With the bingo games over, the stage had been cleared to make way for the entertainment. It was the sound of Mira strumming on her guitar, her soulful voice singing an acoustic version of a favorite bar tune that the various search teams heard as they trickled into the gardens several hours later. Though they'd managed to eek out some fun early on, having no doubt they'd run into the little green cat eventually, worry began to set in as time passed with no news from anyone.

Lyon's group joined Wendy's as soon as they came through the gates, seeming more like a small Lamia Scale reunion than a gathering with their closest allied guild. Carla had reverted back into her feline form long ago, and was sipping a warm serving of tea as she awaited news like everyone else.

"No sign then?" asked Lyon.

"Not since everyone called in half an hour ago. Everyone is back except for Gray and Juvia, but I can smell them coming up the walkway now," replied Wendy.

"So what now?" asked Chelia, "Do you think we should get the whole guild involved?"

"You may have to," advised Yukino, "if only to keep Rogue-san from going ballistic. He refuses to take another break, so Sting-san and Jura-sama are staying with him to keep him from doing something he'll regret later."

"I can't believe even with all us dragon slayers, none of us even caught a whiff of Frosch's scent anywhere," Wendy lamented.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," said Carla, "With so many strangers in town today, it was always bound to be difficult to isolate one single scent among them all. Maybe we can ask Cana to cast a locator spell."

"We thought the same thing," came Erza's voice as she approached, "but unfortunately, she'd enjoyed her bingo winnings a great deal more than one should in a public setting. She got into a little scuffle with some visitors from Quattro Cerberus. They're all enjoying accommodations in the local police station's drunk tank. She will be released no sooner than tomorrow morning."

"I guess that option's out. Here come Gray and Juvia," said Lyon.

Through the sparse crowds, they could see the two passing through the gates, Gray's very prominent white cane tapping about as he walked with ease beside Juvia, who was carrying a sleeping Joy in her arms. She looked a little pouty, but brightened upon seeing their group, and was using verbal directions to let Gray know where they were. She looked very pleased with herself as he nodded at her guidance, happy in the confidence he was showing in her, and in her ability to be so helpful to him.

"Everyone's gathering here for a break," Erza informed them, "and to regroup to plan our next move. Natsu and Lucy went to a nearby refreshment stand to bring back drinks. I take it you found nothing?"

"No one we talked to had seen Frosch. We would have stayed out longer to keep looking if not for Gray-sama's magic running out," she said as she passed Joy over to Gray.

Wendy found that strange and concerning.

"So soon? But even with the search, I thought you'd have a little more time left. You were being so careful to conserve it all day."

"It's not like I was keeping track earlier," Gray responded, "I probably used more than I thought throughout the morning. I was running near empty by around four o'clock."

"That's way sooner than I first estimated! How do you feel? Were you dizzy when it happened? Could you tell how long you had before you ran out? Juvia, did he seem weak or disoriented at any point? I should have warned you to keep an eye out for symptoms, but I thought we'd all meet back here before they'd occur. I'm really sorry—"

"Calm down, Wendy. I'm fine. I was sitting down when my lights went out. I told Juvia what was happening, and she was a big help the whole time."

Juvia was smiling brightly at that.

"That's good to hear," said Lyon, "Natsu, Lucy, and Happy are coming back now, approaching from your left. So were you two far from here? It took you a while to get back."

"Oh no, distance wasn't an issue at all. Gray-sama wanted to keep looking. He was very determined to continue the search, until I noticed how stiffly he's been moving."

"Which I told her wasn't a big deal. I'm just a little sore. My pain meds are wearing off a bit sooner than expected, but it's manageable."

"If you say so, I'll let it be for now," Wendy allowed, "Is that why you looked upset when you came in, Juvia-san?"

"You did?" Gray asked, feeling a little guilty.

"I did?" Juvia asked, confused. Then she blushed, explaining, "Oh, Juvia wasn't upset about that! Gray-sama knows his body better than anyone, no matter how much I try to know it better—*ahem*—I mean, if he says he's fine, I believe him. It's just that… well…"

Gray, muttering under his breath about Juvia's inability to drop the '-sama', looked up in confusion when she finished her explanation with, "He gave away his trading card!"

"Wait, you said that was okay!"

"I'm sorry," Yuka interjected, "Could you maybe back up? Your trading card? Why get upset over a signal card, especially if it was his?"

"*sigh* Not 'my' as in it belonged to me. 'My' as in it had my freaking picture on it."

"Get out! You have your own trading card?" asked an amused Lucy.

