate of mine."

"So you say now, but your words just before were saying differently. If she's not your girlfriend, then you wish she was."

Gray somehow summoned up the strength to laugh uproariously at Grandma B's words. "I want to date Juvia about as much as I want to stab myself in the eye with a pencil."

One scraggly, uneven eyebrow lifted skeptically. "Then why are you so afraid of losing her?"

"Because…" Gray faltered, even though he must have said the same thing to himself and to others at least half a dozen times. Before him, Grandma B's cloudy grey eyes peeled away layers of his skin as she dug into his head. "Because Juvia's my friend. I can't just sit back and let her go."

"No, don't do that. Don't let her go if she means something to you. I assume she does mean something to you?"

Gray scowled. "Of course she does."

"Then, ask yourself this: what is it exactly that she means?"

The funny thing was, Gray had almost forgotten that once upon a time, he and Juvia had been enemies. Even when he was living it, even when he was standing on the roof across from Juvia, attacking her to protect his guild, it hadn't quite been real. She hadn't even put up a real fight. And then the day she came into the guild with her hair cut short and her depressing clothes gone, he hadn't really paid her more than the necessary amount of attention due to a new member who had previously attempted to hurt their guild. He hadn't really trusted her, but overall, he hadn't thought much about her.

How was it that she had wormed her way so far into his life?

She had made him a scarf once, hadn't she? For that ridiculous, random anniversary of something or other. The same day Ur had died, she had made him a scarf. Even though it was hot, and he was an ice mage, she'd made him a freaking scarf.

And he'd worn it. Hell, he'd gone back and dug for it after it started snowing.

He couldn't understand it. When was it? When had he started caring so damn much about that outrageous girl?

"Confused?" Grandma B asked, yanking him abruptly out of his own head. A wry smile twisted her thin, creased lips. "Don't think so hard, boy. You'll understand eventually."

Gray didn't even know what he was supposed to understand.

Again, I apologize on behalf of this chapter. I think high school might end up giving me a serious mental breakdown.