"Would someone dim the lights, please?"

The shades had already been drawn, and once Lucy had turned off the overhead lights at Wendy's request, a single lamp provided the only source of illumination.

Gray's current outlook concerning the return of his vision was night and day compared to before. With his guild mark fully restored, it seemed as if a switch had been flipped, and his earlier hesitance had turned to a wary eagerness. He now sat cross legged atop the bed, leaning against the wall, hands fisted at his knees as he resisted the urge to fidget. The others could feel his eagerness, and echoed it in their own impatience.

"Keep your eyes closed," Wendy whispered as she unwound the last few layers of dressings, "After I pull off the last bit, slowly open them when you're ready. You won't see anything at first, not for a second or two, until the light activates the implants. Once they're working, don't be worried if it's too bright or blurry, or if anything looks strange. That's to be expected. It's very likely some connections within your brain will have to strengthen, or even be rerouted, since it hasn't received any visual signals for so long. Fortunately, it hasn't even been a year, so you should adapt fairly quickly."

She finished as he felt the last bit of gauze pull away. Taking a moment to brace himself, he dipped his head low as a precaution from meeting any direct light head on, and slowly opened his eyes to mere slits. Long used to finding only darkness upon waking every morning, he thought it childish to feel that slight jolt at seeing it now, since Wendy had just warned him to expect it. What he hadn't been ready for was the instant transition from complete darkness into light. His breath hitched, and he instantly shut his eyes, feeling them water and sting, but blinked the spots away as he brought his hands up to shield against where he now knew a lamp stood.

Laxus took the initiative to stand in its way, receiving grateful nods from his grandfather and a few others, while Wendy gently wiped the tears from Gray's face with a tissue, quietly saying, "Take your time."

He nodded, and keeping his head down, he blinked his eyes open again, noticing the light was now blocked, and lowered his hands. He kept them propped on top of his knees again, taking a meditative pose, though Natsu suspected he was doing that to keep them out of sight. If he were in that situation, he certainly wouldn't want the first thing he saw to be his scar-riddled hands.

For several moments, he couldn't stop blinking, and his vision was beyond blurry. But it was something. He hadn't expected to feel so elated at seeing such a simple thing as a heavily filtered light. He couldn't make out any shapes beyond vague, fuzzy blobs all around. But he kept his focus down, able to perceive a dark shape that grew more clear by the minute. He drew his hand up to push the front of his yukata more to the side, and felt the last whispers of dread disappear upon the sight of his guild mark.

To his friends, he seemed completely relieved and captivated by its mere presence, as if some lingering doubt of its existence had persisted until that very moment. He was awestruck, unable to put into words what he was feeling right now, could barely comprehend it himself. No one wanted to interrupt this moment, unable to know what he must be experiencing, but understanding his need to process it all.

*Meow*

Gray blinked, spell broken, and he lifted his head towards the source of that sound.

To his left stood Lyon, smiling brightly at the wonder on his brother's face. In his arms was Joy, who was staring at him with her head canted to the side, as if studying him for the first time, seeing something of him she'd not seen before. She started to squirm and wiggled out of Lyon's hands, and Gray followed her movement across the bed spread. He was oddly attentive and fascinated in how her feet stepped so assuredly, so well in tune with each other, so agilely, until she jumped onto his knee, meowing insistently for attention.

Gray, almost in a daze, reached out his hand to ghost his fingers through her thick gray and white fur; admired the pattern of her black stripes, which he noticed only appeared in the gray; and stroked the nub of her missing ear. She was beautiful! She purred, to which he then laughed, softly at first, and more gleefully as she crawled into his hands and demanded more affection. He was very eager to give.

"Hello, love," he breathed out, between fits of mirth and joyful tears. He held her close, closing his eyes as he felt her nuzzle his face. It just felt more natural to rely on his sense of touch still, but he would take every advantage of what little time he was afforded each day to see, in order to take in whatever he could.

He became aware of soft sounds of giggling and declarations of the heartwarming scene they were making, and his smile grew. Opening his eyes again, he looked up, having to squint as the room came into better focus.

Everyone was there, all wearing various expressions of delight and pleasure at his very apparent joy. He took a moment to look at each one of his friends, committing what he saw to memory, never wanting to take his sight for granted again. He paused when he came to Erza, and let his thoughts slip out as he murmured, "Huh… it's brighter than I remember."

Confused, Erza wondered, "Brighter?" unsure of what he spoke.

Grinning, he replied, "Your hair. I was having trouble remembering exact shades of certain colors early on. Everything was just so drab and muted in my head... Except for Natsu. For some reason, your hair always came off as neon," he smirked as he turned his eyes towards him.

"What the Hell do you mean, neon?!"

"With glitter."

"What!?" Natsu yelled indignantly.

