Day Six

After Gray had died, Jellal had vanished into the study, and Erza had been too sad to do much more than the bare minimum to keep their house together. Trash had been slowly accumulating in their living room, laundry had been piling up, and they'd been surviving mostly on the sort of food that could be microwaved. But now that there was a possibility that Gray could be brought back - as much of a longshot as Erza knew it was - the world seemed to have opened up around her again. She was filled with a sort of glowing, manic energy - the kind that made it difficult to be quiet and even harder to stay still.

Unfortunately, Jellal barely had time to spare Erza with a passing glance, he was so busy trying to assemble the exact steps he would need to complete the resurrection and master arc of time. So Erza had cleaned the living room, done the laundry, made them food. Then, she had scrubbed down the bathroom, rearranged their bookshelf, cleaned out their refrigerator, mopped the floor. As long as she was moving, she could pretend her nerves were nothing but excitement, think only about getting Gray back and not about the possibility of losing her husband.

Jellal had a hard time eating when he got too focused on a project, but Erza knew that if he was going to attempt this, it was important for him to keep his strength up. She'd been delivering food to him at regular intervals, and collecting the plates every so often in between. Sometimes, it was clear that he had eaten, but other times, she was sure he hadn't. She was pretty sure he hadn't slept at all since realizing the resurrection might be possible, but there wasn't exactly much that could be done about that - it wasn't like any of them had time to waste.

It was in the evening two days after the funeral when Erza heard a shout from Jellal's study. At first, she wasn't sure what had happened, and her heart seemed to leap into her throat. She couldn't tell if he was happy, or scared, or angry, or hurt….

Without even thinking, Erza opened the door to Jellal's study and threw herself inside. "Jellal-"

She broke off mid-yell. Her husband was hunched over his desk, staring intently at what seemed to be a pile of dust, until he extended his hand and rotated his wrist counter-clockwise. Erza watched in stunned silence as a plate from their kitchen reformed before her eyes.

He turned towards her, eyes glittering. She'd hardly seen him since they'd enlisted Wendy's help, and it was clear that he hadn't slept since then. His face seemed a little hollow, and his long hair was stringy and unkempt, but the signs of exhaustion seemed unimportant when contrasted with the barely suppressed pride and excitement that was radiating off him. Erza watched as he turned his hand clockwise, almost giggling as the plate turned back to a pile of dust.

"I know Arc of Time," Jellal said simply, pushing himself away from his desk. "We can do the resurrection tomorrow."

All of Erza's restless energy swelled at once, and for a second she was worried she was going to fall. She hadn't really wanted to think about whether or not Jellal's insane plan was actually feasible, especially not when he didn't even know all of the magic involved. If she had set her heart on getting Gray back, she wasn't sure she could handle the disappointment if the plan had failed. She knew there was still a chance that the resurrection wouldn't work, but all of a sudden, it seemed a lot more plausible.

And that also meant that Erza was a little bit closer to possibly losing her own partner. She blinked rapidly, hoping Jellal was too focused on his magic to recognize her attempt to prevent tears from coming. It wasn't just her worry over Jellal, or her grief over Gray. Erza was supposed to have been the one to wield Oblatio, but she'd given in to its power and she'd let it cloud her mind. If she had just been stronger, or braver, or more…whatever she'd been lacking, Gray never would have had to die, and she wouldn't have to stand idly by as Jellal risked his life to save both Gray and the citizens of Fiore as a whole. It had been a long, long time since Erza Scarlet had felt helpless, but she felt helpless now.

Erza cleared her throat, pushing all her doubt and guilt to the back of her mind. She would deal with it later, when she had time.

"We can go tonight," she said, taking pride in the fact that her voice was clear. "If you're ready."

Jellal grimaced, looking back at the pile of dust on his desk, then back to her. "Tomorrow. I want to give myself time to regenerate as much ethernano as possible."

