There was a blinding pain in Grays' head. As if thousands of small needles were attacking his skull all at once. Where was he? All he could remember was fighting Invel and beating him. Gray had ripped him to pieces and beat him to a pulp. Usually Gray didn't find pleasure in hurting others, but he had with Invel. That son of a bitch deserved it. Especially after what he had done to Juvia...Juvia!
All at once his memories hit him like a kick to his stomach. Painful and churning. Gray remembered everything. Juvia sacrificing herself to save him, him running off to fight Invel, discovering that Natsu was E.N.D—which he still couldn't get through his head how that was possible—Erza intervening the battle between him and Natsu, being informed Makarov had died and... Juvia… She was alive! He had heard and seen her! Had his mind been playing tricks on him? Had exhaustion gotten to him? Had he hallucinated? Surely life couldn't be that cruel to him.
Even so, there was a small possibility that Juvia was alive. This gave Gray a new form of strength. He opened his eyes and tried to familiarize himself with his surroundings. Immediately he recognized the place very well, he had been there many times before. It was Perlyusicas home. He must've been really hurt if they had brought him there.
He tried to sit up but his body reacted to his movement and sent a surging pain to his abdomen. The wound! Gray had forgotten. He had tried to save Juvia...Damn it! Gray grabbed his newly bandaged wound and tried to sit up. He grinded his teeth together in pain, but anger also. Why?! Why did everyone have to protect him? Give their lives for him! Why couldn't he, for once—at least once—protect the ones he loved?!
Gray tried to get out of bed, and immediately his feet buckled under his weight. Damn it. He had to try and go find Juvia. He tried using the bed he had been lying on as support.
"Gray-sama!"
Instantly, Gray froze. He could feel his body start shaking. In relief, or maybe fear? Fear, that he was just imaging the voice of Juvia. Relief that she was alive. But when he looked up and she was standing right in front of him, causing him to have a feeling that surged through his body and warmed his heart. She was alive. She too, was covered in bandages all over her body. More than him. She wore a new dress and she looked clean as if she had showered. She immediately ran to aid him.
"Gray-sama mustn't exert himself," she said as she helped him sit back onto the bed. She winced each time, both for him and herself. Damn it, she was hurt and helping him was only causing her more pain. "Perlyusica-san said that Gray-sama mustn't except himself or do anything other than rest. He was badly injured and he mustn't be moving around or he might reopen his wound!" Juvia continued. She was helping him lay back down, but Gray stopped her by grabbing her hands that were on his shoulders.
The warmth from her hands made him believe she was alive. He gripped them in his.
"Gray-sama…?" she started, but he stopped her.
"Are you real?" he asked. His voice cracked a little at the end. He was praying she was real. He wanted...no, he needed her to be alive and by his side.
And when she seemed to take in the situation of the matter at hand and took notice of Gray's shaking hands, body, and pained face, she grasped Gray's hands in hers and brought them down to his lap. She took her own hands and brought them to his face. Tenderly, she grabbed both sides of Gray's face and gently made him look up to her. His eyes showed how much pain he was in, and the hope that he had that she was alive.
Juvia smiled softly down at him and said, "Juvia is alive Gray-sama."
Gray knew she was real when she gave him that smile of hers. Her eyes showed so much warmth and so much love. He swallowed the dryness in his throat.
"Gray-sama should lay down. He needs rest. Juvia must head back; Perlyusica prohibited Juvia from moving from her bed, but Juvia had to see that Gray-sama was okay…!"
Gray didn't let her finish because before he could stop himself, he pulled her toward him and buried his face in her chest and hugged her.
"Don't leave yet...please…" he said. He sounded very pathetic, but damn it, he had almost lost her. He needed to make sure he wasn't dreaming, that Juvia was alive and breathing right in front of him. He took in her scent. She smelled like fresh rain and bath soap. He felt her warmth and it made his body shudder.
He could feel her running her hands through his hair.
He pulled himself away from her chest enough to stay in contact with her but still be able to speak.
"Why…?" he murmured.
