In-Between

Chapter 38

Meanwhile in the In-Between, Gray at the moment was walking around and trying to blow off some steam. He didn't mean to go off on his friends like that and then leave with no explanation but how could Natsu and Lucy do this to him? What gave them the right to judge him like that? To insinuate that he was some kind of sociopath. He was not. Alright so he tended to do things that the average sane man wouldn't do but that didn't make him a monster right?

He walked down the nearest sidewalk of the street and during his walk he noticed that a lot of the ghosts and ghouls around him we're staring at him intensely. But they weren't giving him looks of intense intimidation they were looks of intense fear. Like they were all scared of him. They didn't move either. They were all completely stiff. Not moving a single muscle, not that any of them had muscles anymore but you get the idea.

"Oh no it's Gray." He heard one ghoul whisper.

"Nobody make any sudden movements." He heard a ghost whisper. "Just keep still and avoid eye contact."

"I can hear you you know." Gray said.

"Oh crap he's upset! Everyone run for your afterlives!" One ghoul shouted.

They all started shouting and/or screaming and getting away from him as quickly as they could. Terrified that Gray would most likely hurt them all.

"I'm too young to cease to exist!" A ghost screamed.

"I have kids! They're not dead but they still need me in someway!" Another ghoul shouted.

"I maybe dead but I still have dreams!" Another ghost cried.

"God save me please!"

Eventually they were all gone and Gray was alone feeling very insulted and a little hurt. But he quickly brushed those feelings off and continued on his walk which led him to a park. He saw one ghost sitting on a bench and approached him.

"Hel-" He started to say but the ghost just dropped everything and ran away. "Lo...Hmm well that was rude."

Then saw a ghoul digging through what appeared to be a fountain.

"Excuse me sir but you do realize that it's wrong to-"

"Oh God not you!" The ghoul cried jumping in fear. "What do you want from me?! Money?! Here take it! Just don't hurt me man!"

He shoved the dead man's coins he had pilfered from the fountain into Gray's hands then ran away screaming. Gray huffed in annoyance and before leaving the park he put the coins back in the fountain. After that he wandered off somewhere by himself so he could do a little thinking.

He had always known that the lot of the deceased souls here were afraid of him and during the many years he had been dead it had never bothered him. In fact he had found it amusing how everyone just started to cower in fear at the sight of him. But now he didn't find it so amusing anymore. Now having so many people being afraid of him made him kind of sad. Maybe Natsu and Lucy did have good reason to see him as some sort of monster. After all it's not like he had ever done anything to make them or anyone else he knew think otherwise. Why did he have to have this realization today? Why on this particular day? Why add fuel to the fire that was already in the early stages of sparking?

"Gray?" He heard a gentle voice say. Looking around he saw Juvia slowly approaching him but not out of fear, more out of respect for his personal space. "Are you okay?"

"What are you doing here?" He asked. "Aren't you scared I'm going to go psycho?"

"No I'm not and I'm here because I wanted to see if you were feeling alright."