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Fight Me, Bite Me	By : Rhov Category: +. to F > Fairy Tail Views: 39446 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima. I make no money, I just do this for my own pleasure.

Chapter List
- 72
- 73
- 74
Chapter 73
Clear Autumn Day

Gray woke up in Natsu's bed. They had spent the whole previous day indoors at Gray's place, avoiding the guild. Natsu knew why Gray would want to stay away, so he said nothing about it. They took an evening walk and returned to Natsu's house, where Happy joined them for dinner. They simply slept together, nothing sensual. Gray was still in a daze, too exhausted to keep up with all the small panic attacks.
He rolled out of bed and watched Natsu still asleep, so blissfully innocent as he drooled on his pillow. Gray wanted to thank him somehow for staying with him all this time, so he began to collect dirty clothes. He found his own shirt, trousers, underwear, and socks, as well as a huge pile of Natsu's unwashed clothes that had begun to stink after two days staying at Gray's place. He began to sort them and checked pockets, in case Natsu left money in them. From one pair of trousers, he pulled out a sock.
"Wait, this is mine," he said in confusion. "Why does Natsu have one of my socks with him?" He shrugged and threw it over to his clothing pile. "Maybe I stripped it off in the guild and he just forgot to give it back."
He got the washing machine started up, then went to make some coffee and cook breakfast. He wanted to treat his boyfriend for staying by him through this trying time. As he cooked, he thought about Natsu's words.
"Do you remember what I said once, what my therapist wants me to try? To want kids with you, to breed you.… If you want help raising him, I can be there with you.… I want a family with you. At least mentally, I'm there. Just give me time."
Time. Gray had no time to get used to the idea of having a baby, so he respected that Natsu needed time to adjust to the idea, especially since it involved something he dreaded so intensely. Still, the fact that Natsu wanted to top, even if it was for a ridiculous reason like breeding him, was a huge step forward in his progress.
He needed to do the same.
"Love," he whispered. Gray was determined now to say that word at least once every day. If he said it, he would conquer the fear of it. It still sent shivers through him, the voice of his dying mother was still in his ears, but it was quieter. "I … love…"
"Fish?"
Gray jolted and spun around to see Happy just waking up.
"Do you love fish, Gray?"
"What?" he said, his heart racing at being overheard.
"You were saying you love something and talking to the food. Oh, that's not fish," he realized. Then Happy looked confused. "Do you love eggs and sausage? I mean, eggs and sausage are good, but not as good as fish."
Gray looked at the sizzling food and quickly flipped the eggs before they burned. "I was just thinking about a dream."
"Ooh, I had an amazing dream," Happy said with hearts in his eyes. "I dreamed that Carla came here and wanted to go fishing, and then I caught her a huuuuuge fish, and she really liked it, and then she…" He blushed and giggled into his paws.
Gray was curious. "Did she kiss you?"
He nodded with a brighter blush on his furry blue cheeks, creeping all the way up to his ears.
Gray shook his head at how adorably innocent that was. Seriously, Happy was too cute sometimes. "Sounds like a great dream. So, what would you like to eat for breakfast?"
Gray hardly needed to ask, as Happy cried out in a cheer, "Fish, fish, fish!"
As they exited the Magnolia Train Station, Wendy and Carla were in a good mood, having visited their friends in Lamia Scale. Wendy's smile beamed as she thought about the fun she and Sherria Blendy had, and she looked down at a gift her cousin Sherry had given her. It was a little box with different types of makeup. Wendy blushed as she recalled Sherria doing her makeup and the cries of shock from the members of Lamia Scale to see their two little angels looking "so mature." Wendy's own attempt at putting on makeup was not great, but she knew the girls in Fairy Tail would help her learn how to use lipstick and eye shadow.
She wondered if everyone would be as shocked as Lamia Scale had been, and if Erza or Lucy would say she looked mature.
Her thoughts were on what maturity truly meant, since obviously it was more than just hairstyles and makeup, as she entered the guild. It was practically empty, only one person by the mission board, a few people eating a midday snack, Mira at the bar gossiping with Kinana, and someone new standing beside a baby bassinet.
"Is she a new member?" Carla wondered.
Wendy hummed. "I don't know. I should introduce myself." She walked up to the lady and made sure she had a friendly smile. "Hello, my name is Wendy. Are you new to Fairy Tail?"
The lady jolted in shock at being addressed. "Oh! Yes, but I'm not a wizard. I work in accounting. My name is Emilia."
"Welcome to Fairy Tail, Emilia. I hope you enjoy your job here." She looked down at the baby. "He's cute. Does he belong to someone you know? Are you babysitting?"
Before Emilia could answer, Mira popped up in excitement. "The baby is Gray's. Emilia here is the mother."
Wendy blinked in surprise, looking from Mira to Emilia, and then down to the baby. "This baby … is Gray's?" She looked sharper at Emilia. "Are you certain?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Mira said delightfully. "Just look at his eyes."
Wendy peered closer at the child. "Well, I suppose there's some resemblance … okay, a lot of resemblance," she muttered.
Emilia suddenly picked up the bassinet. "I should get back to work. Nice to meet you … Wendy, was it? I hope we can become good friends."
The little girl watched as Emilia went to a door leading into the back rooms. Mira turned around to return to the bar, but Wendy's hand shot out, grabbing her wrist.
"Mira-san, when did that woman arrive here?"
"Oh, about two or three days ago."
"Has Gray seen this baby?"
"Absolutely, although he hasn't been back since the first day she arrived here. It's understandable that he's in shock and needs time."
"In shock? So then, she just showed up claiming to be the mother of his baby?"
"I suppose." Mira saw the agitation in Wendy's face. "What's wrong?"
Wendy's little fists had tightened, and she looked enraged but also sad. "That baby … is definitely not Gray's."
In the accounting room, Emilia finally cursed.
