11 Months Since Tartaros
Amber was only gone for two days and she came back to what looked like a minor disaster. Parts of the town were wrecked, but the clearest victim had been the Lamia Scale guild hall; it was missing a statue and a large chunk of its left side.
"What the hell happened here?" She called out as she stepped into the building. Her eyes scanned over the group that was standing just inside the doors: Lyon, Shelia, Yuka, Toby, Wendy, Carla, Lucy, Happy, and Natsu. She blinked a few times at the few she hadn't seen in nearly a year before sighing. "Nevermind. I can guess what happened."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Natsu questioned as a few of the Lamia Scale bunch chuckled. It was common knowledge that things tended to get broken when the Salamander was involved. Wendy, Lucy, and the Exceeds all sighed.
"But still," Amber looked at the pink-haired male, "what are you guys doing here?"
Natsu grinned, "We came to get you guys. We're bringing Fairy Tail back."
Her heart skipped. This was amazing news, but she couldn't help but feel bad about leaving everyone here behind, especially seeing that Natsu at least had something to do with the current state of their guild hall. Her eyes wandered over to lock with a pair of dark eyes.
"This was always the arrangement when the three of you joined." Lyon spoke calmly.
Natsu asked, "It was?"
"We always said we'd be part of their guild until Fairy Tail reformed." Carla explained.
There wasn't much more that needed to be said. Wendy had started getting teary eyed as she headed off to get her things from the apartment she had been sharing with Shelia and Carla. The others from Fairy Tail went with them to help cheer her up once Amber promised that she would meet them back at the guild within half an hour.
The Blood mage was still staying in the apartment that she had originally shared with Wendy and Carla when they moved to Marguerite. The other two had only moved out when Sherry got married and moved in with Ren. Even though she hadn't known the girl for very long, Amber wasn't the biggest fan of Shelia living on her own. Carla agreed with the idea and Wendy didn't want to intrude on Amber's space. The older mage didn't mind having her around, but the bluenette still felt like she was being a bother sometimes.
A sigh escaped her as she entered the studio for the last time. She hadn't brought a lot with her when she left Magnolia. Since she shared a house with Verani, there was no need for her to pack up everything she owned.
"You need any help?"
Turning, she found the owner of that familiar voice leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed lazily.
"No. I really only have some clothes to pack." Amber pulled her travel bag from the bottom of her closet as she started wrapping everything over its hanger before adding it to the bag. "You didn't have to check up on me, you know."
"Did I?"
Lyon was watching her as she moved to collect her things, politely going to look out the window when she moved to empty her dresser. There had been something in her chocolate eyes when they had looked at each other that told him that something was on her mind.
"I'm fine, Lyon." She paused with a sigh, "I just guess I wasn't prepared to get attached to this place."
That was when he decided to push his luck, "Was it the place you got attached to?"
Amber peeked over her shoulder to find him still looking out the window. She knew what he was trying to say, but she kind of wished that he would just come out and say it. The two had been a team on and off for nearly the last year and they had even hung out together outside of their job quests, she knew what he was thinking. It was the same way that he seemed to know how to act or what to say when he found her walking the streets in the morning when she couldn't sleep. Amber was almost certain that he had started just walking around that early in case she was up.
"Maybe," she muttered as she went back to putting the last few items in her bag.
Hearing the zipper, Lyon finally turned back to face her as she pulled her pack onto her back. She scanned over the room to make sure that she wasn't forgetting anything important.
"I suppose you're ready then."
"Yeah." Amber finally let her gaze meet his as he held the door open for her to exit.
||~x~||
The other group still hadn't returned to Lamia Scale when the pair arrived. Everyone else was inside working on the plans to help rebuild the damage not just to the guild hall, but to the town as well.
"So what exactly happened while I was gone?"
Lyon paused to look up at the crackled structure, "Orochi Fin decided to attack after the festival."
"Wait, so Natsu didn't destroy everything?"
"Surprisingly, he only destroyed the beasts they let loose in the city, but he also went after their leader who never set foot inside the city limits."
"So he did cause damage, but he was too far away. Got it." She nodded.
His gaze shifted back to the building. "I guess this will be our last conversation for a while."
