Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters, but the ideas I use are my own.

Hello everyone! So here we are at chapter 11! Thank you so much for the reviews as always :) I really appreciate the thoughtful feedback, and I am so happy to see people adding the story to their favorites lists—I'm glad you all like it!

Sorry for the massive delay in updating—school has started up again! Back in college now…And the other day I realized that the Fairy Tail manga has been going on for five years now!...time goes by so quickly…

Anyway, if you're in the mood for something more humorous and which is strictly GraLu, be sure to check out my oneshot "Go Back to Bed, Son!" if you haven't already!

Alright! Now that I'm all "fired up," on with the story! ^_^

I can't move my body.

His eyes flitted open to solid darkness in every direction.

Everything feels so heavy.

He forced his arm to reach towards something solid, his fingers merely grasping at thin air. He was suspended in nothingness, his memories fragmented and scattered in the forefront of his mind. He breathed slowly, the impenetrable darkness impairing his thoughts.

I feel like I'm fading…

He could feel himself drifting further away, unable to find the familiar warmth from within his body, the fiery core that was his soul, his heart, his magic.

"I really don't have any time for you, you pesky spirit!"

The angry voice shocked him out of his stupor, a voice that sounded like his, but was not his at all.

"I'm really quite impressed that you've managed to hold me back for this long, but now you're just irritating me. It's obvious you can barely go on any longer. I mean, all this just to protect that stupid girl? Why don't you just go back to the spirit realm already?"

As the words echoed throughout the darkness, an extreme hatred began creeping through his veins. His breathing quickened as he tried to shake the feeling in a panic.

Who is he talking to? What girl…?

"Give Natsu back to us," said another voice, adamant, yet tired.

Natsu…Is that…me?

"Idiot. I've already told you. His body is mine now. I need him in order to accomplish my goal, and I will not let you fools stop me. Especially not that insolent blonde girl."

"I won't let you hurt Lucy. We will all do everything in our power to protect her, and to get Natsu back! I know he's in there somewhere."

Lucy…?

He groaned as a splitting pain erupted in his temples, and his memories rearranged themselves. A glint of shimmering blonde hair. The soft but sweet smell of lavender and vanilla. Two deep, chocolate brown eyes, weighted with worry.

Lucy…? Lucy!

A furious roar erupted from his lungs and echoed throughout the darkness.

...

Loke smirked as Natsu's yell rang through the air. "I knew you were still there, Natsu." He held his left hand against a limp right arm, and was breathing heavily.

Shock fell upon Ryuu's face once the yell finally stopped, and he regained control of Natsu's body. "Huh," he chuckled darkly. "You'd been quiet for so long that I'd almost forgotten you were still there." He looked back up at Loke, a serpentine smile playing on his lips. "I guess play time's over." Lightning crackled around his hands and forearms as he crept closer towards the weakened Loke.

"Dammit," the lion spirit muttered under his breath.

...

"Natsu?"

Lucy jolted awake suddenly, her eyes wide and her chest heaving with every sharp breath she took. She placed her left hand against her heart and steadied her breathing as she glanced around the room. Shelves full of potions and other magic supplies lined the walls of a room with a mostly open center. She was still in the storeroom at the guild. Which meant Natsu was still out there somewhere, possessed by the dragon spirit Ryuu.

She placed her left hand against her heart for a moment and closed her eyes as if searching for something. She opened her eyes with a tired sigh. "And Loke is still out there somewhere, fighting by himself. I can't feel him in the spirit world." She winced a bit as she grew more and more irritated with herself. She was a horrible mage, allowing her spirits to fight alone just for her sake. This wasn't the sort of person she had hoped to be.

She looked down to her right side to find Gray still sound asleep, his hand still entwined with hers. He lay motionless at her side, deep in sleep, his breathing now slow and steady. That's a good sign, Lucy thought, That means he's getting better. But a dull ache continued in her chest. This hand. This was not the hand she wanted to hold right now. Was it? Lucy shook her head, unable to shake the confusion settled in her mind. But maybe that was the problem. She had been thinking so much about the situation, she wasn't listening to her heart.

She looked back down at Gray and sighed. As she watched him sleep, her promise to Natsu echoed in her head. "We'll get through this together," she had told him with a smile.

"Together," Lucy whispered, and her eyes grew sadder the longer she watched the dark-haired mage. She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, then gently untangled her fingers from his. "I'm so sorry, Gray," she said, "but I made a promise to Natsu that I intend to keep." She smiled sadly. "After all, what is my worth as a mage if I can't even keep a promise?" She stared at her lap, her fingers clenching at the fabric of her shorts. "I can't even work together with my spirits…"

Gray mumbled softly in his sleep, his brow creasing. A sharp breath left Lucy's lips. She knew he disagreed with her decision even as he slept. It was almost endearing, how badly he wanted her to be safe. A strange pull formed in her core, her heartbeat moving a little faster, and she found herself slowly leaning down to place her lips against his forehead. She sat up quickly, startled and slightly embarrassed over her actions. "But I still don't know how I feel," she admitted, trying to place reason behind her sudden impulse.

