Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters, except those ones that I create myself.

Hi all! Thanks for the reviews and sorry for a bit of a delay in getting up the next chapter. I keep getting called into work and then at the end of the day I end up being too tired to do anything and just go to bed early .

In any case, here is the next chapter. We don't really know much about Oshibana, so I may end up making up random buildings there and such xD

Gray moseyed off the train with his hands stuffed in his pockets. It was about noon now, and the sun was already high in the sky. His eyes dropped to the ground as he found others in the station staring at him intently. He imagined he seemed strange—an obvious traveler without any bags, just the clothes on his back, and an empty stare. Like someone who was trying to run, only to find his efforts useless. A man with nothing to go back to, and yet a man who could not move on.

He strolled a little further into town before pulling the note out of his pocket again. "So I guess I have to get a room at the inn then. Number seven," he said to himself. The tone in his voice was flat, emotionless. These assignments were second nature to him now, and he just wanted to complete it smoothly. Like usual. But his head was not in the right place. He knew he wouldn't be able to stop the constant flow of memories humming in the back of his mind, but he believed he may be able to focus for the most part as long as those memories lingered far back behind what he needed to accomplish.

He continued to walk towards the middle of town until he came to the Oshibana Inn. Without any hesitation, he approached the building and entered through the swinging double doors. The lobby area was quaint, and had a homey, country-style feel to it. The floors and walls were made of a dark brown wood, and a few potted plants lined the wall by the door. At the receptionist desk stood a young, timid young woman. Her wild brown hair fell in loose waves past her shoulders to the middle of her back, and she wore a white peasant blouse which was both too short and too small for her. Her eyes widened and her cheeks reddened as she watched Gray approach the counter.

"Room number seven please," he said, his voice deep, smooth. He handed her enough jewels to cover the cost and flashed her a smirk as she handed him his room key. Her cheeks turned a deep red, and she didn't say a word. Gray laughed softly to himself as he walked upstairs to his room.

The room wasn't as small as he expected, with a queen sized bed in the middle of the room, and an armchair next to the window across from the bed. The door to a small bathroom was next to the entrance, and a small desk and chair was located next to the bed. He closed the door behind him and started towards the desk. On the desk was another note from his boss, as well as a bottle of champagne and a lone glass. The note read:

Consider the champagne as a sort of celebratory treat for your success on all your missions thus far. Today marks the third year that you have joined me and I am more than satisfied with your progress.

Your current assignment will require you to wear formal attire, as the target will be at the casino located a little outside of town. I suggest you scope out the building prior to the target's arrival, as he will no doubt be surrounded by many of his men.

I will send another note with details of appearance in the morning. You know the drill.

-L.K.

Gray sighed as he finished reading the note. He was used to this kind of assignment. It would be an easy kill. He stared at the bottle of alcohol for a moment and shrugged before popping open the bottle and pouring himself a glass. He wandered over to the window, sipping his champagne, not particularly interested in this choice of beverage. It was still bright outside—there were a few hours of sunlight left. "I guess I should go get that suit," he muttered as he placed his glass on the windowsill and turned to leave the room.

…

The middle of town was crowded with civilians at this time, so Gray took the chance to try and blend in, searching for a formal clothing shop. It didn't take long to find one, and as he strolled in through the doors, he was greeted by a small, round old man with a graying handlebar mustache.

"Ah, looking for a suit, young man?" the old man asked as he bumbled over to his customer.

Gray nodded and managed a slight smile. The old man beamed at this gesture and quickly formed a measuring tape out of thin air. With the flick of his hand, the measuring tape began taking Gray's measurements by itself. When it was done, it snapped away and disappeared back into thin air.

"I have just the thing for you!" the old man smiled before wandering off to the back of the shop. He returned with a pair of black pants, a jacket, a white shirt, and tie. "Try these on over in the fitting room and tell me how they are!"

Gray was taken aback slightly by the old man's excitement, but willingly took the clothes from him and tried them on. When he came out of the fitting room dressed in the new formal attire, the old man simply smiled. "Perfect. Perfect. Looks good on you boy!"

"Thanks…" Gray said, handing the old man the jewels to pay for the suit. He then changed back into his own clothes, and the old man placed the suit into a bag. Gray smiled at the old man then held one hand up in the air as a parting gesture as he walked out the door.

"Such a strange old man," he mumbled. He wasn't used to seeing a mage running a clothing shop. He looked up at the sky to find the sun starting to set. "I guess I should get something to eat." He wandered over to a street vendor and bought something light, then headed towards the fountain at the center of the town. He felt a bit lonely, sitting there by himself as he ate his meal. But he was used to this feeling by now. He was always lonely, no matter how many people surrounded him.

He looked up from his food for a moment and watched the setting sun. Then his eyes dropped down to street level, where a particular couple caught his eye. They had their backs towards him, walking towards the setting sun, hand in hand. The girl wore a short skirt, boots, and a tank top, while the boy was clad in jeans and a white collared shirt. She was blonde, and he had hair as black as soot. Gray smiled sadly at the picture before him. Something he had always wanted, but could never have.

