Fairy Tail Fanfic

Disclaimer: I won this story

ONE-SHOT: One Returned.

The guild was disbanded, and everyone had separated, it was hard to find everyone … Out of them all, Lucy would know this best. On her wall, in the same small apartment she owned, the one that held some of the most precious memories to her, was a large map, pinned with people she had found so far.

Gray was one of them.

He felt empty. Walking along an unfamiliar road, in an unfamiliar town, only one person recognised him. The first thing he had done when the guild was disbanded was go to his parent's grave, the town where everything had ended and began. It was fitting that where he both ended and began, he would come back to restart for a new beginning.

But in the remnants of broken houses, and lost families, things in unrecognisable state, he was recognised by someone who he hadn't expected in one of his dire times:

Lucy.

Lucy had found him, with the help of her spirit, Crux. Gray's birthday was looming ahead, making the blonde more determined to find someone from her team.

"L-Lucy?" Gray wasn't completely sure he was seeing her or imaging it, but relief and happiness, but also an unexplainable heaviness settled within him.

"Gray. It's your birthday." The blonde took uncertain steps towards him, his face was blank, but the little emotion she saw was the soul in his eyes, bitter and hurt. And the yearning for contact in his voice. That was enough for her to go on. "Celebrate it with me?"

The still form of Gray, that seemed bright with his pale skin against the dark and ruined canvas behind him, was like a light in the darkness. And slowly flickering out. He hadn't known it was his birthday. An event usually marked with importance now seemed trivial to him.

"I didn't know, or think anyone would care to remember."

"I remembered, I care." There was a small pause, "I have been looking for everyone. I have a map of the world, and I have pins marked to where everyone is. You were hard, I had to get Crux to help me. But he's not allowed to give away personal information, so I had to read between the lines of his words. I figured it out later, though, it was still a haunch –"

She barely saw him. One moment he was feet away from her, and suddenly he was right in front of her, pulling her close in an embrace.

"Thank you!" And small tears began to fall, his body shook. His hold around her was maybe too tight, but Lucy didn't care. She welcome the comfort of her friend, and returned to the hug; her own tears starting to fall, though they were silent and hidden.

"Come back with me?" The urgency in her voice was all he needed to hear. The love for Nakama was strong, the feelings of protection still there.

There bond was solid and infinite, but there was still a yearning of almost a year away from each other.

"I tried to get in contact with others. Some just want to write letters, some I can't find. I work as an editor for a magazine, so they would all know where to find me. How to contact me … but none of them did! And Natsu is still gone … He hasn't written a single letter! There has been no words. I haven't heard of anything important burning down so I don't know where he is –"

At this, Gray gave a small sad chuckle. This was still the same Lucy he knew.

They both seek comfort, both having been so lonely and feeling almost friendless without the comfort of their Nakama beside them. Taking in the small warmth that was shared between each of them.

"I'm sorry you lost Aquarius."

"I'm sorry you lost your dad."

"We all lose someone eventually, even the ones with thought we would have forever," Gray looked at her steadily, seeing the same pain that mirrored his own eyes, "And the ones we never thought we had in the beginning."

"You still wear his necklace."

"You wear Aquarius's key."

There another gentle pause, "Take me home, Lucy. Take me back to where we were all once happy."