AN: So...first fanfiction ever...go me! A headcanon that I came up with in the shower; sorry if it seems really short, or even just lame and stupid. Can't start without sucking, hope you like it and please review so I know what to work on! Oh, and tips are greatly appreciated!
Disclaimer: None of the characters or setting depicted here are mine. All inspiration comes from Hiro Mashima, the man responsible for the creation of Fairy Tail and the characters we all love.
The night was cold, ice still falling to the snow ridden ground. Gray's breath came out in short ragged bursts, forming a cloud of vapor in the cold air. Invel had been a challenge, taking both Juvia, Gray, and Lyon to take down. The silver haired general was lying a few feet away from Gray, stuck to the ground with chains of ice. Lyon was a bit farther away, blown back and groaning. But Gray didn't really care about that, he knew that his foster brother was fine. Juvia, however, was nowhere to be seen.
Snow crunched as Lyon walked over, obviously eyeing his semi-rival but looking for the blue-haired rain woman as well. Of course both of their shirts had been removed during the fight, but the almost freezing air didn't seem to bother the mages.
"Have you seen Juvia?" The silver haired ice mage murmured, panting softly as the rigors of battle shook him. Several open wounds darted around his body, a lasting mark from the ice spears of the Winter General.
"No. And that's what bothers me...usually she'd be beside me but we must have been blown away during the explosion." Right before Invel had been defeated, he had released an area of effect spell. Neither Gray nor Lyon really knew what had happened, though Gray had felt a hard shove during the actual explosion. Ice shards now surrounded their miniature battlefield, plus a few scraps of ice covered clothes. Then, Gray saw Juvia's hat. Frozen solid, with the blue shining from beneath the layer of ice. Then, everything came into view.
Large pools of ice, frozen solid. Blue clothes, with nothing bearing them, shining out like frozen treasure. A few arc pieces of ice stood around Gray, almost forming limbs. Then, all he could see was a face, ice he had mistaken for pinnacles formed in battle. Juvia Lockser, the rain woman, the one who brought gloom and rain, one who brought gloominess and sadness, had fallen.
Gray took a single step towards the remnants of the girl, her half-formed body standing frozen above Invel's. Her face the only prominent piece of the singular arc that must have been part of her body. Lyon noticed it too, for he immediately started walking towards it. When both man came to stand before the frozen mage, both were speechless. Neither of them could move, neither of them could utter a single word or phrase. Right when Lyon was about to say something, Gray did.
"Damnit... Damnit... Damnit..." The raven black haired teen shook with a mixture of rage and grief and pain. Each word had been separated by a shaky breath, and then was cut off with a choke. Lyon walked close to Gray, a hand outstretched, before the other mage just shook his head. Pain swarmed his head and his body, everything was hot and burning. Lyon took one look at Juvia, then Gray, then nodded to himself.
"Maybe there's a way...I...Porlyusica could…" He trailed off as Gray sunk to his knees before the ice statue. Tears were streaming down his brother's face, something he knew didn't happen openly. So instead of speaking, he turned and strode towards Invel, a scowl on his face. He'd deal with him, leaving Gray to grieve.
Cold wind blew past Gray, but that didn't quell the burning, the pain. Everything hurt; a sharp, burning hurt that started in his chest and stomach, before leading down to the rest of his body. Tears that he couldn't stop fell from his eyes, and choked back sobs emanated from him. He needed to stop crying, crying was useless in this situation. Yet even with that rationale, he couldn't stop.
"..why?" That word echoed out across the frozen battlefield. That single word that could barely fill the void that was their surroundings. Even through his racing mind, he couldn't figure out why she would sacrifice herself for him and Lyon. Then, a moment of clarity as the moon shone down upon them.
-About seven-eighish months ago, when they were living together-
"Gray-samaaaa!" Juvia's voice rang out through their small house. The bluenette was carrying a small basket of apples, freshly picked from the trees down the road. Gray had been feeling a bit under the weather, and as such, Juvia had been taking care of him non-stop. On the first day he had gotten a cold, she had spent all day trying to perfect his favorite soup. Second day, she knit a woolen blanket to keep him warm...even if it was still summer. Now it was the third day and she was going to bake her beloved Gray-sama a pie.
A short snort came from his bedroom, followed by a small shuffle, and the man in question poked his head out. "Hm? What is it Juvia?" His eye looked drowsy, as the lids began to trail down every few seconds. A small yawn left him and he slumped against the doorframe, the wool blanket hanging from his shoulder.