"O-oh." In all the years that Erza had known him, through the ups and downs of his mental and physical state, the one thing that Jellal had always been able to count on was his seemingly unlimited reserves of magical energy. She had seen him use magic to open doors, turn on lights, clean dishes. Once, she swore she had seen him use magic to tie his shoes. He treated it carelessly, like a limitless resource. And the idea that what he was supposed to do was so taxing that he would need even those drops of power, like it would drain him so dry it would take even that….

But Erza wasn't about to argue with him, so she just nodded. "That…alright then. Do you want to get some sleep? You must be exhausted, I'll lie down with you…."

"No," Jellal said. "I actually would like to…eat dinner with you, if you don't mind."

Trust Jellal to make her feel like a schoolgirl around him, even though they were married. "Really? You don't have to, I'm sure you must be exhausted…."

He pulled a face. "I am tired, but I want to spend time with you before going to bed. I'd like to eat dinner with you, and then watch a movie if you'd like."

Erza had been so caught up in the strange normalcy of being asked on a date, albeit a very last-minute date at home, that it wasn't until he said that that she realized he was saying goodbye. He didn't know for sure that he would survive the resurrection. And if he didn't, he wanted one last night with her. He was exhausted, and he needed so much power built up that he wouldn't use even the smallest spells, but he was pushing through that to be with her tonight.

The thought was both sweet and rather chilling.

"You're sure you don't need to sleep right away?" Erza asked. She wouldn't needlessly risk Jellal, not even for her own heart, and she certainly wasn't about to ask him to jeopardize Gray.

"I'll sleep after. I want to do this with you first."

Erza nodded slightly. "Then…I'd like that very much."


Day Seven

"I don't…understand what's happening," Natsu said. Everything seemed to be going very fast. Things hadn't really felt real since Gray died, but now the world around him had taken on a manic, surreal sort of energy, and Natsu felt almost sick with it. "We're going to…the graveyard?"

"I mean, we can't do it very well here, can we?" Jellal snapped. "Do you see Gray's body? Now, you and Erza will need to dig up the coffin, and then we're going to-"

"Wait, when…when are we going to do this?" Natsu asked. "Are we doing it right now? Is that where we're going?"

"Yes, and-"

This must be a dream. Reality had proven that it would crush Natsu if given the chance. No one and nothing could give Gray back.

Except…until….

"And when…when's he coming back?"

"When we finish the spell, hopefully. And that's why we need to hurry!" Jellal's hand closed around Natsu's wrist, and Natsu found himself off balance as Jellal began to physically drag him towards the door of his house.

Usually, the older wizard was nowhere near strong enough to push or pull Natsu anywhere, even with his height advantage. But Natsu was confused, so overwhelmed that he felt dizzy, and Jellal seemed to have been imbued with some kind of unnatural vitality. Natsu stumbled after the dark wizard, letting himself be pulled along in Jellal's wake.

"We're doing it now?" Natsu asked, not quite daring to hope just yet. He'd seen Jellal do some pretty impossible things, but this seemed insane, even for him. Erza and Wendy being there was probably a good sign, but Natsu still couldn't believe that he might get the chance to have Gray back in his arms. "How long's it gonna take?"

Jellal waved his free hand impatiently. "Do you see a reason to wait, Natsu? And it shouldn't take very long. Now follow me!"

"W-wait," Natsu said plaintively, still feeling like he was wading through molasses. "I mean- not wait. That's not what I meant, I just…what am I doin', Jellal? What's going on?"

"Jellal." Erza's voice was quiet, but a little sharp. "He's confused."

The dark wizard stopped in his tracks for a moment, so suddenly that Natsu ran into his back and stumbled backwards a little. He dropped Natsu's wrist, taking a deep breath in and letting it out.

"I'm sorry, Natsu. We didn't want to tell you this was possible until I was sure it would work. I am now, and I'll need your help. I'll explain your part on the way."