"Another Dragon Slayer? Dammit!" She pulled the baby out, set him on the counting desk, and searched the inner lining of the bassinet. "Where is it? Dammit, where did it go?" She looked around frantically, then pulled out a small lacrima communicator. "Morfran, it's Emilia. I need you to do something."
"You're not supposed to contact me," a man's voice said over the communicator.
"I need you to go to Gray Fullbuster's house and bring me an article of clothing. A sock, a glove, anything with his smell on it."
"I thought you had one."
"It's gone, and we have a new Dragon Slayer around. She seems suspicious already."
"What if Fullbuster is there?"
"He's not. I knocked on his door this morning, hoping to refresh the sock I took last time. Just break in and bring it here as quickly as you can."
The man on the communicator grumbled, "You're lucky I'm in town. I can be at the guild in half an hour, but Emilia, you really should think about ending this. You're not just tricking average people here. These are wizards, and Dragon Slayers at that!"
She looked down at the baby. "You're right. I was hoping to befriend more of the guild members, especially Lucy and Freed—they're heirs to fortunes—but I suppose this will have to do. Tell Kasdeya I'm pulling out and to be ready for a huge haul."
"It better be worth it, considering your failure during your last job."
She glared at the baby. "That last job landed me this one, and the money will surpass what I lost in Hargeon. Forget Gray Fullbuster. Meet me here as soon as you can. Just be aware that the usual barrier will be up."
"Understood. Be ready."
There was a knock on the door, and Emilia panicked. "Gotta go." She stashed the communicator away just as Kinana opened the door and peaked in.
"Sorry, I was just worried where the baby went." Kinana saw the child squirming on the desk. "Where you in the middle of things?"
Emilia saw the baby about to grab some coins and quickly swooped him up. "I just set him down for a moment. Could you watch him?"
"Of course!" Kinana waited for Emilia to put the baby into the bassinet, then took the handle. "I'll fix up some milk for him. Do you need a drink?"
"No," she said sharply. "Sorry, I want to focus on my work."
"Oh, of course," Kinana said with a laugh. "Don't worry about little Gray Junior." Then she left and shut the accounting room door.
The gentle smile on Emilia's face sank, and her eyes went cold. "This better be worth it."
Mira hurriedly ushered Wendy to Makarov's office. "Master, we have an issue."
Makarov looked up from a stack of papers he was going through, mostly complaints about his brats destroying things again. It seemed that ever since Gajeel joined up with Levy and Team Shadow Gear, their reputation for destruction almost matched Natsu's.
Makarov smiled at seeing Wendy. "It's good to have you back. I hope you had fun visiting your friends. My goodness, are you wearing makeup? How mature of you!"
"Thank you, sir," she said, politely bowing. "It's about the baby downstairs."
"Ah, little Gray Junior," Makarov said, chuckling to himself. "It almost makes me feel like I'm a great-grandpa."
Mira looked fretful. "Master, according to Wendy, that child isn't Gray's."
Makarov's joyful eyes turned hard. "Explain."
Wendy twisted her hands together. "Children have a smell similar to their parents. It's not exactly the same, but you can definitely tell two people are related. That baby doesn't even smell like the woman, let alone like Gray."
Makarov sat up taller. "Are you saying Emilia is definitely not the mother of that baby? Wendy, are you absolutely certain?"
She looked regretful. "I can't be a hundred percent about Gray's smell, but the baby definitely does not smell like that woman downstairs, not even close."
Mira looked on alert. "Master, should we detain Emilia?"
"Not yet. Natsu and Laxus have both met this baby and said nothing about it. We need to confirm this. Mira, get Laxus, and Wendy, I want you to fetch Gray. With two Dragon Slayers and both alleged parents here, hopefully we can discover the truth. For Gray's sake," he muttered, "I'm hoping your mistaken, Wendy. He was growing quite attached to that baby."
Wendy frowned. "I'm sorry."
"No, we just assumed her story was true. Please, find Gray and bring him here."
"Yes, sir!"
She rushed out, and as she passed through the main dining hall, she saw Kinana feeding the baby a bottle. Wendy took another deep sniff, but her face crunched up.
Carla followed her, having kept silent through this. As they went outside into the sunlight, she finally let out a huff. "What sort of woman is she? If she did trick Gray, why? Also, Wendy," she said, looking worried. "Are you really sure about this? That child honestly does look exactly like Gray."
"He does, but the smell is all wrong. Maybe I'm forgetting Gray's smell, or maybe that perfume Sherria had me try is messing up my nose. I need to make sure." She took a deep sniff and followed Gray's scent all the way to Natsu's house. "Way out here?" she said in surprise as they followed the road out of town and into the woods.
She heard voices inside and knocked on the door. There was a crash that made her leap back, but then Happy opened the door.
"Carla! You actually came," he cried out in joy. "It's just like my dream. Are you here to go fishing?"
Carla arched an eyebrow at him. "Whatever are you talking about, you male cat?"
Wendy peeked inside. "Natsu, Gray?"
They stopped a little brawl they were having and came to the door.
"Hey, Wendy," Natsu said happily, picking pieces of broken ceramic out of his hair.
She bit her lip and looked over to Gray. "Um, Gray, Makarov asked that you come to the guild."
"Why?" Gray asked in confusion. "I haven't done anything bad. Well, not for a while."
"You still have banana in your hair, idiot," Natsu teased, picking through Gray's hair.
"Shut up. Whose fault is that?"
Wendy bit her lip and could not meet their eyes. "It's about the baby."
Natsu's face went instantly stern, and he stopped teasing Gray. "We should go."
Wendy looked over to him. Although Makarov said Natsu had mentioned nothing about the baby, she could see by the way he looked, Natsu knew something was up.
Gray merely shrugged, not seeing the dark foreboding in Natsu's eyes. "Let me get my things," he said as he turned back inside.
Natsu shouted back to him, "Pull on your shirt."
"What?" Gray looked down to see he had stripped to his shorts. "Dammit! All right, hold on."