"Sometimes I'd try to visualize it, but I'd always end up with this God-awful fluorescent orange, or a strange sort of bright, hot pink travesty."

Natsu stood there, mouth agape as he pictured himself the way Gray had apparently been doing since he'd lost his sight. Lucy had tried to explain the concept of losing visual memories to him, but he never thought it would be so… weird.

Gray had delivered all of that with such an even tone of voice, and he tried to keep a straight face; but being able to see their expressions now made it difficult to hide his humor as he fought his desire to laugh. The snicker which escaped his lips set off everyone else's amused reactions, and Natsu finally figured out Gray was joking. He hoped.

Wendy enjoyed the good cheer as much as everyone else, but she still had a job to complete.

"Gray-san, how does your vision seem? Clear? Blurry? Do you feel like you have to strain to focus your eyes? Any weirdness at all?"

Gray looked around, finding he had to squint more to see those farthest from him.

"It's pretty bright in here, and things get a little blurry if they're far away."

"That should right itself once you adapt to them. You always wear sunglasses anyway, but we can get you a darker shade if you need them. Do you have a headache, even a small one? Or do your eyes feel any discomfort?"

"Nothing I'm not used to. But if I concentrate, I can feel the ethernano flowing into them."

"That's strange," said Erza, "I've had my synthetic eye for years, and I've never noticed that flow."

"That's because of how full your origins are," said Wendy, "It'd be like noticing a tiny leak in a water tower. It really wouldn't be noticeable at all. But Gray-san has so little ethernano right now, it's easy to detect the minuscule amount the eyes require." Turning back to Gray, she asked, "Do they feel heavy, as if you were tired?"

"A little, but I don't want to sleep."

"Don't worry. No one's saying you have to. In fact, most of the anesthesia should be out of your system by now. A bit of movement and a meal should help you feel more energized."

"You mean I can finally get out of here?"

"I already have a nice breakfast prepared for everyone down in the guild hall," smiled Mira.

"Gray," said Makarov, "Congratulations, son. I'm grateful this wrong against you has finally been made right. It warms my heart to see you smile so freely again. I'm so happy for you, my child."

"We're all happy for you," added Lucy.

Now that the initial excitement had tampered down, Gray was starting to feel a little sheepish at all the attention. Lyon saw this, and came to his rescue.

"So come on. I think everyone is starving. Let's make our way to the main hall. I'm sure there are others there who'll want to wish you well—"

"—Which we can easily avoid, if you want," offered Cana.

"Of course. And as soon as we eat, we can finally go home."

Looking at everybody's expectant faces, he could only smile at the fact that he could actually see those gazes directed towards him. Carding his fingers through Joy's fur once more, he took in everything around him. Not just what he could see. He could hear the water trickling nearby from the tabletop fountain. The scent of snow drops was subtle but there. He felt the bed he laid in, brought to this otherwise cold, sterile room, just for his comfort and ease of mind. And his friends, his family, were all gathered here. They'd all put everything aside to share this moment with him.

"I'm already home."

Gray couldn't get over how strange it felt to be able to see again. The guild was just as bright and full of life as he'd remembered. It felt like he'd been gone all this time, while simultaneously never having left.

He and his friends had opted to park themselves on the second floor. Lyon had spoken of a need for space initially, knowing how he felt around crowds. He was used to the sound of all the hustle and bustle of his guild. Most of the members knew to keep a distance. But being able to actually see just how many people came and went around him could be more than he was ready to handle. Fortunately, even though the upper floors were open to everyone now, there was still this mystifying element felt by most of those who remembered the old days, and who'd passed those feelings onto their younger guild mates. Some may find themselves up here every once in a while, but after a time, the wonderment would fade, and the allure was no longer there. That worked perfectly for their group now.

At first his friends allowed him to take his time watching all the goings on below them. After all, from up here, he probably felt safe to take in the sights without feeling closed in. Lucy remembered Lyon once mentioning how Gray liked to people watch, and that he'd like to take him somewhere to do just that whenever his sight was returned. He certainly looked captivated. It started off as amusing, endearing even, how he would cast his gaze everywhere in wonderment. And everyone thought they'd do the same thing had they been in his place, so didn't want to interrupt him.

Gray hadn't anticipated just how overwhelming seeing so many people within an enclosed area could be, but for different reasons his friends had supposed. His attention kept getting drawn towards every direction, and he found it difficult to pull himself away, or to filter out what would normally stay in the back of his awareness in order to pinpoint what he knew was important. This place was just too visually busy. He'd also found if he moved his gaze too quickly, there was almost a lag time before the next image was clear. His other senses were competing for his attention as well. He'd never really acknowledged how much he'd come to rely on his hearing until he noticed how often his attention kept getting divided between what he could hear behind him and what he could see before him.