"I just got one question," Natsu whispered. He was kind of afraid to hear the answer.

"What is it?"

Natsu cleared his throat, forcing back the lump that had suddenly appeared there. "Is this actually gonna work? Am I gonna get Gray back?"

"Yes," Jellal said immediately.

"Okay." After a week of agony, Natsu could feel the world around him start to tilt right-side up again. "Tell me what I gotta do."

Jellal started moving again, so quickly Natsu had to trot to keep up. "As I said, Wendy and I will need you and Erza to dig up the grave and get the coffin out. You are NOT to open it, do you understand me? It's going to be upsetting, and you don't need to see that."

Natsu usually would have protested against being babied, but he thought Jellal was probably right. He didn't need to see that.

"Erza is going to leave," Jellal said.

"Why's Erza going to leave?" Natsu asked. They were walking away from Natsu's house now. Jellal was walking very fast. Natsu had hardly eaten or slept in the past week, and he was almost having a hard time keeping up.

"We agreed on that ahead of time," Jellal said. "I'm not sure what it's…going to look like. For me. I may have a seizure, or pass out. And I don't want her to stop me. And I can trust you not to do that, of course."

"Yeah," Natsu agreed.

"Also, this is…pretty illegal. Well…extremely illegal. I would rather not have Erza be involved, if I can avoid it. You…well, I assume you don't care."

"Nah. I don't."

"Right. It'll be good to have you right there, because I'm not sure how…dramatic it's going to be. People may come running. You'll probably want to get Gray out of there if that happens. I don't think he'll be up for seeing people right away. And…like I said, this is very illegal."

"Right," Natsu said obediently. "I'll get Gray outta there. Hide the evidence."

"Natsu-" Erza started.

"He's right," Jellal said. "That's what he's doing."

Apparently, that was all Natsu had to do. Jellal spent the rest of the walk to the graveyard explaining the more technical aspects of the resurrection, which Natsu didn't really care about and didn't understand. All he cared about was Gray. If this worked, he was getting Gray back. If it worked, he would hold him again.

They arrived at the graveyard, and it occurred to Natsu that this was the first time he had been since the day of the funeral. That was…kind of unsettling, but it felt distant. It would have felt worse to be standing in front of Gray's headstone if they weren't about to dig him up.

The place where Gray's coffin had been buried was still fresh enough that there was no grass there, just a rectangular patch of dirt. A rectangular patch of dirt with Gray underneath. Natsu wondered what he looked like now, after having been down there a week. Then, he decided that Jellal was right, and he really, really did not want to know.

Erza produced a shovel from her pocket dimension and handed it to him.

"Are we gonna get in trouble for this?" Natsu asked, as he dug the shovel into the fresh earth.

"Maybe just dig quickly," Jellal said distractedly. He knelt down on the grass beside the grave, Wendy next to him. They each started sketching out large magical circles, digging channels into the dirt with their hands. Natsu was sure that Jellal had explained what these were for, but he hadn't been listening.

With Erza helping him, the process of digging went pretty quickly at first. That was a relief. Natsu hadn't expected it to bother him, since the whole process was just something he had to get through in order to have Gray back. But as he got closer and closer to the coffin, the harder it got for him to continue shoveling out the dirt. It felt wrong, like he was dishonoring Gray's memory or something by desecrating his grave. Natsu knew that he was being stupid, but he still couldn't shake the feeling.

By the time Natsu's shovel hit the wooden top of the coffin, his hands were starting to shake. He was pretty sure that it wasn't from exertion. He was a Dragon Slayer, and he could do way harder stuff than this. It was just…weird. He didn't want to think about Gray's body, still and unmoving inside the wooden box beneath him.

It was weirder when Erza climbed out of the grave, and Natsu had to lift the coffin up to the surface so the other three could grab it. Natsu had never been claustrophobic, but he'd never stood in his dead husband's grave before, either. Panic threatened to close in around him, but he shook his head and forced his emotions back as he hoisted the coffin over his head. He'd spent the whole last week falling apart. Now, he needed to keep it together. For Gray.

