[ Sub-Zero Emperor Lyon Arc {3} ]
-G-F-
He's not stupid.
Despite feeling as if he was the brink of a rampage of pain, Gray knew not to blow their cover. The team remained silent during the entire exchange with Reitei and his people, as they continued to talk about miscellaneous things until they left.
And suddenly it was Team Haluna sitting behind the rocks in a tense silence as they tried to process about what to do next.
Natsu took a quick glance at Gray and saw how upset he was, his face settling into a hard gaze with fury in his eyes. Gray wasn't the type to scream and throw a tantrum in a feat of anger, Natsu knew. When he was truly pissed, it shows in his eyes and he gets real quiet. Natsu let out a harsh breath from his nose as he shifted so that they were all sitting in a triangle format, letting go of Lucy's hand.
Lucy didn't let go of Gray's however, and for that he was secretly grateful for.
No one said anything as they waited for Gray to collect himself, the latter sitting up as his dark hair fell over his eyes, blocking their view. Lucy just squeezed his hand in an effort to give him courage and reassurance to speak up. That they were here and they would listen, even Natsu. That was what a team is about, after all. Gray might not be officially apart of Team Haluna yet, but Lucy knew that it was bound to happen soon enough.
These traumatic situations only bring those involved closer together, after all.
"It's name is Deliora," Gray said quietly, swallowing at the sound of the name of the demon from his lips. He has not thought of or spoken about it in a long time. It was in a past that he had naively thought was behind him, that it couldn't hurt him anymore than it already had. How foolish, Gray thought bitterly.
"It's an immortal Demon that was known as the Demon of Disaster. In the Northern Continent, the area that I am originally from, it was notorious for destroying villages for no purpose whatsoever. Just for pure destruction. Just plain evil ." Gray hissed before sombering up quickly to add on a killer blow.
"It also killed my parents."
Natsu froze at his words, eyes widening as Lucy placed her free hand on her mouth in order to stifle her gasp of shock. At first, Gray wanted to open his mouth and quickly tell them that he didn't want their pity. It's been years since the death of his biological parents, and to be honest, he doesn't even remember their faces anymore. He only has his necklace left, in fact, and after everything he's been through, it's good enough for him to at least have some memorabilia.
But when he looks up to see the shared pain in their eyes, he realized that he was being incredibly stupid. They've both probably experienced a loss similar to his, at least he knows Natsu has. And when Gray looks at Lucy who gives him a small sad smile of her own, he understands that she's lost someone too.
Fairytail was a place for lost souls after all, looking to find their own happy endings.
"It was a demon that was so strong that it took Ur, one of the greatest Ice-Magic users of her time, to use a self-sacrificing spell known as Ice-Shell in order to seal the demon. It costed her her life. " Gray finished said sadly as he felt a bit choked up. There wasn't anything left of his village once it had been Deliora. He wouldn't have survived if Ur hadn't taken him in. It was due to her kindness that he was able to live to this day.
When he thinks of his mother, Ur comes to mind first.
Gray let out a shuddered sigh as he looked up, making eye contact with Natsu and Lucy who looked at him intensely. He knew he probably looked like a fucking mess, his eye bags were definitely more prominent than usual, his eyes were red from crying. But the rage came back full force as he vowed before the them, wishing hell on Reitei and his group.
"I'm going to stop them if it's the last thing I do. I don't care what you guys do, but this..it's personal. I can't let them make Ur's sacrifice in vain -" Gray's increasingly ranted state was interrupted from a punch from Natsu, causing Lucy to snap to look at him in alarm.
"Natsu?!"
Natsu ignored her, staring at Gray with a serious expression. "Shut up, Ice Breath."
Gray was stunned.
"As if you needed to say anything at all about protecting someone who you care about's honor. It is a given that we will help you, so stop being an idiot and get your head out of your own ass." Natsu snarked as Gray's jaw clenched at the rough manner of his words and actions. It's a silent conversation from there, with their eyes as they stared at each other before Gray nods briefly. Lucy just ran a hand through her hair as she let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding in, hugging Happy tightly in relief.
