Author's note: I hope it will make you smile!
If you find any errors and have a spare minute, please PM me, 'cause I'm trying to improve :)
Gray-sama and the Temple of Confusion
Part I
Juvia let the falling stones come through her Water Body, then hit the attacking giant lizard-weasels with Water Slicer. Most of them stepped back into the corridor of the old temple, but they were nowhere near retreating.
„Gajeel-kun?" she called, never stopping flooding them with her Water. „Lily?"
„Clear here," shouted Exceed from somewhere to her right.
„I'm fine," Gajeel's voice came from behind her through the dust, rough and irritated. „But those bitches broke down the ceiling and blocked our way out – oh, shit."
His last words came with a very loud thud and high-pitched squirming of weasels. Juvia sent a Water Nebula into the never-ending flood of her opponents and risked a peek over her arm, to see Gajeel jumping back in her direction and a big pile of stones bursting out behind him along with a fragment of the wall.
„Fire Dragon's Wing!" came a shout through the falling rubble.
„Okay, not blocked anymore." Gajeel announced.
„Natsu-san!" She said, relieved. That was unexpected, but in a good way - and if Natsu-san was here, maybe Gray-sama too? Her heart immediately started to flutter in expectation. She squinted her eyes to look for him through the dust and flames.
„Oi, oi," Lily patted her head, floating over her in his little form. „Lizards, Juvia-san!"
„Oh, right." She sent them a bunch of Slicers, while Gajeel crushed a group of them with his iron fist, not even turning to them.
„Salamander, what'ya doing here?" he asked, coughing.
„Gajeel!" Natsu was surprised.
„And Juvia," added Lucy, standing beside him.
„And Panther-Lily!" exclaimed Happy, flying over their heads. „We're looking for the Statuette of Spiteful Malevolence!"
„Yeah," Natsu added. „It was supposed to be at the altar, but we didn't find it. I wonder if those lizards took it?"
„Don't worry, we have it!" Juvia shouted, countering another attack along with Lily, who turned into the warrior again. „We only have to get out of here."
„What are we waiting for?" hissed Gajeel, pulling her back by the collar. She threw a last big Nebula to stop them at least for a minute, then turned and started to run in the opposite direction. Ahead of her Lucy summoned Aries and drown the weasels in heaps of Fluffy Wool.
„Good thinking, Lucy!" shouted Natsu, running along with them. They sprinted through ruined corridors, up until the big chamber with white marble columns covered with moss. Dragon Slayers brought two of them down to block the way for lizard-weasels.
Lucy huffed and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
„I had no idea you guys were here too!"
„Gajeel-kun and Lily and Juvia are on the job," Juvia informed her.
„So are we!"
„Is Gra - "
„Yeah, yeah, nice chat and all, but we have to go." Gajeel interrupted the water mage, pulling her by an arm towards another corridor. Why was he so impatient? She wanted to tell him it was rude, but then the sound of heavy boots came from the right.
„Juvia! Gajeel!" exclaimed surprised Erza, coming from behind the corner of one of corridors. Just after her, to Juvia's delight, her beloved Gray-sama followed, his wonderfully muscled chest already bare and up for her to admire. He smiled slightly and nodded to her, and familiar feeling of utter happiness and overwhelming love for him rose deep in her and filled her whole body, making her head light and dizzy. She smiled broadly and clasped her hands in front of her, while Gajeel cursed quietly under his breath.
„Yeah, they're on the job too!" Lucy was telling the Titania. „And they have the Statuette, so we don't have to look for it anymore."
„Gray-sama!" Juvia started in his direction to greet him, but was abruptly stopped in place by Gajeel's decisive grip. „Gajeel-kun?" She turned to look at him, confused.
„Juvia, think." he said, frowning at her. „It's all I ask you. I know you can."
She stared in his eyes, perplexed. Then turned to Gray-sama, who also seemed to be processing something. Then back to Gajeel.