Natsu looked down to Wendy, seeing in the way her hands twisted, she must have figured things out already. She turned her eyes up to him, but she feared saying anything too much. She stayed quiet along the whole walk back into town, with Happy telling Carla all about his dream of fish.
They arrived at the guild just as Mira was coming up the street with Laxus and Freed. Mira nodded as she saw the group.
"Three Dragon Slayers. That's enough to confirm this."
"Confirm what?" asked Gray, still confused.
As they went through the courtyard, Laxus fell back to Natsu, who was trailing the others.
"Ya gonna tell him?" he whispered.
Natsu's gaze fell in resignation. "I have no choice now."
"He's gonna be mad."
"I know," he sighed. "I wanted to tell him eventually, but I couldn't figure out how, and now—"
They heard a scream up ahead, and Laxus rushed forward, pushing past Mira and Gray, with Freed right on his heels. He burst into the guild to see Wendy with her mouth covered, shaking in fear.
Inside, some magic had been cast that froze everyone in place, like time had stopped. The group slowly entered. Nab was motionless at the mission board. Vijeeter was in the middle of a dance, but had frozen on one leg, precariously balanced. Water was running in the sink, but Kinana was frozen with a glass in her hand being overfilled. At a table, Makarov was about to take a drink of a mug of beer, but the mug was raised only partway to his lips, almost ready to spill out.
Laxus went up to Makarov with worry in his eyes. His hand reached out, but Freed grabbed his wrist.
"Don't touch him. This feels like runes magic." He looked around at the group. "Touch no one! The magic is only affecting organic things, so it's likely transferable. Search for anything that looks like glowing writing."
They split up and searched around. Luckily, the guild was not busy, so they easily weaved between people. Carla ventured toward the back rooms, and in the hallway leading to the accounting room, she saw a glowing text.
"Wendy," she called out.
Wendy rushed over and saw the runes. "That must be it." She jogged back to the main room. "Freed, I think we found it."
The whole group went to the hallway and saw the glowing writing.
Freed leaned in close to inspect it. "It's an untrained hand, the letters are messy, but it's an immensely powerful spell. Still, it's sloppy." He pulled out his sword and wrote in the air, and with a hiss of purple smoke, the writing completely faded.
Instantly, there was noise in the dining hall. Kinana cried out at seeing the sink ready to flood over. Vijeeter almost fell over, and Makarov continued with his drink. The group entered to see everyone back to normal.
Nab jolted at seeing the group of Dragon Slayers. "How did you get here?"
Makarov also set his drink down hard at seeing Laxus. "Don't tell me you teleported."
Freed came forward. "Master, there was a spell freezing everyone in the guild."
"Freezing us?" He glanced over at a clock. "You're right. Half an hour has passed. What happened?" Then his eyes narrowed. "Where's Emilia?"
"What the hell?" came a shout.
Gray had gone over to the bassinet to check on the baby, but as he looked in, his face was in dismay.
"What happened to him?" he demanded. "Where did he go?"
"Is he gone?" asked Makarov as he bustled over to the child.
"No," Kinana said, looking at the baby she had been watching. "That … That's impossible."
They all came around, but the baby inside the bassinet was nothing like the one who had been there that morning. Gone were the stormy blue eyes and black hair. He was much smaller, his clothes no longer fit, his hair was lavender purple, and he looked around at everyone with bright orange eyes.
Gray shook his head in confusion. "That's not the same baby."
Laxus looked down hard at Natsu, who looked like he had just been defeated. He slowly stepped forward and gave the baby a sniff.
"It's him," Natsu whispered, but he refuses to say more.
Laxus scoffed and rolled his eyes. "You're a coward, Salamander." Then he blurted out. "That baby doesn't smell like Gray."
Gray looked over at Laxus in rage. "Then that means it's a different child."
"No," said Laxus. "He smells the same as yesterday, and the day before. He's never smelled like you, Gray." Laxus glared at Natsu. "She tried to trick us, but a Dragon Slayer's nose is better than that."
Gray looked to Natsu in dismay, but Natsu could not meet his gaze. Had he really said nothing about something this important? This whole time, had he just said nothing?
Wendy added, "Not only that, he doesn't smell like Emilia, not even a little bit."
"What?" Gray was completely confused. How could this be? "This … he can't be the same. This looks nothing like my son."
Natsu flinched at those words.
Mira came out from the back hallway. "Emilia is gone."
Kinana noticed the cash register. "This wasn't open before. It's … It's empty."
"Same with the accounting room. All the safes have been opened and cleaned out. Emilia … she robbed us."
Makarov scowled. "Mira, check the basement."
"Yes, sir!" she said, rushing off to the staircase.
Laxus turned on Natsu. "You didn't have the guts to tell your boyfriend some girl was lying about being his baby-momma, and now that bitch robbed us blind. I hope you're happy."
Freed stood in front of Laxus and pressed his hands on the broad chest. "Calm down. Natsu had his reasons."
Natsu shouted, "I just wanted Gray to be happy."
Laxus swung a finger over at Gray. "Does he look happy now?"
Wendy tried to get them to stop arguing by asking, "Then whose baby is this?"
Kinana frowned down at the smaller, purple-haired child. "He definitely doesn't look like Gray anymore."
Gray had enough. He fled the chaos and ran before his rage and pain showed on his face. No one bothered to go after him. Natsu glanced down into the bassinet. Now, it was very obvious the baby was too different, and far too young, to be Gray's.
"It's my fault," he muttered.
Makarov came up and patted him on the arm. "I think I know why you hid this. I don't agree," he said with a deep frown and disappointment, "but I understand. Right now, we need to focus on finding Emilia and discovering who the real parents of this poor child are. Happy, Carla," he called out. "Start by flying overhead. Laxus, try to smell her out, if you can."
"I can smell that she was here recently," said Laxus, "and there's the smell of a person I don't know. She's working with someone else." Laxus left to track down the scent.
"Wendy, Natsu … Natsu?"
Natsu was shattering inside. As he looked at the baby, he thought about all the pain Gray went through over the past few days.
