There are three areas of the universe mankind should never step foot into: the darkness of the deep ocean, the holy stars that never cease to shine, and the silence between the clouds and the water.
Juvia walked into the noisy guildhall, filled with her friends, her family. Smiling with joy, she observed the area and tried to spot her beloved Gray. However, her eyes wandered to someplace else before she could notice her crush arguing with Erza.
"Gajeel, what do you think about me?" Levy asked the strong man wolfing down the meal served by Mirajane.
"What do you mean?" Gajeel spoke through rice and beef. "You gotta be more specific than that, shrimp."
Levy puffed her cheeks and answered Gajeel's rough response. "One: My name is not shrimp! Two: I mean, do you like me in a way more than a good friend?"
Gajeel's chewed up steak flew across the room and his eyes gazed upon Levy's blushing face. He saw her jittery hands and questioning eyes moving around the entire room, but not on him. It was clearly a confession of love.
"Um…" Gajeel did return her feelings, but he wasn't ready for anything serious. He was still looking for Metallicana and had Lily to parent. "I… I see you as a really good friend, shrimp. You're a dependable person when it comes to ancient information and—"
Levy's chair clattered to the floor and her footsteps were heard running out of the guild and in the direction of Fairy Hills. Gajeel's head looked up to follow her, but she was gone before he got a glance at her blue hair exiting the room.
"Did… I say the wrong thing?" Gajeel questioned to himself, which Lily shook his head at.
Juvia felt insanely sorry for her fellow guildmate, but she promised she would console her close friend after confessing to her love first. But yet again, another event caught her eye.
"Natsu!" Lucy's complaint was heard around the entire room. "I told you, I don't have money either! You have to stop eating all of my food!"
Natsu simply laughed are her persistent wails about money. "It's okay, we'll just go on another job!"
Lucy started to look a little annoyed. "But Natsu, nearly all of the jobs have been cleared off of the board. There have been so many people joining our guild recently."
"AHAHAHAH," Natsu laughed. "Then we'll just rob a bank!"
Natsu and Happy laughed together and began to eat more food, ignoring Lucy's angered expression.
"You guys aren't taking this seriously!" Lucy yelled. "I've given you a temporary place to stay and you still don't give me a little privacy or ownership!"
Natsu's face stayed at a joking expression and simply annoyed Lucy even more. "It's okay Luce, we won't tell anyone that you secretly have a body pillow of the master of Blood Masquerade!"
Him and Happy burst into another scene of giggles and eating. At this point, Lucy's brown eyes became filled with tears and her face grew warm.
"That's it! Natsu! Happy!" Lucy's quiet scream was unlike any yell she's given the pair. It was a mix of emotions: anger, sadness, unforgiveness. No one else in the hall heard Lucy's seething anger except Natsu, Happy, and Juvia. "I don't want you guys to ever come to my place again. I've had enough of your games, jokes, and robbery about me and my home!"
Natsu and Happy both got up and headed out to the back of the guild to join Elfman and Max's rough game of football.
"Sheesh Luce," Natsu mumbled. "If you were really annoyed you could've told us in a more serious tone."
The males walked off, leaving Lucy alone at the table. Hot tears fell onto the hard wood and she ran in the same direction Levy did.
"But I was the whole time…"
Juvia's heart ached and she wanted to go and help both Lucy and Levy, but she had to make things clear to Gray that she was never going to give up.
The blue haired water mage walked closer to Gray's voice, wondering what him and Erza were yakking about. Her feet suddenly stuck to the floor as she was in range to hear every word each of the fairies were saying.
"I said Erza, I DON'T THINK OF HER THAT WAY!" Gray's strong voice echoed in Juvia's ears.
"Gray!" Erza replied with force. "You won't take into consideration her feelings for you? She sacrifices so much and yet you just push her aside like she's a lost puppy!"
"Since when have you been supporting our relationship?" Gray yelled back. "Never in a million years will I ever actually consider Juvia the love of my life! She's simply a friend!"