„Oh," she said, when it finally sank in.
„Wait a minute," Erza said, laying her hand on the hilt of the sword. „They can't be - "
„Exactly," Gajeel hissed, running down the nearest corridor and pulling Juvia after him. Lily followed, flying over their heads.
„Hired by the same client as we!" Titania finished.
„Dammit," Natsu was saying behind them. „I didn't think about it!"
The floor suddenly started to be slippery and Juvia almost stumbled, but managed to change it to the slide forward. Gajeel wasn't so lucky and fell down with a loud thud.
„Gajeel-kun!" she helped him up, noticing that the floor turned to ice. „Oh."
Gajeel cursed and hit it with his fist, breaking the ice into million tiny pieces. „Run!"
Juvia peeked over her arm to see all their team already following after her and Gajeel. „Lily!" she called and threw her bag up to the Exceed. „Take it! And we should split!"
„You are right," Gajeel admitted. „I'm going left. Lily - "
„Understood!" Exceed shouted, flying out through the nearest window.
„Hey!" Natsu exclaimed behind them. „He has it! Happy!"
„Aye Sir!" Fire Dragon Slayer and his cat followed outside after Lily.
But Juvia didn't really had time to observe them – she exchanged the last parting look with Gajeel, silently wishing him luck, and turned right, sprinting as fast as she could.
Erza suddenly came to a halt, almost causing Gray to bump into her.
„I'm going after Gajeel," she announced. „Juvia is on you, guys."
„What?" Gray protested.
„I don't want to fight with Juvia!" Lucy said simultaneously.
„Me neither!" he exclaimed. Sure, he would have no problem to fight with her for fun, or sport, but he had mixed feelings when it came to battling her for real. Like, he could hurt her or something. The sole thought made him cringe.
Erza flashed him a death glare and a cloud of darkness started to emerge of her head. „Well, if you want to," she said in a morbid voice, „I may go after her."
He jumped back a little, feeling hair standing at the back of his head. „No need!" he assured her quickly. „I'm going!" He wouldn't like Juvia to have to deal with that.
„It looks like Lily has it anyway," continued Lucy, undisturbed. „And they were here first, so, maybe we shouldn't..."
„Lucy, do you want to abandon the job?" Erza looked at her incredulously. „Our reputation is on the line! Not to mention your rental money."
„Yeah, that..."
„We're not going to just let them go with it! And you don't know if Lily has it, maybe Juvia just wanted us to think so."
„Well, but - " Lucy was saying, but Gray didn't listen to her anymore, because Erza furiously gestured to him to go after water mage already, and his legs kind of reacted on their own.
That's what you get for ten years of conditioning - maybe he should work on that? Someday later, though.
Now he ran down the stone corridors, looking for any signs of Juvia – which just weren't there. Some might think it would be enough for him to call her name, and she would come; but he knew better than that. Yes, sometimes she might have behaved like a happy puppy or drunken bunny or some other crazy, fluffy creature, but she sure as hell was more than that. No free lunch today, he told himself.
How was he supposed to catch up with her? She could go left, she could go right, she could hide somewhere in one of the chambers he passed, and he wasn't a Dragon Slayer to find her by the smell.
Interesting, anyway, how would she smell to a Dragon Slayer? Would she smell like water or like a normal person? Maybe like a sea or rain, or water lilies, or... He shook his head wildly, trying to focus.
Then he heard it – silent murmur of the masses of water. It came from below, so he guessed it must be an underground river. Surely Juvia would head there – both on her instincts and strategic thinking. He took the nearest stairs down.
The stairs seemed to went for miles and the lower he got, the darker it became. When he finally reached the lowest level, he could barely see anything – only the faint glimmer and steady movement of the river. Moving as silent as he could, he looked left and right, but the narrow pathway going by the riverbank looked deserted. Still, Juvia could be just further down the path, she could stand plastered to the wall, motionless, she could hide in the river itself...