One confession could have ended it.
Makarov sighed as he saw Natsu's agonized face. "Okay. Wendy, please also work on sniffing out Emilia. We need to find her so we'll know what to do with this baby. Kinana, Natsu…" He patted Natsu's shoulder. "Protect the child for now."
"Yes, sir," Kinana said immediately.
Natsu said nothing, feeling his heart sinking in guilt.
Word of the robbery and Emilia's disappearance spread, and wizards came in who rarely showed up to the guild, all to see the baby that was at the center of the crime. Porlyusica arrived at Makarov's request and examined the baby. Bisca and Kinana looked on in worry.
"He's definitely only eight months old," the aged healer determined. "I can also say that purple is his natural hair color."
"So, he was disguised?" Bisca said, biting her lip in worry. "I could tell he was light for his age and behind on things like crawling and walking."
Porlyusica nodded dourly. "Yes, while magic can change one's appearance, only advanced transformation magic can change the mass, strength, and physical abilities of a person. No wizard in history has ever successfully used transformation magic to advance a baby beyond its learned abilities, things like walking and talking. My guess is that this Emilia woman, or someone working with her, used basic level transformation magic to make the baby look like Gray and to have an older appearance to match with the time he and Emilia were involved."
Makarov spoke up. "As for whose child he really is, Mira and Lucy are searching anything about kidnapped children."
Bisca looked heartbroken. "The poor thing. I hope the transformation for this long wasn't painful for him."
"He seems to be healthy," Porlyusica reassured them.
"And … poor Gray," Bisca whispered. "He was really warming up to—"
Makarov loudly cleared his throat. Bisca clamped her mouth shut as the guild doors opened and Gray reenter the guild.
Natsu had stayed around, but away from the bassinet. He watched Gray, the way he dragged his feet, the misery in his face, and the weariness in his eyes. He wanted to leap up to check on him, but he also worried if Gray was mad at him.
"She robbed me too," Gray muttered to Makarov. "She must have broken into my apartment. When she was over that one time, when she first brought the baby and … and told me…" His face looked anguished. "I got her some cash to hold her over. She must have seen where I kept my money and memorized my safe's combination."
Bisca came up to him with motherly concern. "Gray…"
"I'm not that concerned about it, there wasn't much," he grumbled. "Just thought I should let you all know."
Makarov ordered, "Add that to the report we're filing with authorities. Because she stole quite a bit from the guild, we have to put out a search for her, and due to the suspicion of kidnapping, the military is getting involved."
"Kidnapping?" Gray whispered, and he glanced briefly at the bassinet, only to slam his eyes shut. The way the baby had looked so much like him had been horrifying, then heartwarming, a future he feared and wanted. Now?
"What am I supposed to do now?" he muttered to himself.
Only Natsu heard those quiet words, and it pierced him with guilt. Despite his better judgment, he got up and walked over to Gray. The stormy blue eyes flashed up to glare at him, enraged, yet filled with so much sadness.
"Did you know all along?"
Natsu hesitated, but he decided to be honest. "When we first saw Emilia and the baby in front of your apartment, he smelled like you, but in a weird way. He didn't just smell like your child, but exactly like you. So at first, I thought … I didn't want to believe it, and it was weird, but the smell was definitely there. When we came to the guild, it was the same smell, some unique baby smell but mixed with the scent of you, only the scent had faded. I thought that was weird, so I searched around the bassinet. I found a sock hidden inside that was definitely yours."
Gray recalled that while doing laundry that morning, he had come across a random sock in one of Natsu's pockets.
"As soon as I took the sock out, it was pretty clear that the baby did not smell like you, and once Emilia was away from the baby, I could tell that there was no smell at all of her either. I … I had no idea what to think," he said, looking frustrated, like he was losing a battle. "I knew what she probably did: broke into your apartment before the two of us arrived and stole an article of your clothing, purposely to throw off a Dragon Slayer's sense of smell."
Makarov hummed and nodded. "If she had planned to infiltrate Fairy Tail from the start, she would know that we have Dragon Slayers here, and she would have taken measures to trick your sense of smell."
Natsu looked straight into Gray's eyes. "I wanted to say something, but you looked so happy."
He slammed his eyes shut, thinking about the joy on Gray's face as he played with the baby.
Natsu suddenly cried out, "If I had said a baby that looked exactly like you was not your child, who would believe me? Lucy didn't even like the fact that I was growing suspicious of Emilia. I knew no one would believe it if I said, 'Hey, this baby isn't Gray's.' You'd think I was just being jealous. And then, you seemed like you really wanted to raise the kid, so … I … chickened out," he admitted. "I couldn't say it. I spent the past few days trying to figure out what to do, and now … now Emilia is gone, and the baby doesn't even look like you. Now, I have Wendy and Laxus to also say I'm not making this up, I'm not just a jealous boyfriend trying to make your ex look like a villain. Now," he whispered, "it's too late."
Makarov looked over to Freed. "If Laxus smelled that the baby did not belong to either Gray or Emilia, why didn't he say something?"
Freed shook his head, upset to find out his boyfriend had hidden something like this from everyone. "He and Natsu spoke on that day. Laxus harassed Natsu a little about wanting Gray to play Daddy, since it was making him happy. Then he told Natsu he should stick to whatever he felt was right. I could tell Laxus knew something—he was suspicious of Emilia and asked me to keep an eye on her—but she didn't act strangely in the least. At least, not while I was around." Freed looked regretful. "She was so skilled at fitting in, I have to conclude that this was not her first time doing infiltration work."
Gray glared at Natsu. "You wanted me to play Daddy?" His hands drew up into fists. "Do you know how terrified I was? Do you know how dealing with this fucked me up?" he screamed.
The baby started to cry at the shouts.
Natsu argued back, "You looked overjoyed to play with that kid. You said you wanted the baby to be yours alone."
"Because if I had to raise a kid, I didn't want some ex-girlfriend I barely remember involved. Shit, I was a mess because of this, and you said nothing."
