"Chelia-chan! Why are you carrying Panther Lily?!" Wendy giggled.
After a hearty breakfast with the team at the guild, Gray, Lyon and Wendy had gathered at the train station to greet Lyon's friends from Lamia Scale. Wendy was front and center as the passengers made their way off the platforms, so she was easily able to see her best friend approaching with what she had thought was a very realistic looking plush doll of one of her exceed friends. To her surprise and amusement, Chelia was carrying the real deal in her arms as she waded through the crowds to reach everyone.
"Everyone was so eager to disembark," began Panther Lily, "I wasn't given enough room to transform to my larger self—
"—and I couldn't let him get squished by all these people," reasoned Chelia.
"I could have easily flown over them," he responded, but didn't look too displeased. Gray could hear in his tone that he was just trying to save face at being carried around like a doll, not wanting to admit how much he liked it. He wouldn't judge, though. He certainly couldn't blame Chelia for wanting a cuddle buddy. He wasn't about to say aloud what he was thinking right now, but compared to the other exceeds, those round ears of his looked kinda cute.
Feeling Joy's excited pacing upon his shoulders, he could tell she was interested in meeting him. How neglectful of him. He'd yet to introduce her to her uncle Panther Lily! Knowing she was awaiting his permission, he stepped away from Lyon, who was exchanging greetings with the rest of the party from Margaret Town, and stood a short distance from the girls.
"Chelia, welcome to Magnolia."
"Thank you, Gray-san! You're looking well. And hello to you, Joy! Look how big you grew! You were so tiny when I first met you!"
Smiling at her cheer, Gray clicked his tongue, finally giving Joy the signal. Without delay, she leapt from his shoulder to Chelia's, causing her to give a cute mixture of a surprised yelp and a gleeful laugh as the kitten quickly found her balance, and proceeded to use her new perch to study Panther Lily up close.
"Lily, welcome back. Meet your niece, Joy. She might try to chase your tail. Don't take any offense from it. So your team rode together with Lyon's? I thought your mission took you up north."
"It wasn't on purpose. We missed our connection in Oshibana when Gajeel couldn't pull himself together enough to get off the train. We ended up continuing nonstop all the way to Hargeon. We caught the next train to Magnolia, and saw Lyon's friends boarding during a stop in Margaret Town, and invited them to sit with us. Between you and me, I think Gajeel was hoping Chelia-chan here could do a Troia spell."
"*Giggle* He was pretty disappointed to find out that wasn't something a god slayer could do," added Chelia.
"If it makes him feel better, just tell him his increased motion sickness is a reflection of how much stronger he's gotten," reminded Wendy.
"I'll be sure to do just that when he wakes up. Juvia and Jura-sama are with him now. If he doesn't come to soon, Jura will just carry him out," assured Panther Lily, "So Levy's kept us up to date with what's been going on with you."
"That's right!" said Chelia, "Wendy told me about what she and the others were planning. Did it work?"
"It did. Not sure what they told you, but I've got limited access to my powers now. Picked up some new accessories to go with them, too," Gray replied as he lowered his sunglasses, giving them a peek at his new eyes.
"You can see now?! That's awesome! When did this happen?"
"Just yesterday. Porlyusica-san allowed me to assist with the surgery," Wendy replied proudly.
"Juvia will be excited to hear the news," said Panther Lily, "though I'll be sure to put myself between you two when she finds out, just in case. I don't think she'd do anything over the top, but it's better safe than sorry."
"Appreciate it," said Gray.
*Grrrrrr*
They were interrupted by a low growl coming from behind Chelia, followed by an agitated hiss from Joy, who was now facing towards the source of that sudden aggression, hackles raised and tail straight up.
"Toby, knock it off!" came Yuka's admonition, "It's just a kitten."
"But I need to assert my dominance," Toby replied. He still tried to look menacing, but Joy didn't seem impressed.