He searched his pockets and found a little lacrima-light. It would tell his presence and position right away, but still increased his chances of finding her. He turned it on, looked again – in vain - for any signs of life, and decided to go right.
He didn't even manage to get fifteen meters into the corridor, when a sudden movement at his side caught his attention.
„Gah!" he exclaimed, bewildered, turning to it and jumping away, and then he slipped on mossy stones and lost his balance, almost falling into the river.
Almost, because someone pulled him back to safety. „Be careful, Gray-sama," Juvia said, still holding his arm. „It's wet here."
„Oh, Juvia." He exhaled in relief. „Thank you."
„Don't mention it, Gray-sama," she smiled broadly. „Juvia is happy to see you."
„But shouldn't you rather push me into this water? You know..."
„Juvia knows." she looked at him seriously. „Juvia thinks work is important, but there are some limits. And she knows Gray-sama wouldn't like to be soaked in that." She gestured towards the river. Truly, it looked rather ominous and unappealing, like a fluid darkness.
„Thanks," he repeated, scratching his head. And how was he supposed to fight her now? He clipped the lacrima to his belt, to free his hands in any case. It created a sphere of a warm, yellow glow. „Listen - "
„Gray-sama," she interrupted him, looking like mesmerized at his chest, her hands raised to her lips and features morphed into an expression of fascinated awe. „You are... s-smeared."
„Ah?" he looked down, to see a smudge of dirt on his skin. „Well, you're right. So - "
Juvia's lip twitched and she slowly ran her fingers along the smear, touching him very gently, but still tangibly. He gasped and jumped away from her, almost far enough to fall into the river again.
„Gray-sama!" Juvia pulled him back once more. „The pathway is too narrow for that."
Gray pressed his forehead into his palm. „Wha- What are you..."
„Juvia is sorry," she said, looking down. „She just got hypnotized by it! She's sorry!"
„Okay," he sighed, studying her face – she seemed to be genuinely regretting her half-conscious actions, and it was also his fault for not being able to keep his damned shirt on. „It's okay, just don't do it again." He tried to reassure her. Then he blinked, noticing something. „You are smeared yourself," he informed her matter-of-factly.
„Oh? Where?" She jumped a bit and brought her hands to her cheeks, looking terrified, as if it it would really matter.
„Like, here." he showed her on his own face, but she started to wipe her cheek on a totally different spot. „No, not there, higher, and more to... Urgh." He lost his patience, gently took her hand and placed it over the smudge.
Juvia stared at him wide-eyed. „Th-thank you," she whispered. Gray looked away, feeling his face getting warmer. He sometimes (well, maybe even often) couldn't help getting flustered around her like that, and it wasn't helping that they were alone, in this dark place, bathed in the ethereal light... Still, without the light, it would have been even worse.
Gray sighed deeply. Business, he was here on business, he reminded himself.
„So..." he started. „Would you tell me where the Statuette is? Do you have it? Hey!" He exclaimed, because Juvia suddenly jumped to his left and headed for the river. He grasped her quickly and pushed her back to the wall, holding her arms firmly (but not too firmly, because, dammit, she was a girl and all that). He prepared himself to freeze her if she tried to turn into water on him, but luckily she decided against it. Instead, she just fidgeted and stuttered, all classic Juvia stuff.
„G-Gray-sama..." She looked up at him, all flushed, and smiled shyly in a way that almost made him let her go. „Gray-sama chased Juvia all the way here..." She whispered, licking her lips. „And now he caught her... Ah..." She clasped her hands in front of her, while, without doubt, some wildly vivid images were sprinting through that impossible head of hers.
It took him all his self-control not to jump away from her, but hell, if she would regain her senses and went into this river, he was as good as fried. So he just looked away and relaxed his grip a little.