"We got it," Erza shouted down from the top. "Do you need a hand?"

Natsu took Erza's hand, and with her help climbed out of the grave. Jellal was sitting in front of the coffin, one hand on the latches.

"Erza, you should leave now. Natsu, turn around."

Erza looked uncomfortable, like she wanted to protest, but she just swallowed hard and nodded. She leaned down towards Jellal, her fingers brushing the side of his face. Natsu was very familiar with Jellal's attitude when he was focused on a specific spell, and he half-expected the other wizard to pull away. Instead, Jellal looked up at her, and she leaned in for a kiss.

Natsu turned away, trying to ignore the burst of pain. He didn't want to be the kind of person that was jealous of his friends' relationships, but it hurt.

But that would all be over soon. Because as soon as Jellal was done, he was going to have his own husband back.

"Good luck," Erza said, and there was a distinctive sound of armor clanking away into the distance.

"Remember, don't look, Natsu," Jellal warned. "Wendy, are you ready?"

"I'm ready," Wendy said. She sounded a little scared, but on the whole way more confident than Natsu was. "Go ahead."

There was the sound of a latch being undone, and then a heavy thud which Natsu assumed was the lid of the coffin being removed. About a second later, the smell hit Natsu. It reminded him of forgetting to clean out the refrigerator or take out the trash, the heavy scent of rot mixed with a nauseating sweetness. Natsu retched before he could help it, and behind him he heard Wendy doing the same. It was only by breathing hard through his mouth that Natsu managed to avoid vomiting.

"I'm sorry, Wendy," Natsu heard Jellal say. "I didn't realize…we should have brought masks…."

Natsu turned around without really meaning to, and caught the briefest glimpse of Jellal lifting…something out of the coffin. Whatever Jellal was holding didn't look…skin-colored, and Natsu had a horrible moment of cognitive dissonance where he was sure there must have been some sort of mix-up. Whatever was in the coffin…that couldn't be Gray.

"Natsu!" Jellal screamed. "Turn back around! I told you not to look!"

Natsu closed his eyes and swiveled forward before he had time to make out any further details. He swallowed delicately as his stomach churned.

There was a heavy, but unpleasantly squishy sound that was presumably Jellal laying Gray out on the grass.

"Are you sure you can…?" Wendy asked, voice sounding thick. "I didn't expect him to look like…."

"That's what Arc of Time is for," Jellal said, but he didn't sound as confident as Natsu would have hoped. "Help me drag it to the circle…."

Natsu heard them shifting around, and the sound of more gagging. He resisted the urge to turn around again - he hadn't expected this to take so long. Well, he supposed it couldn't have been longer than about thirty seconds since they'd opened the coffin, but it felt like a lifetime. A thousand lifetimes.

"Okay," Jellal managed. Natsu could tell he was breathing hard. "That should be good. I'm just gonna…try to arrange him a little more naturally…oh god…."

Natsu wasn't sure when his breathing had sped up, but it had. There was a chill in the evening air, but Natsu realized with a start that he was drenched in sweat, his hands almost slippery with it.

"Don't turn around yet, Natsu," Jellal said. "But I'm almost…I'm about to start Arc of Time…."

Wendy moaned softly, and Natsu recognized the telltale sounds of nausea as his own stomach flipped over.

Natsu had expected to be fighting the urge to look around until the very end. He had never been the kind of guy to back away from a challenge, and he certainly wasn't known for his self control. But after hearing the sounds Gray was making, and fighting back nausea from the smell, all desire to look around had fled. Natsu was afraid that if he did look, the image would be seared into his brain for the rest of his life. He didn't want to look at Gray and see that.

So when Natsu felt the flicker of power in the air as Jellal began to cast Arc of Time, he simply shut his eyes and waited for Jellal's signal.