"How is she a threat to your dominance? She could fit in your sock."
"You stay away from my sock!" he yelled, pointing at Joy. Instead of seeming the least bit intimidate, she sniffed, then bit the offending digit.
"Ah! She's trying to eat me!"
"*Giggle* Guess we know who's boss, now," said Chelia.
"Why is she looking at me like that?" cried Toby from behind Yuka.
"She was looking at everyone," said Lyon, "She wants to be friends."
"I won't be friends with a cat!"
"But Toby-san, you're friends with Carla," reminded Wendy.
"Carla's not always a cat! And I don't want to be friends with that one!"
"Why not my cat?" asked Gray, befuddled. He wasn't sure if he should be upset or amused at this blatant lack of civility to his precious little girl.
"Because!"
After a few seconds with no elaboration, they realized they were getting no where with this. Starting to feel a slight ache deep in his stomach, Gray resisted the temptation to rub at the burns, and instead held himself a bit stiffly, hoping to restrict the movement in the muscles. If they could just get going already, or better yet, get to the park so he could sit down for a while. Preferring not to get bogged down by Toby's usual theatricks, he decided to ignore him for now in favor of hurrying everyone along. But first—
Clicking his tongue, he saw as Joy relaxed and turned towards him. Smiling, he Gestured, "Friend" to her, to which she answered with a soft, squeaky mew, to their visitors' confusion. She then jumped to his shoulders, gave his neck and chin a nuzzle, and settled down to continue staring at Toby curiously, to the poor man's chagrin.
"We should get going. The others are waiting," he urged.
"Not that we were expecting a big welcome party, but I'm surprised the rest of your team isn't here with you," Yuka observed.
"Don't hold it against them," Lyon chimed in, "Lucy received some exciting news and couldn't wait to tell everyone. They went straight to the party after breakfast to spread the word. She's in negotiations to get her book published."
"That's great news!" said Chelia, "What kind of book is it? A story? A novel? Is it any good?"
"It's a wonderful story. I can't wait for the rest of the world to find out what an incredible author she is," answered Gray.
He was very proud of his friend. Hours after hearing the news, he was still smiling at her joy and excitement.
ooooo
The guild was full of cheer this morning, with members running in and out, ordering or picking up premade meal boxes for the picnic in the Rainbow Sakura Gardens later today. Upon entering the guild, Gray could easily pick out Lucy's elated chatter among the crowd. Knowing his way around the guild with confidence, he took the lead as Lyon and Wendy followed him to their usual table, wondering at the buzz of excitement he could sense among everyone there.
Lucy, looking up at their approach, beamed with such a huge grin as she gushed, "Gray! ... Are those my writing gloves—Never mind. I'm so glad you're finally here! You'll never guess what I found in the mail yesterday when I got home. I would have called right away, but I wanted to tell you in person. I got a letter from my literary agent, the one you set me up with? He got a response from one of the biggest publishers in the business. They loved my manuscript. They want to publish my book!"
Gray smiled brightly at that news, while Wendy and Lyon were more audible in their congratulations. This was really big, and everyone was happy for her, and shared her enthusiasm.
"Congratulations," he said, "I'm really proud of you."
"I can't even tell you how happy I am. I can't stop shaking! And I owe you so much for helping me make this happen. I really want to hug you right now, if that's okay."
With a soft laugh, he answered, "Sure. Just go easy on me," before lifting an arm in a welcoming gesture.
Quite pleased, she stepped into his embrace, being careful of the still sore burns, and gave him a firm and gentle hug, whispering into his ear very quietly, "Thank you so much for believing in me."
Relaxing into her hold, he brought his other hand up, still gripping his cane, to wrap her into a proper hug, and whispered back, "I'll never stop believing in you."
ooooo
"I'm sure she can tell you all about it when we get to the park," offered Lyon, "and if not, Gray will be happy to. Come on. Jura-sama told us to go on ahead."