„It's about the work, okay?" he said softly. „Where is the Statuette?" He glanced back at her. Some of the mist of day-dream slowly lifted from her eyes and she was starting to look sorry again.
„Juvia would rather not say..." she whispered. „Uh-uhm, Gray-sama, when you hold Juvia like that, it's so... It's so..." She fidgeted again and her face rapidly changed colors from red to pale to red again. Gray felt the rush of blood to his own cheeks – he had to admit, when he hold her closely like that, it was so.
„Listen, I don't want to hurt you, so maybe you could just tell me..." he told her, trying to focus on the task. But Juvia didn't seem to hear his words at all.
„Mmmh... Gray-sama..." she sighed, and stroked his chest gently, smiling in utter happiness.
„J-Juvia! Don't!" he grasped her arms tighter and shook her delicately, pressing her more into the wall, as far from him as he could manage. „Just don't!"
She looked up to him, all wide-eyed, surprised and shocked, as her reverie suddenly got torn apart. Something clenched in his chest at her distressed expression.
„Be a good girl," he pleaded desperately.
„Sorry," she whispered, straightening up and trying to get even further from him. „Juvia is sorry. She knows she shouldn't have done that." She paled a bit and looked at him with such an affection, sadness and longing, he couldn't take it anymore. He shut his eyes tightly and turned away from her, trying to think only about Erza's furious face – but it didn't help. He exhaled slowly and loosened his grip completely, his hands falling limp along his sides.
He could hear her breathing slowing down, and he knew she wasn't moving. A minute passed and he risked a peek - she looked thoughtful, quietly muttering something to herself and looking at the floor somewhere around his boots. Then she quickly glanced at him, swung left, jumped right and to the river.
But he couldn't just let her go, could he? He caught her in the last possible moment and brought her back to the wall, holding her tightly. „No," he said. She just stared at him.
They stood like that for a long while – at least to him it felt awfully long, but he didn't know what to do, and she was just silent and motionless, except for her chest rising with each breath. Finally he managed to come back to his senses.
„So, where is the Statuette?" he asked casually.
„Juvia would rather not say," she informed him yet again.
„Maybe we will bargain for it." he proposed.
„Bargain?"
„Yeah. What would you want for it?" He studied her face – but of course he well knew what she wanted. „Would you tell me where it is if I promised we would go on a date?" He was probably getting into morally grey area, but it wasn't, like, evil, right? And it was still better than fighting Juvia for real (especially that she went into kind of paralysis and he wasn't sure if she would fight back), or dealing with angry Erza.
„Really?" Juvia's eyes gleamed and she smiled broadly. „Juvia would love to – No." Her face fell as she looked down again. „Juvia cannot do this. She doesn't want to disappoint Gajeel-kun and Panther-Lily. Sorry, Gray-sama."
„What if I kissed you?" said some strange part of Gray, surprising him completely and causing his heart to stop.
Juvia gave him a long look, which didn't help to straighten his thinking. „Gray-sama can kiss Juvia," she said softly, light blush adorning her cheeks.
Well then, if it was it, he had to do this, but... But... He felt a sudden pang of nervousness. It wasn't as he had ever kissed anyone before. And where the hell did it come from?
But it didn't matter now. He leaned into her and gently pressed his lips to hers – that was supposed to be it.
Only that it wasn't. This damned kiss seemed to gain a life of itself and it turned into something long and warm, and sweet, and totally overwhelming, as Juvia embraced him and licked his lip, sending shivers down his spine, and he groaned, and pulled her closer, and licked her too, his mind getting completely blank. And it went like that for hours and hours.
When he finally pulled away from her, he was utterly confused. They both panted quietly, trying to catch their breath. Then Juvia leaned back to the wall and sent him a look that, well, not that he saw it anywhere before, but he thought that must be how the lust looks like, hazy, dark and enticing, and it stirred him even more. But then she blinked and came back to her normal affectionate expression, and he felt a wave of relief mixed with kind of regret that he couldn't really understand.
