Silence

9

What sucks about Gray is that we are close friends. Knowing the fact that I'm already going to his wedding is going to be a dread. Seeing him become Juvia's husband up close is way worse.

What's also horrific is that the wedding day is approaching.

In fact, the whole guild is required to help plan this thing out. I think it's stupid. The girls are so happy for Juvia. They keep saying their congratulations over and over again. I just snort.

It makes me wonder: How long can Gray deal with Juvia after they get married? I know, I sound like a horrible person, but if your crush married their stalker then what would you be thinking?

I looked over to the table towards the guild doors, only to see all the girls gossiping about what kind of dress Juvia was going to wear. Said person was sitting in between Lucy and Erza blushing madly like a tomato.

Erza wore a weird face as she drew on a medium sized drawing book. Her eyes were wide and her lips curled up into a creepy grin when she finished. Erza showed the picture to Juvia for approval, only for a small, squeaky "No" to come out of her mouth.

I could hear Erza growl and all the other girls giggling. Knowing Erza, the dress might have been a little too revealing.

I wanted to see what the scarlet would draw next, so I stood up from my seat and made my way over to her. I stood behind her and looked over her shoulder. She was looking at her previous drawing to see what might have made Juvia say no, but she shook her head and moved on.

"I need to focus on getting you the perfect dress, Juvia. Even if my life depends on it, you will look your best at the wedding," Erza said, earning a nervous groan from the bluenette. I laughed a little and watched as Erza began to draw.

The torso turned out okay. Pretty normal like a wedding dress. But the bottom was what probably got Juvia. I actually understood.

Erza made the skirt too short. Along with that, there was supposed to be holes in it. Her lips curved up into another creepy smile as she showed the picture to Juvia and the others, making them sweatdrop. They all shook their heads no.

"Let me see that," I said, snatching the book from Erza and earning a glare from her. I sat down next to the scarlet and began to focus.

I don't know why I was drawing a dress for Juvia. I really didn't want her to get married to Gray of all people. I still considered her as my friend, however, and I would do anything to make her happy. Just like I do for all my other friends.

I finished the torso and moved down to the skirt. I told Juvia to stand, and she did. I took a brief look at her and started on the length. I made the front shorter than the back so it could hang and she wouldn't trip over her skirt when she walked down the isle.

I added a few lacing and stitching designs to the dress so it wouldn't be so blank. I also added a few ruffles here and there to make it a little more fancy.

I smiled when I finished. I liked what I did. But my smile went away as soon as I realized why I was doing this. I showed the picture to Juvia who looked at it carefully. Every other girl at the table looked at the picture, then back at Juvia to see if she approved.

I was getting nervous. I really liked the dress, and I wanted her to like it. She then smiled as stars filled her eyes. She jumped over Erza and squeezed me tightly, and it made me want to gag.

"Thank you so much Natsu! I will take this to the tailor immediately!" With that, the girl sprinted out of the guild hall. All the girls looked at me with concerned and confused looks.

Lucy then spoke, "Natsu? Are you gay?"

I gulped at the sudden question. My face flushed. I didn't know. I guess I liked Gray. It made me wonder...

"Lucy, don't mess with him like that. He probably doesn't even know what that is!" Erza laughed. She placed an elbow on my shoulder. Her smile instantly went away—she most likely felt me shaking a little. She cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow. Her face began to lean in closer to me as she glared into my eyes.

"Are you not telling me something? I can tell when you're keeping secrets," Erza said. Her glared was like needles all over my body. All I'm saying is that her stare was sharper than a knife. A single drop of sweat rolled down my forehead as my face flushed a brighter version of red. I tried to look anywhere else but her eyes. However, her face was too close to my own.

I was squealing on the inside. I didn't know what to say. I only designed a dress for a friend! Was I not allowed? What was the big deal anyways? Did they really need to know? Whatever it was, it was really freaking me out. I heard a sigh come from Lisanna's mouth.

"Erza, don't put pressure on him."

Erza's head snapped in Lisanna's direction.

"Are you saying he's not keeping something from me?" Lisanna shook her head no. She looked into my eyes and smiled.

"I know he's keeping something from us, too. But he doesn't need to tell us about it. Let him talk when he feels like it, okay?" Lisanna suddenly became my hero. Erza raised an eyebrow, grunted, and looked at me.

"Sorry Natsu," she apologized. I nodded in understanding and gave her a small smile. I then stood up and went back to my table.

For some odd reason, I felt eyes on me. Like I was being stalked by someone. I looked around the guild hall to see if anyone was looking at me. I only saw Mira cleaning. All the other guys seemed to have gone on missions while the girls were gathered around that one single table.

I felt a swift brush run through my hair, making me shiver. I looked to my left to see Gray making his way over to the bar. I didn't even notice him here in the guild hall!

But something had fell from his face. Something shiny and small. A few more small sparkling substances fell along as well. They splattered all over the guild hall floor, one by one.

Were those tears?

I stared at the back of his head as it moved further away. If those were tears then why was he crying? I looked down at the table only to reach into my pocket. I pulled out the crystal Mirajane had given me not even a few weeks ago.

The whole time I've had it, nothing had really changed. Although Mira said it was supposed to, I think she said that just to try and get my hopes up. But then again, I didn't remember the last time the silver had lied to me.

I ran my thumb across the edge of it just to get the feeling of its texture. It was soft and smooth, but rock solid. For some odd reason, it made me smile.

I puffed out some air and lifted the crystal from under the table. I looked at it, examining it closely. A small gasp came out of my mouth as I noticed one, small change.

The red color was spreading.