"I'm gonna head back into the train, then," said Panther Lily, "Gajeel wanted to keep our return a surprise from Levy, so don't mention anything until he finds her."
Receiving a number of grins and understanding nods, he spread his wings and took off from Chelia's arms, flying over the crowds to return to his team.
Everyone turned to make their way towards the exits, with Gray motioning to Lyon, a signal he'd come to understand very quickly to mean he was now in need of his services as a guide, to help him navigate out of this bustling terminal. He knew Gray had decided to conserve his magic for the time being. Understandable. There wasn't much to see out here.
As he waited for Lyon to reach his side, Gray cast one last look around the train station, taking in all the sights of the many people all around. He considered this an exercise, as he tried not to get himself drawn in too deeply to the constant back and forth movements of the crowds. Just as he was to close his eyes, he was sure he'd caught a glimpse of two very familiar faces, but they'd very quickly disappeared amongst all the people. It was such a brief flash, so maybe he was mistaken. Why would those two come all the way out here for the Hanami Festival. Afterall, he was quite certain rainbow sakura trees grew in abundance near the Sabertooth guild.
"Bingo!"
A joyous cheer rose up amongst the large crowd of Guild wizards and their families, with the occasional cries of dismayed defeat mixed in, as Cana yelled out her victorious declaration. As a long-time veteran of these games, she was more in it for the suspense of the play, and the excitement of the win, than for the prizes themselves. As such, she took her time approaching the stage, prepared to smile in good natured fun at whatever ridiculous reward she was about to receive.
It was the sound of her joyous shouts that greeted the group as they were arriving at the scene. Gray's team was waiting for them near the park's entrance. After a brief exchange of greetings, everyone's attention was drawn towards the sounds of congratulatory cheers, which had risen to raucous excitement for their very enthusiastic guild mate, who was now on stage, raising over her head a large barrel of very fine, very expensive alcohol. Though there were a few calls from throughout the crowd for her to share her generous bounty, most knew not to even ask. Cana just met her new "boyfriend", and would be much obliged to enjoy some quality alone time for the foreseeable future.
"Wow! Master went all out on that prize," enthused Lucy, "My father used to serve that brand during important business luncheons. Just a bottle of that stuff costs tens of thousands of jewels."
With an impressed whistle, Lyon responded, "That's a generous prize for just a bingo game. Are they always that good?"
"Heck no! They usually suck!" said Natsu, oblivious to Erza's glare.
"Natsu, I will not stand for such disrespect for Master Makarov's generocity, especially in front of our guests."
"He's got a point, Erza. Jii-chan doesn't have a great track record for these things," Gray added.
"Not you, too. I happen to think his ideas are unique and thought provoking."
"Magic boosting herbs," Gray deadpanned.
…
"Well, it's the thought that counts," said a red-faced Erza, whose dead and rotting bingo winnings during Lucy's first Hanami Festival had been a great letdown.
"We were the ones who brought them here. Master didn't even pay us for them."
Erza's eyes darkened, growing impatient with this silly debate. "If you're gonna keep contradicting me, you can look forward to a great deal more defensive training during our next swordsmanship practice," she grumbled menacingly, already picturing the punishing bruises from the many extra attacks she was sure to send his way during their next sparring session.
"You promise?" he smirked.
She blinked at that, unused to having her threats rebuffed so casually. Then she remembered who she was talking to, while the others watched on, unsure of what to expect. For a long while now, Erza has gone out of her way to be as non-threatening and unimposing as she could possibly be in Gray's presence. She hadn't even raised her voice at him in all that time, let alone given any thought towards punishing him for any childish slight—not that he's been prone to them since the Incident. Looking at the others, she saw realization in their gazes as well.
They were passing taunts back and forth between each other, and Gray didn't seem to fear retribution from her! She didn't feel like he was just taking advantage of her unwillingness to do anything that would set him off. He was genuinely enjoying this verbal spar with her, regardless of the possibility that she may indeed enact some sort of recompense against him.