"Yes!" cried Juvia, "They've been very popular with the kids since the Grand Magic Games, especially the ones with Team Fairy Tail! Gray-sama's card has been especially sought after up in the north. I gave him an extra copy I bought while I was there—"

"—one of several," Gray muttered—

"—but then we ran into some fans while we were out—"

"Whoa! You have fans?!" asked an incredulous Natsu.

"The Hell you talking about? Of course I have fans. I fought in the final rounds of the Games."

"That's not fair! I would have fought too, but I was too busy rescuing Lucy!"

"Well I'm sorry if my being captured for a misguided attempt to alter history got in the way of your chance to win bragging rights!" Lucy exclaimed in a huff.

"But last I heard, you had plenty of fans all across Fiore," said Chelia.

"He does, but he's too stupid to notice," smirked Gray.

"Oh yeah?! I bet I have more fans than you!"

"Actually, Gray-sama is way more popular in the northern regions. His action figure sells out very quickly there."

"We have our own action figures now?! I want my own!"

"Did Max ever get around to ordering some to be made in our own likeness?" Erza wondered.

"I'm sorry, Natsu-san. Your figure isn't really all that sought after. None of the stores I've been to stock them," said Juvia.

"That's it! The next time there's a zombie invasion, I'm fighting them off on my own!"

...

Silence.

A quiet shock settled over the group, one so heavy, even those from Lamia Scale understood the significance of what Natsu had just said. Natsu had known right away, before the words were even completely out of his mouth, that he'd said the wrong thing.

Of course Gray knew the real reason he was so popular in that region. Everyone knew, but no one ever spoke about it. While some, Lyon and Wendy first and foremost, stepped closer to him, others backed away, unsure what to expect. Natsu stood still, wary and afraid to say more, but needing to speak anyway, wanting to apologize for impulsively bringing up such a sensitive topic.

Gray stood stock still, little sign of anger or fear, or any reaction at all, except for the tense stillness. That, and how tightly he gripped his cane, knuckles turning white as his hands began to shake. Wendy wondered if he'd end up breaking it again. His breathing was shallow, tightly controlled. Lyon could tell he was fighting off a flashback. This wasn't good. Two attempts in as many days were rare, thankfully, as having them so close together often compounded the aftereffects.

"Gray," Lyon began softly, "We're okay. We're all okay. You understand? No one's in danger here. You're not in danger. We're safe here, surrounded by all your friends, along with your guild. We're in the Rainbow Sakura Gardens, in Magnolia, remember? We're celebrating the Hanami Festival. Mira's singing right now. Can you hear her? Her singing's lovely, isn't it?"

Gray's breath hitched as he forced a nod, needing desperately to believe all his words to be true.

A soft meow drew everyone's attention to Joy, who was perched on Gray's shoulder now. She was purring loudly, and rubbing her head very firmly against his neck. Beside him, Lyon could see as Wendy visibly relaxed, having used her dragon senses to read what the others couldn't. His heart rate must have been coming back to normal. His breathing was becoming less forced. Finally, his hands loosened as he reached one up to softly pet Joy.

His other hand grew slack, dropping his cane, which Wendy caught as Lyon reached out to support him as he grew unsteady, his balance suddenly off. His head hung low, but he held himself up for the most part. He could hear as Natsu stepped forward, so he raised his head just enough to let him know he was listening.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking," Natsu said contritely.

They all stood there, waiting to see if Gray would respond, hoping this event hadn't been enough to trigger another bout of silence. Wendy wanted him to sit down right there, but Lyon knew he'd protest if they tried to make him. Yuka and Toby were uncomfortable with the whole thing, never having seen one of these episodes. Neither failed to see, however, just how much Lyon's help had been needed, more so than the others, it seemed. While the others were calm and very familiar with what was going on, Lyon was the one who was really attuned to Gray's needs, and knew how to talk him through whatever that was.

After a few moments, Gray turned his head to look towards Natsu and finally responded.

"Who the Hell would want your ugly mug on an action figure?"

Natsu coughed out a surprised laugh tinged with the barest hint of a sob, relieved with how well Gray had handled that attack, and how quickly he'd recovered himself.

Happy broke in with his ever irrelevant commentary of, "I bet Luuucy would buy a whole bunch of them!"

"Shut up, you stupid cat!"

The tension was gone, with Yuka and Toby taking their cues from the rest of their company, seeing how everyone simply went back to normal now that the scary moment had passed. They wondered how long it had taken all of them to get used to that, or if they even had. They certainly acted like it was a simple task to go back to what they were just doing; but was it all an act, an attempt to fake the normalcy until it felt real, even if just for their friend's sake? Fake or real, they felt oddly compelled to follow along, if only for Lyon's sake, and for the growing sympathy they now felt towards Gray's plight.

