Lucy and Lyon winced at that savage blow, both confused by Natsu's sudden drop in his defense. He crashed to the ground, hand raising to his face, as Gray backed away. Seeing how neither fighters moved to continue, they grew worried and ran to them, Lyon releasing his spell. Their worries increased as they neared enough to see growing blotches of crimson in the snow, as well as the devastation on Gray's face, and the dismay on Natsu's as he gazed at him, trying to hide any sign of pain as he slowly picked himself up.

"Natsu! Gray! What happened?! Are you alright?" Lucy cried as she reached them, going to Natsu, knowing Gray was in good hands with Lyon. "Natsu, are you okay? You took that hit pretty hard. Where did he hit you? Is your eye okay? How many fingers do you see?"

"I'm fine. He hit my cheek. It's just a scratch. Nothing to worry about," Natsu panted as he brushed Lucy's hand away.

"That's more than just a scratch. We need to get that treated, maybe even call Wendy. That could leave a scar!"

"Shhh! I said it was nothing! Leave it alone—"

"—But Natsu—"

"—Lucy! Calm down!" he urged, nodding his head over her shoulder. She turned just enough to see Gray almost in a full panic as he eyed the blood still dribbling through Natsu's fingers, staining the snow beneath them in startling contrasts. Lyon was trying to pull his attention away, before his near-sobbing gasps became full-on hyperventilation.

"Close your eyes! Stop looking over there! Close your eyes and concentrate. Listen to my voice. It's just me."

Gray took hold of both of Lyon's wrists, shaking his head in denial. He tried to scream, to shout his anguish, to wrestle the blame for rending his friend's flesh, for spilling his too-red blood over the once pure white snow.

Nothing came out but soundless, hissing sobs. He released Lyon's wrists, afraid to touch him now, to risk harming him too.

Seeing Gray trying to retreat, Lyon would have none of that, resorting to grabbing his face in both of his hands to force him to meet his eyes.

"It's okay! I understand. You won't hurt me. Just close your eyes. It's just you and me right now. You like the dark, remember? That's it. Keep them closed, and try to calm down. It's going to be okay."

Lyon's voice never wavered as he felt Gray's hand suddenly press against his chest. He wondered if Gray was even aware he was doing that, but made an effort to steady his own breathing when he saw how he tried to follow along. Reaching down to grasp that hand, to hold it in place, he used his other hand to gently pull Gray's head down, holding him close in a firm embrace. He felt how the hair at the back of his neck was slick with sweat, how his body trembled with tension, and how his shuddering breaths started to calm.

"Keep your eyes closed. You're safe here. No one's seriously hurt. It was an accident. It wasn't your fault. You're okay. We're all okay."

As he was saying this, his gaze met Lucy's, and he indicated with a few nods towards Natsu's house for them to retreat there for a while, so he could get Gray sorted out. Lucy nodded back, pulling Natsu along, glad to at least have the chance to treat his wound. No doubt he was being difficult before because of Gray's presence, and would accept treatment more readily if done so in private.

Lucy allowed Natsu to lead them to the front door, surreptitiously brushing a small pile of snow over any drop of blood which fell on the way. Reaching the old ramshackle house, he rattled the doorknob, giving it a good twist as far as it would go, and kicked the door in the same worn spot that had obviously taken those kicks many times over the years. The door creaked open, and Natsu ushered Lucy in, igniting a small ball of fire in his hand as he staggered his way to the couch, slumping down as he kept his tiny flame lit.

"Sorry about the dark. I don't have light lacrimas, and all the windows are covered in snow."

Thankfully pulling the first aid kit out from the last place she remembered it being, Lucy set it on the floor as she sat beside him. She delicately pulled his hand away, finding the pressure he'd been applying had done the job of slowing the bleeding. Deciding a few butterfly bandages were in order, she pulled out cloth and saline wash to clean off the blood first. As she got to work, she said, "Don't you have candles? You don't just wave your hand around all night, do you?"

"Me and Happy are usually at the guild 'til real late. By the time we get home, we just crash 'til morning. If we have any, I don't know where they are. Happy would know."

"Mmm hmm. Figured as much. This shouldn't scar if Wendy sees it before too long. Let me patch it up for now. It's pretty deep."

"Hmph! Yeah, Icy pop got me good there."