"Spirits, you two are so dramatic. Was that even necessary?" Lucy grumbled as Gray let out the first small laugh since the encounter with Deliora while she got up to stretch her legs now that Reitei was gone. It was a bit dry, but it was a laugh nonetheless. Gray and Natsu both ended up shrugging in unison, understanding that that was simply their dynamic and how they communicated.
"Anyways, if Ur froze the demon in the Northern Continent, how is it here?"
That was the question indeed as everyone blinked, thinking of ideas but falling short.
"Well I mean, couldn't some Ice-Mage user move it since it's technically still ice? Even though it's like, human ice-" But Lucy just held up a hand and a exasperated sigh as she stopped Natsu right there. It was not the time for that inquiry.
"I guess you have a point. I still don't know about that though," Gray said as he let out a small yawn, feeling the aftermath of his breakdown intensely. He was struggling to stay awake, which was a feat considering his typical lack of sleep. "We should…stay until the moon rises. Since everything seems to be related to the moon…you know?"
The rest nodded in agreement. Natsu and Happy were quick to pass out, leaving Lucy and Gray a bit speechless at the rapid rate. Lucy was still feeling a bit on edge herself, an anxiety that was only rising due to the uncertainty of their mission. She was at odds with herself a little bit, considering that they shouldn't be on the island in the first place, but there's a determination that's beginning to seep through her as she thought more about it. If they, Team Haluna, hadn't been here at all, what would happen to the people?
Would Reitei and his crew still continue with their evil plans?
Would the village be able to stop them?
Can they stop-No.
Lucy patted her cheeks as she scolded herself. There was a time to be cautious and pessimistic, and there was a time to put on a brave face and stand your ground. It took a while, but Lucy knows what she's going to do, and that's to put all her faith into her team and making sure they keep everyone alive.
But for now,
"Open the Gate of the Lyre, Lyra ."
A bright smile donned on the angel's face as she beamed at her owner, who chuckled softly at the sight. Gray remained quiet as he sleepily watched them interact.
"Master! I'm thankful that you've finally summoned me! It's been a while though, right? You should please summon me some more!" Lyra chirped ecstatically while Lucy let out a small sigh before nodding. She has never heard of spirits being so desperate for being summoned before, is the spirit world that boring? Or maybe they like her so much, a thought that has Lucy flushing with happiness. She'll have to ask Rushii whenever she pops out of her barrier again.
"For now, may you play us a tune, Lyra?" Lucy said gently as she finished stretching, laying back down to get comfortable as they awaited time to pass by. Lyra set out immediately as she began a soft, lulling tune that put her master to ease as she hummed softly, closing her eyes in order to relax her tension.
It had the opposite reaction on Gray, who felt a smaller wave of nostalgia hit him once more. This one was a bit kinder than the memories brought on by seeing the Ice Shell of Deliora, allowing Gray to reflect on his past and how he grew up before meeting and joining Fairytail. He remembers the good and the bad, from learning Ice-Make Magic and the struggles of two-handed casting to being held when nightmares of his village being destroyed caused him to wake up in the arms of Ur, who had nightmares of her own. Her daughter, Gray remembered, was always a sore topic.
Lyon, he remembered, accused her of substituting her maternal instincts onto them which made her upset.
God, Lyon .
He hasn't thought about him in a long time after the aftermath of the sealing. They were Ur's pupils, should they have stuck together in the end? What was Lyon doing now, in the world? Was he even still alive -
Today was not a good day for Gray Fullbuster, it seemed. A day of reflections and fears being placed upon him as he finally allowed himself to think . With Lyra's soft tunes in the background, Gray's body shedded the last of his tears before he mentally and physcially became exhausted.
"Stop." Gray croaked at Lyra, who paused and looked at Lucy, who looked at Gray. Quickly taking in his state, she decided to heed to his wishes and Lyra stood quiet as she began to tune her instrument instead, finding something to do. It was good enough as background noise now, at least it didn't make Gray want to cry again. He's shed more tears in the past two hours than he'd like to admit.
"We don't want to get caught."