Erza was about to yell back at the ice make mage, but Juvia's shaking caught her at the corner of her eye. Juvia's entire body was shaking and tears were streaming nonstop down her pale cheeks.
"Gray… sama…" Juvia's high voice was barely audible to the guildmates a few feet from her.
"Juvia!" Erza cried out. However, she was cut short when the water mage bolted out of the hall, to Fairy Hills.
Erza's angry face looked at Gray's, an expression totally different from the redhead's. He was unamused and bored.
"She'll be back; she always comes back."
When Juvia rushed into the Fairy Hills hallway, she saw Levy and Lucy sitting together on one of the benches with drinks in each of their hands, talking. Hearing Juvia's noisy arrival, the duo gets up and catches the rain woman in their arms.
"J-Juvia…" Lucy began. "W-What happened?"
Juvia spilled out the entire story to the book geeks as their faces filled with sympathy and empathy. They could all relate to a similar story: being rejected or left alone by their crushes. Once the girls regained their posture and expressions, Levy brought up an idea.
"I think we should wait and see for tomorrow. If they don't come to us and talk to us or anything like that, we should separate ourselves for a while until they begin to notice us."
Levy's face looked uneasy, but she kept going.
"But if they don't notice us… I don't think I can manage to stay in the same guild as them…"
"Levy… what do you mean?" Lucy didn't seem to get what her friend was saying.
"Juvia understands," the water mage's face was full of determination. "If they don't notice Juvia, Lucy, and Levy within a day, all 3 should leave the guild."
"But…" Lucy was surprised by the propositions her guildmates were giving, but she soon understood. "I see… I guess… it's probably the easiest way for us…"
"Then it's settled," Juvia smiled at her mourning friends and they all smiled back. They could at least try something.
The next morning, all girls looked their best walking out of their rooms. Lucy was set apart from the other girls-she had her own apartment-but she met her close friends at Fairy Hills when they headed to the guild. Hopeful smiles adored their pretty faces as they stood in front of the guild they loved.
Levy has been there all her life, she couldn't imagine leaving.
Lucy has joined for about a year, but she's already come to enjoy being with her guildmates everyday.
Juvia is one of the newest additions, but the feeling in her heart matches everyone else's.
The 3 girls stepped into the hall. They looked around with excitement.
But.
Their smiles faded and their arms drooped.
The males were nowhere to be found in the hall. They checked the upstairs, Master's office, the basement, and even secrets rooms, but none of them housed to dragon slayers or and ice make mage.
Levy's brown eyes quickly filled with pale blue tears as she stared at the ground.
"I was… so… hope… ful…"
Juvia's hands wouldn't stop shaking and her knees felt heavy. She fell to the floor and watched her tears fall into the palms of her hands. Lucy helped the girls up, holding tears of her own, and led them out of the guild and back to Fairy Hills. They didn't expect anything of the sort to happen. At least the 3 men would be in the guild eating or looking for a job, but none were present… Like they've abandoned their female friends.
The guildmates gathered into Levy's room filled with books and sat on the chairs surrounding a wooden table. Levy pulled out paper, ink, and feather pens and gave a set to each of the girls.
"We should at least write a goodbye note before we leave," Levy's face was serious-they couldn't just leave all of their friends without saying goodbye.
"You're right, Levy," Juvia said and picked up her pen and began to write.
Lucy did the same, taking out the supplies to remove their guild marks while she was at it.
Nothing was going to be same without the 3 girls that impacted Fairy Tail in many ways.
"Master!"
Mirajane's legs came pumping towards the old man with a beer mug in his hands. Makarov looked bored, but his mind snapped back into reality when he saw Mira's worried expression.
"What is it, Mirajane?"
Mira handed the guild master 3 letters, each signed by the 3 girls that were rejected. At this point, it has been 4 days since the girls have packed and left-Mirajane had only found the letters when she went to check on her friends.
Gajeel, Natsu, and Gray were all back in the guild, doing their usual drinking business and having their everyday fights.