Lucy couldn't tell if the shadows in his eyes were from the dim, flickering flame, or from his melancholy. She suspected the latter as she stated, "This'll sting a little." He hissed a bit at the contact of the antiseptic, but stayed still. Finding a captive audience as she pulled the wound closed to apply the first bandage, she asked, "So what happened back there? I couldn't really tell, but it looked like you just… " before tapering off.

He remained silent, and Lucy continued her task, eying the now closed gash, which would have cleaved the left side of his face in half, had that icy edge cut much deeper. She sized up the needed gauze, rolling it into a narrow strip and pressing it against the whole wound, taping it in place. She wanted to wrap bandages around his head and chin to secure it better, but Natsu preferred less dressings if possible. He didn't want to make his injury seem a bigger deal than it was. Lucy sighed, but understood, cleaning up the mess and packing up the kit before they both sat there, waiting.

Looking around, Lucy wanted to break the strained silence, about to comment about the unsurprising upheaval of the house, when she glanced upon the memory wall. She almost gave it no second thought, but something caught her eye.

"Is that your winning bingo card?" she asked, smiling softly.

"Yeah. That was a pretty fun day."

"It was… We've had a lot of fun days lately, haven't we?"

"Of course. We always have fun together."

"We do. But it's especially fun when all of us are together, isn't it?"

Natsu grinned just the slightest bit as he said, "Yeah."

Lucy returned his grin, saying, "It's been really nice. Things have gotten better, haven't they? I'm glad you've been finding new memories worth cherishing again."

Her eyes were drawn to the tiny flame, surprisingly bright and warm for how small it was. It was so still, almost frozen in time, save for brief flickers whenever their breaths reached it. Seemingly trivial to most, to Lucy, this impressive display revealed the masterful control Natsu truly had over his flames. This only made her wonder.

"So why were you holding back?"

"… I used my powers when I needed to."

"That's not how you fight. You're always eager to let loose when given the chance."

"You really think he was ready for a Fire Dragon's Roar to the face?"

"I don't know what he was ready for, but I think you should have believed he knew, and given him the chance to tell you himself when he'd had enough. Instead, you did everything you could to—"

"—To do what?! Not risk burning the rest of his skin off?"

"He'd never let you do that."

"How could he stop me?!"

"With his powers. The ones you helped him regain."

"Hmph! What does that say about me? I can roast dark mages all day, and do it with a smile on my face. But when I try to use my powers to 'help' my friend, it sickens me... I stood right over him, Lucy. I smelled the smoke, and the cooking skin and muscle. I heard every pop and sizzle, every pained gasped, every scream I tore out of him. I wished every second that it wasn't me doing that to him."

"That just shows how compassionate you are, no matter how tough you try to act. And you know no one else could have done that for him. There may be other fire mages out there who can control their powers better than even you can, but you're the one Gray trusts the most. He's trusting you to help him now. You need to trust him, too. Trust him to be able to stop you from hurting him, because maybe if you believe he can, it'll be easier for him to believe it too."

Natsu hadn't thought of that. In his own self doubt, had he been subconsciously projecting a lack of faith in Gray as well? He knew firsthand how his friends' belief in him gave him the strength and drive to succeed, no matter what. As he thought about it, he turned the idea around, putting himself in Gray's place, and wondered if Lucy was trying to hint that Gray maybe had the same idea. If Natsu could believe in Gray's powers, would that encourage him to believe in his own again? Had this fight become an attempt by Gray to show how much he trusted him, in order to help him overcome his own traumas? The stupid idiot. Why couldn't he just worry about himself?!

But if Lucy was right, then doing this was also helping Gray. That's what friends did for each other. That's the very purpose of a guild. One's burdens became everyone's, and one's strength became the strength of the guild. Natsu could now understand what Lucy was trying to say. They relied on each other. Sometimes it was hard to believe in your own power, but if others believed in it, believed in you, then there was no place for fear and doubt.

Gray wasn't the only one who's been suffering all this time, but they'd all been neglecting their own healing, focusing solely on his. Gray had seen the need, the burden Natsu's been carrying, and must have determined the best course of action was to slay each other's demons.

Natsu chuckled at the thought. Even with his powers sealed, such a focused precision was to be expected from their resident devil slayer.

"You're right. I've been letting these stupid fears eat me up inside, and they've been affecting how I treat him for a while now. I can't go all out with him, but holding myself back too much is only holding him back. I'll try to work on that."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate it. Are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah… Thanks. You're pretty good at this."

