Author's Note: Thanks for all the comments, everyone! Genuinely almost forgot to update this month, I've been so busy. Fortunately, I'm getting this out before I get even more busy. Enjoy!

"Hey... It's not your fault, you know."

Gray sat by Levy's bed in the infirmary, ignoring the unrelenting dull ache in his head. Porlyusica had taken care of the worst of his and Natsu's injuries, but she'd felt it was better for them to recover from the concussions on their own. What that really meant was that she was forcing both of them to slow down and get some rest. It was a clever idea, but unnecessary—for himself, at least. Gray didn't feel like going much of anywhere since he'd gotten back to headquarters.

"I blew my cover," Gray replied, shaking his head. "What if she's the one who..."

"The timing doesn't work out. It was just a coincidence," Levy assured him with a weak smile. She had bandages on her cheeks and was patched all the way up and down her arms. Beneath her gown, there were surely more from the multiple broken ribs she'd sustained. "Besides, I'm okay."

Her hands trembled as they clutched the blanket. There was a haunted look behind her eyes that made him feel like she was far away despite them being in the same room. Maybe it really hadn't been his fault that Shadow Gear had been attacked, but he felt guilty, nonetheless. He was the only one who'd had contact with Phantom Lord up until now, and somehow, Levy had gotten hurt—more than just physically.

"Did you finish reading that book I lent you?" she asked.

Gray nodded. "Yeah. I think it might be the worst thing you've ever given to me."

Levy laughed for a moment before wincing in pain. "It's a good book. I think you just didn't take its lessons to heart." She rubbed her sternum as she pulled the covers a little further up over her body in the reclined position. "Why are you trying to blame yourself for this?"

He couldn't look at her. Every time he thought of answering, his throat went dry. How was it possible to blame somebody else when he was always at the center of it when things went wrong? It wasn't a matter of trying; it was a matter of already knowing he could have done something to prevent this. And after everything, he couldn't even save Lucy.

"You did your best," Levy assured him. "You did everything you were supposed to. We can't control all the outside factors..."

A moment passed between them before Gray truly understood what she was saying. Levy didn't blame him for anything, nor did she regret anything that had happened. She'd been pursuing a lead and that lead had somehow gotten her injured, just like his own encounter in Cedar Town. His relationship with Juvia was shattered and he had nothing to show for it despite having done nearly everything right. Still, the guilt sat deep in his soul, reminding him of everything he'd had to do.

"You have to try... Just try to forgive yourself."

Branded by HawkofNavarre

Chapter 12

Perspective

He really couldn't do it. He couldn't do it at all. Forgiving himself while Juvia was still out there hating his guts was impossible. While Gray would never expect her to forgive him either, he still found himself wandering down to the little cafe he'd met Juvia at nearly every day. It was probably a bad idea, but the thought of staying away from her was somehow worse.

Besides, he couldn't help Lucy just sitting around back at the guild. Whatever lead Levy had been working on was useless without her because all she'd really been doing was trying to get in touch with the Heartfilia family. Frankly, Gray was more curious about how that search was connected to Phantom Lord. He was still slightly paranoid that the reason for his friends' injuries was due to his deception with Juvia, but Levy herself had ruled out that possibility with a timeline of events.

So then why...? He wished he could just ask Juvi—

Gray paused in his stride as the cafe came into view. On the patio, sitting in their spot clear as any day she wasn't there to make it rain, was Juvia Lockser. It certainly hadn't been the first time he'd gone back to the cafe since the truth came out, but frankly, Gray didn't expect she would ever return considering how his lies had sullied the place.

At first, he thought that maybe he should leave out of respect for her. After all, this cafe had been Juvia's spot to begin with. Who was he to make it his own? But before he could turn around, her black eyes locked onto his, and strangely enough, she seemed oddly calm about the fact that he was there. She stared at him for a few moments, then nodded her head at the seat across from hers where he always used to wait for her.

Well, he could have predicted approximately zero percent of this and he had no idea if this was some sort of ambush to get revenge on him, but if she was inviting him to sit down, he was going to accept it. It was the least he could do.

