Adult-FanFiction.org : Anime

Lion's Pride	By : Rhov Category: +. to F > Fairy Tail Views: 10067 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima. I make no money writing this. I do it for my own pleasure. Any lyrics are my own or I received permission from the artist.

Chapter List
- 12
- 13
- 14
"I always like walking in the rain, so no one can see me crying." - Charles Chaplin

Chapter 13

Cry in the Rain

Gray made the long walk up a hill to the girl's dormitory. Cold rain had settled over Magnolia, drenching his black hair, and the early November wind whipped his long, white coat. His eyes drooped in weariness, yet they had a gleam of bitter determination. After all, it had been decided that he should be the one to break this news.

As he neared the entrance to Fairy Hills, the building owner, Ruchio, stepped out with a grimace. "Another boy comes to my dorm! Really, you mages are too bold. No wonder half of you don't have girlfriends."

"I need to see Lucy," Gray said quietly, lacking the energy to fight or even banter.

"No boys are allowed..."

"Mother." Chico C. Hammitt stepped up behind Ruchio, looked sedate with her creepy cat hat and even creepier ghosts who hung around her. "He's Lucy's teammate and, apparently, the godfather to her baby."

Hearing those words made Gray look aside in guilt.

"Ah, I see," Ruchio hummed. "Well, I suppose I could grant you the same leniency I gave that Celestial Spirit fellow. You must report to me or Erza before entering the dormitory. Once inside, you are allowed in the lobby, the private library, and Miss Heartfilia's room, but nowhere else! You are only allowed to knock on another girl's door if Lucy specifically requests it or if it is an emergency."

"Yeah, got it," he muttered as he walked past her. "Not like I want to spy on girls like some other perverts I know."

Chico showed him the way to Lucy's door, and he gave a light rap. He listened closely, heard nothing, and knocked again. Really, after walking all this way and mentally preparing himself, just to have her not home...

"C-come in," came a faint voice.

Gray opened the door and saw Wendy pattering forward.

"Lucy is over here," she waved, leading him to the bedroom.

Gray slowly followed. He had always felt at ease in Lucy's old place, crashing there with Natsu or Erza, sometimes sneaking in alone while Lucy was gone. It was like a second home to their team. For some reason, entering this room made him nervous, as if he really was walking into a woman's bedroom. Perhaps it was because part of him realized that, up until a few days ago, this was the bedroom she had shared with Loke.

Lucy laid on the bed, still thin and hooked up to intravenous medicine drips that Wendy monitored. He was glad for one thing: her face looked normal, not the skeleton they had to carry home. Her blonde hair was up in her usual cute style, and she had some pages for her novel on a tablet so she could write in bed.

"Gray," Lucy smiled. Her voice was weak and airy. Even her smile looked like it took real effort to lift.

He saw her Gold and Silver Keys by the bed, and one in particular was separated from the others from recently being used. Gray sadly realized she must have been desperately trying to open the Lion's gate since regaining consciousness.

"You probably already know what I have to say," he muttered.

Her eyes dropped to the Gold Key, and she nodded sadly. "I've tried calling him...I'm not sure how many times. It won't open, no matter how hard I try."

He wondered how often she had used that key since that day. Each failed attempt would have felt like a deeper defeat to her already-pained heart. It made him want to the toss those damned keys away so she would stop tormenting herself.

"We thoroughly searched those ruins," he told her. "I led the team directly to that cell you two were in. We left nothing behind, not a single rock."

"He wasn't there," she answered, braced for the news. "If he died, his body would fade away. Same if he merely went to the Spirit World. Either way," she whispered, "he's gone."

Gray hated to see the tears she was trying so hard to hold back. "We found only one thing. Honestly, I don't know how it was left behind, but I'm guessing he left it for a purpose, maybe a message." Gray reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick silver ring with a blue stone set in it.

"Regulus." Lucy's face pained at seeing it. She took the ring and looked closely at it. It really was a gorgeous shade of blue, deep and mystic. "He was so proud of this ring," she tearfully told Gray. "I never once saw him take it off." She brought the ring up to her lips and kissed it. "I guess this means he's really gone."

Gray looked aside uncomfortably. "If that's all..."

"There's something I need to do," Lucy said over him. "I should have done it right away, but I haven't had the heart to try. I'm a weak coward after all," she laughed tensely. "If you're here with me, I think maybe I can handle it. Please Gray," she smiled tiredly. "Sit for a moment with me...just in case."

He had a feeling he knew what she wanted to try. He walked around the bed and sat at her side. Lucy picked up her keys and flipped to the one she always kept beside Leo's. "Open the Gate of the Ram! Aries!"

Sitting so close to her with his shoulder brushing against hers, Gray sensed the immense magical power Lucy used in her summons. There was no comparing it to his magic. He had often thought that using a Spirit Key to open a gate seemed weak, and he had to admit that he had thought little of Lucy when they first met, besides the fact that she was a bit cute. He thought calling others to fight your battles was cheating. Besides, what sort of mage got weak after using magic just twice? Sensing how much it took out of her to summon this Gold Zodiac Key impressed him. He thought that if others in the guild could sense Lucy's well of power, they would never call her silly names like Cosplay Queen and Cheerleader again.

The shy lamb-lady showed up already looking bashful, but she blushed even more when she saw Gray. He wondered why until he looked down. When had he removed his coat and shirt?

"I'm sorry," she began immediately.

"I'm not angry, Aries," Lucy assured. "I need to know: is Loke now in the Spirit World?"