Had he not been keeping his eyes closed at the moment, he would have noticed the proud looks the others were exchanging. Erza wasn't sure if this increased comfort with them was a result of the return of his sight, or magic, or something else; but they were all excited to see this new confidence in him. She wasn't about to do anything to jeopardize that now.
"Only if you deserve it," she grinned back.
"Well if that's any indication of the kind of prizes they're giving out this year, I'm ready for the next round. You guys find a place to sit. I'll be right back with some cards!" cried Lucy as she made her way to Mira.
"We might play later," said Wendy, "Chelia, Carla, and I are heading to the pavilion to check out the musical acts."
With quick waves goodbye, the three young ladies—with Carla in her human form—took off to enjoy their girls' day out. That left Yuka, Toby, and eventually Jura for Lyon to entertain with his Fairy Tail friends.
"So where should we sit? Do we want sun or shade?" wondered Lyon.
"Shade," was Gray's quick response, "with benches if possible."
Lyon nodded, understanding his desire to keep off the ground, at least until he'd recovered more. Looking around, he spotted the Connell family camped out beneath a good sized tree, Asuka hanging upside-down with her knees hooked over a sturdy branch. Jet and Droy were nearby, so Levy wouldn't be far off. There were several other guild members scattered nearby who, though merely passing acquaintances, were always quick to offer a kind hello and a smile their way. There were no unoccupied benches, but he was sure everyone would appreciate the choice of company, and he could take care of seating easily enough.
In due time, they'd made their way there, and after a quick greeting, Lyon had created a number of ice benches and tables, which were then covered by the few picnic blankets each of their groups had brought. By the time everyone was seated comfortably, Lucy was arriving with a stack of bingo cards, followed by Levy.
"I should have thought of that," Levy noted as she offered a few cards to her boys.
"No way, Levy!" cried Droy, "You deserve a break. This is the first time in months you've taken so much time off to relax. Leave the heavy lifting to us!"
"You should have offered that when she left to get the bingo cards!" said Jet.
"I didn't see you offering! Plus, if you'd gone, you could have been back way sooner!"
"Like I'd leave her alone with you!"
"Guys, there's no need to fight…"
While Levy was controlling her team, Lucy was passing cards around, when she came to the end of the table. There Gray sat with Asuka on his lap, who was giggling as Joy batted at her pigtails from atop his shoulder. From what Lucy could barely see through the lens of his sunglasses, he'd deemed this a worthy sight, at least for the few seconds he'd opened his eyes until her arrival drew Joy's attention away from her game.
"Here're your bingo cards, guys."
"Yay! I'm gonna get bingo first!" cheered Asuka.
"Here, you can double your odds," offered Gray, handing his card to her.
"You don't want to play?" asked Lucy.
"This tournament could take hours. I'd rather check out a few performers and vendors before the colors change tonight."
Looking pleased with herself, Lucy placed another card in his hand as she replied, "You can still play with us without wasting your magic. Give the card a feel."
Raising an eyebrow, he did as she bid, and felt right away what he'd missed before. There were raised dots throughout. He chuckled in surprise.
"They're in Braille."
"Yep! All the cards are printed in both manuscript and Braille. Mira had them special ordered weeks ago. We hadn't anticipated your sight returning so soon, but since you want to conserve your powers, this works out perfectly."
He couldn't argue with that. Accepting the card, he settled down for at least one game. Though truth be told, he really wasn't interested in any of the prizes this year.
ooooo
"So what do you want to do before the first show?" asked Wendy. The three friends, Wendy, Chelia, and Carla, were walking along a festively decorated walkway along the canal, eying the many booths and tables full of crafts and souvenirs. Street performers were showing off their myriads of skills and feats of artistry to fascinated onlookers. The selections of food were so enticing, and though they'd eaten breakfast not that long ago, they could certainly make room for a few of these delicious looking treats.