Natsu looked down, unable to defend himself, because Gray was right. Even a sorry was not enough now. Then suddenly he saw a blur, followed by a fist slamming into his face and knocking him to the side. Makarov's hand grew massive, catching Natsu before he crashed into the table holding the bassinet. Frost swirled around Gray as he sneered in rage.
"You bastard," he whispered, and Gray turned away sharply, stomping out of the guild.
Bisca pouted. "Poor Gray. You should go after him, Natsu."
"No," the Fire Dragon Slayer whispered, rubbing out the painful bruise on his face. "He has every right to hate me. I didn't say anything, because … Gray was getting close to loving that child. He was learning to love, and that's not easy for him. Even though it wasn't his, the baby looked like him, and I thought that would be enough. I was okay with it." His head dropped in regret. "I was okay with him believing a lie, so long as it made him happy. That makes me just as guilty as if I had been the one lying to him."
Freed came up and patted Natsu on the back. "You didn't lie. You hid a truth that you thought would hurt him. You were trying to protect him. This has been a tough situation for you both. Perhaps there were no right or wrong ways to handle it. You did what you thought was best, and you know Gray better than anyone else. Give him time to cool off."
Natsu nodded in dejection, but just then Lucy raced through the doors.
"They found her! Emilia. She's been arrested, along with a whole gang she was working with."
Amidst a frenzy of questions, Natsu slipped away. He hardly cared anymore what happened to Emilia. All he worried about was if he had done something unforgivable, and if Gray would ever be able to love him again.
Three days later, the issue of the baby had calmed down. The money had been returned, and things were back to normal.
Except no one had seen Gray or Natsu in the guild since that fateful day.
So when Gray entered, people shouted out in surprise.
"Gray!" Mira rushed up to him, already looking worried. "How are you?"
"As good as I can be," he replied gruffly. "Where's Natsu? He wasn't at his house."
Mira pouted, realizing Gray must have calmed down and was ready to talk. Instead, he had to hear bad news. "Natsu went on a mission with Lucy and Happy. It was a far away one, and Natsu insisted on walking. It'll probably take them two or three weeks."
Gray sank slightly. "I see." Natsu must have also needed time away from the chaos. Gray realized, when Natsu honestly did think the baby was Gray's, he had been an emotional mess. It was after seeing the baby in the guild—when he had discovered the sock placed in the bassinet to mimic Gray's smell—that Natsu calmed down and was able to help Gray more with his anxiety. Still, this whole situation had been just as bad on Natsu as it was on him.
And his reaction had been to punch Natsu! Gray strongly felt a need to apologize, but now Natsu had forced some separation between them. Gray was left with emotional weariness, including guilt for that punch.
"I'm not sure if you've heard," Mira began hesitantly, "but Emilia was caught."
"I heard something about it from Lucy," he said, not even caring anymore.
"The money was returned." She handed Gray an envelop. "This is your share. If anything is missing, let us know."
He took the thick envelop filled with Jewel notes and stared at it blankly, almost like he could not decide if it was real, if anything at all about this whole situation was real.
Gray's hollow expression troubled Mira. "Emilia confessed to the theft and to kidnapping the baby from an orphanage. Apparently, she was in Hargeon to sell the baby to a trafficker, but then she bumped into you. It was pure coincidence, but it gave her the perfect opportunity to target something as big as Fairy Tail itself. She used transformation magic to make the baby look old enough to have been yours, and to give the baby your eyes and hair."
"His hair is purple," Gray said, remembering the baby he had seen. "And his eyes, orange. Orange and wide. Nothing like me," he said, anguish creeping into his voice.
Mira pitied him, but she went on. "Since the child has no family and already displays magic, Master set him up in an orphanage here in Magnolia, where many of the other orphan wizards were raised."
"I know the place," Gray muttered. He took a deep breath, absorbing all that. "Where are they keeping Emilia?"
"She's in the custody of the military now. Since this whole thing was an operation against a magic guild, and at least a few of her gang's members are wizards, it'll probably be judged and punished by the Magic Council."
"That's harsh," he muttered, but he had no feelings of pity, not after what that woman had put him through.
Without another word, Gray turned and left the guild hall. It was mid-August, the sun hot and the sky clear, yet Gray barely felt the warmth. He walked without really looking at the world around him until he came to the military barracks. It took some asking around, but finally he was allowed to visit Emilia.
She was behind bars, dressed in prisoner garb and wearing magic-sealing handcuffs. Her eyes were puffy, as if she had been crying, but as she faced Gray, she showed almost no emotion.
"Well, look who came," she said, her voice now cold and bitter, not at all like the bashful, awkward woman she had pretended to be. "I'm surprised. I figured you'd never want to see my face again."
"Part of me didn't," he admitted darkly. "However, something didn't make sense this whole time."
"Oh?" she asked smugly. "Do you mean wondering if you used a condom back when we slept together?"
"No," he muttered, vividly recalling that he had been drunk that night and did not use one. It was why buying her story was so easy. "The whole klutz act. I remember you from that night." His brow drew up at those erotic memories, now acidic in his mind. "You were anything but clumsy."
She laughed awkwardly. "I hope that's a compliment."
"So, how much was just lies?" he asked, glaring at her through the prison bars. "All of it? Being an accountant?"
"That's true," she said quickly. "That was my last job, before all this."
Gray's eyes narrowed. "You mean before kidnapping babies," he spat out in rage.
She shrugged, showing no remorse for her illegal activity. "I was an accountant, found a hole in my company's dealings, exploited it, and made away with a few million Jewels. When I met you," she said with a lecherous gaze, "I was living the high life. Clubs, parties, traveling around city to city, seeing the world, eating and drinking the finest life has to offer, with plenty of men and women to pleasure me. Lots of good sex," she said with a glint in her eyes. "I simply didn't give anyone my name and paid in cash, so no one could track me."