Happy's attempt to inject some humor into the situation had worked, with small peals of laughter coming from everyone. Lyon, still bearing some of Gray's weight, felt him flinch as he tried to hold in a laugh. He was aching more than he was letting on.

"Hey, how bad is it?"

Gray stubbornly answered as he always did with, "It's manageable."

"Doesn't mean you should force yourself to put up with it. Wendy, what do you think?"

"So now you're ganging up on me," Gray grumbled, resigned to his friends' needless fretting.

"It's still too soon to take more painkillers, so you should sit for now." Looking around, Wendy spotted the only place left empty, over by the stage, "Follow me. There's a bench by the piano."

"Piano?" Gray asked, eyebrow quirked.

"Yes," Lucy answered as they started towards the stage, "A bunch of the guild members took turns entertaining everyone throughout the day. Elfman brought that old upright piano up from the guild's basement. We missed most of the show, but Wakaba told me his wife and daughter played a medley together, and Lisanna played a solo. Mira tried to get me to play something, but I haven't touched a piano since I was nine, and I was never really good at it. Be careful. They cleared the stage so Vijeeter could do some fancy dance number, so all the instruments are scattered around now."

Gray had grown up in the guild, and knew its members tended to take a rather laid back approach to most things, so their treatment of all those instruments shouldn't have surprised him. He felt annoyed, however. He came from a family of musicians, and his parents had always instilled a sense of reverence and responsibility within him when it came to taking care of his own instruments.

"They shouldn't be left on the ground like that."

"You're right," said Erza, "How inconsiderate. We shall correct this slight immediately. Natsu, Yuka, and Toby; clean up this mess. Start by clearing a path to the piano, then stack everything neatly against the stage. I shall make sure everything is properly cleaned and stored away later."

"Why should we do what you say!" yelled Toby.

Natsu frantically grabbed him by his sock, yanked him down to eye level, and harshly whispered, "Dude, are you crazy?! She will end you," before dragging him over to the mess in question.

Most were led to believe Gray had been annoyed over potential tripping hazards. He was fine with that. Lyon and Natsu knew better, but saw no reason to open that can of worms, not unless Gray chose to bring it up himself.

Now seated, Gray was able to relax his posture a bit, no longer having to tense so many muscles in order to stave off discomfort from the burns. He sat there, listening to everyone's movements and quiet murmurs as they all joined to clean the mess all around. How many things were out here? He could make out quite a few percussion types getting banged around, and he hissed in sympathy for the poor soul who owned whatever brass piece had just been dropped on the stone path beside them.

He could hear Juvia admonishing the boys for something, the details blurred by all the echoing sounds a pile of instruments tended to make as they were being grouped together. A modest round of applause suddenly went up around them, from groups scattered about the park. Mira must have finished her set. Judging by what he heard, there weren't that many around now. With no music, there was no noise to speak over, so he called Juvia over.

Curious, as it was usually her trying to gain his attention, she came to his side, asking, "Do you need anything, Gray-sama?"

He scooted to the side a bit, indicating for her to sit. Surprised by the invitation, she did so, with a comfortable distance between them. He grinned at the courtesy, then explained, "I asked you if it was okay to give that card to that kid. You said you were fine with it. If you wanted me to keep it, you could have said so. I wouldn't have held it against you."

"Oh, no, Juvia didn't mind that at all! She has more she can give you, that is only if you want one. You don't have to take it if it feels weird. She understands perfectly!"

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"I hope so. Because I've liked what we've had recently. This ease in our friendship. You'd scaled back on how you used to act around me, and I've appreciated it. I'm… grateful that you've respected my desire for distance and privacy. I was just afraid you were falling back into old habits, and doing or saying whatever you thought would please me. You don't need to prove anything to me."

"I know," she replied, slipping into first person again, he noticed, "I've enjoyed what we've had, too. I never knew how much I could experience from having a close friendship with someone, with no strings attached. I'd always found it difficult making friends growing up, so this was all new to me. But it's nice being able to enjoy simple things with you without feeling pressured like before."

"Well it's nice not being pressured like before," he grinned.

"Juvia is sorry about that." And they were back to third person again. He wasn't one to make others change for him, so he'd let her have her quirks.

"So if it wasn't the card, what was Wendy talking about when she said you looked upset earlier?"

"Oh! That's not worth talking about. It was silly, really."

"Not silly enough, if you felt sad about it. Come on. We're friends. What happened?"

If she was sitting any closer, he'd be able to feel the heat rising from her, she was blushing so hard.