"Yeah..." her voice trailed as she stared ahead. She didn't need to admit that he had been right earlier, it wasn't really the guild that she was going to miss. Lamia Scale didn't hold that special place in her heart like Fairy Tail did. But maybe some of its guild members did now.
"Here."
She was snapped out of her trance, turning to find the pale-haired mage facing her now.
Lyon pulled his hand from his pocket as he held a fist out toward her. Amber quirked a brow, but still extended her hands to catch whatever he was offering. Gently, he placed a snowflake-shaped charm in her palms.
"So you don't forget about us while you're trying to keep all of them in line."
A calm smile came to her lips. She didn't need to call him out, she knew that they both understood without saying a word.
But that didn't mean she was going to pass up the opportunity to tease him a bit.
"I wasn't planning on forgetting you, Lyon." She tucked the charm into her pocket, "You're kinda hard to forget."
"In a good way or bad?"
Her smile returned, "Good."
"I'm glad." A kind smile pulled at the Ice mage's lips. It wasn't exactly the way he had planned it, but he couldn't really complain with this outcome.
It wasn't long after that that the other five returned with Wendy and Carla's things and they all said their goodbyes, the Sky Dragon Slayer getting teary eyed again.
"Farewell," Lyon gave them a smile, "and best of luck with rebuilding Fairy Tail."
"Thanks!" Natsu flashed his signature smile.
Lyon nodded, "Give Gray my regards."
The large group turned to leave as Lucy mumbled something to herself.
Shelia stepped forward, waving after them, "Bye, Wendy! I'll miss you!"
"Bye!" The bluenette waved back, "I'll miss you, too!"
"Take care of her, Amber."
The dark-haired mage rolled her eyes as she raised a hand over her shoulder in response, "Same to you, Lyon."
||~x~||
Amber recognized the rain long before they found the Rainwoman who was causing it. Her chest ached at seeing her old friend so broken. She was also incredibly worried now that they had gotten her inside and found that she was sick from standing out in the rain for so long.
"She's burning up." Wendy sat down on the stool beside Juvia's bed.
Carla stood awkwardly to the side as her clothes dried, "Of course. Everyone knows you shouldn't spend so much time standing in the rain."
The others looked around, even asking if Juvia had been living in this house or this village on her own. Natsu sniffed the air, "I'm picking up a faint whiff of Gray, too."
"Is he hiding from us?" Happy asked.
"No." Juvia continued to stare up at the ceiling, "You asked if I was living here alone. In truth, Gray and I shared it. Just us two."
A faint smile pulled at the corners of Amber's lips. She knew how happy that had made the Water mage, but it also just led her to more questions, especially when Juvia explained the sudden change in Gray's behavior before he disappeared.
"I'm sorry," Wendy whispered.
Natsu also chimed in, "What kind of a jerk up and leaves like that?"
Amber raised a brow as Lucy squinted at him, "I can think of one."
"At least I left behind a will."
Happy nearly rolled his eyes, "Pretty sure that was just a note."
"Still," Lucy put her hands on her hips as she fully turned to face him, "you took off one day without so much as a warning. How do you think that affected me?"
Natsu's body went rigid as he prepared himself for what he was about to hear.
"Honestly, it made me feel..."
But Juvia cut her off, "Do you have to flirt with him in front of us?"
"I'm not flirting!"
Amber couldn't help the faint smile that came to her lips, 'Kia would be teasing the two of them relentlessly right now.'
As happy as the thought was, it also brought an ache in her chest.
"I promise I'll find him. For you and the rest of us. We're gonna get everyone back together." Natsu's declaration pulled her back into the room. "And I ain't stopping until we're a guild again."
||~x~||
The girls all stood under the house's overhang as they let Juvia have some peace to try and get some sleep. Natsu had stepped out into the rain again, staring off.
"I hope some rest will help her feel better."
Amber rested a hand on Wendy's shoulder as Carla stated what they all knew, "Finding Gray would be far more effective."
Lucy felt guilty, "I tried my best, but I wasn't able to keep tabs on him."
Amber turned to comfort the other girl as well, but stopped when her gaze passed over the pink-haired Dragon Slayer who was standing out in the rain. His posture, the way he was staring off into the distance in thought, it clearly reminded her of a sight she had seen many times before.
Happy looked up at his friend, "You're being unusually quiet over there, Natsu."