Gray scoffed and shook his head. "I bet I did catch gonorrhea from you."
She laughed reminiscently. "Yes, that was an issue. Slept with the wrong guy."
"That messed up my life for two weeks," he accused.
"You got over it," she said dismissively. "You were living life to the fullest, same as me, Gray Fullbuster."
"So what happened? How'd you get involved with a gang of thieves?"
"Police caught on," she admitted, "raided my bank account. For some idiotic reason, I didn't change my name and set up a new identity while I had the money to do something like that. So there I was, on the run from the police, totally broke, not a chance I could get another job, not after I embezzled millions. One of the guys I slept with … he was a real bad boy," she said fondly. "I went to him, desperate. I managed to convince him to make me part of his gang." She smiled slyly. "I have my ways."
"I bet," Gray grumbled, realizing she must have bribed her way in with sex. "So, did you make that baby look like me, or was that someone else in your little gang?"
"That was me. I have a little magic, learned how to do some basic transformations. My uncle was a wizard and gave me books on casting runes. I never had any formal training, didn't care for it, but transformation magic was handy when I was on the run. I could make myself look like anyone I want, which is how I escaped the police for so long."
Gray shook his head in disgust. It really was her choice to disguise the baby, not just being pressured by a gang.
Emilia went on, "We started with robberies, but there was always an element of danger in that. We found a way to make money that was less dangerous. You see, there are lots of orphans out there who never get parents, and there are plenty of people who want to adopt, but can't get through all the legal hurdles. They had the money, and we could get the kids. Mostly it's people from overseas. In other countries, Fiore children are in high demand. Apparently, we look exotic to them."
"So that's where you got him? Some orphanage?"
She nodded. "He was part of a set, twelve children, mostly babies. The buyer was in Hargeon ready to set sail, when … that little brat," she said with gritted teeth, "did some magic. Nothing major, but it scared the buyer. They took the other eleven, but at a cheaper price, and we couldn't get rid of him. That's when I bumped into you, totally by random, and I thought, I could do this, butter you up, use my transformation magic on the baby, maybe get a few Jewels off you for child support, and make up for my loses. Then you offered me a job. At Fairy Tail!" she said, still shocked by that generous move. "I knew I had scored. Of course, if I came in as I am, they wouldn't trust me. People are much more trusting when they think you're clumsy, pathetic … helpless. They like the idea of being generous to someone who can barely take care of themselves."
"So, it was all an act. Spilling drinks, breaking glasses…"
"And it worked," she gloated. "You Fairies took me right into the accounting room. That Mira! She was so happy to show me everything, unlocking the safe right in front of me. It was so easy."
Gray felt sick at the way she boasted about using them all, tricking them, and manipulating their generosity. "We took you in," he said, rage just under the surface of his words. "I gave you money! I … I changed that baby's diaper," he said, aching at the memory of those warm, paternal emotions.
"You were eating it up," she laughed. "I've never seen a guy fall in love with a baby so quickly."
Gray sneered and spun away, sickened that the love he had felt—and feared—had all been manipulated.
"The idea of fatherhood: you should have seen your eyes. As much as it scared you at first, you fell right into it, gleefully. That pink-haired Dragon Slayer was getting suspicious of me, but he didn't dare tell you the truth, not when you were so damn happy to have a son."
"Natsu," Gray muttered. Was this true? Had the joy he felt made Natsu not want to tell him the truth?
Emilia's smug face faltered as she saw the anguish in his face. For a moment, she looked ashamed. "You people … really are too good," she whispered. "I almost changed my mind. You would have taken me in, no questions asked. I couldn't find a job anywhere, not with my past, but you Fairies trusted me so easily. It … felt nice," she admitted quietly. "If you had known the truth about my crimes, you never would have trusted me. No one will. No one! You make one mistake in your youth, and it'll haunt you for the rest of your life. I'll go to jail, be released in a few years, and people still will never hire me. They'll still judge me. I'll be jobless, homeless." Tears came to her eyes. "I'll go right back into stealing, just to eat. I'll never…" Her face struggled with sadness. "I'll never be trusted again. Not like how you guys trusted me."
Gray looked back at her and saw the deep regret in her face. The bragging was gone. Now she looked truly haunted by a bleak future. "You don't know that. People are more willing to trust someone who has served time and repented than someone who did a crime and got away with it."
She laughed sardonically. "I doubt that. Only idiots trust that easily. So, I guess Fairy Tail will do the right thing and find that baby a family."
"There's an orphanage in town, a good place, specializes in children with magic. Many of us in Fairy Tail spent our childhoods there. He's there now."
She nodded, looking relieved. "I hope he finds a good family. I'm … sorry, Gray. If it means anything … you … you really are a gentleman, and I'm sorry I did that to you."
Gray inhaled deeply, trying hard to accept her honest words. "Thank you for telling me that. Maybe there's hope for you. By the way," he added, "what was the baby's name? You never said."
She shrugged. "I don't know. We just took the kids, we didn't look at records."
"So, he doesn't have a name, no family, anything?"
She looked up with a meek smile. "He has you."
Gray's mouth dropped. Him?
"And I hope, one day, he'll have all of Fairy Tail. You really are good people. Anyone would be lucky to have friends like yours."
Gray had no idea what to say to that. She sounded so sad, like she was realizing that a great chance for redemption had been lost. Still, Gray could not think she was completely evil. At least when it came to the baby, she sounded honestly concerned.
"Just a bit of a head's up," he said. "When you're released from jail, there's a man named Jellal. Look for him. You may be untrained, but your magic froze all of Fairy Tail, and your transformation magic tricked even Mira, who can do advanced level transformations. That's pretty good. Jellal runs a small guild. Their specialty is reforming former convicts."
She laughed and shook her head. "Become a wizard? My father hated my uncle because he had magic. He forbade me from joining a guild, and instead got me that accounting job, someplace mundane so I could just forget about magic. Doing it as a career?" She chuckled with a glint in her eyes. "I guess I can rebel against my parents once again."