Throwing all caution to the wind, Gray made his way onto the property and settled into his reserved seat. There were two cups of tea on the table, one empty and the other half-consumed. It didn't look like she'd slept very well over the last few days considering the dark rings around her eyes. Her eyes themselves were red and puffy, a sure sign that she'd been crying a lot. Gray was more confused than ever as to why he was sitting here when he was surely a part of that melancholy.

However, Juvia remained completely in control of her emotions despite his presence. The rain too, which responded to her emotions, was no heavier than it had been the first time he met her. She was upset, but she was...steady.

He fidgeted with his interlaced fingers. "...Hey."

She didn't return his greeting at first, only examining him for a few extended seconds as she lifted the teacup to her lips. She took a large sip before letting out a long breath. "Hello."

Gray waited for her to continue the conversation, but that single word seemed to be the only one she was willing to let drop at the moment. While several questions were sitting on the tip of his tongue, he'd already made up his mind to let Juvia be in control of this meeting. It wasn't fair when all the times prior had been on his terms, even if she hadn't been aware of that at the time.

They sat in silence again until she finally summoned the courage to speak to him. She shifted in her seat, tucking her hair behind her ear before she spoke.

"Will Gray-san... Will you tell me the truth?" Juvia asked as she wrung her hands together.

He nodded. "I'm not sure if you'll believe me, but I will."

She bit her lip. "Juvia...doesn't know how to trust you."

"So don't," he responded, keeping his eyes on her as he leaned forward on folded arms. "I can't change how you feel in one day and I won't try to. I betrayed your trust. If I were you, I probably wouldn't trust me either."

She gazed into her tea contemplatively before locking eyes with him. "Juvia needs more information."

Gray was a little surprised, but tried not to show it. Nothing had really gone the way he'd expected it to so far anyway. This was a very different Juvia than he was used to dealing with. Then again, he'd never been the one who was the cause of her pain.

"Phantom Lord has seen Fairy Tail as a rival for a long time. While our Master has always worked hard to be seen as the better guild, Juvia knows this feeling has never been reciprocated," she began. "Why is Fairy Tail interested in us now?"

"Not all of you—just you," he replied as he ran a hand through his hair. "I dunno how this turned out to be such a disaster, but you're right about one thing: we don't see your guild as competition. We've always left you guys alone. That's why I don't understand why your guild would attack us unless..." He trailed off, reluctant to accuse her of something that wasn't possible in the first place.

"You are not in any position to point fingers," Juvia said, her voice harsh for the first time since he'd sat down.

"No, I'm not."

Her countenance remained stern as the rain seemed to finally pick up and bounced loudly off their table's umbrella. "Why me?"

"Bora," Gray answered. It was time. She hadn't been willing to listen all those days ago when she'd lain him out on the street, but she was sitting here now, even if he'd pissed her off. "It wasn't you or your guild; it was your connection to Bora. I was supposed to be in and out of this fast, but he never came to see you and the guy didn't even give you a number to call him at, so I stayed around until I had the chance to meet him."

Juvia looked pained. "And there was a reason for that too."

He shifted in his seat, trying to cover up his discomfort for where this was going. "Then you know Bora's not a good guy," Gray said.

"Juvia knows more than she wishes to," she replied tearfully, "enough to know that Gray-san is looking for a girl—a girl who was taken away on Bora's ship."

"Y-yeah..."

Frankly, he was astonished by the words that were coming out of her mouth. It was a mix of sadness and resentment that she seemed resigned to. This was a far cry from the girl who'd gone off on him for bad-mouthing her boyfriend. And Gray hadn't even had to tell her the truth. Somehow, she'd stumbled upon the truth on her own.

"But how is it that Gray-san knows about Bora and his ship?" Juvia asked as she set her hands in her lap.

"It was all pure coincidence. You might not believe me, but it's true. A few weeks ago, one of my friends came back to this guild with a bottle he'd found while fishing. There was a letter inside from a girl on that ship, and the letter had Bora's name on it. We've just been trying to find and bring her home."

She stared at him for a long moment and Gray could practically feel her taking him in. "And her name? Do you know her name?"

He wondered why that was relevant, but it certainly wasn't the right time to start refusing her. "It's Lucy."

Though Juvia didn't react, he could see the wheels in her head turning. She'd always been somewhat of an intriguing person to him, but he understood more parts of her each time she opened up to him. Today, her dark eyes seemed shrouded in mystery, her motives completely unknown. Gray could guess all he wanted and not figure out exactly what she was thinking right now.