Her fingers stopped running through his hair and instead she tentatively wrapped her arms around him, as if at any moment he would push her away and go back to being his old self and avoiding any form of physical contact with her. But instead he pulled her closer.
"The same reason why Gray-sama had set out to kill himself…" she answered him.
Gray pulled his face away and looked at her angrily.
"That is different Juvia! You can't die for me! You don't deserve to die! You deserve to live a long life!" He wanted to say it in an angry manner, to try and get it through her head, but instead it came out as a plea. He was pleading with her not to die. For her to not leave him alone.
Juvia looked at him with determination and anger in her eyes, "Is Gray-sama saying that he deserves to die then? Gray-sama has done nothing to deserve to die! Fairy Tail needs Gray-sama!"
"They need you too!" Gray started, but Juvia quickly cut him off.
"In a way Fairy Tail does need Juvia, but not as much as they need Gray-sama. They need him more."
"That's not true—"
"It's the truth and Gray-sama knows it! Who else will help save Natsu-san?"
Gray looked at her wide eyed, "You know?"
Juvia had a grim look on her face. "Erza-san told Lucy-san and Lucy-san told Juvia. Lucy-san is watching over him right now."
Gray gritted his teeth. Why? Why did Natsu have be E.N.D? Out of all people? Gray would never confess it, but Natsu was like a brother to him. Natsu and him had shared many memories and experiences, some more painful than the others, but even so…
He couldn't stop himself from saying, "Because of him...my parents… Ur… you…"
Juvia squeezed his shoulder with one hand and looked at him with a sharpness in her deep blue eyes.
"No Gray-sama, not because of him. Juvia does not believe that Natsu-san had any conscious over him being E.N.D. Natsu-san wouldn't do that to us. Natsu-san is just a pawn of Zeref's games, and Gray-sama has to help to save Natsu-san." she said.
Gray nodded. He would have to deal over the Natsu/ E.N.D issue later. Instead he looked at Juvia right in the eyes and said, "Promise me you'll never do something stupid like giving your life for me again."
Juvia looked at him right in the eyes.
"No," she said.
"Why not!" Gray almost growled. Couldn't she understand all he was trying to do was protect her? He couldn't stand if she…no, he couldn't even make himself think of it. Having her there at the moment was like a miracle for Gray, everyone he ever cared for always died.
"Because Juvia will forever protect Gray-sama no matter what, even if it costs her her life. Juvia's life only belongs to Gray-sama." She smiled at him so softly that it made his heart skip a beat and caused his body to grow warm.
"Juvia you don't understand...I can't...I've lost so many people. I can't…" Damn it! He had never been able to speak his feelings out loud.
Juvia squeezed one of his hands in hers. "That's why we must fight to live. So, neither Gray-sama nor Juvia have to make another decision like that. The last thing Juvia wants is to make Gray-sama suffer. Juvia loves Gray-sama! Gray-sama may not believe Juvia based on some off her behavior from the past, but Juvia—!"
Gray cut her off as he pulled her down and kissed her. She had said she loved him...he couldn't say...he couldn't put into words yet...but Juvia made him feel something he had never felt before. So, he kissed her instead and poured all his feelings into that kiss. His fear, his grief, his relief and his feelings for her that he still couldn't speak outload.
Juvia kissed him back eagerly. He touched her softly on her cheek and he realized she was crying, immediately he pulled back afraid he may have hurt her, but Juvia stopped him and instead brought their foreheads together. They were both short of breath. Juvia's cheeks were flushed and when he looked into her eyes they were shining with swirls of emotions.
"Juvia is so happy...Juvia never thought..."
Gray felt a pound of guilt sit in his stomach. He couldn't believe that up until now Juvia didn't believe he had some sort of feelings towards her, but, how could she? Gray had always cut her off and pushed her away. He gritted his teeth. Why did he always have to be such an idiot?
"I'm sorry…" he said and kissed her again, this time more gently. He let himself get wrapped in her warmth and smile.
He would protect her no matter what, because she was his everything and like hell he would lose her again.