"Just don't fall back into darkness, okay? When you get out of jail, stay on the side of good, seek redemption for your past."
Her eyes began to water over. "Y-You're … It sounds like … you're giving me another chance."
"After you serve your time," he said sternly. "I'm still furious at you for what you did to all of us, but Fairy Tail is good at forgiveness. Jellal of Crime Sorcière: look them up. Tell them Gray sent you." He turned and began to walk away.
"Gray," she called out.
He paused, but he did not turn back around. He had to put this all behind him, so he continued to walk away from the prison bars. Still, he heard a quiet whisper.
"I'm so sorry."
He closed his eyes at the sound of remorse in her voice, but he kept on walking.
Gray stepped out of the jail, and the world felt surreal. It was not the same as his usual panic attacks. Instead, he felt unnaturally calm, empty inside, no more hate, no more fears, just … empty.
While he felt like this, he set his boots toward another building, and after walking through town in a daze, he came to the orphanage. A lady at the front desk was shocked to see him.
"Gray Fullbuster? My, you've grown since you last walked through these doors."
"Matron," he greeted. "I heard you took in a new baby."
"Oh my, yes. A sweet little thing, a bit of a scandal at the guild, I hear."
"Something like that," he muttered. "May … May I see him?"
Her eyes softened. "Of course, dear. Come with me. He's in the nursery."
Gray followed her through hallways that were familiar. When he had traveled from his northern village down to Fairy Tail, he had been only a child, filled with anger issues and frequent nightmares from the memory of his parents being killed by Deliora. Since he obviously could not live on his own, he stayed here, along with Cana, Erza, and later Natsu.
This orphanage really was like a second home for his generation, who had mostly joined Fairy Tail as children.
This matron had black hair back then, and although the years had aged her, he felt the same warmth from her. He saw crayon drawings on walls and a few classrooms where magic was being taught. He remembered racing down this hallway with Natsu, only to be scolded—
"Don't run!"
He flattened himself against the wall as he saw two children, no older than ten, racing one another. He watched with a warm sense of reminiscence. How often had she yelled that at him and Natsu?
Finally, they arrived at the nursery. There were not many babies, only four, with one caretaker for all of them, although she looked happy as she changed a diaper. Gray immediately noticed the child with light purple hair.
The matron let him into the room, and Gray's feet now felt heavy. Why was he here? He had no connection to this child anymore. He was free from the fears of an early fatherhood. What drew him here? A battle raged in his heart as his feet slowly plodded toward the crib.
The eyes that turned to him were not his. They were like a setting sun, like pumpkins and fall leaves, wide and innocent. It pained him to see those eyes and not have his own reflecting back, yet somehow these were still the same eyes that had looked up to him. The baby smiled and clapped at seeing a familiar face.
"He's obviously happy to see you again," the matron said, smiling down at the baby. "Did you spend a lot of time with him before he came here?"
"Not that much," Gray whispered. He had barely seen the baby that first day and feared touching him the second day, yet after a bit of time, things like holding him, feeding him, and even changing his diaper felt weirdly natural. He had thought that was only because he was forcing himself to fit into a fatherly role, but now…
Now…
Gray stretched his hand down, and the baby grabbed hold. A bittersweet smile strained on Gray's face. He stroked the purple hair. Even though the color was different, it felt the same, just as soft and wispy.
The matron watched as a tempest of emotions flooded Gray's eyes, making his lids burn pink as he held back tears. Those wistful eyes and his tender smile let her know that this meeting was important to Gray.
"Would you like to hold him?"
Gray jolted back, stunned to feel a single wet line down his cheek. He quickly wiped away the stray tear. "No, it's fine. I just wanted to see that he was okay."
The matron came up and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, like she had done many times when he was a child and had woken up with nightmares. "Makarov told me about the unfortunate misunderstanding the little darling's mother put you through."
"She wasn't the mother. She was just some kidnapper," he said harshly.
She rubbed his arm comfortingly. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," he said, his voice almost failing him as his throat choked up. Gray swallowed hard as something acrid burned in his chest.
"You can come back any time, until he's adopted."
"Adopted," he whispered. For some reason, the idea of this child being raised by a stranger angered him. Although the best thing would be for him to find a home, Gray could not fight this invisible jealousy. "Matron, is it possible to reserve a baby for adoption?"
She arched an eyebrow. "Reserve?"
"Yeah, like … like if someone knows they want to adopt, and they know precisely which child they want, but they're not ready. Not yet." He looked at the baby as many thoughts flew through his head, a whole future of possibilities.
This was crazy. This was stupid. This was everything he had feared. Why was he saying this? He barely knew, the words just came out, yet he felt nailed to the ground as he gazed at the child.
"There is a process for qualifying for adoption," she told him. "That alone can take some time."
"But if I know I want a certain child. If I know," he emphasized.
She smiled with gentle understanding. "It's normal that you fell in love with the child you thought was yours. Why even put him in an orphanage to begin with? You could start the adoption process right now."
"Like I said, I'm not ready. The place where I live, my current lifestyle: I'm not in any condition to raise a baby. Not on my own. But, maybe with…" His throat clenched up again, and his fist tightened with fears and hopes. "Things might change. Between us, things have definitely changed, and in the right direction, and … well, we'd have to discuss it, but … maybe…"
"Oh! Do you plan on marrying?"
"Marrying?" he gasped, partly in horror, partly in shock as his face turned red.
"I must admit, adopting a child to a married couple is easier than getting approval for a single parent."
Gray said nothing. He just looked at that baby, wishing he knew what to do next.
Adoption. Marriage. This is crazy! What in the world am I thinking?
The matron saw his inner turmoil and decided not to pry anymore. "Well, it's rare, but it can be arranged. Not for long, mind you. We also need some sort of insurance that this child will be adopted."
"A down payment?"
She frowned. "That's a horrible term to use in regard to a child. We would need money to raise him in lieu of eventual adoption."