„Listen, I..." he swallowed, not sure how to look at her. Then he shook his head - it was all business, right? „Tell me where the Statuette is."
„Juvia would rather not do that." she answered, biting her lip.
„What do you mean, you'd not do that?" He glanced at her, surprised. „You said you'd tell me if I... if I kissed you."
„Juvia never said that," she told him, looking straight into his eyes.
Gray wanted to protest, but he thought back to their conversation – which seemed to take place ages ago – and had to admit, she was right. „You..." he shook his head, unbeliving. „You tricked me."
„Juvia thinks," she said in a thoughtful tone, her eyes gleaming strangely - and for a second she looked like a being out of this world. „That Gray-sama tricked himself."
And was there ever anything more true than that? He almost laughed at himself - his own body had betrayed him. Not only that, but part of his mind seemed to be in it too. This place, this light, this girl – it was all messing with his head.
„This is it," he said. He was frustrated with it all, really. „We're not going to play anymore."
„What do you – oh!" she wanted to ask something, but he already started to tickle her sides. She laughed like crazy. „Gray-sama, stop it!" she managed, already flushed, barely catching her breath.
„Like hell I will," he muttered, while she writhed in his grasp and fell to her knees. He went to the ground with her, feeling his pants immediately taking moist from the wet moss. „Where is the Statuette, huh?"
Juvia just laughed, hiding her head in his chest and trying to keep his hands away from her, but he was stronger. „Stop – please - " she squealed, shuddering against him, but he could tell she was still enjoying it. He smirked.
„I won't," he repeated. „Where is it?" She slid even lower, curling up on the mossy floor in the fits of laughter. „Why do I even ask? I bet you have it. You have it in your Water Body."
He stopped for a second and looked at her. She opened one eye and looked back, panting heavily.
„You don't even try to deny it, do you? Give it to me." He attacked her again, causing her cap to fall off while she wriggled in his arms.
„Gray-sama... Juvia cannot breathe."
„Give it to me and I will stop."
„Juvia - cannot - do this..." she giggled wildly, placing her head on his lap and smearing some mud from her hair to his pants – not that they were very clean in the first place. It was crazy what he was doing, he knew, but it strangely helped him relieve his confusion, his frustration, the tension that he didn't want there, and weird things in his mind that he didn't quite know how to place. So he didn't stop.
„It's because you are so sneaky," he said, while she stopped to fight with him and covered her face instead, trying to suppress her laughter. „You are a sneaky girl. You just sneak in where nobody expects you and do your work, huh?"
She looked up to him, her eyes all teary and glistening. „What do you – ohh." He interrupted her with another round of giggles.
„You know what I mean," he informed her. „You know that." He stopped his attacks and let that sink in for a minute.
„Give it to me," he repeated patiently.
„Gray-sama," she said, breathing heavily, while her eyes deepened and darkened. „Juvia lo - " he covered her mouth with his hand and gave her a warning look. He didn't want her to say that. It terrified him.
But when he took his hand from her, she finished anyway. „She loves you," she told him softly. He froze, looking at her blankly. Why did she had to say it? It just made something break in him. What was he going to do with this girl?
But, right now, it was simple, really. He tickled her and she curled up against his thighs again. „See," he said, „That's what I'm talking about. You are doing this on purpose."
„What purpose?" she protested weakly. „Juvia has no - "
„To throw me for a loop, that is your purpose." She chuckled and shook her head helplessly. „And you are all dirty," he added, throwing away a string of moss that got plastered to her cheek. Truly, she was all in mud and moss, and slime, her cap was lost, her hair was damp and tangled, and tears of laughter streamed down her cheeks. Yet in the middle of this mess she still managed to look glorious, and for some reason it brought to his mind the sensation of warmth on her lips when he kissed her. He sighed deeply and shut his eyes.
„Gray-sama," she said affectionately, her muscles relaxing in his grasp. „You know it is not true."