"Take a look at those cute outfits!" cried Chelia, pulling the others towards a clothier's booth. Colorful silk robes, dresses and scarves of all sorts were displayed on every available surface. One corner held full length mirrors, with children trying on the various accessories offered by a neighboring booth. All three girls ventured inside, thinking to buy a matching set of something colorful to commemorate their first Hanami Festival together.
While Chelia gushed over how well one dress after another would compliment her full figure beautifully, Wendy could only blush and politely decline her invitations to try them on as well. Instead, she busied herself with running her hands through the smooth silks, trying to decide which color would best accentuate her hair. Carla was dazzled by the many different charms and jewelry selections, posing before the mirror with some of the younger children. Some of them were quite captivated by her ears. In all the amusement, she caught the brief gaze of a familiar person through the mirror.
'Yukino-san?'
Turning around, she again made eye contact with the celestial mage from Sabertooth. The white-haired woman seemed to sigh disappointedly before giving a small grin, saying, "Good morning, Carla-san. I wish I could stay and visit, but I'm in a hurry."
"Yukino-san!" cried Wendy, "are you here for the festival? If you need help finding something fun to do, we can show you around. Did you come by yourself?"
"Sting and Rogue are somewhere around here. We split up a few minutes ago. We didn't come for the festival, though. We're actually missing our own festival back home. I only came in here because a passerby told me they saw a cat wander in here, but they must have seen you, Carla-san. Have any of you seen Frosch?"
"Don't tell me you all lost track of him again!" said Carla.
"Rogue-san must be deeply worried. We'll help you find him," offered Wendy.
"Yeah, no sweat! With a whole squad of slayers looking around, we'll find him in no time!" said Chelia.
"I'm grateful for your offer, but I don't want you to miss out on all the fun."
"We won't miss out. In fact, I bet if we just went about enjoying the festival, we'll run into him eventually. There are lots of things going on that would draw his attention. Chances are, he'll end up wherever the excitement is. Let's just have fun, and keep our eyes open," said Wendy.
"That's not a bad idea. I was thinking we should check the food vendors first. He's been walking all night. I'm sure he's hungry by now."
"All night? You didn't take a train here?"
"No. We just followed him wherever he went, like usual."
"You mean this isn't the first time he's done this? Why didn't one of you just pick him up before he reached Magnolia? I'm sure one of you could have caught up to him," reasoned Chelia. Looking at Wendy and Carla, she found them both shaking their heads in amused exasperation. They were apparently used to this.
Yukino was wringing her hands together, muttering how it was Rogue's idea to let Frosch "find himself" or something.
"I'm sure he's fine," Wendy assured, "Magnolia's citizens are very friendly, and most of my guild mates know him, and will offer to help if they see him wandering around.
ooooo
"N-17!"
"I just need one more number!" cheered Levy.
"Go Levy! You can do it!" exclaimed Jet and Droy.
The stakes were getting high, and passions were flaring as each new prize was announced. For whatever reason, Master Makarov must have been feeling beyond generous this year. Erza was very delighted when she'd received a ticket and backstage pass to an exclusive preview of next year's Heartz Kreuz fashion line. Lucy was talking nonstop about her invitation to Fiore's largest literary event, a grand book fair held every three years in the royal city of Crocus. She was especially pleased with her VIP pass to observe the invite-only authors' panel during a discussion on their up-coming works. She could only dream of being able to take part in that discussion one day.
Natsu was simply giddy over his new lacrima pendant, created with the same technology developed by mages from Blue Pegasus, which would negate the symptoms of motion sickness. It wouldn't last forever, so he would be sure to only use it for very long journeys. Happy got a giant fish. Gray had sweatdropped at how obvious that prize was. Mira wasn't even trying to be discreet.
"O-23!"
"Oh man! Why couldn't you call out 22!" cried a random guild member.
