Gajeel was getting frustrated. He'd never expected this to take as long as it has. Fresh from their return from Magnolia, relaxed and renewed, ready to take on the next task towards solving the mystery of the other necromancer, and they've all been sidetracked again. This has been going on for weeks—months?—, and though he couldn't speak for anyone but himself, he knew he couldn't be the only one ready to crawl out of his skin over the annoyance of the constant back and forth. The heavy weight he carried was becoming too much to bear. It was time to put an end to this insanity.
"Dammit, Rain Woman! This is the seventh store today!"
Dropping the huge load of boxes and shopping bags in the middle of the street, he straighten his long coat, crossed his arms, and stood ready to ignore Juvia's entreaties of "This is the last one, I promise!" or "Gajeel-kun! Please don't scatter my bags all over the road!" She didn't disappoint.
"But this is the only store in town that sells those lovely Gray-sama cufflinks I saw in the advertisement!"
It's not like Juvia was frivolously wasting their time on all these constant shopping trips. There really wasn't much more they could do until they could get a judge's signature on an exhumation permit. At first, these trips had been a decent time killer, but weeks of doing anything other than what they'd originally set out there to do was wearing on Gajeel's last nerves.
"What the hell would you do with them?! You don't wear cufflinks, and Fullbuster would rather go naked than wear something with his face on it!"
Gajeel held back a grimace as he considered his words, how such a statement used to be not so far fetched. Juvia usually would have jumped in, saying how he needed to be more sensitive now that Gray wouldn't be caught dead shirtless even in his own backyard now. She was too excited about owning a pair of those stupid cuff links to have noticed his faux pas, so he wasn't going to draw attention to it.
As she thought, she looked excited as an idea came to her.
"I could gift them to you!"
"F*ck. No."
Not deterred, she switched gears.
"Well, they also carry a cute Gray-sama stationary set."
"Also something neither of you would ever use."
"Why would I not want to express my deepest desires within pages covered with my beloved's image?"
"How often do you write?"
"Now that Gray-sama can see again, we can be each other's pen pals."
"Levy told me he still has issues using his hands for certain things, one of those being writing. Hey, you can always give the set to Bunny Girl."
The affronted, scandalized look Juvia was giving let him know he'd said the wrong thing. Before she could break down in frantic tears about past love rivals, Panther Lily broke in with, "Can we please gather these things and move on to somewhere else. We're obstructing traffic."
Panther Lily faced Gajeel at eye level, but now in his diminutive form, instead of the larger size he'd taken since this spontaneous shopping trip had started. He'd apparently stacked his own load of Juvia's recent purchases, before shrinking in order to stand atop his makeshift tower, reducing the amount of space his large stature always took up, and allowing the locals more room to pass around their group.
Juvia blushed at the scene they were causing, imagining how they must look like a couple having a very public argument, and growing concerned that rumors of their "lover's spat" would somehow reach all the way to Gray's ears in Magnolia. She quickly started gathering all the merchandise which had fallen from a few tipped over bags, Gajeel in no such hurry as he begrudgingly helped. Panther Lily remained on his neatly stacked perch, watching them work, until an alert sounded from within Gajeel's pocket.
They all recognized that specific alert tone. It was the one assigned to Mest.
Knocking over the bags he'd just righted in his hasted to answer, he activated his com lacrima, saying, "Tell me you've got news."
"How soon can you get an appointment with a judge?"
"We're practically blacklisted. If I use some contacts I've made in the local knight branches, maybe I can get us in by early next week. You finally able to get away?"
"The Magic Council's taking their quarterly recess for the next couple of weeks. Barrack's taking advantage of the time off to do some traveling. I heard him say something about a side project he's been working on. He's got several of those, so I'm not sure what he's doing specifically. I can't justify tagging along. That leaves me with a lot of extra time on my hands, so if you want to do what we've talked about, now's the time to do it."
"I'll make some calls, and send the details once we work something out. See ya in a few."
With barely a grunt of acknowledgement, Mest disconnected, and Gajeel put his lacrima away, turning to find hopeful anticipation on both his companion's faces.
"Shopping trip's over. We're back on the clock."
The burdens they all carried were now suddenly lighter, but also somehow heavier as they each mentally prepared themselves for the coming days.