Lucy grinned proudly, always pleased to be appreciated, especially by the usually inattentive Natsu. She was about to comment when she caught a movement past his shoulder, slightly obscured by the shimmering brightness of Natsu's flame. She gasped as her eyes widened, causing Natsu to turn, wanting to see what had her so concerned.

Gray stood a few paces from the door, seemingly frozen in place where the shadows merged with the light cast by the flame, his eyes drawn not to them, but solely to that flickering glow.

"Oh shit!" Natsu exclaimed as he stood, frantically moving to extinguish the flame, until Lucy stopped him.

"Wait!" she cried, hand grasping his arm. He looked at her in shock and a little dismay, not understanding her reasoning. He knew the dangers of allowing Gray to suffer too many panic attacks in a short amount of time, and that last one had been pretty bad.

Lucy continued to look towards Gray, brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of what she was observing. He didn't seem afraid, maybe a little tense, but not so much that his fight or flight instinct would kick in. He was oddly captivated by the flame, and she was certain his strange tendency to become fixated on certain sights was partially responsible for his inability or unwillingness to pull away.

"Gray, are you okay?" she asked, noting how he gave just the briefest of nods. He swallowed dryly as a cold sweat formed, but he seemed calm enough. He still focused on the light, but she felt confident that he at least had some awareness of the rest of his surroundings. Just to experiment, she moved Natsu's arm, which she still held, a little to the side. His gaze followed.

"What the Hell are you doing?!" Natsu hissed.

"Don't put your fire out just yet. I want to try something."

"Are you sure this is smart?" he asked nervously.

"Not entirely, but maybe this is something we should have tried long before now... Have you ever heard of immersion therapy?"

"What does taking a bath have to do with anything?!"

"Not that kind of immersion! Look at what he's doing. He's so engrossed with your flame, but he's not afraid of it. At least I don't think he is. Try getting closer."

"Are you sure—"

"—Stop asking if I'm sure! You're only making me less sure! I don't really know what I'm doing, but something is telling me this might help. Just try, please?"

"Dang it. Fine. I trust you. Just hope this doesn't bite us in the ass."

Taking a small step forward, Natsu kept a fervent watch for any sign that Gray was disturbed by his approach. He kept studying the tiny flame, seemingly growing more confused than scared as Natsu crept closer. Out of his own curiosity, Natsu moved his hand, watching Gray's gaze shift along with it. He was completely mesmerized. It was concerning, but if Lucy wanted to play this out…

"Hey, Gray. You doing alright there? You… you can come in and sit down if you want."

Receiving no answer, Natsu looked to Lucy for more ideas. She motioned for him to keep going forward, to which he simply sighed and followed along. He stopped immediately, heart in his throat, when Gray suddenly stepped back, finally showing a dazed look of tension in his visage. Had Natsu gotten too close?

"It's okay," said Lucy, "He's not panicking. Something made him uncomfortable, but he took care of it, all on his own. He's fine. Let me try something. Do you remember what Lyon said about that new therapy Loren's been having him do?"

"I don't remember anyone bringing up taking a bath then, either."

"Never mind the bath! No one's taking a bath!" she insisted, "He's focusing on the light. I think he's remembering something, but the light's keeping him from becoming trapped in the memories."

"Really? So what now? When can I put out the fire if it's keeping him from losing it?"

"I'm not sure. I think that—"

"—Shh! Listen."

"What?" she wondered, but paused when she heard it too. Gray was mumbling something, barely intelligible, but Natsu had no trouble catching every word.

ooooo

Gray had gathered himself enough to approach Natsu and Lucy in order to apologize, leaving Lyon to disperse all the ice. He should have known he was pushing Natsu too hard, but he'd sincerely felt he could have handled this fight. He'd never considered just to what extent his friends had suffered because of him.

Upon stepping over the threshold, he could hear his friends' quiet murmurs, but it took a while for his eyes to adjust from the brightness outside to the darkness of the room. Those whispers allowed him to locate them long before he was able to make out the dim light one of them held. He heard Lucy's admonishment for Natsu to have more trust in him, which did little to assuage his guilt in what happened; but at least they didn't seem upset anymore. He was about to announce himself when Natsu shifted, bringing the light into view.

An open flame.

His heart sank when he noticed a slight glow coming from beneath the frozen floor.

