Gratsu: a long job

Chapter 7: Revelations

(A/N: hey again! It seemed sorta mean to not update for awhile after I got a couple of noooooooos from chapter six. Besides, what better to do late at night before an 11 hour school day?

Okay if you haven't heard it, listen to Peter Hollens sing I See Fire. It is probably the most beautiful song I have ever heard xD It's from the second Hobbit movie but it fits into this story well.)

The group rushed back to Ulfang's hut. Natsu was carrying an unconscious gray. It wasn't far. They ran with an unprecedented urgency.

Ulfang's hut was dark. No one was inside.

"Damn. We need to cure Gray! But how?"

"Oh! I know! Let's go to the town library! There should be something about zombies there!" Lucy smiled at this thought. She really was the brains of the operation, despite everyone thinking she's a ditsy blond.

"Okay you and I will go to the library. Natsu, take Gray and try to find Ulfang." Erza grabbed Lucy by the arm and ran off.

Erza POV:

Lucy was strangely quiet on the way to the library. Even in hard times a trip to the library would always excite her.

"Lucy, what's wrong?"

"Hm? Oh well Gray's going to become a member of the undead." She said angrily. Lucy looked down at her running feet sadly.

"There's something else, isn't there?" I've heard the rumors that I'm cold and emotionless, but I can read my friends very well.

"I'm just thinking; Natsu and Gray hate each other, right?" At this I gave her a curious look. "Because I don't think I've ever seen Natsu so worried." I see. She hasn't known Natsu and Gray for very long, she wouldn't know.

"Natsu and Gray love each other." Lucy stopped in her tracks.

"WHAT?!?" Why is she freaking out? I thought it was obvious.

"Everyone thinks they hate each other, even they do. But every once in a while, you see what's actually going on. Gray and Natsu both lost their parents and the people who looked after them once their parents died. I remember, Gray arrived at fairy tail a year or two before I did. He was angry all the time. I didn't see him smile once. He was alone. He and I didn't take a liking to each other. I guess neither of us were willing to warm up and drop our barriers for someone else. Then Natsu came." I chuckled at the memory. "He was so in-your-face, he started a fight with Gray instantly. I broke this up, of course, fighting is bad. It wrecks the guild hall, it's bad for unity and comradery, and so on.

Anyways, after I tossed them at a wall and sat back down to enjoy some cake, I noticed Natsu said something to Gray. And then, Gray smiled. After that, Gray became less shy. The two were always fighting, but you could see how much respect they had for each other. Hahaha, there was even a phase when Gray would stalk Natsu after a job to make sure he didn't screw up and get hurt." I wiped a happy nostalgic tear from my eye. "They need each other. They keep each other in check, and they make each other stronger." They felt like little brothers to me, and I let a grin slip out as I realized how proud I was of them.

I gasped as I had a sudden realization, "Don't tell them I said that! They're completely in denial."Lucy laughed, cheered up by my story. I quietly scolded myself for my sappiness.

"Oh hey, is this the library?"Lucy pointed, her voice perking up. I laughed at my friend's odd quirks and ran inside.

We had been searching for a while, but we hadn't yet found anything zombie related. Suddenly, my thoughts switched on a light bulb.