Makarov cleared his throat and stood onstage, prepared to read the sad goodbye letters the mages have left him.
"Everyone, listen up!" Makarov yelled, gaining everyone's attention. "It seems we have a few members that have left our guild. Unfortunately, from now on, we will have to live on without them. Would you like to know the names of the mages?"
"YES"
Makarov closed his eyes and spoke the names on his mind. "Levy Mcgarden, Lucy Heartfillia, and Juvia Lockser. Sadly, they have said that they won't be back for a long time and that they have made sure their guild marks were removed. They have left letters for the guild…"
Everyone in the hall gasped upon hearing their friends' disappearance.
"I should've apologized to her…" Gajeel mumbled. His head lay low and he stood motionless.
"I can't believe… Luce would do that…" Natsu stared at the floor with eyes wide open. Happy was beside him and looked just as sad.
Gray stood still looking at the Master. Was his hearing right? Juvia? She just left like that? Erza stood next to the dark haired male and had tears in her eyes. It wasn't entirely Gray's fault; she was the one that insisted he get with Juvia.
Lisanna brought Gajeel one of the three letters the girls left. Even she, who isn't around Juvia, Levy, or Lucy much, was clearly depressed.
Gajeel flipped open the letter scrawled in neat handwriting and read the sorrowful words:
Dear Gajeel and others reading,
I'm sorry to have brought this upon so suddenly. It is not entirely your fault, everyone. It has to do with Ju-chan, Lu-chan, and I. However, I would like to say a few words to my family. Thank you for raising me. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for caring for me. Thank you for allowing me to live my life to the fullest. And Gajeel, please don't blame so much on yourself. It is my fault for wanting to leave. Although I won't be back at the guild anytime soon, you will see the others and me again in the future.
Love,
Levy Mcgarden
Gajeel folded the paper back into the envelope and stomped off out of the guild. He obviously didn't want anyone talking to him.
Natsu was given the letter from Lucy by Elfman. The burly man's eyes were also streaming tears, never-ending sorrow.
Dear Natsu and my family,
I'm sorry for leaving so quickly without any notice beforehand. Levy, Juvia, and I have all agreed to do this together. We're terribly sorry for causing any havoc on you all. We want you to stay the positive, destructive guild you are even without us. But thank you all for taking me in. Thank you all for giving me a place to call home. Thank you for loving me and cherishing me. I'm not sure what I could have done without you guys. Natsu, I'm sorry for lashing out on you. It's not your fault. It's ours. Please be happy. Thank you. We will visit again later in the future.
Love,
Lucy Heartfillia
Natsu crinkled the paper in his strong hands and left the guild, following Gajeel's path. Happy quickly followed behind him.
Mirajane finally gave Gray the last letter from Juvia. With a stone face, Gray took the blue envelope and opened it.
Dear Gray-sama and friends,
Juvia, Levy, and Lucy are sorry for bringing this so suddenly. We wanted to leave on our own, it has nothing to do with you all. Juvia is sorry if the guild becomes reckless, but this is something Juvia and the girls agreed on. Please forgive us. Gray-sama, Juvia loves you. She always had. But now, she is going to go on a quest with her sisters: we want to experience new things. Please don't be mad. We will return in the future—wait for Juvia then.
Love,
Juvia Lockser
Gray slammed his hand onto one of the wooden tables, breaking it. It caught the attention of the entire guild. All eyes were on the ice mage when he ran out of the room, not once looking back at anyone else.
"Thank you"
The 3 girls walked into a hotel and stayed in a 3-bed suite. They plan on leaving to journey farther later on, but night has fallen and the mages have travelled by foot for over 12 hours.
"I wonder how the guild is taking our disappearance," Levy said; wet hair falling onto her pillow.
"What if they didn't find Juvia's, Lucy's, and Levy's letters?" Juvia replied, worried.
"Don't worry," Lucy said. "They definitely found them. It's been 4 days already."
The young adults stayed silent for the rest of the night, listening to the cicadas chirp in the cold night.