Lyon and Wendy were in the kitchen, putting finishing touches on the small celebratory dinner they'd prepared for the occasion of officially getting the team back together. Natsu and Lucy were in the dining room setting the table, finding a great deal more room to move around each other, now that the couch which had taken up so much space before had been returned to the living room. Happy, Carla, and Joy each sat on their own individual perches on the wall, among a number of floating shelves the team had helped Gray hang for that very purpose several months back.
Happy was glad to see Wendy had done such a marvelous job healing that jagged wound on Natsu's face. He'd been so concerned when he'd first seen it, but Natsu had quickly brushed it aside, though was very willing and eager to let Wendy have her way as soon as she'd seen it. Just as everyone had hoped, she'd healed the injury so well, there was no visible scar. It was a shame she couldn't do the same with existing ones.
Dinner was almost ready. There was nothing else to do but to wait for Gray and Erza to finish with their weekly appointment.
ooooo
"We're gonna have to end this soon," Gray murmured.
"I'm sorry. Am I hurting you?" Erza softly asked, pausing in concern.
"No. Exact opposite. You're doing a phenomenal job of lulling me to sleep."
"Normally I'd take offense at that."
"Believe me when I say I'm rarely more appreciative than when I can let my guard down like this."
"If you didn't insist on wearing the blindfold, I'd have known you were falling asleep."
"I don't know. I think it adds a fun bit of kink to this arrangement," he smirked.
She raised her brow at his surprising audacity, smiling in amusement as she relied, "I'm glad you're able to make such... risqué jokes again."
"It's easy with you. I know you'd never really try to hurt me. I've always felt safe with you."
Her smile softened as she continued her ministrations, deciding she'd rather wake him up than end this early. It wouldn't help to leave anything unattended. Per Lucy's advice, she focused a great deal on his shoulders during this week's massage therapy. It took a little convincing to have him turn over onto his back so she could access that particular muscle group. He'd eventually reasoned she'd already seen all the damage before, and he did want to do something about that lingering ache in his shoulder that the drugs had never been able to completely ease.
After a few more minutes, she was done, giving a firm grip to his other shoulder a few times to rouse him. Judging from the deep sigh he gave as she did so, he really had been half way to sleep. If he didn't need to eat, she'd have let him do so. Allowing him to rise on his own, she saw as he stretched and rotated his right arm, noting a slight improvement in his range of motion, but still not as it was before.
"It's time to eat. The others are waiting. How do you feel?"
"I understand why Joy gets fussy when I pull her away from her sunbeams. You're lucky I'm hungry enough to want to move. Don't be concerned if I crash on the couch after dinner."
"You've had an exciting day. Your body's still getting used to having magic flowing in it again. It's probably not a good idea to allow your ethernano to constantly drain so completely like you have. That back and forth can't be good for you."
Seeing him reach out for the shirt he'd hung over the new bed frame, she passed it to him, watching as he felt for the tag in the back to ensure it wasn't inside out, before putting it on as he replied.
"Porlyusica said something along those lines too, but since my stopgap is still firmly in place, she's not too worried about a total drain. Since I'm so used to the extreme deficiency, the rise and fall of my ethernano levels is just something else I'll have to adapt to over time. Until then, I have to put up with the fatigue. Nothing new."
"Hmm. What about your shoulder? I've seen you favor it for a long while, ever since we started sparring together. I was hoping with your wound finally healed, you'd be able to move it more."
Feeling along the shirt to ensure the buttons aligned with the proper holes, he fastened them, starting at the ones just above his surgical scar as he explained.
"No, that pain was different. It was always on the surface. The shoulder pain was always deeper, in the joint. I thought it was psychosomatic, but it never went away with all the others. The left side's not as bad, more a dull ache most days, and I can still move it without much issue. I asked Wendy to take a look not long after I got my powers back. She says there're stress injuries all around the tendons and ligaments that never healed properly. Just like everything else, it's all scarred over, so not much she can do about it. The massage helped a lot, so thank you."
"You're more than welcome, though I wish you'd told me about the other shoulder. I'll be sure to pay extra attention to them every time from now on. Do you know what caused those injuries?"
He was buttoning the sleeve at his wrist when he paused, just for a moment, clueing Erza that she'd broached a sore topic, but he continued to the other sleeve as he said, "Yes... We should get going. I'm sure the others are starving. Help me out?"
She knew right away not to pry any further, already guessing what he didn't want to say.
She'd seen first hand how he'd been restrained in the chamber. Her heart sank at the thought of all the damage he'd done himself as he struggled against those bindings.