Though he showed little outward signs of having any difficulty in adjusting to having all five senses again, other than a reluctance to move his focus elsewhere without prompting, the slayers could easily sense his stress. His heart rate was elevated from the excitement, but also from... intimidation? His breathing was controlled, but not relaxed. And they'd had to more than once repeat his name, or touch him, to gain his attention, or to get him to look at something other than whatever he'd been staring at for however long.

The food soon arrived, brought upstairs by all the Strauss siblings so they could join in the small celebration for a little bit. Gray couldn't remember the last time he'd been so excited about eating. He's alway's loved Mira's cooking, and had certainly enjoyed a great meal on many occasions recently. But he was reminded now of something his parents had taught him a long time ago, usually when they were having him try something new: Presentation was key. Good food was a feast for the eyes as much as for the palate. As he ate, he remembered having eaten quite a few of these offerings in the last few months. But seeing them now actually made them taste better. Lyon and Wendy were very pleased with how much he was enjoying this meal. Mira had even poached some salmon for him, a piece of which Joy was now helping herself to.

It was because he was savoring this meal to the fullest that it took him a while to notice how seldom anyone would make eye contact with him. Other than Lyon, who having lived with him for so long, was used to seeing him without sunglasses, the few who did look him in the eye as they talked to him would glance away after not too long, even while still speaking. They would either be way too fascinated with whatever was on their plate, in the case of Natsu or Elfman; or would be looking at the food spread before them, as if wondering what next to try, but never actually choosing anything. It was starting to make him feel self conscious, but he tried not to let their actions bother him. After all, he wasn't sure he wouldn't do the same.

What he was unaware of was how these actions were nothing new to them. To different degrees, everyone's found themselves unable to keep their gazes on his eyes for too long. What they hadn't counted on was how much harder it would be,00 now that he could return those gazes. Having two sets of eyes meet was somehow more intimate than having only one make that contact. It was even harder now, because they could no longer hide their discomfort.

So for their sakes, he hid his own.

Breakfast had ended, and with all the food and dishes in the process of being cleared, Gray returned to his previous location, watching all the activity below. He must be getting more adjusted to having sight, or maybe because there were less people than before, but he was more easily able to switch his focus now. It was nice seeing so many familiar faces again. Most people tended to keep their eyes level, so they didn't notice they were being watched from above. Not that it would make a difference if he was caught. They wouldn't know he could see now. He didn't want anyone to make a big deal about the return of his sight, so there was no big guild wide announcement, thank the Heavens. He felt a little sneaky taking advantage of their ignorance, but what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them.

The same couldn't be said for him.

There was one group huddled in a corner by the bar that seemed pretty tight knit. He didn't recognize any of them except maybe one who he vaguely remembered joining the guild sometime in the early summer, before the incident. He was an okay fellow, he supposed. The others? He'd never seen them before in his life. So he couldn't understand the hostile glares he thought he'd seen from some of them upon a passing glance in their direction.

At first he thought he'd been mistaken. His eyes were roving around pretty quickly by that point. But upon turning back to that spot, he caught another glare, and was absolutely positive it was aimed at him. It wasn't so much one of hatred, more like disgust? Maybe mockery? Whatever it was, he couldn't imagine what wrong he could have done them to hold such disdain towards him. He wasn't one to use a particular skill against his fellow guild mates, but his curiosity got the better of him, and he justified it with thoughts of how it'd be easier to make peace with them if he could know what their deal was. So he started reading their lips. After the first few exchanges, he wished he could pretend his skills had gone rusty, but with all the subtle clues their body language gave off, he couldn't doubt what he was reading.

'How many feel that way about me?'

He jumped when someone grabbed his shoulder, pulling him away from the banister, and forced him to look away.

Natsu.

The fire dragon slayer had been moving a few tables back to their usual spots when he'd caught sight of Gray leaning against the banister, seemingly fixated upon yet another scene below. Chuckling, he'd called out to him, like he'd done a few times before, thinking he'd gotten himself caught in another one of those oddly fascinating sights. But when he hadn't responded, Natsu approached, and was able to see his face as it became more crestfallen. He'd called his name again, and again was ignored. It was then his ears caught the words Gray's eyes were reading, and he'd bristled at what he knew he'd find upon reaching the banister. Taking one look to make doubly sure of what he was seeing, his eyes narrowed, and his protective instinct took hold.

Thankfully, everyone else was too busy with cleanup to notice the two of them. Natsu had grabbed onto Gray's shoulder, feeling tension radiating off of him, and yanked him harder than was necessary, but he had his attention now.

"They don't know shit! You understand me? They haven't even met you, and have no right to make up all this crap about you. We've been trying to get a handle on them, but we're not always here. Pissants probably don't know I can hear them, either... I'm sorry. We never wanted you to know."