The woolly Celestial Spirit nodded and looked aside with embarrassment. "He's badly injured and will need a long time to heal since he allowed himself to remain in the Human World for so long. I've been tending him all this time. I'm sorry."

"No, I trust you. You two go back a long way."

Aries blushed and nodded. "He has always watched over me, so now I want to repay him. He had one request: to look after you. And I will, I swear. For Leo's sake, I won't let anyone hurt you."

With a hard gulp, Lucy asked the most important question. "Do you know if he'll be able to return?"

Aries quivered at having to answer. "I'm so sorry! I...I don't know. He's being held by the Spirit King on grounds of treason. His judgment is being withheld until he's strong enough to attend trial. However, I've been asking around, and it seems like it won't be good. This isn't the first time he and the Spirit King have had a conflict." Aries bowed deeply. "I'm very sorry. I promise to keep asking, and I'll let all your Celestial Spirits know so any of us can tell you. That's what Leo wants, so that's what I'll do. I want you two to be happy. I love Leo very much, and if being with you makes him happiest, then that's what I'll fight for."

Gray looked aside guiltily. He also loved Lucy, but was he willing to fight for her and Loke to be reunited?

"I appreciate it, Aries, but don't do anything that will get you into trouble. I don't want to lose you as well. When you see him again, tell him I'm feeling much better." Then Lucy closed her gate.

Gray watched her stare ahead emptily. A clock ticked the seconds away. He felt he should say something, but his mind whirled in doubt and guilt.

"At least he's alive," he finally spoke. It was the best he could come up with.

Lucy suddenly fell to the side and into his chest. Gray stiffened as he heard her sobbing. He looked around, but Wendy had left to give Lucy privacy. Uncertainly, Gray put an arm around her. He felt her shivering in emotions she had been suppressing. He realized how brave she had been up until now, smiling when the fear of this happening must have haunted her over the past few months. He pulled her close against him and rested his cheek against her head to let her know she could turn to him.

"I never should've given in to him," she wailed. "I knew romance with a Celestial Spirit is against the rules. I knew! I knew he could get into trouble, and I still...I'm the worst!" she screamed and broke into fresh sobs.

"You were in love," Gray said softly. "People, be they Celestial Spirit or human, do silly things when they're in love. We don't follow logic or rules. We only follow our heart."

Although his warm tone was a comfort, her guilt was still too deep. "What if he dies?" she whispered, dreading to speak such an unlucky thing aloud. "I'd have just as good as killed him."

"No, don't you dare think that," he said sternly, squeezing her closer.

"I'll end up all alone."

"You won't be alone," he promised. "You have me and Natsu and Erza and Levy...the whole guild will be there beside you. No matter what happens, you can turn to any of us. We'll try to get him back. Master can ask other guilds, other celestial summoners, and try to find some way to free him. But Lucy, right now he needs to heal, and so do you." He hugged her tightly and stroked her hair. "Just rest. Let your friends take care of things. We'll get him back for you, I swear. We're not going to abandon him this easily. He's a member of Fairy Tail, and we'll fight for him!"

Would he fight to reunite the two of them?

Yes! To the death!

She felt waves of relief and comfort. "Gray," she sighed, melting into the protectiveness of his arms.

He looked down at her and smiled as he saw the fears drain out. He just wanted the old Lucy back, the Lucy whose only worry was rent money, the Lucy who played the tsukkomi to his and Natsu's boke, the Lucy who was always prying others for juicy information to use in her novel, the Lucy who acted flighty and silly one moment, loyal and daring the next. He wanted that Lucy back because...that was the Lucy he loved!

"Let me take on your fears so you can rest at ease," he whispered into her ear, sending chills down her arms as if he had used his ice magic on her. "Loke left me with the task of caring for you until he comes back." He stroked her face and tilted her chin up so she could see how serious he was. "I will do anything you need of me. Until he returns, I'll do whatever he would have done. I'll clean around the house, cook your meals, be your coach when it's time for the baby. Anything he would've done, I'll do it in his place...and hopefully do it better than he would," he added with a wink.

That made her laugh a little "Thanks, Gray. That's really sweet, but...can you put on some clothes and then hug me?"

"Why?" he smirked, intrigued by her blushing face. "Don't tell me you're tempted just because I have my shirt off."

"Your pants are off, too," she pointed out, "and your...thing...is poking through."

"Huh? Gah! When did that happen?"

As he scrambled to find his clothes, it made her laugh. "Thanks, Gray, really."

He had his shirt only partly on and unbuttoned. He paused in his quest for pants and looked over to her curiously.

"I really do need support. I'm so weak and useless right now."

He came back to her and put his hands on her shoulders to cheer her on. "You aren't useless, Lucy. You're..." He broke off his words and left them hanging awkwardly.

"I'm what?" she asked in a teasing tone.

His blue eyes slowly turned up into hers. "You're beautiful."

Gray suddenly turned and rushed out of her room. Lucy heard a squealing scream from Levy and a shout of "Why are you naked again?" He hurried back in, grabbed his pants, and ran out again. However, during that brief return, Lucy saw his face, the bright pink cheeks, the shame in his eyes, and the angst of having told her something so complicated at a time like this.

"Oh Gray," she sighed as she heard his feet pound down the dorm hallway. "Please...don't do this to me now. Not now."

End of Chapter 13

Rhov's Corner:

Boke and Tsukkomi: Japanese manzai comedy duo, funny man and straight man. In episode 29, Gray attempts to replace Lucy as the tsukkomi and fails.
- 12
- 13
- 14
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Lion's Pride