"Do you remember when you first met Juvia?" she asked, delicately running her thumb along the rim of her teacup. "Gray-san was very angry about the way Bora was treating me."

"I… Yeah…"

"Then it's up to Gray-san to show Juvia what the right way should be."

He cocked his head slightly. Trying to follow her line of thought was difficult enough. Giving out relationship advice? Well, he was the last person in the world who should be doing that. "I'm not sure I'm really qualified for that."

"A date with you then," Juvia insisted. "What would that be like?"

A blush broke out on Gray's face. This was way too much pressure for a bombshell like that with no prior notice. He definitely didn't randomly think of date ideas on a regular basis. It wasn't exactly one of his top priorities. "W-well, I guess I'd start off the day at some place like this. It would be good to just sit and talk, have some coffee, tea, or whatever."

"You would do that? Just sit and talk?" she asked looking genuinely curious.

Meanwhile, Gray couldn't even begin to guess why this was so boggling to her. "Of course. How do you get to know someone if you don't talk to them?"

"And you...you would want to talk to them?"

"Uh huh..."

Juvia nodded in fascination, her eyes wide. "What next? After the coffee."

Mavis help him, she really wasn't going to make this easy for him. He scratched at his cheek as his brain started working overtime. "It depends. I'd probably try to do something we'd both like to do. Like if it were you, I'd take you to some sort of crafting class," he said as he thought of all the little plushies she was constantly sewing.

"You would enjoy that?" she asked, apparently disbelieving.

"I am somewhat of an architect," he replied as he waved his hand. "You know, magic and all." And it wasn't a lie either. Gray had learned to appreciate the art of creation in his studies under Ur. However, since Juvia still appeared pensive on the subject, he continued on to his next move. "Then we'd go to a nice dinner. Nice—not fancy, 'cause I'm not rich and those high-class restaurants are pretentious as hell—but somewhere we could eat actual food. We'd talk some more, and if we liked each other, that wouldn't be a problem. It'd be easy."

"What is that like?"

He choked at her response. What was with these questions? Gray was almost tempted to ask her if she was just screwing with him, but the seriousness of her expression hadn't changed. It was possible that she was actually that ignorant when it came to relationships. Bora was her current boyfriend and it certainly sounded like he treated her like a doormat. There was also no telling what any of her prior relationships had been like.

Gray composed himself and prepared for any other seemingly obvious questions he might receive. "Uh, it's like us right now, or even us before you found out I was Fairy Tail. Because we were friends. It's usually pretty easy to talk to your friends."

"And...and the person you're with should be your friend," Juvia said, stumbling hesitantly to the conclusion.

"Yeah. I mean, if you're going to be spending time with someone, you probably want to enjoy their company."

She nodded but vaguely looked like she was off in her own little world. "Then dinner, who pays for it?"

He shrugged. "Call me old-fashioned, but I'd want to pay for it. Especially if I was the one who asked her out."

Juvia laughed a little before finishing the last of her tea. It was nice to see something of a smile on her face, a direct contrast to the red eyes she'd been sporting this whole time. "A date with you sounds very nice, Gray-san."

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I'm not sure about that..." She was only going off what he'd told her, and he'd been on his best behaviour around her since their first meeting. There was no way she would ever suspect he was prone to randomly losing his shirt or pants (or underwear), regardless of whether or not he was on a date with a girl. Standing next to a naked guy on a street corner could hardly be any girl's idea of a good time.

"Would Gray-san be okay with walking Juvia home?" she asked, her voice more even and steady than it had been all morning.

"Sure," Gray replied, slightly astounded. He followed suit as she got to her feet. "Lead the way."

Juvia dropped a few jewels on the table before grabbing her parasol which was propped up on the side. They exited the cafe's premises under her parasol as she headed north towards the edge of town.

The comfortable silence was broken by Juvia as she twirled the handle of her umbrella in her hands. "Gray-san, what's Fairy Tail like?"

"What d'you mean?" he asked.

"Well, Jose-sama really wants our guild to be better than yours, so Juvia just wants to know why and how."