She stood up slowly, and turned away from Gray to face the rear exit of the guild. All I know now is that I need to help Natsu, she thought. I have to focus. I made a promise. Then she took a few steps towards the exit before being stopped in her tracks by a disapproving voice coming from the opposite side of the room.

"Where exactly are you going, Lucy?"

Lucy turned to find Mirajane staring her down, her eyes filled with concern.

"You'd better not open that door, Lucy. You'd better not leave this room." Her voice was coated thick with a motherly tone.

"Mira, what—" Lucy started.

"Happy told us exactly what happened," Mira explained. "Every last detail. Even down to the fact that this has been going on for some time now. We're surprised you didn't tell us sooner, Lucy…" She bit her lip with worry.

Lucy found herself studying the floor again. She had become well acquainted with the grain and finish of the wooden floorboards. "I have to go after Natsu. I have to help him. I have to get Natsu back…" She trailed off as she found her words increasingly repetitive. She only knew that she had made a promise to someone she loved. She had to keep it.

"It's not safe for you to go, Lucy."

Lucy's eyes remained glued to the floor. "So you agree with Gray then…"

"It would be stupid not to agree with him in this sort of situation. We don't want you to get hurt, Lucy. We could never wish that upon you."

Lucy clenched her fists at her sides. "So all of you think I'm weak then." Lucy regretted the words as soon as they left her lips. It wasn't like her, to be saying things like this. She would never accuse her friends of thinking such things when she knew they only wanted to protect her, place her out of harm's way. After all, they were nakama. They would all fight for each other's sake so they could go on living together.

Together. Tears began to form in Lucy's eyes as she mulled over the meaning of the word, her thoughts constantly returning to Natsu. Then she began to believe her own words. Maybe she was weak. She had always feared her guild mates would think she was weak, that she was too dependent on Natsu, Gray and Erza. Too dependent on her spirits. And maybe she was. But all she had ever wanted was to go on living together, with everyone. And now Natsu was no longer there with them. He was losing who he was, his magic, his memories, while they just stood by discussing a matter that required immediate action. Lucy knew that even if she would always have everyone else, her world could not exist without Natsu. Her heart broke at the mere idea and the tears finally broke free, falling endlessly down her cheeks, her eyes wide as the tears fell silently.

Slowly, Lucy raised her head to look up at Mira, her cheeks tinged red and tear stained. "Maybe I am weak, Mira," Lucy said calmly.

Mirajane shook her head as she outstretched a hand towards Lucy. "That's not what I meant, Lucy, we—"

"Maybe I am weak," Lucy continued, "maybe I can't handle everything by myself. But that doesn't change the fact that I made a promise to Natsu and if there is something I definitely can't handle, it's just standing here while he continues to lose everything that he is!" Her eyes widened in disbelief as she found herself shaking. She wrapped her arms around herself as Mira bridged the gap between them and placed a gentle hand on Lucy's forearm.

"I don't think you're weak, Lucy," Mira consoled. "None of us do. We can tell that you're afraid, whether or not you can admit that to yourself. It's not that we think you're weak, we're just afraid that your feelings for Natsu could cloud your judgment. You could be killed if the dragon spirit sees no further use for you."

Lucy hesitated for a moment before looking straight at Mira, a strong resolve glowing in her eyes. "Mira, I love Natsu more than anything, and I will definitely help him however I can, even if it means I'll get hurt. He's risked his life so many times for all of us, so why shouldn't I do the same for him?"

"It's still too dangerous, Lucy," Mira tried to reason. "We should try to plan something out. You can't just go out there alone."

"Just let her go and do whatever she wants, Mira."

Startled, both Mira and Lucy looked down to see Gray, who they had thought was still unconscious, now lying there with eyes open and hands folded across his stomach. Lucy's eyes widened at his words, and she found herself speechless.

Gray turned his head to the side to face them. "Just let her go already." His voice was cold and detached, his eyes distant, as he had obviously overheard their entire conversation. "There's obviously nothing we can do to change her mind."

Silence hung in the air as his words settled. Lucy's arms dropped to her sides as she stared at Gray expectantly. He merely laid there, his eyes closed in frustration before finally saying, "Just go, Lucy." He struggled to sound like he didn't care, even though his heart was screaming for her to stay.

A look of hurt mixed with confusion swept across Lucy's face. Why was he suddenly treating her this way? This whole time she had wished he would just let her go to Natsu's side, and now that he had finally given in, she didn't know what to do. A dull ache pulsated in her heart at his hollow words, as if she wanted him to tell her to stay with him, just as he had done only a few hours before.

