I Leave You, My Pride

Limitations

Gray had begun to settle in at Jellal and Erza's home. As her pregnancy advanced, he helped out around the house. Months passed by quickly, and soon Erza had to stop doing missions. Gray helped the couple out by paying rent, buying groceries, and he even assisted Jellal in setting up the baby room. He spent most of his time at the guild, laughing with the gang, drinking matches with Cana, and of course freezing the pants off Natsu whenever the flame-brain annoyed him.

He could almost pretend everything was back to normal, except he would turn to the counter where Lucy always sat, about to ask her who was right, him or Natsu, only to see the seat empty. Or he would see a flier on the mission board that he knew would be perfect for Lucy ... if only she was still there.

It wasn't quite back to normal, but Gray was determined to fix that!

All other free moments were spent training with his Celestial Spirits, summoning Plue whenever he needed company, listening to Lyra sing, or getting to know his new Spirits more. He had Auriga the Charioteer race Jet, although he lost. He went hiking with the Strauss siblings and used Pyxis to guide them. He called out Draco the Dragon purely to annoy Natsu.

When he could get a moment to himself, Gray meditated, trying to get stronger. He often tried to summon the powerful Zodiac Spirits, but it still severely drained him. Simply calling out Taurus left him magic-deprived for a week.

Jellal warned him about focusing too much on one magical form and not advancing his main Ice-Make magic, but Gray admittedly felt a little cocky. His ice magic was the best in Fiore, or at least equal to Lyon's. He had trained his whole life in how to shape magic, so he felt he could rely on that for now while he learned celestial summoning.

It was a decision he would soon regret.

It was late summer, the season of Leo, and Gray had already begun searching for a place to live in preparation for Erza's baby. He did not want to be around for all that, lest he get stuck changing diapers and 2 A.M. feedings. On that particular day, he was helping Jellal in the little garden behind their house. Droy had given them some zucchini seeds earlier in the year, and the plants were thriving a little too well. Gray was beginning to hate the smell of cooking zucchini.

They had just gathered another basket full of the long, green vegetables when Gray heard a strange yet oddly familiar sound. Purely on instinct, he raised his hands.

"Ice-Make: Shield!"

Jellal must have been lost in thought, worried about Erza and the baby, because he looked up belatedly just as a magic bullet cracked the outer edge of the icy shield.

Then came shouts. They both leaped to their feet, magic ready for what was obviously an attack. The invaders now leaping over the fence were vile, harsh, with foul mouths and evil glints in their eyes. Gray took up a defensive stand and began to chill the air around him. Then, on an after-thought, he pulled out his keyring instead.

"Open the Gate of the Archer! Sagittarius!"

There was a poof. "Moshi-moshi!"

Jellal's hands glowed with his magic circle. "Gray, this isn't your fight. Stand down."

"The hell I will!"

"Then use Ice-Make magic, for heaven's sake! It's far more appropriate in battle, and it's what you're good at doing."

Gray stubbornly ignored that. He was getting good at celestial summoning as well. He would prove it!

A scar-faced man in a long cloak stepped forward. "Well, well! Jellal Fernandes. It wasn't that hard to hunt you down. Do you really think you can escape into a simple domestic life after all the sins you've committed?"