Fair, but that's not the only reason why he stopped the music, Lucy knew. She didn't say anything about it though, just moved closer to Gray and a sleeping Natsu and gathered her friends into her arms. She had expected more of a reaction from Gray, a grumble or a small glare, but she guessed he must've been really out of it to just lay his head down against her shoulder gently.
"It must be stupid to see me like this, right?" Gray drawled quietly in ire. "Seeing me so weak and pathetic. It's a demon frozen in ice, and I had freaked out even without knowing what Reitei planned to do, without even knowing that there were other dangers on this island."
Lucy treaded carefully. She was beginning to truly understand a glimpse of Gray as a person after all, getting to know him more on a personal level now that they were friends. "I don't find it stupid at all."
A self-depricated sigh as all she heard after her statement, causing her to frown but she didn't speak up. She knows first had a feeling of despair and incompetence, she had felt it when her mother died all of those years ago and was thing was for certain; it takes more than words of affirmation and friendship to get through it. Growing up, she still had her moments where she had felt lost in the world, feeling as if nothing would change even if she tried. Lucy was truly lucky to have Rushii to keep her company, her nee-san helped her so much.
Today was a promise, Lucy said silently said as she heard Gray pass out beside her. She looks down at Natsu was snoring softly on his back with his head on Lucy's lap inside of the rocks where he was previously, with Happy curled up on his stomach. There is a fondness that bursts through Lucy, and she realizes that these people are becoming people that she cares about deeply.
Her team, Team Haluna.
Natsu and Happy have placed their trust in her by making her captain, despite her inexperience. Gray has willingly opened up to her at an organic pace, and one day Lucy hopes he'll join Team Haluna as well. All of these feelings of trust and hope placed upon her is new, she's not used to having friends. But she knows how to care and love others, just as she does with her nee-san.
Today was a promise, to become the support pillar to those who need her.
And right now, even Natsu understood that it was Gray who needed them the most; their love and support to the end.
-G-F-
"Master," Lyra said quietly and urgently causing Lucy to wake up with alertness. Her stiffness had immediately woken up Natsu, who's eyes snapped open with a small snarl on his lip as he stood up and looked around instinctively. Lucy blinked at him for a moment before whispering his name and reaching over to calm him down.
Natsu blinked for a moment before waking up fully, looking at Lucy in small surprise and let out a sheepish cough, "My bad."
"It's okay, you were just instinctively making sure there weren't any threats, right?" Lucy giggled quietly and Natsu let out a small, charming smile at it in response. He was fully awake now, with Lucy's laughs and smiles giving him the energy that he needed in order to focus. He let out a snort at the sight of Gray though,
"Oi, Pervert. Time to move!" Natsu barked as Lucy rolled her eyes before looking at Lyra. Lyra was looking off to the side however, noticing a large purple moonlight beam hitting the ice that had Deliora trapped. Lucy followed her gaze, eyes widening in shock as everyone slowly got up.
"Lyra, what is that ?" Lucy said breathlessly.
"Moon Drip." Lyra answered as she got up, looking towards Team Haluna and Gray. "We'll get a better look at it if we move atop. What do you say, master?"
Lucy nodded without hesitation, looking towards Gray, Happy, and Natsu with a determination in her eyes. "Are we ready?"
Everyone nodded and with that they quickly made their way out of inside of the ruins, making their way above to the top of them. It was a little steep, but they worked together to reach it and now they were hiding behind a broken pillar in order to observe the ritual taking place.
"Moon Drip," Lyra whispered to them as they stared, "is a ritual that gathers the power of the moon that has a strength that can nullify any spell, including the power of Iced Shell that a powerful ice-mage had casted over that demon. That is a large Iced Shell however, which will require a large amount of Moon Drip power in return. It is also probably the reason that the island is so unbalanced and thus deemed as "cursed".
They watched in slight awe and apprehension at the ominous purple power while they took in Lucy's spirit's words. Everything was a chain reaction of one way or another. It only furthered their resolve to stop all the people who were responsible for this, especially Gray's, who's anger had roared its head bit by bit once more at the sight of the reversal of Ur's sacrifice.