„I don't know anything," he told her. „Only that I'm going to tickle you until you give me this freakin' statuette of evil nonsense whatever." He attacked her again.
„Gray?"
He lifted his head to see Lucy, standing near the staircase and looking at them with very round eyes. „What are you doing?" she asked, bewildered.
„I'm negotiating," he told her calmly. Lucy came closer, still eyeing him with suspicion.
„Shouldn't you fight her, or something?" she demanded.
Gray shrugged. „What for?" he asked, starting to tickle Juvia again before she managed to collect herself after the last round.
„Erza specifically warned me," Lucy said cautiously. „To make sure you are not going too much gentleman-y on Juvia."
Gray stopped in mid-tickle to look at Lucy. Then he switched his gaze to Juvia, lying sprawled half on his lap, half on the wet floor, all covered in mud, with her dressed rolled up her legs and in general state of dishevelment, helplessly shuddering in little fits of giggles.
„I think, Lucy," he said slowly, turning back to her. „You have a very strange idea of what gentlemen means."
Lucy blinked and seemed to be lost in thoughts for a second. „Hey," she said finally, her eyes flickering mischievously. „Can I do this too?"
„No!" Juvia squealed, curling up even tighter and pressing herself more into Gray.
„Yeah, sure, help yourself," Gray gestured Lucy towards the other girl.
Lucy smiled broadly and started to tickle Juvia. The water mage pushed herself towards him, trying to get away from Lucy, but he kept her in place. „Stop it," she laughed. „It's too much!"
„You know what, this feels great," Lucy said, smiling like mad. Gray wondered if he should maybe start to worry. „This is for trying to drown me. This is for giving me tabasco instead of tea - "
„Juvia would rather flip than give Lucy her Earl Gray!" the girl cried through the bursts of laughter. Gray rolled his eyes.
„And this is for the general love rival nonsense!" Lucy exclaimed triumphantly, attacking Juvia with renewed fury. „Will you promise to stop that?"
Gray scratched his head. This was getting out of hand -
„Juvia will never give up her rights to Gray-sama!"
He jumped a bit, surprised. „Oi, what rights!? You have no - "
„And no-one asks you to!" Lucy shouted. „I'm not interested in him, you hear me?" She stopped tickling and looked up to him. „Sorry, Gray."
„Why would you be sorry?" He was starting to get lost in this girly absurd. Besides, Lucy seemed to have no mercy. „Maybe you should stop this - "
„Right, like Juvia was going to believe that," the water mage looked at the other girl mockingly. „But Lucy should know, that Gray-sama kissed Juvia, not Lucy - "
„Whoa!" Lucy gasped.
„Don't just go around blabbering about it to everyone!" he shouted, terrified.
„Sorry, Gray-sama..."
„But... wait... Did you really - " Lucy looked at him with eyes like plates. Gray send her the best death glare he could manage, and she squealed.
„You better be quiet too." he told her in the icy tone.
„Ohh, Gray-sama, you're so dreamy when you get scary like that..."
„I won't say anything." promised Lucy with a very thin voice, shivering while he was sending daggers to her with his gaze.
„Good," he said. „Otherwise you might find yourself with a very cold feet one morning, if you know what I mean."
„Gray-sama shouldn't mess around Lucy's feet," Juvia fumed. He turned his death glare to her.
„And you," he said. „Stop with this nonsense and give us the statuette."
„Are you going to punish Juvia if she doesn't, Gray-sama?" She beamed, clasping her hands by her chin and looking at him in awe. Gray felt his face getting incredibly warm.
„No!" he exclaimed, turning his gaze away and trying to get a number of disturbing images out of his head. „This approach doesn't work on you too well, does it."
„It does!" she squealed excitedly.
„Not the way I want it to!"
„Wait, so she has it?" Lucy regained her composure.
