The ice mage walked beside the rain woman in silence. Over the years, they've grown so comfortable with each other that even when no words were spoken, a conversation was held. The streets of Magnolia were barren. Piles of rubble that were once houses decorated their surroundings. The guild should have been visible from where they stood, but Natsu's battle with Zeref flattened it to the ground.
Natsu…he was E.N.D. After learning that Natsu was Zeref's younger brother, nobody wanted to decide his fate, it was Natsu's decision only. Natsu cried, Zeref cried, Lucy cried, Mavis cried. Fairy Tail came into possession of The Book of E.N.D. at some point during the battle and inside was the power for Natsu to kill his brother. He didn't want to kill his only remaining family member, so with the help of Mavis and Lucy, the three of them developed a spell to save Zeref and return both he and Mavis to mortal, but it came at a cost.
Both Natsu and Lucy were comatose, Zeref was imprisoned for his crimes and Mavis was ageing at an alarming rate. Bother Zeref and Mavis were hypothesized to be dead within the next few days. All but one of Lucy's keys were destroyed in the mists of battle, and Natsu's magic was almost completely gone, he may never wake up.
"Gray-sama," Juvia finally spoke.
"I promised you an answer once this was all over," he replied.
"Juvia doesn't need one now, not after all this." Was she upset that she wasn't going to get an answer? Not at all. Gray's best friend might never wake up. People were dead. They both needed time to grieve.
"I'm not about to break that promise."
She smiled a little and looked down at her feet. She stopped to pick up a forgotten doll that littered the path in front of her.
"Leave it," Gray said, "then the littler girl that dropped it will be able to find it again once all the townspeople come back."
She looked around her to find something whole enough to leave the doll so nobody would accidentally step on it. The only thing she could find left in mostly one piece was a red flower cart. She placed the doll on top of it and returned to Gray's side. "Do you think that Natsu and Lucy will wake up soon?"
"He'll be fine. He's too stubborn to die like this."
"And Lucy?"
"She's not going to die without Natsu."
"Juvia agrees."
They arrived at the guild, or at least what used to be the guild and sighed at the sight. Master would not be happy about having to rebuild once again. Gray took a cautious step up the pile of rubble and once deciding that it was safe, held out his hand to Juvia. "Be careful."
She took his hand graciously and together they climbed to the top of their broken home. The sun was beginning to rise as they made it to the top. They were quiet as they watched the black night turn to orange to pink to blue; their hands still intertwined.
Gray was the first to take a seat, but Juvia followed shortly after him. They stared at the rising sun, again in complete silence.
"Does Gray-sama want to wait for Lucy and Natsu to wake up before telling Juvia what he wants to tell her?"
"No. You've waited long enough."
She waited for him to gather his thoughts and decide how he wants to tell her. She already knew his answer—she's known for a long time, but she had to wait for him to realize.
"Juvia," he finally began, "you've been by my side since the beginning. You've been my partner in battle, you helped set my father free, you helped me train and become strong enough to defeat E.N.D…even though that turned out to be unnecessary. I want you to stay by my side. I want you to be there for me—I want to be there for you. It's taken me a long time to realize my true feelings for you, but I think that it's a good time to finally act on them. So, if you'll allow me, I'd like to be with you for as long as you want me."
"Juvia will always want you Gray-sama." A single tear feel from her eyes, followed by a light rain.
Gray began to panic, "Oh my God, Juvia! Are you okay? I didn't mean to make you cry. Are you upset?"
"Juvia isn't upset Gray-sama. Juvia is happy!"
"But the rain."
"It's a happy rain. Look, there's a rainbow." She pointed to the parting clouds above them.
He squeezed her hand. The gesture made her heart flutter, and the rain stopped. The clouds dispersed and the sun finally poked through the horizon. Behind them they could hear the sounds of people returning to the town. Any minute now, the rest of the guild would arrive to take in the damage and get started on the repairs.
"I say we go back to our house in Rainfall Village once Natsu and Lucy wake up. What do you think?"
"Juvia thinks that's a wonderful idea!"