…

By the time he made it back to his room, it was already dark outside. He threw the suit on the armchair then pulled off his shirt before falling back onto the bed. He stared at the ceiling with his hands behind his head, trying to think about sleep, but memories consuming his mind instead. Lucy. She was always there, ravaging his mind, pulling on his heart, but tonight was worse. He didn't think she would let him sleep tonight. This would have been okay with him under a different context (xD).

A few sleepless hours passed before a knock came at the door. Slightly startled, Gray rose from the bed and walked towards the door. He opened it slowly, not in the least bit surprised when he found the young innkeeper on the other side of the door. He regarded her for a moment before looking back behind him as if he was more interested in something in his room.

"Ah…" the young woman started, twisting the folds of her skirt with her hands. At the sound of her voice, Gray's eyes moved back to her, and he waited for her to say something. "Are you finding everything to your liking, sir?" She was blushing madly and couldn't quite look him in the eye. "If there is anything I can do to make your stay more comfortable, please don't hesitate to ask."

She turned as if she was about to leave when Gray caught her by the arm. She gasped slightly, her cheeks burning even brighter. Then Gray swooped his head down to catch her lips with his, pulling away after a moment to gauge her reaction. She is shocked, but doesn't try to run. "I know you find me attractive," Gray whispered with a smirk. "It's obvious. Besides, why else would you come to my room at this hour? Certainly not just to ask me if I needed an extra towel…" The girl finally looked up at him, and Gray took the opportunity to pull her in for a kiss again, wrapping his arms around her waist. Her body reminded him painfully of a certain girl who only visited him in his dreams. The brunette's lips began moving with his as she wound her arms around his neck, and let him pull her into the room, closing the door behind them.

It was true that he still loved Lucy. He always would. He knew this. But he still had his own needs, his own desires to fulfill. And he wasn't oblivious to attractive women. He had done this with Juvia plenty of times. Strictly physical. Regardless, he would always end up with feelings of regret, knowing that he would never be able to share an intimate moment with the one he truly loved. The only one who would ever have his heart. The one girl he never had the guts to even hold hands with. Because he'd always get nervous, choked up. Because this was true love.

Lucy never left his heart or his mind as he pulled the girl down onto the bed.

…

The stars shone brightly in the sky, though not nearly as brightly as her chocolate brown eyes. I watched the spirit mage slowly, carefully as she sat down next to me. I didn't want to miss a single detail. We both stared in silence at the crackling fire, courtesy of Natsu, who was passed out in his sleeping bag across from us, with Erza asleep next to him as well. After a long moment, the girl finally spoke.

"It sure is pretty tonight, huh, Gray?" She turned to me and smiled, her head tilting to the side a little. My heart began pounding at the gesture, and I simply nodded in reply. There were so many things that I wanted to tell her, but I couldn't find the words buried in my aching heart.

She regarded me for a moment with concerned eyes. "Is something wrong, Gray? You seem a bit quieter than usual."

It was true. When Natsu and Erza were with us, I didn't feel as much pressure, and it was easy to carry on a conversation with her. And although our team members were still there with us, they were sound asleep, and may as well have just been gone. "I'm just a little tired," I answered with a smirk, not wanting to worry her.

"Good, I'm glad nothing's wrong," Lucy whispered, still staring at the fire. Then she looked back at me. "But I hope you know that if something ever is wrong, you can definitely talk to me about it!" She smiled, and I blushed a little. Her eyes wandered over to our teammates. "I'm so glad we all came together as a team. I'm so happy that I was able to meet all of you guys." She turned back to me, her eyes glimmering. "I'm really happy I met you, Gray," she whispered.

My heart skipped a beat and my breath caught in my throat for a moment. When my breath returned, I smiled at her, my eyes sincere. "Me too, Lucy," I said.

She beamed at me, then returned her gaze to our teammates. "They look so peaceful when they're sleeping," she said with a hint of amusement in her voice, blinking her eyes a few times before yawning. A soft whisper escaped her lips as her eyes closed slowly, though I couldn't make out what she said. Then her head fell against my shoulder as she drifted to sleep.

I stared at her for a long while, my perfect, sleeping angel. There were so many things I wanted to tell her, so much I wanted to convey. "Lucy…" I whispered, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

…

Gray shot up in his bed, wondering when he had finally drifted to sleep. "I always dream of you…Lucy…" he smiled sadly, remembering that last moment they spent together before her death. He looked to his side to find the innkeeper gone, but didn't mind. He was such a terrible person anyway. No one should love him. Not after how he let her die like that.

He lay back down again and continued to stare at the ceiling. It was so sad now. All the things he couldn't convey.

And that is that. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!

Next chapter Gray will go on his assignment!