„Yeah, I think so." That seemed quite sensible to him – if she could stuff him in her Water Body, sure as hell some stupid statuette would fit there too.
„Give it to us!" Lucy said, beginning to tickle Juvia again. „I have to pay the rent!"
„Hey - " he started to protest, when Juvia rolled a bit too high on his lap to his liking, but then he felt a tug at his belt and everything went completely dark. Before he could react, he felt the girl moving away from him, and then he heard loud splash and Lucy's surprised scream.
„Juvia won't give it to you!" the water mage announced. Gray managed to recover his lacrima-light and turned it on again, to see both girls wrestling in the middle of the river – Lucy completely soaked, and Juvia just as usual. „But Lucy should give up on Gray-sama!" she was saying, trying to pull Lucy down in the dark waves.
„I can't give up on something I'm not even pursuing!" Lucy exclaimed, fighting back – and, Gray noticed, she wasn't completely helpless, even at such a disadvantage. Maybe she learned something observing him and Natsu, he thought, proud at his young apprentice. Lucy stopped wriggling Juvia's arm to look at him. „Sorry, Gray."
„Eh, whatever." he said weakly, standing up. Maybe he should go check up on Erza, he thought in accompaniment of huffs and squeals and splashes – but then he heard a sound of ripped fabric, so he decided he would be better off staying here. He leaned on the stony wall and enjoyed the landscape, squinting his eyes to see better in the dim light.
It didn't last long until he felt a familiar presence, leaning at the wall to his left. „Hey," Erza said, biting a pear nonchalantly. She was all clad in dust and had a few scratches on her face and arms, but overall she looked like a very satisfied cat – and very dangerous one. „Are they fighting for you, or what?"
„Erm..." He scratched his head. „Juvia probably does... As for Lucy, I've got no idea what she's doing."
„I'm fighting for friendship!" Lucy exclaimed, pulling at Juvia's hair before getting hit with a high wave.
„You're very convincing!" Erza encouraged her.
„Thanks!"
„Want some?" Erza asked Gray casually, motioning her pear towards him.
„Sure, why not." He took it from her and ate a bit, proudly (and not without some esthetic satisfaction) observing Lucy's success in tearing off another part of Juvia's dress. Then he remembered something.
„So," he started warily, examining Erza's content expression. „Have you found Gajeel?"
Erza laughed in a way that caused both fighting girls to stop and look at her wide-eyed.
„Have I, indeed." She said, smiling so voraciously that he felt hair on his nape standing up. „Well, I can tell you with full confidence, he doesn't have the statuette."
There was a minute of utter silence during which he could only hear some distant sound of falling droplets.
„Y- You know, Erza," he said, swallowing heavily. „I- I'm pretty sure Lily has it."
„Are you?" Erza turned to him quickly and he pressed himself into the wall as far as he could.
„E- Erza," Lucy finally managed to stutter out, „What - What exactly did you do to Gajeel?"
Erza smiled broadly and shrugged. „He just didn't want to speak sincerely with me." she said matter-of-factly, wiping her hands off her skirt. „So, now that we explained this, let's - " she said, turning her attention to Juvia and putting her hand on the hilt of sword.
But Juvia didn't wait for her action – she squealed, jumped back, sending a giant wave into all of them, and when Gray opened his eyes again, she was nowhere to be seen.
Erza cursed. „Gray!" She shouted, gesturing towards the river. „Freeze it!"
He started to gather his magic power to do it, but he stopped himself midway. „I - I don't want to," he said quietly, crossing his arms on his chest.
„What did you say?" Erza's brow shot incredibly high on her forehead.
„I just don't want to!" he exclaimed, turning his head away from her. „There are some limits! I'm not going to do this!"
Erza hissed and turned away from him, ex-quipping into Sea Empress Armor and trying to raise as much water from the river as she could – but Juvia was nowhere there.
Author's note: Thanks for reading! Feedback is welcome.
Second part should be up within week or two.