"Soon, it will be finally time." Reitei said as he appeared in his masked form on top of the ruins, causing the hiding group to snap their heads towards them. There's a pounding in Gray's head that's beginning to form at the sight of Reitei, because for some reason, he really feels as if he knows this person.
Why was his voice so familiar…
"But first, I've come to learn that there are intruders on this island, the residents of Galuna island have probably asked for outside help with figuring out our actions. How annoying. Therefore, it's finally time to crush those pests getting in the way of my- our goals. Destroy the village at once."
Team Haluna freezes at the command. Lucy and Natsu looked at each other shocked, while Gray's eyes burned with anger once he finally realized who Reitei was, his skin crawling with a sense of hurt, confusion, and betrayal as he gritted his teeth and jumped out without a second thought. Lucy gaped in disbelief at Gray's actions while Natsu let out a curse before jumping into the fray right after Gray without skipping a beat.
Quickly, Lucy closed Lyra's gate with her agreement as she hopped over the rubble they were hiding behind, racing to join the beginnings of fight.
"Ice-Make Sledge Hammer!" Gray roared as he charged at Reitei with pure anger in his voice as he swung at the man. It caught the latter by surprise as he narrowingly dodged the swing, but it had caught onto his mask causing it to break into pieces as the true identity of Reitei is revealed.
A man with sharp white hair and dull, arrogant dark eyes stood before Gray who seethed at him, hammer in his two hands as they stood at odds.
" Lyon. "
Lyon, now revealed to be Reitei, simply held up a hand at his subordinate's sound of outcry at the sudden attack, smirking arrogantly. "Don't worry about me. Continue the mission, there's nothing to worry about. Destroy that damn village."
Natsu jumped and unleashed a Fire Dragon's Roar at the subordinates, causing Lyon's eyes to narrow as he shot out a snake made of out ice, catching Natsu by surprise as it wrapped around him before freezing him into place. Natsu fell to the ground with an irritated grumble as he tried to force his way out of the ice hold, flaring his magic on to see that the ice was taking it's time melting.
Natsu shouted at Lucy, "After those guys! I'll join you soon. Happy, take her!"
"Aye sir!" Happy chirped as he grabbed Lucy and flew away with her as she reluctantly left, deciding to trust Natsu to break free and catch up to the three subordinates with her. For now, she refocuses on the task before her as she began to think about what spirts to use with whomever she found first.
In the meantime, Gray was quick to throw up an ice shield to block a flock of ice birds that Lyon boredly sent after him as he ran over towards Natsu, who was wiggling as he tried to get out of the ice snake hold. "What the hell are you waiting for? Melt it and go. "
Natsu growled at Gray as his body caught on fire, proving that the ice wasn't melting easily. "I'm not stupid, Stripper! It's not melting fast enough."
"What the- shit. " Gray cursed as he rolled out of the way from a massive pile of the ruin being thrown at him, thanks to the ice-make gorilla that Lyon had made as he stood next to it. Lyon just scoffed at the sight of Gray and his frozen teammate, tsking out loud.
"Chatting in the middle of battle? I always knew I was the better one of the two of us."
Gray flared with anger once more as he fell for Lyon's taunted words, turning around to kick Natsu off the ruins which caused the latter to scream as he rolled and fell down the pyramid. He wouldn't be able to concentrate on defeating Lyon and protecting Natsu while the fire-breather was handicapped. Gray quickly wished his rival good luck before narrowing his eyes at Lyon who stared at him with an ego as large and as cursed as Galuna Island itself.
"Don't you know what you're doing?!" Gray yelled at Lyon in disbelief as he smashed three eagles while he defended himself. One of the beaks caught him on the arm and he let out a curse as he smashed the last one before pointing his ice weapon at Lyon. "She's still alive, Lyon! Her essence is in the Iced Shell now, prisoning the very thing that destroyed our homes, for fuck's sake! How dare you mock her sacrifice?"
It was Lyon's turn to get angry as he snarled at Gray venomously, opting for a close combat move as he harshly spoke, "You don't get to say that. You don't have the right to try to reprimand me, since you're the reason why she'd dead in the first place, Gray ."
