It was early winter in Magnolia, where the temperatures were cold, but not enough to fully freeze a glass of water if it was left exposed to the elements for a day. Fairy Tail for once was at a time where there were no major events ongoing currently, so in comparison to the normal rambunctious activity that occurred at the guild hall or by the guild, it was a time of pure tranquility. Today was a particularly cold day, as it was lightly snowing, not enough to be anything significant. The entire guild had noticed how Gray seemed a bit depressed recently, which was contradictory to what they expected him to be at this time of year; more into his element due to the weather. When Erza had attempted to uncover the source of his new found sadness, he had pushed her away, without almost a single word.
Juvia was about to make her way to the guild from her small home, when she noticed a letter that was slipped under her door, nothing more than a single piece of paper folded in half with only writing one one side of the paper. Curious, she knelt down and grabbed this oddly informal letter that had no address on it, which Juvia knew meant that someone who knew her had delivered it. She unfolded it and read aloud "Juvia. It's Gray. I don't feel like actually even being around anyone for a while, although you... I want you and only you to know where I'll be. Just please don't make a big commotion if you decide to visit me. I'll be at the lake in the frozen forest, a small forest in the mountains. Just don't be freaking out please." Juvia's eyes nearly transformed into large pink beating hearts as she excitedly yelled out "Gray-sama wants Juvia to meet him and no one else! Gray-sama loves Juvia!"
She decided to cancel her planned arrangements for the day, although the only thing she changed was instead of going to the guild, going to the frozen forest. With all of her love, she made herself and Gray lunches with the best ingredients she had on hand. Juvia carefully wrapped the packed lunches in a soft blanket, albeit it had a large image of Gray on it along with the words "Gray-sama Love" written in a large black font. Juvia left her small and humble abode, and traveled on foot about a quarter mile before finding an available carriage to take to the forest, since most of the horses detested the cold temperatures of this season. The carriage stopped at the base of the hill where the forest was, about a mile away from the first tree of it. Juvia barely had enough Joules on hand to cover the heavy fair of the carriage, due to the distance and time of year, but in her mind was a fair price for her alone time with Gray-sama. She set out on the mile-long hike, eager and fueled by her love for Gray.
Gray laid on his bare back against the snow-covered terrain of this forest, and was watching the very light shower of small, white snowflakes land upon the tranquil lake of ice as he succumbed to the exhaustion of the lengthy journey from his house, to Juvia's, and to this desolate place that was said to be frozen in time. He unwillingly fell asleep, knowing of the recurring nightmare that was going to come with his rest.
There he was, facing an unknown opponent along with Juvia at his side, when suddenly he lost control of his entire self. He turned to Juvia and then attacked her with ice spear, all while remaining silent. He was yelling, screaming, and fighting with every ounce of will he had in him to regain control of his body although he couldn't even make a sound on his will. He had hit her dead on, and he continued to attack her up close, while her saw and heard her cry, helpless to his unwilled onslaught. With every strike he inflicted, he saw not only the physical pain she felt, but the emotional pain of her beloved striking her ruthlessly. He couldn't bear seeing even seeing Juvia truly cry, and this was the highest amount of pain he had ever felt. He formed a sharp spike on his right hand, and plunged it into her heart, killing her. Every time he had that nightmare, he woke up distressed and in a heated sweat, and this time he had awoken like this before Juvia, which startled her beyond compare.
Seeing her, tears formed at the corner of his eyes and he then he took Juvia into his arms and held her as tight as he could, and did something massively out of his character; he cried. Juvia could only hug him and process what just happened as she heard him mutter quietly through the that flowed down his face: "Juvia...I'm sorry... Forgive me..."
The two remained like this for several minutes before Gray was able to recompose himself, letting go of her and wiping his now swollen eyes. Juvia, now highly concerned, asked worriedly " Juvia wants to know why Gray-sama is so sad! Why was he apologizing to her and holding her so tight?" Gray took a deep breath, and explained the recurring nightmare he had just had, and then he finally found it within him to say what he really felt about her. "It hurts so much... because you're the girl I love, Juvia. I love you so much..."
Contradictory to what most people would assume Juvia to do after hearing Gray say those words to her, she simply hugged him calmly and whispered in his ear "I love you too, Gray-sama. You should know that by now." Gray pushed her away only a little bit, to kiss her directly on her lips, releasing all the pain and express those feelings that he had been withholding. She kissed him back, and for several minutes remained in this emotional kiss.
Gray pulled away, gasping for air, and noticed the thing she was holding in her left hand. "OH! Juvia almost had forgotten the lunches she made for herself and Gray-sama!" She undid the knot holding the packed lunches, and happily ate them with Gray under the blanket, looking upon the frozen lake.
"I love you so much, Juvia"