As she handed him his cane, she couldn't resist offering a soft, "I'm sorry."
"There's nothing wrong with asking. I probably should have told you, but you know how I hate talking about those things."
"I know. And it really wasn't my business. You have every right to privacy about your health. I'm just happy you went to Wendy about it."
At this, he gave a slight grin, saying, "Our little Wendy's grown up so much, hasn't she? Glad to see something good came from all of this. Shall we?"
Holding his hand out, Erza gently placed it on her arm, leading him through his still unfamiliar bedroom suite. He took slower steps than usual, taking his time to get a feel for the new environment. The room was livable, but needed a few coats of paint, and held only the bed and his dresser, which had been brought up from his old room after the workers had finished for the day.
Pausing by the dresser so he could grab his tactile watch, she waited for him to put it on, and observed, "Now that it's dry, I can tell your hair's shorter than I last saw."
He nodded, saying, "I asked Lucy for a haircut before showering. Haven't had it cut since before I left the hospital."
"I remember the fuss you made the first time she suggested having Cancer do it."
"Can you blame me? Not like I could see how I looked, and like Hell I wanted a blade anywhere near me back then."
Watching the stiff movements of his fingers, she had to be patient as he painstakingly tried to fasten his watch, knowing not to insult him by offering her help. Maybe she'd try massaging his hands next time, if he'd allow it. For the time being, she drew attention from this delay with continued chatter.
"You changed your tune very quickly after Natsu offered to braid your hair for you."
"Funny thing is, he was genuinely trying to help, and I was trying hard not to hurt his feelings when I turned him down. His sensitivity got a little unnerving after a while. That just wasn't the Natsu I was used to... Doesn't mean I wasn't grateful though."
"I understand. You know, we were very pleased when you finally allowed Lucy to call Cancer."
"Loke convinced me."
"Ah, yes. If I recall, he argued that simply looking your best could make you feel your best."
"Do you also recall how I punched him in the face for that remark?"
"And broke his glasses, yes. He still regrets his poor choice of words. Things were so difficult back then. They still are in some ways. And don't you even start feeling bad about that. It's way in the past, and even he thinks he deserved that punch. What finally made you change your mind?"
"He said I'd have to do it eventually, and that he knew I wouldn't want to visit Mrs. Wheeless any time soon."
Watchband finally clasped, he reached for the doorknob, pulling the door open and allowing her to exit first.
"She's been cutting our hair since we were kids. She's asked about you. You used to visit her every month, like clockwork."
Taking her arm again, he allowed her to lead him to the stairs.
"I know. I'm getting there. I actually asked if Lucy could do it herself, since she was still wearing her star dress when she got here. I thought since I'm okay with being alone with you, I could handle her coming near me with a pair of scissors. How bad could it be after crossing swords with her earlier?"
"Really? She did a good job. I couldn't tell the difference. Those star dresses are good for such practical things… How did you do? She didn't frighten you?"
"I think it was different when I was armed. I was a little edgy when she brought the scissors close, but I managed. Pretty weird if you think about it. Her swords didn't faze me, but the scissors freaked me out. Guess I should be happy I didn't try to freeze her. So freakin stupid how my brain works sometimes." Reaching the steps, he brought his voice down to a whisper. "One… two…"
She kept quiet to allow him to count each step down the stairs. She should have done the same as he was navigating around his new room, letting him concentrate as he learned his way around, but he hadn't complained. She knows he'd never do that. He'd probably take the time to learn the layout later tonight, instead of sleeping like he should.
As she considered it, she wondered just how used to this he'd become, of having to put his own convenience on hold just to enjoy normal interactions with his friends. He'd likely say it was fair, given how much they'd all had to adjust their own activities and mannerisms to socialize with him. She was sure both parties would say it was a worthwhile endeavor.
They reached the bottom floor, following the soft, happy chatter coming from the direction of the dining room.
"At least you're making strides towards conquering your anxieties towards women."
"Guess I'm on a roll today. Oy! Ash Breath! You know it's rude to start before the host arrives."
"How'd you know I was already eating?!"
"You weren't griping about how long we took, or complaining about your empty stomach when we came in."
"Tsk. Whatever. Lyon's here. He counts as a host."
Gray had to smile at that.
"Guess he does. Smells good. What are we having?"