"Child support," he said, nodding solemnly. "Makes sense. I was more than ready to pay her." He patted the envelope Mira gave him. "I've got money. Take it. I'd rather pay someone else, knowing the kid will get the best care and not just be taken advantage of for the money she can get out of me. A lot of our guild mates were raised in this orphanage, including me, so I know you guys are kind to children. I trust him here more than anywhere else."
She took the envelop. "I'll get paperwork started and put together some pamphlets for you to read. I'll warn you, Gray: I'm going to really make sure you're prepared before you adopt him. Don't think I've forgotten what sort of child you were, fighting Natsu all the time and sneaking into the kitchens to drink chocolate milk with Cana."
He laughed at the old memories. "Maybe that's why adoption feels easier." Easier than being told he had impregnated someone and was forced to be a father. Now, things were on his terms. "I've not even discussed this with Natsu, though," he realized. "I will when he gets back."
Natsu wanted a family. Happy said Natsu wanted to adopt. Gray smiled to himself as he thought about surprising Natsu with the news.
Of course, first he had to apologize for punching him first.
Gray reached down into the crib again, and this time the baby grabbed his fingers, squealing with delight to have caught hold.
"He's already strong," Gray said, and he smiled tenderly. "He'll grow up to be a great wizard; I can sense the magic in him. I want…"
He wanted to train this child, teach him everything he knew, pass on his legacy, just as Ur had passed her legacy onto him and Lyon. One day, when the child mastered Ice Make magic, perhaps he would pass on Silver's legacy as well and train the boy as a Devil Slayer. Properly, this time. Without all the darkness.
Gray sensed the deep well of magic inside the baby, that same strength that had made him so sure this really was his son. Perhaps he was not the genetic father, but he could still raise the boy as his own son, just like how Ur had raised him, and how Igneel had raised Natsu. They knew more than anyone how wonderful adopted parents could be, parents who truly wanted a child, not forced to have one.
The matron smiled at how thoughtful Gray looked. She was glad to see someone so young taking this sort of life-altering decision with grave seriousness. "You know, the little darling doesn't even have a name. Makarov left that part blank in the paperwork. Did the woman ever say?"
"No," Gray realized. "She just kept calling him your son, and the guild began to call him Gray Junior so quickly, I didn't get a chance to ask for a real name. She told me just now, he didn't really have one, or if he did, it was lost when he was kidnapped from his previous orphanage."
"I've gotten no documents from another facility, so his name is still blank. It's common, especially for infants, that the new parents name the baby. Would you perhaps like to suggest a name? Gray is a lovely name."
"Oh, hell no!" he said, shivering at the idea of raising a child with his own name.
Gray looked at the infant, but he said nothing for a long time. He once argued with Natsu that he was not ready to have children around, even Happy. He had been wild, too focused on sexual needs, not ready to share his time or to tone down his sadistic desires. He really had been addicted to sex back then. So much had changed.
Now…
He thought about what Happy said, that he thought of Gray as a second father, that Natsu sometimes asked Happy if he wanted a brother, and his confession to Happy that sometimes he liked to think of the little Exceed as a kid he and Natsu could raise together.
Now…
He looked at the bright orange eyes, like fall leaves, and the purple hair, like a field of lavender ready for harvesting. Then he looked down at the promise bracelet, the amethyst stone in the middle, a blend of Natsu's red summer fire and his blue winter ice.
Pale purple, just like the hair of this boy. And those eyes, like the autumn that comes between summer and winter.
"Akibare," he whispered.
"What a unique name!" the matron praised. "Little Aki can stay with us for up to one year, but after that I really would need to find him a family. Older children have the hardest times finding parents."
"One year," he whispered, never taking his eyes off the baby. "I understand." He stroked the fuzzy tuft of hair as he gazed into those sunset orange eyes. "I'm not your father by blood but … someday…" Gray smiled as the baby cooed sweetly. "Akibare," he whispered.
Clear Autumn Day!
End of Chapter 73
A/N: Akibare 秋晴 means "clear autumnal weather." Aki 秋 means autumn, bare 晴 means clear day. It's a play on Natsu (summer) and Gray (the color of the winter sky). His name was almost Amejisuto アメジスト which means amethyst, but I felt that was not a good name.
Talking about names: "Emilia" means rival or ambitious, as in she's a bit of a rival for Natsu and too ambitious for her own good. Her gang mate "Morfran" is a demon in Welsh mythology, and the gang leader (Emilia's bad boy lover) "Kasdeya" is also named for a demon, particular one known as the "fifth Satan." Oddly enough (and unintentional when I first picked that name) Kasdeya was a demon who came up with a birth control draught for women. Ironic, considering all of this revolves around an alleged illegitimate child, the fact that Gray did not use a condom with her (and got an STD... use condoms, folks!) but she said she was on birth control, so he never guessed that she could have gotten pregnant. She didn't, though. She just lied about it. Bitch.
AUDIO DRAMA (the return of Rhov's baby-talk LOL!) - https://chirb.it/dpAqhe
I wish I had noted who gave me this idea, but I copied down the conversation, and it's been waiting years to come to life. This was the original request:
"You could also throw in a mega scare for Gray where a past woman lover comes to the guild demand Gray for child support since she has a kid with her. This could throw the guild in a uproar and Gray terrified of what Natsu thinks. Natsu could have a rare moment of genius where he asks something like "Is there a test to tell if a kid is real someone's?" And later is could be revealed that woman was trying to use Gray to get money since she's a prostitute and the kid was from a client of hers'. This event could show Natsu's faith in Gray and finally open both there eyes to fact they're not leaving each other."
This suggestion was given to me YEARS ago, way BEFORE Hiro Mashima wrote that Dragon Slayers can actually smell a similarity between parents and their children. So the request was changed around to accommodate the canon. That's how long I've been waiting to get to this part of the story. YEARS!
And that reminds me of just how long FMBM has been around. My God, people who began to read it in high school are now out of college and married! I'm getting old...
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