"Um, well… it was… you see… oh, come on Juvia… mmm… Gray-sama signed it!"

He blinked, replayed that last bit, then blinked again. By then, others had heard her outburst, and were looking their way, but unsure of the context, they didn't interrupt.

"I signed it... The card? Of course I signed it. The kid asked me to. It was practically his by then, so if that's what he wanted, why would I care if I defaced it? Is that why you're upset? Because I wrote on the card?"

"It's not about writing on the card! You gave him your autograph!"

A clamor of clangs and loud thuds sounded, followed by choked gasps of unbelief, all from Natsu, as he stood amongst his dropped pile of horns, tambourines, and cymbals, some still resounding their clatter before going silent. Over the din, Gray and Juvia could just make out his shocked exclamations of, "He's signing autographs?! No one ever asks me for autographs!" before Erza told him to pipe down and get back to work.

"It's what he asked for. He couldn't have been older than Asuka. I wasn't gonna disappoint the kid."

"Gray-sama's never signed anything for Juvia!"

"You've never asked me to."

"You mean you'd give me an autograph if I asked?"

"Hell no! Do you know how weird that would be? Like Hell I'd want my friends coming up to me, asking me to sign my own damned picture. We're all guild mates; equals. I'm no better than any one of them. I'm not a damned hero."

"You are to that little boy."

"Kids don't know better."

"Sometimes kids can see more clearly what most adults refuse to see… or have forgotten how."

"… It's not like it's hard for the kid to see better than me."

"Gray-sama!"

"Sorry, bad joke… He… his family is from Larkspur."

He paused, considering if he'd go on, knowing it's not like he really needed to explain himself. Juvia didn't know of that town, nor its significance in this topic, but bade him continue with her silence.

"It's a small farming community, far to the north, not even a day's walk from… from…

...

"...They were trying to tell me of what I'd done for them, of what they saw that day. I stopped them from continuing. I knew if they kept going, and no one was there—no one who knew how to respond to my attacks—

...

"… so instead, I distracted them. I offered the kid that card. He was so excited, and I was relieved. I wasn't trying to forever cement my place into the kid's heart. I was just trying to prevent his disillusionment in seeing how flawed and broken his hero truly was."

Juvia had to fight really hard not to let her emotions overwhelm her at that confession, for risk of ruining the rest of the festival with a sudden rain shower. A glance out the corner of her eye showed how some of their friends had caught at least some of those words, but were well aware of his penchant for shutting down if they got too insistent on talking it out when he wasn't in the mood. She wasn't going to argue with him. She knew these feelings of doubt and lack of self worth weren't a shallow wound that could be cleansed away with a few kind words and reassurance from his closest friends. These went bone deep, and would take a great deal of self reflection and therapeutic actions to erase those feelings.

Still, a little guidance in the right direction wouldn't hurt.

"You preserved that little boy's faith in his hero. That's heroic in itself."

"… I hope someday, I can stop being the jaded asshole I've become, and believe you."

"Well, until that day comes, I and everyone here will continue to love you for who you are, even when you act like a jaded asshole."

That got a laugh out of him. A loud, surprised, hearty laugh that hurt to feel, but felt good all the same. He couldn't remember ever hearing that kind of language come out of Juvia, but welcomed the novelty. It certainly worked in pulling him out of his sour mood. To her own shock and unbelief, he reached an arm out and pulled her to his side in a brief hug, even planting a quick, friendly kiss against her temple before letting her go.

It was so quick, so unexpected, Juvia hadn't even recognized what was going on until she'd been released. Darn it! She knew he was okay with touch if he initiated it, but was there a time limit before the "no touching" policy was reinstated? Could she have taken the chance to wrap her own arms around him if he was still touching her? But like she'd said, she really did enjoy having a real friendship with him, and didn't want to ruin it by trying to pursue something more than he was currently able to handle.

That sudden movement must have jostled Joy from her perch on Gray's shoulder, for she'd jumped in an attempt to find a more stable place to sit, landing on the piano keys. Gray turned to face her, following her by the pitch of each note as she tentatively walked along the keyboard. Her steps were soft, delicate, wary at first, but becoming more bold as she grew used to the strange sounds, once she'd realized they were of her own making.

Juvia giggled, thinking how adorable the young cat looked as she soon made a game of her "music". She started taking a play pose, crouching down, and seemingly tried to leap as far as she could, landing just shy of the highest keys on the right side, before scurrying back down the scale. Perhaps she didn't like those high notes. Looking towards Gray to see his own reaction, she saw not adoration or humor, but something else. Something deeper.