"That cat's looking at me again!" cried Toby.
"For goodness' sake, she's on the other side of the table!" admonished Yuka
Many prizes would be given out today, more so than usual. Quite a few people would be getting the latest com lacrima on the market, some would receive a month's paid rent, while others would win certificates for free groceries, or meals at expensive restaurants. There was a great deal more enthusiasm for this year's bingo tournament, which was leaving quite an impression on Lyon's team.
"You guys sure take this game seriously," commented Yuka.
"Ah! It's stretching! Why is it stretching?! Those claws are razor sharp!"
Ignoring Toby's frantic and baseless complaints, Lucy replied, "Like Natsu said, the prizes aren't usually this glamorous."
"I-37!"
"Hmm? Gray-ni, you have that one!" declared Asuka.
Gray, who hadn't really been paying attention to the game, but was instead idly petting Joy's belly, turned his attention towards the little girl still sitting on his lap.
"Do I?" Feeling the raised dots along the row he was certain she was referring to, he grinned knowingly and offered her the chance to poke a hole through his card, and thereby finish the row. She did so with a wide grin, since she hadn't had as many squares to mark off, and was about to go back to looking over her own cards when she noticed the straight line of holes on his card. Eyes wide, she jumped in her seat, excited at her discovery, and forgetting herself, yelled out with glee, "Bingo!"
Cheers rose up around their group, everyone indulgently happy for the little girl. She then covered her mouth with a short gasp, suddenly remembering that it wasn't her card she'd declared just now, but her big brother's.
"I'm sorry, Gray-ni! That was your bingo!" She sounded worried, upset that he'd be sad he didn't get to yell the magic word. Everyone loved to yell the magic word!
"What are you talking about? You saw the number. You marked the card. Far as I'm concerned, that was your bingo. And besides, I heard a rumor your parents' anniversary is coming up. The eighth one, isn't it? That's a pretty important one. Don't you want to get them a present?"
Realizing the opportunity he was giving her, she cheered, "Yeah!… But what about you? Won't you be sad if you don't get something?"
"*Chuckle* Trust me. Your parents will appreciate it a lot more than I will. Go on. Everyone's waiting for you to collect your prize."
Now beaming, Asuka climbed off his lap and raced to her parents, who were waiting to take her to the stage. As soon as she'd grabbed both of their hands, they were off, leaving the others to comment how nice Gray was to give away his winnings.
"That was generous of you," said Lucy.
"Don't praise my sacrifice just yet. How do you feel about babysitting for a weekend?"
"What do you mean?" she wondered, perplexed.
Instead of answering, he nodded towards the stage. With no one talking over them, Lucy was able to hear Mira announce the winnings: A three day, two night, all expense paid trip for two to Akane Resort. As Bisca and Alzack stood gobsmacked at their good fortune, Asuka jumped up and down with joy, asking, "Do you like your present?!" Lucy was so excited for her friends, it took her a moment for Gray's question to sink in.
"Hold on! I can't just drop my whole weekend at a moment's notice to watch Asuka-chan! I don't know the first thing about taking care of kids, especially for three whole days!"
"It's not on a moment's notice. There's plenty of time to make plans. Also, it's a paid gig. How does 150,000 jewels sound? Plus, you can drop her off at my house for an afternoon if you need a break. I'm sure Natsu or one of your spirits would be willing to help, too."
"But what about the book fair?! I just got the invite. What if there's a schedule conflict?"
"Relax. Their anniversary is a whole month after the fair. And if you can't do it, Mira says she'll find someone else who can."
"Oh, good. Yeah. That's doable. I think this could work," she nodded. Then, after a brief pause, realization dawned. Not just with her, but Erza and Levy as well. "Hold on! How do you know the date of the book fair off the top of your head? You're not interested in things like that."
"How can you say that? You know I like to read," he replied breezily.