Gray was momentarily shaken as he stared at Lyon for a split second, but it was all that his opponent needed to punch him in the stomach causing Gray to heave over in pain. His mind was racing as he gasped for air, grabbing his stomach. He felt unfocused all of a sudden, the anger that had fueled him at Lyon's betrayal had disappeared the moment Lyon accused of Ur's death.
And…and he's right.
He's on the defensive now, scrambling to get a hold of himself as Lyon begins to dominate the fight with a sneer on his face. Lyon and his one-handed magic that Ur told them was unstable and wasn't strong. But he was strong right now, and Gray feels even more pathetic and weak as he gets hit with yet another iced attack by Lyon who was scoffing in disappointment at the sight of his former rival.
"She's dead, thanks to you." Lyon said as Gray struggled in a bloodied and bruised state, holding his weight with his shield against the ice gorilla that Lyon had made earlier. Was his pride fueling him so much in order to extract so much power for one-handed casting? Or was Gray far weaker than he original thought? Lyon wasn't sure as he stood next to his gorilla, peering down at Gray's angered, bloodied face with a small, twisted sense of amusement on his face. He leaned down to get a closer whiff of the patheticness of his master's other pupil,
"I had my own dream back then, to defeat and become triumphant over Ur. Now that she's gone now, I can only make that a reality by defeating the very thing that not even she could defeat and live to say so."
"Deliora." Gray coughed out in realization, feeling horror seep into his body at the thought of Lyon releasing the demon for purely selfish reasons. Has he always been this way? Lyon had always been prideful, and definitely got scolded for it more than Gray, but was he so far gone to not understand the grave danger he was putting innocents in?
"Ur wouldn't have wanted this," Gray desperately pleaded towards Lyon, throwing the gorilla off of him with a rush of strength as he summoned an ice sword and charged at Lyon. They fought for a moment dodging and counter attacking accordingly, Gray holding his own despite his battered state. Maybe that's what irritated Lyon further, causing him to level the final blow.
"I'm sure she didn't want to be dead either."
It's the overwhelming guilt that floods through Gray at words that causing him to get hit hard with the tiger that Lyon conjured, smacking into his body with full force as he slammed onto the edge of the ruins with deep bite marks penetrated into his skin. Gray lets out a tense breath at the pain that rushes through him, feeling absolute at his lowest and weakest as he simply laid there in his own pool of blood.
Lyon stood meters away for a moment, watching quietly at Gray's chest to see if he was still breathing or not. Despite his actions, he doesn't want to see anyone else die anymore than he has too. The village was being a nuisance, bringing in outside help when it will be him that will be the hero and destroy the demon for good. Lyon will be the one that will prevail and defeat Deliora for good, his dreams of becoming strong will become a true reality once he fights that worthy beast.
And he knows it's worthy, due to the destruction and chaos that it has caused on their lives.
Gray wasn't wrong when he said that.
It was a low blow to call out Ur's death in front of Gray in the middle of battle, the guilt was written all of his chest, his mind, his body. Gray looked like shit when he stood before Lyon anyways, it was the first thing he had noticed. The guilt must've been eating him alive for all of these years since they've parted after her death. The roughness around his eyes, the bags underneath them. How easy he crumbled to the weight of grief and shame of Ur's fall just by Lyon mentioning it.
And it was true , Lyon thought with a frown on his face as he walked away from Gray Fullbuster.
Well it doesn't matter how far Gray's fallen, or how broken he was as he left him, Lyon thought.
He has his own matters to attend to.
A couple moments later, Natsu climbs back to the top of the pyramid finally join the fray of the fight after breaking the ice thanks to falling and crashing onto the rubble multiple times. He immediately searched for the Lyon fellow that Gray had been fighting earlier, only to be shocked to see the badly injured Gray off to the side, staring at the sky.
Quickly, he ran over towards his rival, kneeling down at him.
"Fuck, Gray. This is…"
Gray had no more tears to shed anymore at that point. The guilt that was cursing inside of him as settled into a feeling of depression that has seeped into his very bones as he thought about the consequences of his past actions. It wasn't enough that he could no longer sleep comfortably without the paranoia of being attacked and not being ready for danger. His insomnia was just a reminder that he has a debt to repay constantly, because that would be the second time that Ur had saved his life from that demon and what did he have to show for it?