"Just thinking about our next move." He paused, letting the rain continue to wash over him before he turned back to the rest of the group. "We're gonna pay Sabertooth a visit."
||~x~||
The rain hadn't let up, but then again Amber didn't expect it to. Even if Juvia was sleeping, her emotions were strong; they always had been. The Blood mage could easily remember how things were when the two of them were little. Toddlers running around in the park, jumping in the endless array of puddles that always seemed to follow them. Amber had always had a love for the rain, which was probably the reason why the little girl had attached herself to the bluenette. Even back then, Juvia let her emotions drive her, but that had been expected seeing as what her magic was. She could be as unpredictable as the weather.
"This is bad." Wendy muttered as she focused on her magic, "For some reason, my healing magic isn't working on her fever."
Amber stepped over and rested a hand on her shoulder, "It'll be okay, Wendy."
"We can only hope and pray that the others find some useful information from Sabertooth." Carla stood on the table near the door, her eyes still fixed in the direction the other three had left from.
The Sky Dragon Slayer nodded, her confidence returning, "We'll take care of everything here as best as we can. But they need to find Gray and bring him back soon."
"They will." Amber gave Wendy's shoulder a light squeeze.
||~x~||
The trio had stopped to rest on their way to this Avatar cult's hideout. Lucy had some information that she could share regarding what she had heard about them, but it was just the basics. One being their idolization of a certain Black Wizard.
Natsu asked, "Devoted to Zeref?"
"I'm not sure if he has anything to do with them, but as I understand it, the members of Avatar worship him like a god."
"So they're just a bunch of Zeref's flunkies? This is gonna be fun!" His signature grin covered his face as his mind started piecing other things together. He wondered if what Future Rogue had told him was true after all, but now he had another reason to storm Avatar: maybe they knew what had happened to his sister.
"But I still don't get why you think Gray would ever join up with a creepy group like that."
Happy agreed with Lucy, "Yeah, it doesn't make sense to me."
Hearing them, but still in his thoughts, Natsu stood to walk over to the treeline. How was he supposed to explain what he knew and the fact that he hadn't told anyone over the last year? What was the best way to break the news to them without completely breaking their faith in the Ice-Make wizard?
"Is that him trying to think?"
Lucy sighed a little dejected, "He really can't tell us, huh?"
"Naw, I'll tell you what's going on." Natsu didn't move, unsure if he could face either of them as he spoke, "It's all because of what Future Rogue said to me."
His mind wandered back through the event, not really hearing anything that was said behind him. It still sounded wrong when he thought about it. How could Gray kill Frosch? There was no way that the Gray he knew and had grown up with would do such a thing, but Future Rogue had seemed so genuine when he said it. He was pleading for Natsu to save the little green Exceed. And then there was everything that Juvia had told them.
"Come on, Natsu," Lucy's sharp tone pulled him back, "don't keep us in suspense! Are you going to tell us what Rogue said or what?"
He turned and walked back over to the pair, "A year after the Grand Magic Games, meaning right now, Gray's supposed to be our enemy."
"No way!" they both stared at him, waiting for the joke.
"So I thought if we went where Rogue and Frosch were supposed to go, we'd run into him there."
"But didn't we successfully change the version of the future that Rogue came from?" Lucy stared at the ground, trying to make sense of it, "That shouldn't be possible anymore."
"Yeah, I don't know for certain, but right now, this is the only lead that I have to go on."
The Celestial wizard was completely disheartened now, "I can't imagine him being our enemy." And it was true, she couldn't imagine anyone she had ever seen wearing the Fairy Tail emblem as an enemy.
Natsu continued talking, trying to help her make sense of the situation. "You heard what Juvia said. Gray had those black markings all over him. They were on him when we fought Mard Geer, too. I'm not sure, but I think the way he was given his Demon Slayer magic may have involved him getting taken over by some kind of demon."
"Oh no..." Lucy mumbled.
His own words echoed in his head, taken over by some kind of demon. But if he started thinking like that, what did that mean for Kia? Amber hadn't said it outright, but she had never disputed what Gray had assumed.
"It'll be okay, Lucy." He rested his hand on her head as he reassured himself as well. "Cause no matter what happens, Gray's always gonna be one of us."
"You're right."
"Aye-aye, Sir!"
'Kia will be too.'