"That's true. He's actually gone with me to the book fair in years past, back when we were kids," supplied Levy, though not without her own suspicion. .
Gray smiled at that, pleased at the shared memories from their youth.
"Then why do you seem so knowledgeable with the arrangements? You mentioned how Mira was involved in finding a sitter for Asuka. You even offered payment," observed Erza.
"And you also said Bisca and Alzack would like the prize more than you would, meaning you already knew what it would be," Levy pointed out.
He was starting to look a little sheepish, and probably would have caved by now had he been able to see their accusatory gazes.
"G-53!"
The next round started.
"Levy! Look at your card! Quick! Say it!" cried Jet.
Scrambling at those words, Levy verified what he was trying to say, finding a complete row of holes. Interrogation forgotten, she stood on top of her bench, waving her card in the air while crying, "Bingo!"
"Another winner!" cried Mira.
"Go! Go! Go Levy!" cheered Jet and Droy.
As she left to collect her prize, Erza narrowed her gaze, wishing her stare alone was enough to make Gray talk. But she was through with waiting for him to come out and say it, so with her voice low, she went ahead and spoke what they all now knew.
"You bought the prizes, didn't you?"
"I thank you for your discretion," was his vague reply.
"What?! Gray!? Do you know how much all these things cost?!" Lucy whisper-shouted.
"Mira gave me receipts, but I haven't cared to look at them yet."
"So she is involved," Erza concluded.
"She was very delighted to do the shopping for me."
"But how are you making sure we win? I mean, all of our prizes are very specific to us… You two haven't rigged the game, have you?" Lucy asked, eyes narrowed.
"Of course not. You guys won fair and square. Mira's just making sure you all receive the not-so-randomly selected prizes," he assured.
By now, everyone else still seated at their table had overheard, and were very invested in the conversation. Erze caught Lyon's gaze, who held hers with an impressive degree of stoicism, before grinning with a shrug. He was totally in on the whole thing. Of course he was. These prizes would need to have been arranged weeks ago. Gray couldn't have been completely in charge of his finances at the time.
"So why the secrecy? How come you don't want anyone to know you paid for all this great stuff?" wondered Natsu.
Instead of answering, his head perked up, confusion apparent when Mira announced Levy had won a romantic dinner for two. Brow furrowing, he murmured to himself, "Huh. She was supposed to get the other pass to the book fair…" before he smirked, then grinned broadly. To everyone's surprise, he used the table to gingerly push himself to stand, turning his head towards the stage. The others knew he'd opened his eyes, but before they could ask what he'd deemed worthy of his precious little magic in order to see, a very shocked and delighted shout was heard.
They knew it was Levy before anyone had directed their own gazes to the stage. They'd just barely registered the fact that the person whose arms she'd just jumped into was Gajeel, who had appeared behind Mira the moment she'd announce Levy's winnings, presenting the prize himself. To the tune of many catcalls and whistles, the two kissed deeply and passionately, not letting their mutual embarrassment at their guild mates' antics ruin their first meeting in almost three months.
Even though Natsu was crowing and hollering with the rest of his friends, he didn't miss when Gray resignedly declared, "I suppose Lucy can take a Plus One with her," before rubbing his eyes beneath his sunglasses as he sat back down. Natsu wasn't going to let this distraction lull him away from answers.
"So what gives? Expensive wine? Resort vacations? Invitation-only events?"
"Oh Natsu, if you want to go with Lucy, you don't even have to ask. I've got a spare pass with your name on it."
"You know that's not what I'm asking. Why are you bankrolling the tournament this year? I know you're loaded now, but you're the one who's always fussing at me about spending money too quickly on stupid things."
"There's nothing stupid about these purchases. Every one of them has meaning, and a purpose. And I was always gonna tell you, though I figured you'd have worked it out on your own. I just didn't want the rest of the guild to know. The rest of the prizes were to keep everyone else from connecting the dots. Everyone's suddenly your best friend when they find out you're rich."
