Life After Near Death

Stand Up and Fight!

"Stand up and fight!

Stand up and look into the light

Pushing the clouds away.

Stand up and fight!

Stand up and see the sky turn bright.

Fight for a better day."

— Turisas

Gray and Natsu walked down the steep embankment to the shore of the river. The rain was still pouring in torrents, evidence of Juvia's grief at breaking up with Gray, and the ground under them squished with saturated mud. The river had swelled with the storm, and already both wizards were drenched.

"Won't this be a disadvantage to you?" Gray asked, glancing at all the rain.

"The rain is warm," Natsu pointed out, "so it's a disadvantage to you as well. This is perfectly fair."

"If you say so," Gray shrugged. "Don't cry when the rain douses your flames."

Natsu grinned fiendishly. "Don't cry when it deforms your ice!"

They both took fighting stances and glared at each other, yet there was a tiny smirk to Gray's face. How long had it been since they fought like this? It was like going back to childhood, growing up with this flame-brain idiot, arguing about the strengths of fire and ice, and that one day when he finally beat Natsu solidly. Gray began to chuckle as he remembered that fight.

He could hardly wait to beat Natsu again.

"Ice-Make..."

"Fire Dragon's..."

Up on the bluff overlooking the river, Juvia stood with Mira, Levy, and Lucy. The three girls decided that Juvia needed some company, but on their way they heard the boom of an explosion. They had rushed to the river and saw the brawl. Pieces of ice and charred leaves from scorched trees scattered around. The two boys below were bruised up already.

The rain suddenly lessened to a drizzle, and Juvia smiled a little. Gray was moving on. It still hurt her heart, but she knew he needed to find his own path. She had tried to be a roadblock and forced her way into his life, but in the end that simply was not enough.

"Gray's always happy around Natsu, isn't he?" Mira said with a light sigh.

Levy nodded in agreement. "They're constantly at each other's throats, but they really do work well together."

Lucy knew she could say nothing about Natsu's feelings. She kept her smile secretive. "Natsu is doing this on purpose."

"Indeed," Levy nodded. "Gray was in shock. This will help him."

Mira hugged Juvia. "And now, as your friends, we have to help you. Come on, the sweet shop awaits!"

"Y-yes," Juvia said, still watching as Gray delivered a blow, but Natsu recovered fast, leaped on the ice, and jumped off in order to deliver a massive punch to Gray's face. "Win, Gray-sama. Juvia will stop the rain so you can win."

Down by the river, Gray rubbed his aching jaw and streaked blood away. "Bastard. You'd never think you just went through heart surgery."

"You should have learned the first time," Natsu said sternly, holding a rib that was probably-most-likely broken. "Don't underestimate an opponent. Just because they're old or sick or invalid, never, ever, underestimate them."