The occasion quickly became rather festive, with Natsu giving a blow by blow account of his spar with Scorpio. He was quick to change the subject over to Lucy's fight when she suggested summoning her spirit again to get his side of the tale. Those who'd missed out were quite impressed, with Erza mentioning how much she looked forward to sparring with her really soon, to Lucy's nervous chuckle.
"Let's not be too hasty. I mean, I was happy I could give Gray such a good fight, but if he was at full strength, he would have beaten me a lot sooner."
"You underestimate both yourself and Gray," said Erza, "I speak from experience that, even with so many handicaps, he's not one you'd want to mess with. He's made Natsu yield so many times, after all."
"Will you stop bringing that up?!" complained Natsu.
"I'm merely saying that Lucy faced a greater challenge than she'd realized, and needs to take credit for her well done performance."
"She's right," added Gray, "Your skills are impressive. If you'd had a way to block my refraction technique, you would have won."
"I know. If I'd been wearing the Capricorn star dress, my eyes would have been protected. I don't know how I would have fought you, though. Cancer is the only swordsman among the spirits."
"I don't see why you couldn't wear one dress while borrowing from another."
"What, like mixing my star dresses? That's not a thing," she said, though she didn't sound all that sure.
"How long have you known the star dresses to be a thing? You never know until you try."
"Yeah! Maybe next time, you can try mixing Cancer with Virgo!" Natsu enthused.
"Why Virgo?" Lucy wondered.
"So you can fight wearing that skimpy maid outfit!"
"Knock it off, you pervert!"
Laughter, coupled with frenzied apologies from Natsu under threat of both Erza's and Lucy's wrath, resounded around the table. After things quieted down, Gray pulled everyone's attention when he brought up what was most on his mind.
"Since the team's whole again, I wanted to discuss our first mission together."
He was so confident in his readiness to return to missions, and no one wanted to disappoint him. After his performance today, they had no more excuses to deny him either. Unless…
"Wendy, what do you think? Is he well enough to return to active status?" asked Lucy.
Though none could tell, Gray was rolling his eyes at everyone's overprotective concern for his well being. He was a little miffed that Lucy of all people was asking this, after seeing his capabilities up close. He could understand them all feeling anxious over what may or may not happen, but that's the risk everyone took on missions, regardless of skill.
Just as they couldn't see his simmering annoyance, he couldn't see the panicked look Wendy was giving at being placed in the spotlight like that. Lucy felt bad putting her in that position, but if there was any chance they could delay his leaving the safety of the guild just a while longer, she had to try.
Wendy, on the other hand, was never one for subterfuge, and couldn't bring herself to crush his hopes like that, especially when she had no medical reason to.
"Porlyusica-san cleared him for light activities, so long as he continues to take his meds, and doesn't push himself too hard. That includes taking part on missions. I wouldn't recommend him going on solo jobs any time soon, but there are no medical reasons why he couldn't join us on a simple quest."
Gray was smiling brightly now, which made the dilemma worse. He had every expectation of going back to active status right away, and there was no logical reason why he couldn't. Maybe they could call up Mr. Bradley for his opinion. That would only make Gray even more suspicious about their doubts. Everyone looked towards Erza, hoping she had some kind of solution. They were surprised when she instead smiled at his enthusiasm.
"I'm very pleased to hear that. After listening to everything you all had to say about today's spar, I'm also convinced we should all take a mission together, and I think I have the perfect one in mind."
"Really?" asked an incredulous Natsu, "We're just gonna jump right back into it like that?" Lucy was just glad he hadn't let anything slip.
"I see no reason why not. We've waited long enough. I overheard Mira talking to Laxus about a mission his team completed a few weeks ago. They broke up a smuggling ring not far from here, but word arrived that it's trying to regroup, and the locals have requested our guild to clean up the leftovers. I'm sure the Thunder Legion would much rather take on something a little more challenging, and Freed is consumed with his own project right now, so I can offer the services of our team in this endeavor."
"Are you sure? That job seems pretty tame by your standards," said Lyon, though he quickly followed that up with a rapid Gesture of, "What about the threat?"
Erza understood right away, but her confidence never wavered as she replied, "As I said, the mission is not far from here, in a small village just due south, and Wendy said a simple job would be fine. How much trouble can a disorganized group of smugglers give us?"