So, even Jose's guild members didn't know why they had such a fierce rivalry with Fairy Tail, huh? The mystery would remain for both of them. Nobody in Fairy Tail really paid much attention to another guild trying to outdo them—except maybe Laxus and his team. Otherwise, they were content to do their own thing without fear of judgement. Even with the amount of bad publicity they got from each member's odd tendencies, Makarov encouraged them to continue to be themselves.

"Nobody in Fairy Tail holds back, so it tends to get really loud," Gray explained as he tugged at the collar of his shirt. "And destructive. People don't hold back when it comes to fighting even each other. Guess that's what happens when you put a bunch of passionate mages together."

Juvia giggled softly. "It sounds very lively."

"Yup. There are a whole lot of personalities in the guild, and not many of them tend to be on the calmer side," he continued casually. There was no sense in keeping any secrets from Juvia when it came to Fairy Tail; if she wanted to, she could find all these things out in a gossip magazine. They might always try to do right, but they didn't have a very good filter when it came to behaving themselves in a socially acceptable manner. "Some of us drink, some of us break things, and some of us..." An image of his fiercest rival flashed through his mind. "...are just giant morons."

"And which one of those are you?" Juvia teased.

"Me? I'm..." He looked down to find his abs free of their confines, then back up to see Juvia's shocked expression. Gray groaned and swept his wet hair from his face as he glanced around for wherever his shirt had run off to. "...Are you fucking kidding me? Ugh, fine. I'm the guy that can't keep his clothes on."

Juvia either had the good grace not to laugh or, judging by the redness of her face, was simply too embarrassed by the situation to comment on the state of his undress. Oh sure, he'd managed to remain fully clothed for the last month he'd known her, but as soon as he stopped constantly babysitting himself, articles of clothing just disappeared.

"I feel like I know Gray-san better now—the real Gray-san," she said with a smile. "You aren't a bad person, and your guild isn't so bad either. I think we would get along if Master allowed it."

Gray turned to face her, missing shirt forgotten. "I know I lied to you, but I still considered you a friend. I still do."

"I don't know if you're a friend, but I don't believe Gray-san is a bad person," Juvia replied as she stopped at an intersection surrounded by small complexes. "Here is good. Juvia only has one last thing to say to you anyway."

He blinked, surprised by her sudden boost in mood.

"Lucy Heartfilia," was her simple reply. "It's only fair that Gray-san know that we seek the same person, because you can rest assured, Phantom Lord will be the one to bring her home."

Bewildered, Gray didn't really know what to say. It hadn't occurred to him that Lucy might mean something to them too.

"Remember, Juvia has the upper hand. My guild will succeed," she continued with determination. The look in her eyes was almost challenging.

"Is that a declaration of war?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"If it comes down to it," Juvia said, nodding. "I will complete our mission, and if Gray-san wants what is best for Heartfilia-san, then you won't stand in our way. We will ensure she gets home to her father."

The last thing he wanted to do was fight with Juvia again, but they had no intention of bringing Lucy home. They knew enough about her lack of freedom from the notes she had written Natsu to know that bringing her back to her father would only hurt her further. However, try as he might, Gray couldn't organize the thoughts in his head to explain any of this to her.

"You-you can't..." Gray began, searching for the right words.

But he wasn't quick enough. She turned on her heel, pausing before she walked off to give him one last glance of acknowledgement.

"Goodbye, Gray-san. May the better guild win."

"Wait! There's more you should know!" he called after her, but she kept moving until the rain drowned out the sound of her footsteps and her figure disappeared into the distance.

Gray sighed. Going after her would be hopeless when he couldn't even figure out what to say himself. The only thing he could do was start moving forward, but his only lead had just realized all the potential of her relationship. Fairy Tail was back at square one when it came to finding Lucy Heartfilia, and knowing they were now in a race with Phantom Lord to see who got to her first didn't help.

He didn't know how to feel. It wasn't exactly forgiveness, but the truth was out there and it was better than the place they'd been in this morning. Still, moving forward meant fighting her and that was something he didn't want to do.

The rain began to subside as Gray headed back to the guild. There was no choice. Someone's freedom was at stake and he wasn't going to risk that for the sake of his own feelings. It was basically impossible for him and Juvia to come out of this on good terms, and the prospect of that loomed over him.

He swallowed his regret while the sun broke through the clouds. Wishes didn't come true. He shouldn't have wasted that jewel.