'No! It's not the same. It's NOT!'

He heard the sound of sizzling meat, and smelled the repugnant scent of decayed flesh in the smoke that reached his nose.

—"Gray, are you okay?"

'It's just my friends. Natsu. And Lucy. There's no smoke. No smoke. No death. Just wood and earth.'

He heard very little, just the sound of a fire crackling, too far to offer any heat to chase away the cold.

'I couldn't see it'

It returned from the burning brazier, something enclosed in its hand. Smoke emerged from the closed fist, and the now familiar stench of burnt decay wafted from it.

'Ashes and embers. And her—Not Her's face. Those are what I last saw. I couldn't see—'

—"Hey, Gray. You doing alright there? You… you can come in and sit down if you want."

'Too close!'

The flames hit Erza's shield, dispersing and passing the barrier to form a wall of fire and heat around those trapped behind. Though no flame touched him, Gray was overwhelmed by the sensation of the intense heat. It was stifling. The noise of the flames all around him overruled all other sounds. The odors of heated metal, burnt earth, and singed hair froze him. He couldn't move. Couldn't think. Couldn't breathe.

'I never saw it.'

—"It's okay. He's not panicking."

'I never SAW it!'

—"When can I put out the fire if it's keeping him from losing it?"

'Because it was never there.'

ooooo

"… not fire…"

"Okay, maybe we should rethink this if he's asking for us to stop," Lucy backtracked, trying to pull Natsu away.

"No. That's not what he's saying," Natsu assured, "Stay there, but keep your voice down. Don't wanna make him freak out. Let's see what happens."

Before Lucy could protest or ask what he meant by that, he'd taken another step forward, then another, stopping when he saw Gray shift uncomfortably. He made no other move.

"What's going on?" whispered Lucy.

"Before I stepped closer, I lowered my magic output. The flame isn't as hot as before," Natsu revealed, "You get it? He's not afraid of the fire—at least, seeing it doesn't scare him. It's the heat that makes him back off."

"The heat…! There was never a fire! I mean, there was, but not in the kiln. And in the chamber, he never would have been able to see the brazier, not from where he was tied down, and especially not after…"

"..."

"Sounds like he agrees," Natsu observed.

"What's he saying? Did he lose his voice again?"

"No, he's talking to himself, I think. Oy, Permafrost, you doing alright in there?"

…

"… Natsu?"

"Yeah, I'm right here, buddy. Ya feeling okay?"

"…"

Natsu looked to Lucy for ideas on how to proceed, receiving a shrug and a "you're doing fine, keep it up" motion. Great. No pressure.

"Um, do you know where you are?"

"… Your house."

"That's right. You came to my house to train, remember? You've got your powers back, and we were sparring together."

At this, Gray's eyes narrowed, recalling the fight.

"I hurt you."

"It was just a scratch. Shit like that happens when we fight. It's not a big deal."

"You've never hurt me."

"Hey, quit bragging. I got a few good hits in."

"Your fire's never hurt me. It… it helps. It protects."

"… Yeah. I'll always use my flame to protect my friends."

Natsu looked up at the sudden intrusion of natural light. Lyon must be finishing the cleanup outside, having defrosted all the windows. Deciding that to be an invitation to end this, he turned just enough so Lucy could see him Gesture "Lyon", proud of the few words he'd picked up over time. She understood, leaving to bring the other ice mage inside. Natsu then brought his flame before him, level with their eyes, and slowly withdrew his magic, observing Gray as he watched the fire gradually die down.

The light faded away, and Gray blinked a few times, reorienting himself, refocusing, eyes immediately drawn to Natsu's. Brow drawn in confusion, he asked, "Natsu? How…" before he was overcome with a sudden exhaustion.

"It's okay. I gotcha. Let's go to the couch. To your left. Careful, there's trash all over. It's just paper and some of Happy's toys."

"I can see, Sparky. I'm just tired. What happened?"

"We were hoping you could tell us. Lucy went to get Lyon. You need some water or something?"

"Is your plumbing even up to code?"

"What kind of backwoods rube do you think I am?"

"... I honestly didn't think you knew what a rube was."

"Of course I know... I looked it up after the third time Lucy called me one," he grinned as they sat, "And it's well water."