Everyone got the message. Since the path of the other necromancer had always originated from the north, chances were, he was still biding his time somewhere along that route. Also, since the village was nearby, they could still depend on the backup of the guild should anything happen. There was still a great risk, but they understood they couldn't keep leading Gray on like they have. A return to normalcy was something they've all sought after, and would only help him in the long run. This mission at least allowed them to minimize the risks.
The others grew more secure with this knowledge, allowing them to feel a bit more accepting of how this was going to happen, no matter their worries. They couldn't help but to feel a little excitement bloom as well.
"Sounds like fun! When do we leave?" asked Natsu.
"We have a few days. The village head has a few people watching the smugglers, taking notes on their activities and patterns. In a few days he'll pass that intel onto us. He wants to make sure we'll have everything we need to clear out the ring for good. We can prepare in the meantime."
"Good. That gives me time to store up as much ethernano as I can before we go," said Gray.
"You're gonna need it. I won't be going with you," Lyon revealed.
No one could understand why they were shocked. Of course he wasn't going with them. No matter how much Lyon's become one of theirs, he wasn't an official member of Fairy Tail, though he was absolutely a part of their team.
"Don't worry about it. My powers work just fine in warm weather. My temperature should stay pretty steady in just a day out in the field."
"I have every faith in your abilities. And since you're gonna be away, I may take a trip back to Margaret Town for a few days. Maybe take a mission with my team for old times sake."
"That's a wonderful idea. I'm sure they'll enjoy that."
Neither of them would say how this would also be a great opportunity to test out whether Gray was ready to be on his own yet.
"How do you feel about being alone in the house, though? Depending on my own mission, you might return home before I do."
"… I'm okay during the day. I'm still not all that comfortable being in the living room at night, but I'm not really scared either. If I stay upstairs most of the time, I think I'd be fine. I like it up there. I can hear the pond's waterfall from my window, and Joy keeps me company."
"But if we're all gone for days, who'll take care of her?" Happy piped in.
"I hadn't thought of that. My apartment in Margaret Town doesn't allow pets. Were you planning on taking her with you?" asked Lyon.
"As awesome as that would be, I can't risk her getting lost or hurt. I'll ask Bisca if she'd like Asuka to earn a little pocket money. I'll even make it an official mission, and request her personally. Mira will okay it, I'm sure."
"I think everything is settled then," said Erza, "Since we're on the subject, I have a little gift I'd like to present, in honor of your official return to missions. I think you'll find it most useful, if you'll accept it."
Intrigued, Gray looked her way, head tilted a bit in curiosity as he said, "Okay?"
He missed the surprised, then excited looks everyone was exchanging, but heard Natsu's whispered question of, "It's finished already?", which Lucy shushed quickly. Was this what had kept Erza busy all day?
"It's actually from all of us. We just hadn't expected to give it to you so soon, but it's good I had the order rushed nonetheless. I'm well aware with your tendency to surprise others with your quick progress, once you set your mind on something. While we were searching for Frosch at the festival, Jura and I found ourselves visiting those old-fashioned smithies I wanted to see in the Village of Yesteryear. One of them had an interesting talent for creating hidden weaponry.
"I came upon her shop in town a few days later and asked if she could forge a custom design we came up with, something which would benefit you, should your powers run out, leaving you defenseless. After all, you're not accustomed to having to carry a weapon at all times. I apologize that we didn't have time to wrap it."
Hearing a dull clack, then a slide of an object, atop the table, he reached his hand forward, quickly finding what felt like the grip of his cane, including the strap. It was a little thicker though, more sturdy and hefty, almost like the grip of a sword, and lacked the pieces of the folded shaft.
"I give up. What is it?"
"Stand away from the table, and holding it firmly, fling your arm out sharply to the side without letting it go."
"Is it one of those telescoping batons? Cuz to be honest, I'm not thrilled with the idea of having a weapon that can be taken and used against me. At least I can dissolve my ice instantly."
"You can use it as such if the situation called for it, but I don't think anyone could get close enough to take it from you if they saw its true purpose. Go ahead. Try it," Erza urged.
Shrugging his shoulders, he rose from his seat, taking a few steps back as the others stood as well. Doing as she said, he first slipped his hand through the strap due to habit, and held the grip tightly. Giving it a firm flick, he heard and felt as a number of shafts telescoped out of the grip. His first surprise was when he brought the weapon up, feeling along the whole shaft, and finding it longer than a typical baton, by several feet.