Her death.
He barely responds when Natsu picks up up and throws him over his shoulder, racing towards the direction that he knew they had came from thanks to the higher ground viewpoint. Running through the trees to catch up to Lucy and to get help for Gray, Natsu picks up the pace with urgency.
"I had no right to stop you guys," Gray said in a daze, hoarsely. "Or maybe I do have the right, considering I know the true consequences of confronting something labeled out of your league. It was too late to turn back then, and it's too late now. It's all my fault, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I-"
"Can you stop that?" Natsu barked as he jumped over a tree. It didn't feel right to hear Gray mutter out apologies to him, especially when he didn't do anything wrong based off of what Natsu had heard in the brief exchange. "Stop apologizing, what's done is done in the past. Ur…might be gone and she might've sacrificed her life in order to protect countless of others, but in the end that was her decision. It was unfortunate that it turned out that way, but her death is something that you must accept."
"I don't want anyone else to die anymore," Gray heartfully confessed softly, and Natsu slowed down a bit in response as he let out a small smile at his rivals words. For a moment, Natsu had thought that Lyon had broken Gray's spirit to do anything but accept the state of his actions and to wallow in his guilt. But those words were the key, the fuel in his heart to do good.
The key to his own victory over the demons of his past.
"Then don't let it happen." Natsu said confidently. "You got the power to do it, I know you do. We've fought countless of times that I know that wasn't your true potential, because we as Fairytail mages don't let that shit bother us 'cause we got each other and we learn from our mistakes. So today, you are going to conquer your own nightmares and become even stronger in the end."
He paused before quickly adding, "And if you feel like you aren't strong enough, that's okay. Because as your… friends , we will combine our efforts and become victorious in the end anyways. I told Luce to have faith in us, and I guess it's my turn to tell you, Ice Breath. Above all else, if you lose the hope to continue yourself, then put your faith in me because I'll protect you guys to the very end!"
Gray would never admit the touching feeling that he felt embrace him from Natsu's words. Lucy had told him that he was a caring, thoughtful person that might not have the right execution but always has the right intentions, once. They always butted heads, they always fought over the stupidest of things, always were at odds with one another. They weren't enemies, but they sure as hell weren't friends. But hearing how passionate Natsu spoke, trying to lift Gray's spirits as they made haste to the village where others needed their assistance-
The flame head was an idiot, but damnit, he was good at raising morals.
"...since when did you decide to grow a brain, Flame Brain?"
Natsu let out a silent cheer at Gray's spite. That's the Gray Fullbuster he knew.
"Luce's been helping me learn how to read, so my brain's gotten bigger!"
"With that pink colossal dome sitting on your neck, I've noticed."
"What?!" Natsu cried in playful outrage, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't drop your ass right now, Ice Pick?!"
" 'Cuz we're about to go kick some ass and protect Galuna Island from an old acquaintance of mine and his friends." Gray spoke with determination in his veins. His body hurt and ached all over, and he definitely would need some bandages to wrap around his teeth-marked wounds that were leaking a bit of blood. But he'd get back up again, and face his past once and for all.
Natsu hadn't expect that answer as he ran, but let out a proud smile nonetheless. "Damn right. I guess we could team up for one time, in order to defeat the villains."
"I guess ." Gray responded dryly before the two fell into small chuckles.
Somethings changed in the air between them, he realized. He was sure that in the end, Natsu would go back to his annoying, loud self that always wanted to pick a fight with him. But maybe, their heart to heart made Gray more aware of other sides of Natsu and vice versa. Daresay, maybe even the beginning of a morph in their friendship.
But that will be thoughts for another time.
"I lost to Lyon because of the guilt and the insecurities that was running through me in the middle of the fight. You both were right, the fact of the matter is that Ur is gone now, and I've…accepted it all. But that can't justify Lyon's actions, he is still wrong and just because Ur's dead doesn't mean that he gets to do whatever the hell he wants for his own selfish ideals." Gray told Natsu who remained quiet as he listened. He's been learning that skill from Lucy, knowing when to stay quiet and went to speak up.