Wow. He'd really handed him an easy one there. Gray raised an eyebrow as he stared at him, unsure if Natsu was genuinely beyond his friendly mockery, or if the joke really did go too far over his head to notice, and he was just proud of his improved vocabulary. Deciding there was no reason to wipe the stupid grin off his face with a more obvious insult, he just shook his head and chuckled, saying, "Well water's fine. I actually think it's better than tap water."

"Can't argue with that," he replied, standing to fetch some from a pitcher in the kitchen area, "Your house uses tap."

Accepting the mug, Gray gulped it down, allowing Natsu to refill it as he said, "Along with the rest of Magnolia. You're the weirdo here." He took another sip, then eyed the mug critically, holding it up to the daylight streaming through the window. "This is my mug."

"Oh yeah. Happy took it when he borrowed some sugar from you a few months back. You guys weren't home, so he went in through Joy's cat flap and just helped himself."

"Who breaks in to borrow sugar without bringing their own mug? You'd be a shitty neighbor, Cinderhead."

"I meant to return it. I just kept forgetting… So, did you drink well water growing up?"

"Of course not. I grew up in the guild. You know that."

"Duh! I was there most of the time. I was just wondering when you'd tasted it for you to decide it was better than tap, that's all."

Gray stared into his mug, lips pursed to answer, but nothing came as he blinked in confusion, unable to recall why he was so sure about that particular preference.

"Huh. I don't really know. Maybe sometime before I joined the guild? I just know it tastes better."

Natsu hummed in acknowledgment. Then, finding this conversation had reached a lull, he took a seat beside him—to his left to keep the wound on his face out of sight—and sought a way to broach the subject of what happened without putting him on the defensive. He felt almost relieved when Gray brought it up instead.

"I had another episode." That seemed more a question than a statement.

"I think so, but it was different. You weren't scared or anything. That much I could smell."

"I feel I should be creeped out by that."

"Not like I can turn it off."

"Tsk! If anything, I'd put a volume dial on you… I think I fought it off. The flashback or whatever. I still saw… things… and the intensity was still there, but I could hear you, and I felt more like an observer than a participant this time. I felt more detached, I guess?"

"Gray, are you okay?!" cried Lyon as he came in with Lucy.

"I'm fine. The lethargy's going away. Just trying to sort out what the Hell happened just now."

"Lucy told me you had a strange reaction this time."

"More like unexpected," Lucy clarified, "You were maintaining control. You were really calm, and seemed almost, I guess intrigued, maybe? Definitely confused about something. But what really surprised me was that you weren't scared of the fire!"

"What?" Lyon exclaimed.

"So that really happened," Gray murmured, "I wasn't sure at first. The idea is so strange, but I guess it makes sense."

"What do you mean?"

"He means that simply seeing a flame doesn't scare him anymore," said Lucy.

"But you said seeing the flame triggered an episode."

"It did, but I think I know what happened. We all associate fire with intense heat and burning, so of course Gray had reason to fear it. Natsu's flame caused him to flashback to before, but he's been learning how to control his responses lately. We noticed how he kept following the light, and remembered that thing you said about Loren's therapy. I think he was using that technique to separate himself from the past, and was able to come to a realization that we hadn't been able to before: He was never injured by fire."

Natsu didn't want to get his hopes up too soon, but he couldn't deny a sense of building anticipation of what this could mean. He still had to voice some doubts, though, if only to have them allayed.

"But the burns—"

"—Not caused by fire, but by superheated surfaces, and burning embers."

"I never saw the fire."

All gazes on Gray, he didn't seem to mind, as he was too busy putting order to the thoughts in his head.

"It was always this unbearable heat. The constant hiss of my ice melting into steam. The crackling sounds coming from the brazier I couldn't see. And that spar between you two; I only heard the roar of the flames, and felt the heat surrounding me. But it didn't burn me. And I never saw it."

"So does that mean you're not afraid of fire now?" Natsu asked.

"No," said Lucy, apologetically, "He still tried to avoid the heat, remember? But I think because of the return of his sight, coupled with how he's been learning how to stave off attacks, along with that technique from Loren; his mind was able to process those memories in such a way that it no longer associates the sight of fire as a triggering fear."

"One way to find out if that's true," said Gray as he placed the mug down, "Light one up for me, Natsu."

Natsu hesitated, still reeling from what happened earlier. Gray got a good look at his wound, zeroing on the drops of blood seeping through the dressings, and now felt like an ass. Reminded of the original reason for coming inside, he sighed.