He tilted his head just so, listening, concentrating, brow furrowed as he tried to grasp what he was seeking. He rose slightly, gingerly turning to sit facing the piano, and brought his hands to hover over the keys. Instead of pressing down, he lightly grazed the surface, smoothing his fingertips back and forth, just barely noticing as they passed each tiny gap to the next key, counting as he went. He then softly, then with a bit more pressure, pressed a key, a high note. Juvia saw Joy jump in surprise, that note coming from nowhere. He pressed the next higher key, and Joy leapt away, done with this amusement for now.

Gray wasn't paying attention to any of that. All he heard was the rhythmic scale he was slowly playing back and forth on the keyboard. All he felt were his fingers' movements, their touch still—forever—numb as they alighted on each key, the notes they played the only proof he had that they'd touched anything at all. Sounds of his own making.

"Gray-sama? Do you play?"

His rhythm faltered the tiniest bit, but he continued, finishing this current scale, before his stopped, allowing the final note to resound until the string's vibration's ceased into silence.

Instead of answering her question, or opening up with what he'd really been thinking and experiencing before, he shook himself out of his daze and replied, "It needs to be tuned a little. All up and down the scale. It's playable, and sounds okay, but if it were in tune, everyone would hear the difference."

"So you do play!" she said with a little awe. She was always excited to learn something new about him.

"I don't. Not anymore. Not for a very long time."

Juvia came to a full stop, understanding all too clearly what that phrase always meant. Not since he was a kid, since before Deliora, is what he really meant. But the look on his face before, so enraptured and full of concentration, the longing he still showed as his hands continued to rest over the keyboard, revealed at least a little how he really felt about that.

"But you seemed like you really wanted to."

"I can't anymore. My fingers don't move the way they used to, the way they need to. I can't feel the keys as I press down—"

"—But you can hear the music they bring forth."

His breath caught, and she knew she'd gotten a foothold.

"Juvia doesn't understand what this could mean for you. She knows you've kept many things from your past hidden, at least from me. I know you've told Lyon-sama and the others many things, and I'm happy you have so many you can turn to, and can share your memories with. You don't have to open up to me about this, but I think if you desire something, that if that something brings you even a small bit of happiness, you shouldn't be afraid to pursue it, even if it hurts every time it doesn't come your way. You may not get exactly what you want, but what you do manage to get can be just as wonderful, and worth treasuring."

Gray could tell she was speaking from experience, and gave her a sad smile in return.

"Hmph. You are a stubborn one."

"Takes one to know one, Gray-sama." Moving to stand in a silent invitation to take the whole bench, should he need it, she then tried once more. "So, do you think you'd want to give it a try? You don't have to! Not for me! But if you wanted to, maybe you could try something slow? Just to get a feel for it?"

This was becoming an uncomfortable dilemma. There were so many possibilities, good and bad, tied to the notion of returning to one of his most treasured pastimes. Without even considering what memories, what traumas, could be dredged up from even attempting to play, there was also the question of whether he was even able to. He'd taken it so hard when he'd confirmed his inability to play the violin anymore. How would he handle another such disappointment? At least without ever trying, he'd never have to find out.

But when has trepidation ever been enough reason to not even try?

The reason he'd bought that violin back in the day was because of nostalgia, and playing it had brought back so many happy memories. But he'd started out playing the piano. He'd loved it! It was often a special time of bonding with his mom whenever they sat together before the one in their family room. If it had been a piano instead of a violin in Ochan's pawn shop that day, he probably would have bought it, without reservation.

He missed it. Just playing the scales moments ago had brought a sense of longing to him. Would it be worth the heartache to learn he'd be forever denied this joy, should he fail; or was it better to have it remain a mystery, to pretend the possibility could still exist, so long as it was never confirmed, one way or the other?

What kind of coward would he have to be to accept that bullshit?

With a new determination brewing within, he slowly, almost reverently, raised his hands, resting them on the keys. They weren't placed at random as before. Juvia watched, eyes going wide as she realized he was trying to locate specific keys, laying them down with purposeful intent. She dared not say anything that may cause him to second guess himself, but awaited his next move.

With pride welling up inside for him, and to her immense joy and astonishment, he began to play.

My story, "Let's Play the Quiet Game- Rescue" got nominated for Best Action/Adventure in TheGuildAwards Tumblr! If you're on Tumblr, it's my understanding that voting begins July 5th, and will last for two weeks, so please send your votes! You have to sign into google to do so, and your vote can be made anonymously. I'd really appreciate your support!

I'll note what song he plays at the beginning of the next chapter.

Next Chapter: Everyone's moved by a surprise performance, but the search must go on.