"Is this a cane?" he asked, mildly impressed. He would definitely find use for this, on and off missions. It certainly felt stronger than his other one.
"It is!" said Lyon, enjoying the sight of his brother's growing interest.
"We've been calling it a tactical cane. I came up with that," Lucy added proudly.
"As I'm sure you can tell, it's far stronger than a regular cane. It's crafted from a combination of rare metals which make it very light but solid. It can withstand the blow of a very sharp katana, and resist a great deal of force without breaking. We thought you could use it as a type of bo staff if needed. We've all seen your skills with the staff."
Giving it a few experimental swings, he could hear the swish as it whipped through the air, and gave it a few twirls around his body, holding it in different places as he positioned it in various offensive and defensive poses. He noted how the tip of the cane felt weighted, giving the whole contraption a good balance. He could definitely do some major damage with this thing. It was a work of art.
"I love it. Thank you," he grinned.
"You're welcome. There's one more feature you haven't discovered yet, though."
"Oh yeah? What is it?" he wondered, feeling around for something he had missed.
"Hold the grip with both hands, like you would a sword, and twist the top with your right hand."
"What? You didn't. But it collapses. How…?"
"Just do it!" Erza said, growing impatient to see his reaction.
With growing excitement, Gray did as he was told, holding the cane parallel to the floor, twisting the grip, noticing a good deal of resistance. Good. He didn't need a switchblade or whatever was hiding in there to come out by accident.
To his total shock and amazement, he pulled the now separate pieces apart, and heard a sound he's grown so familiar with over the last decade.
It was the sound of Erza's requip magic.
With a pleased laugh, he now felt the distinct weight of a bladed weapon in one hand, while he still held what turns out to be the scabbard in the other. There was no blade hidden within the cane. It was enchanted with Erza's magic!
"Wendy?"
Wendy giggled, pleased that Gray had such faith in her abilities to instantly know who could have done this.
"I enchanted some of Erza's requip magic into the cane, so when you twist it apart, a mechanism within automatically activates it, causing the blade to appear from Erza's pocket dimension. It will last on its own stored power for twenty minutes, so you can use it as a backup weapon if your own magic runs out. And for added safety, Lucy inscribed runes along the grip to ensure only you can activate the blade, so if you dropped it, it would deactivate so no one else could use it against you."
Gray wanted nothing more at that moment but to give his new sword a few test swings, but knew better than to swing it around in enclosed spaces. He was so touched by this gift. Not only have they given him a weapon he could rely on when he'd most need one, but they were also demonstrating their belief in him. The nature of this gift shows how they had anticipated his desire to return to missions as soon as possible, and their trust in his ability to do so.
"I don't know what to say."
"You already have. Welcome back, Icy Pop!" cried Natsu.
With echoes of similar cheers all around, Gray allowed himself to enjoy the moment. Returning to the table, he sat and enjoyed the banter as everyone finished the meal. He felt a warmth within, a sensation of a different kind of camaraderie he hadn't noticed he'd missed, as he joined in making plans for the next few days, took part in the strategizing in between bites of dessert, and simply reveled in being with his friends on this occasion.
Being together like this hit differently when it was for a purpose other than merely enjoying their company. The anticipation of accomplishing something as a team, even something as minor as taking out a smuggling ring, was also something he'd missed.
As he sat back in his chair, one hand hovering close to the floor so Joy could attack his fingers and demand scritches, he listened to the cheerful, enthusiastic, and humorous goings on around him. He quipped one liners at Natsu's expense; brought up plot points in Lucy's novel he shouldn't have know about yet, which infuriated her in ways that only made him chuckle; accepted pointers from Erza for hypothetical battle scenarios; commented on how well Wendy's herb garden was coming along, listening intently as she told him of all the interesting medicines she could make with what was already there; and encouraged Lyon to do something fun with his team before he came home.
Lyon smiled when he phrased it like that. Home. His home, not just Gray's. Not even just theirs, but for all of them, it felt like. This really seemed more like a gathering of family than friends right now.
Gray could hear the smile in Lyon's voice as he replied, "I will."
I love Gray and Erza moments. Don't you?
Well, it's happening. Real life's encroaching upon my favorite world again! I'll be taking a few months off to write a production like I do every year. If I have time (read: get bored of writing for work), I'll see about getting another chapter or two out in the meantime.
Next Chapter: Relationship advice from Mrs. Connell. Plus... a surprise wedding!?