"What would you have done if none of us had won a game?" wondered Lucy.
"Hadn't planned that far. Probably would have saved them for birthdays or something."
Erza was the first one to reach a conclusion for the true purpose of these gifts when she said, "We've told you repeatedly that you owe us nothing for helping you. You don't need to thank us."
"But I want to. And I know you'd never accept these gifts in that way, so this was the only way to ensure you'd receive them. Which you did, by the way. You can't give them back. It'd be poor form if you did."
"Tsk! Like we give a crap about proper form," said Natsu.
"Speak for yourself. I'm going to that authors' panel!" said Lucy.
With that declaration, the light tension was broken, and everyone accepted that they weren't going to change Gray's mind, which he seemed annoyingly pleased about.
Natsu's nose twitched, and his eyes gleamed in familiar mischief before he sobered, remembering how that particular scenario he'd just imagined was no longer as funny as it once was. Instead, he faced the approaching inspiration of his recent machination, putting himself within reach as he muttered, "Oy, Ice Pop. Incoming."
"I know," Gray replied, rising to face his visitor. He'd already prepared himself for this. Afterall, now that Gajeel had shown himself, it was only a matter of time before the rest of his team would show.
"Gray-sama! Juvia is so happy to see you!"
Juvia had arrived, followed closely by Panther Lily. But instead of a repeat from their last reunion, she was very diligently holding herself back. True to his word, Lily was staying vigilant, but so far, it seemed his caution was unnecessary. Lyon and his team thought it humorous how everyone seemed to give a collective sigh of relief at Juvia's calm demeanor. She kept herself at a respectable distance as she continued.
"I brought back so many souvenirs from my travels. Did you get the care packages I sent you? We visited many other towns since then, and some of them had even more wonderful things to buy. Such as this darling little Gray-sama plush keychain. He's so adorable. I also found this lovely charm bracelet," she gushed, holding up her hand, "Each charm is a beautiful crystal, shaped like the various swords from your Ice Make: Unlimited spell! I bought a men's style for you, too, if you want it. As a token of friendship, of course. You don't have to accept it, but I thought it was quite lovely, and I promise there's no special meaning behind it—"
She cut herself off when Gray approached her, raising his hand to feel some of the charms which hung from her wrist. One by one, he took the time to regard the few he touched, tilting his head in curiosity and… perhaps appraisal? Did he find it tacky that his creations were being depicted in this way? Was he annoyed that others were profiting from his original designs? She'd heard about the lawsuits. Maybe the jeweler didn't have permission to make these. If that was the case, she'd personally track him down and give him a piece of her mind!
Finally, he gave her a soft smile as he commented, "The proportions are off. They're all kind of stubby, but cute. And this one here," indicating one with a green jewel embedded within it, "this gem should be a light sapphire or turquoise. If they're going to copy my ice, they could at least get the color right. But you wear it well. It looks good on you."
Pleased with his reaction, she replied, "Juvia agrees. Gray-sama's ice is beautiful the way it is. How silly of the jeweler to think he could improve upon it. Of course the color must be made right before I can even think to give—" Once again, she paused, considering what she'd just heard and said, as she looked away from the bracelet, instead meeting his eyes. The eyes which he'd uncovered while she was looking down. The same eyes which looked directly into her own, perfectly focused, no longer discolored; and though still surrounded by those woeful scars, they were nonetheless whole.
Hands to her mouth as she gasped in surprise, her eyes misting as she exclaimed, "The color… you could see the… you can see? Gray-sama, you can see! Oh, that's such wonderful news! I can't contain my excitedment! I'm so happy for you!"
"I thought we were past the 'Gray-sama' crap. Just Gray is fine. And… I'm happy to see you, too."
Next chapter: Lyon uncovers a bit of tension within his team, while Gray's feeling a little off. Also, some Gajevy fluff.