"I will stop him when I see him again. It's not about the past anymore, it's about the present and a future that Deliora can destroy should it be released." Gray clenched his fist weakly, but Natsu heard the strength behind his words. That was enough to satisfy the dragon slayer.
"...Good." Natsu smirked as they reached the village, running up to Lucy who was coordinating and ordering the villagers to seek cover from the attackers. He quickly ran over to her, chirping at her with a bright grin on his face.
"Hey Luce!"
Lucy smiled but hadn't looked at Natsu yet, "Hey, you made it!"
Happy flew around Natsu, before continuing his conversation with Lucy as she helped the last child get into the hiding position inside of one of the huts. "All I'm saying Lushi, is maybe you should create some pitfalls around the village or something!"
"A counter-measure, yes. Pitfalls? No." She pointed at the sky to a massive figure that was flying closer and closer in the air. "Pitfalls are pointless against the enemy that can fly , Happy! It was a miracle that we made it here before them, anyways."
Lucy finally turned around to see a beaming, dirty Natsu with a smile on his face and a beaten Gray who waved tiredly from looking over his shoulder. Her jaw dropped at the sight of Gray, immediately yelling at Natsu, "What the hell are you just standing there for?! Get the supplies!"
"Yes ma'am!" Natsu and Happy saluted her before rushing off to bring the medical supplies to help Gray, after gently laying him down. Lucy was quick to take action, looking at the extent of his injuries as he winced at a couple prods. Lucy grimaced a bit at the bite marks, but other than that, Gray wasn't super harmed.
"What mauled you?" Lucy muttered to him once she got some supplies. Natsu and Happy said they were going to go airborne and do some recon in the meantime, and help the last remaining villagers take cover. Gray just let out a wheeze and a chuckle as Lucy poured some hydroxide on his wounds, gritting his teeth at the burn.
"A tiger."
"There are tigers on the island?!" Lucy let out a gasp of horror, first it was rats, then tigers? This place was dangerous on it's own, never mind the Moon Drip ritual curse! Gray just rolled his eyes at her reaction as he turned his body as instructed.
"Not quite, but it doesn't matter. I'm going to win, next time." Gray grunted as Lucy bandaged him, the latter noticing the change in his eyes. She couldn't help the smile of relief that come over her, considering the state that he was in the last time he saw her. He seemed to be in better spirits, and Lucy commented so.
"Did something happen?" She asked curiously, while Gray flickers his eyes over towards Natsu before back at her. He just hmphed in the end, turning his head to not answer and she just let out a scoff at his childishly, softly slapping his leg.
"I think this mission will stick with me for a while," Gray said as he got serious for a moment, "But I've…I don't know. It's just been one learning experience after another, and now I finally feel like I can face my demons properly."
"100%?"
Gray just gave a half-smile as he shrugged, flexing his muscles in order to get used to the tension of the bandages. "Is anyone ever 100% ready to face their traumas?"
"Touche." Lucy chuckles before announcing she was finished, reaching over to help Gray up. A loud screech announced that their next opponents were coming soon, and they look at the direction of the giant rat before looking at each other.
"For what it's worth, we believe in you, Gray." Lucy stated in confidence, hand grasping her keys with a grin on her face that Gray has started to associate with the love of adrenaline rush and adventures. She's no punk, Gray said with a smirk on his face as he got ready as well.
"It's worth more than you think," Gray responded in kind, before they raced off to join Natsu.
Their faith in him has tremendously restored his spirits, after feeling as if he hit rock bottom in the aftermath of his loss against Lyon. It was unwavering and it made Gray realize that there's merit to it, because these weren't weak people that he was surrounded with. Finding strength in others, that is what Gray is learning and accepting.
Gray's determined to face Lyon on his own once more, and he has a feeling that Natsu understands and will respect it. Respecting each other, that's a new development too. So many new developments, Gray realizes, and so much more to life than the things that haunt him from years ago. Not many are given the chance to confront the skeletons in their closets, but Gray is now grateful for such a chance. It will be different this time around.
Things will change.
And when he sees Lyon again, he'll stop him with newfound vigor that won't easily be broken.