He's known since early on in the hospital that his friends had been dealing with their own traumas since his rescue. It only made him feel guilty, how his friends tried to hide the fact from him, how they felt the need to do so, and how he couldn't deny he'd do the exact same thing if he could. He knew they'd swear up and down how it wasn't his fault, or try to diminish their pain, saying theirs didn't compare to his own.

"I'm sorry. I… I know you've suffered. All of you. I know it's hard caring for and loving a trauma victim—"

"—Don't talk like that," Lucy interrupted, "You didn't do anything wrong—"

"—Let me finish! I get it. I am a trauma victim. I'd accepted that a long time ago. I know right now, I can do nothing wrong. I got done dirty, and my mind's f*cked up, and I have every excuse in the world to act like a bastard to all my loved ones; and you'll forgive everything without me even having to ask. Doesn't negate the fact that all of you were wronged, too. You all go out of your way to be sensitive and understanding.

"I'm at fault for not giving you the same courtesy. I knew Natsu never wanted to use his powers on me, but I kept insisting. If you're uncomfortable with going any further, I can ask Macao or Romeo for help. You've already done more than enough."

Natsu knew his answer before Lucy had even interrupted Gray, so he didn't take long to reply.

"Pfft. Not to downplay their skills, but they can't hold a candle to me. No way am I letting you receive substandard training. Are you ready for this?"

His voice may have been filled with bravado, but he definitely felt some concern still. At Gray's answering nod, he took a few paces back, to where he felt the heat wouldn't be an issue, and ignited a fireball just like before. Gray had closed his eyes just before Natsu had cast his spell, and could perceive the soft glow through his eyelids. The others thought that wise, and felt better allowing him to choose when to actually see the flame.

Taking one last moment to prepare himself, he slowly opened his eyes, half-expecting to feel the beginnings of another panic, but felt only the smallest trepidation upon focusing on the softly glowing orb. He had to squint a little, and his breath hitched, but other than that, nothing.

Lyon approached, studying his features, asking, "Is this okay?"

Gray nodded, swallowing hard as he whispered, "Come a little closer. I can't feel it from here."

"… If you're sure," answered Natsu as he took a wary step forward.

Gray kept his eyes on the flame, not in a hyper focused way, but more like he was keeping leery of it.

"Are you still with us, Gray?" asked Lucy.

"I'm still here. Nothing feels off. I can feel a bit of its warmth, but it's not too bad... A little closer," he requested.

Natsu edged forward as asked, and again a bit more at Gray's beckoning nod. Gray noticed as the temperature grew noticeably warmer, and he fought the urge to back away. His eyes began to strain as the light grew closer, causing him to blink more. A trickle of sweat streaked down the side of his neck, and his breathing grew more rapid. The others grew more worried. Still, he bade Natsu forward.

It was when the flame came to within arms reach, and the heat grew too much to bear, that Gray reacted, but not in a way they'd expected.

With barely a conscious thought, he threw a hand up, bringing his powers forth, and froze the fireball solid.

"Shit!" Natsu exclaimed as he tossed the ball, fingers burning from the extreme cold.

Gray reflexively caught it, examining it as he turned it in his hand, all signs of stress evaporating as his friends looked on. Natsu's face hurt from his growing smile stretching at the wound, but pain wouldn't rob him of the excitement he was feeling at this moment. Lyon and Lucy both looked amazed and hopeful, with Lucy straddling between tearing up and laughing as she brought her hands together in joy.

And Gray gave a small, tentative grin, then a short breath of a laugh as he tossed the frozen ball in the air, making it disperse into a shower of icy flakes over their heads. His grin widened, teeth bared as he looked to each of his friends, landing his gaze upon Natsu as he declared, "I know how to make this work."

Trigger Warning for this note: I almost didn't update this week, but after that cliffhanger last chapter, I felt I couldn't leave it at that. But I need to take a break from this story for a little while. We had a very sudden death in our family this week. Sudden as in 'self-inflicted', and never seeing it coming. Yeah, it's been rough. I love this story too much to approach it from where I am right now, so I'm gonna leave it here on this high note, and come back in a month or so. I need to be there for my family right now.

Think I'm gonna write something more lighthearted in the meantime, something fluffy and humorous. So if you get a story from me between now and November, that's probably it. Other than that, I'll see you all again on November 4th.

Next Chapter: Gray appreciates Lucy's willingness to not hold back.