Gray was hard pressed to decide whether to appreciate their protection, or to be disappointed in their once again keeping things from him.

"How long has that been going on?"

Natsu had to think about that, and dreaded having to answer.

"I first noticed it around December, but Mira's said she's been hearing rumors since not that long after you came home... soon after my spar with Lyon."

Gray nodded, turning this news and all he'd learned around in his head. He wasn't sure what he thought of all these things. They were just rumors, after all. They didn't know him, he didn't know them. What did it matter what they had to say about each other?

"It doesn't matter."

Natsu was surprised by that response.

"They do have the right to believe what they want, and to say what they want. I'm not the thought police. Words aren't always enough to sway a guy's opinion. Actions will. This just gives me more incentive to get stronger. Besides, I've survived shit that would have them pissing themselves on their first encounter. Stupid rumors from the mouths of strangers won't be the end of me."

Natsu wanted to be proud of those words, and he was. He wanted to be happy for the strength Gray was showing. There was definitely something stirring within him to help him follow through with that promise. But Gray wasn't smiling in that way which suggested he was accepting a challenge, or was daring anyone to prove him wrong. His face was stern, eyes narrowed and determined, but still showing the hurt he probably wasn't even trying to hide. That, he could understand. He'd felt that same hurt for him every time he'd had to stay his hand, and allow someone with more finesse and tact, and less chances of breaking things, to handle disciplining them. He'd be seeking out Mira as soon as they were through here. She was always good at coming up with creative punishments.

Thoughts of what sadistic chores Mira was to assign them brought a smile to his face, which Gray saw, allowing his own tension to ease. Things were settled, then. Looking out into the crowd, Natsu let the sight of his beloved guild remind him that, other than a few jerks, this was home. Just as Gray had said. Sometimes siblings fought. At the end of the day, they were still family. Some people just needed more reminders than others.

A huge grin spread across his face when one particular branch of that family tree come in. The Connells have just arrived.

Nudging Gray's shoulder, he pointed them out, and was glad to see the dark cloud dissipate instantly as he brightened upon seeing them.

Gray straightened, and placing his thumb and middle finger to his mouth, gave a loud, shrill whistle at a pitch and pattern Asuka recognized right away. Her face lit up, and she sought out the source right away, looking up to find her Gray-ni, whom she was expecting to still be in the infirmary. But there he was, up and walking, and smiling as he was... Looking. Right. At her!

She bolted right up the stairs, followed closely by her equally excited parents, who'd been told the previous evening of the success of that morning's procedure, and that Wendy and Porlyusica were in the process of taking advantage of that success to restore other things as well. It was almost ridiculous, given the small age gap between them and him, how it felt as if one of their own children had received a miracle, but that's how they felt as they watched Asuka fling herself at her big brother now.

She was talking a mile a minute, saying how happy she was for him, and how she couldn't wait for him to see all the pictures she'd drawn and helped tape all over that one wall in his house, and wasn't Joy just so pretty?! It wasn't long before she was sitting on his lap, and the family and friends were listening as Wendy recounted how the surgery went. Gray had excitedly pulled the collar of his shirt down, just enough to show his fully restored skin, his guild mark proudly displayed for all to see. Asuka was holding Joy, and telling her parents how both of them would get their guild marks together one day.

They all stayed long enough for the Connells to eat breakfast before they would all leave on a short mission together. As they were getting ready to go, Gray pulled his sunglasses out, about to put them on, when Asuka asked curiously, "How come you still need to wear your sunglasses, Gray-ni? You can see now!"

No one knew how he'd feel about such a blunt question. He had a good reason, though. The lights within the guild were rather glaring and bright to his eyes. How much more so would daylight be. But Wendy was sure that would go away once he'd adapt to them, so that excuse wouldn't last. The real issue was far deeper. They knew he still felt discomfort with having strangers see his scars, and they couldn't blame him when they themselves had a hard time looking at them.

Trying to make his reasoning understandable for her, Gray answered, "Some people might be scared because of how I look. I don't want them to be uncomfortable around me."

And now some of them felt guilty, because they knew there's no way he hadn't noticed their own reluctance to keep eye contact with him earlier.

"That's silly. I'm not scared. You can wear them if you want, but I think you look pretty no matter what."

Gray was stunned, then happy and beyond grateful for those words he really needed to hear. Her words held so much more weight than those of the unknown faces from before. Exponentially more. He knew he'd still need to wear them. He would never lie to himself, and say it was only for the sake of others. If anything, his friends would fuss at him if he didn't take his own comfort into consideration. But for Asuka, he could make that exception. He could never feel discomfort around her.

Slipping the glasses back into his shirt pocket, he knelt down, pulled her into a hug, and with misty eyes, he replied in a choked whisper.

"Thank you."

Next chapter: Gray takes his time exploring around town, then rediscovers his home.