"Juvia has gotten apples to make you a pie!" She smiled an almost radiant smile, one that was glad to be able to provide some comfort for the one she loved. The mage turned and set the basket on the counter, before beginning to get all the other materials needed for the pie. "Now go on back to bed, Gray-sama. You need rest." She turned towards him and raised an eyebrow, where he was sitting down at the table, obviously still out of it. The girl huffed and turned to grab the coffee she had made earlier that morning. Obviously she was going to need to drag him back to bed, and she would need coffee. Once she had the dark blue mug in hand, she drank half of it and stood in front of the one she lived with. Before she could say anything, Gry spoke.
"Why do you do so much for me?" He asked in a drowsy voice, but one that held a ton of curiosity. He yawned again and leaned against the back of the chair, slowly waking up. Juvia's eyes went a bit wide, before a small kind smile flirted past her lips. She was surprised she didn't know yet, though of course he didn't seem like the kind of person to really remember all the details of a relationship; friends or not.
"Well…" She trailed off a bit as she sat on the table, sipping the sweetened coffee again. She really did love coffee, it kept her awake throughout the day. Maybe she had a problem, but it eventually got diluted through her water body. "Gray-sama took Juvia's rain away." Was the answer she gave him, but she could go on and on about what he really did for her. When he looked at her with slowly awakening eyes, she had to give him the rest of her answer. Even if it wasn't really the best time.
"Gray-sama took Juvia's rain away...and let her see the sun. He made it so that people would actually like Juvia, that they would want her around. He made it so that Juvia could join Fairy Tail, and have friends and a family. He made it so that Juvia could have a chance at being loved again." She half-whispered the last part, almost to herself. He had taken that cursed rain away, the rain that had haunted her her entire life. The rain that caused everyone to leave her, to cause her so much pain and suffering. He had given her the chance to see the sun, to live again. She would be eternally grateful to the ice mage, because he had made it possible for feel alive.
Gray listened to her speak, nodding a bit at the words. His mind had awoken during this point, even if his body didn't show it. He never really thought about how such a simple act could change her life forever, even if it was something as simple as just making the rain go away. With that being said, he stood up and yawned again, nodding. "Well...I'm glad I took the rain away. Fairy Tail is a lot better than Phantom Lord." He patted her shoulder as he turned away to go back to bed. "Wake me up when the pie is done, I'll have to do something for you later." He yawned again and shut the door after him.
Juvia watched him walk into her room before smiling softly and turning back to her pie. She had basically told him the most important reasons why she loved him, a major improvement to what she had done all that time ago. She even giggled at the thoughts of her being too shy to even approach him. With the comforting thoughts of knowing she would be eating with the one she loved, she hummed her way into baking the pie.
-Present day-
Tears streamed down Gray's face, his entire body shaking with grief. Why did she have to sacrifice herself for him? She shouldn't have done it. He wasn't worth it because...he didn't give her an answer. Before he could break down further, Lyon's words shook him out of his grief.
"Gray, more Alvarez soldiers are heading towards the guild…" The ice mage trailed off a bit as he watched Gray slowly stop shaking. While he was sad as well, they had to do their jobs. They had to protect everyone else, everyone who still lived. With those words said, he turned and started jogging back towards the guild hall to report in.
Gray still knelt before Juvia, unmoving as he searched for words to say. Finally, he managed to utter the words he had been searching to say; words he had promised to say after the battle.
"...Yes. Thank you for being by my side after all this time...for helping me everywhere I go." He trailed off again, searching for more words. "I thought you were insane at first, and a bit weird...but things started changing. You...I could see how much you cared for me. And that scared me, because everyone I care for leaves me. They're taken from me...and there's nothing I can do to save them." He broke off as he remembered everyone that was taken from him too early. His parents, Ur, Ultear, his father again, and now Juvia. And every single time he had been so powerless to even try and fight back for them. The tears had stopped, maybe he couldn't cry anymore.
The ice mage slowly stood and faced Juvia, silent for a few more seconds. "Thank you...I...I'm sorry I couldn't have saved you." He whispered and quickly turned away, running back to go and fight against the ones who threatened the rest of his family. His last words drifted softly onto the cold night air, drifting over the frozen battlefield.
"I would have been your boyfriend...I loved you too."