"Gray…" Lucy said his name softly, as if giving him another chance to change his mind.

"Go!" Gray growled.

Lucy looked to Mira expectantly. When the silver haired mage said nothing, she took one last look at Gray before finally turning to leave the guild. Once the door closed behind her, there was a small moment of silence in the room before Mira finally spoke.

"She's gone," she whispered.

"Yeah," was Gray's response.

Mira turned to look at Gray. "Why did you say those things to her, Gray? I thought you cared for her. Why didn't you stop her?"

"You could have stopped her too."

Mira sighed. "Honestly, I didn't feel it was my place to do so once you became involved. After all, you finally told her how you feel, didn't you?"

Gray remained silent.

"So why didn't you stop her?"

"Well how would you feel if you were in Lucy's position?"

"Well…"

"How would you feel if Lisanna or Elf-man or someone else you loved was in danger? There wouldn't be any way to change your mind either if that was the case."

Mira's eyes settled on the floor as she mulled over Gray's words.

"And I would never want to use force to make Lucy stay," Gray continued. "If she was going to stay, it should be by her own terms. As much as it hurts me to see her leave, it's just as painful to see her in that state." He was lost in his thoughts for a minute before finally stating his resolve. "But I will always be there to help her when she is in trouble."

"But, Gray, you can't. Your condition hasn't completely improved," Mira cautioned.

Gray grimaced slightly as he sat up slowly, propping himself up on one elbow. He smirked at Mira as she frantically told him to lie back down. "You see," he continued, "there isn't anything I can't do when it comes to protecting Lucy. Even if I get knocked down, I will definitely get right back up and keep fighting for her sake."

Mira watched Gray carefully, unsure of how to respond.

"You've never been in love, have you?" Gray smirked. (A/N: Gray always has to be so cool! xD)

A light blush frosted Mira's cheeks and she could only watch bewildered as Gray managed to stumble to his feet. He turned towards Mira and gave her a quick two-finger salute before running after Lucy.

"That idiot. I doubt he'll be able to get very far with all those freshly bandaged wounds," came a voice from behind.

Mira turned to find Erza standing in the doorway and smiled. "Yes, but he's very strong-willed, just like Natsu. Lucy is too," she pointed out.

"Those three sure have gotten themselves into a huge mess since I've been gone, haven't they?"

"A lot has happened in the past month, Erza. I take it the S-class mission went well?"

"It took longer than I had anticipated but in the end I was able to be of help. But I imagine I will have to help those three now. I don't even get a moment's rest, do I?" Erza said, placing a hand against her forehead.

"I'm sure they need your help now more than they ever have," Mira smiled.

"Those idiots. Getting themselves wrapped up in a love triangle during my absence," Erza chuckled fondly, though a slight inkling of irritation also showed on her face.

Mira laughed softly at her reaction. "I'm sure you saw it coming." Then her tone became more serious. "But by now you probably know that's not the most complicated part though. There is actually a high degree of danger involved."

"I think I got a quick idea of the details. Everyone seems to be so caught up in discussing the situation they barely realized I had returned," the scarlet-haired mage pondered. She sighed. "But I guess I'd better go after them now. I doubt Gray will be able to get very far by himself."

"I think they just need to learn that it's okay to depend on each other sometimes. Without each other, they might not be able to get as far as they could. I think we're all the same way," Mira said insightfully.

Erza nodded and said goodbye to Mira before leaving through the rear exit.

"I wish all of you luck," Mira whispered, before her thoughts returned to Gray's last few words before he left. She chuckled to herself, wondering why she was slightly unsettled. "Never been in love, huh?" She turned around and returned to the main hall of the guild, blushing slightly as she caught a glimpse of long green hair.

I have to say I felt that Mira was a bit OC in this chapter. I was just trying to make her more serious and I'm not too sure if I played that off well. And I'm not sure if everyone will get that pairing reference there in the last paragraph, but I just sort of threw that in there for fun xD But in the next chapter we should get to see another exciting battle! :)

And as I am going along writing this, I find it becomes even harder to write as I have many ideas with how the story is going to progress, but I have very little idea of how to link them together. So I am trying really hard but I'm not sure some of these upcoming chapters will really be so spectacular as I am just trying to link events together.

Also I am becoming more and more conflicted about who I want Lucy to end up with in the end (especially with the most recent manga chapters), and I know quite a few readers really like NaLu but there are also readers who are pulling for GraLu! But fret not, I think I have an idea that will make all of us happy in the end :3 At least I hope so. It's hard to say… xD

Anyway, thank you so much for reading and sorry for making you wait so long for an update!

Please review! :)