Shelbi's notes: The whole incident where Levy is nailed to the tree by Gajeel never happened.
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima.
Gray ran up the stairs and blew threw the door. The Phantom Lord Guild were attacking Magnolia using the Jupiter Cannon. Gray had to get to next of the Elemental Four and take him down quick before the blast went. He rounded another corner running as fast as he could. He made the mistake of glancing at his exposed wrist. 00:00:00:00:03:24. Gray forced himself to a halt, stunned.
When..how did that happen?
His timer had said two years just this morning and now he only had three minutes till he meet his soulmate.
It can't be now!
He let out a string of curse words before turning into another stairwell.
Great, just great he thought. How could his soulmate be here anyway? Unless they were watching him from the town below…. but shouldn't that be too far away?
His mind whirled with possibilities. How was he even gonna see her from here? What if he misses what she looks like and can't find her again? Why did it have to be now?!
For 18 years he waited. He waited while he watched Natsu go off on a quest one day only to bring back his soulmate, a girl named Lucy. He was there on the Tower of Heaven when Erza had to battle and defeat hers, a guy she had known all her had seen all variations of outcomes the timer had created, from people defying their chosen soul mates to timers that suddenly disappeared. He watched it all while the questions of who his soulmate was, where she was, and if he could even love her loomed over him. He waited impatiently of course, but now the moment couldn't have come at a more inopportune time.
A blast vibrated through the building and Gray fell into the wall.
Damn it! He gritted his teeth and pushed forward. Finally he came to a door.
He stopped and looked at his wrist. 00:00:00:00:01:03. He forced himself to breathe. He could do this, win the fight, impress the girl, live happily ever after right? He glanced down at his wrist again. Less than 30 second. Sweat beaded his forehead. Stealing his nerves, Gray kicked the door open and stepped out into the light.
Rain was pouring down hard. Gray was instantly soaked to the bone. He tried to look out and assess his surroundings but the rain was too thick. He swirled around until he saw a figure standing across from him.
"Hey!" He yelled out.
Slowly, the figure turned.
He still couldn't see them very well so he stepped forward while the figure came closer as well.
Finally he could see her.
Wait….her?
Suddenly a mild shock electrocuted through his body originating from his wrist. He jumped and curled his other hand around his wrist before realizing what that meant.
No way. Slowly he uncurled his fingers. In place of the timer there was now a name.
Juvia Lockser.
He looked up and saw the girl across the way staring at her wrist in shock. She had blue hair curled at her neck. She carried an umbrella and wore a matching blue coat and dress.
Her eyes met his. Neither of them moved.
"Juvia surrenders.!" The girl blurted out before turning and shuffling away.
Gray stood frozen and watched her start to leave.
She was almost to the door when Gray finally came to his senses and started to realize what was happening. The girl, his enemy, his soulmate, was leaving him stranded.
"Wait!" He called out but Juvia kept going.
He followed her, close enough now to reach out to her but not daring too.
"We have to fight or talk or something! You can't just walk away!" He said incredulously. He waited 18 years to meet this girl and here she was just walking away.
He grabbed her wrist. Juvia whirled around. Her blue eyes were wide.
"No wait, please!" Gray never begged anyone for anything. It wasn't his style. But he sure as hell was not going to let this girl just leave his life after being simply a dream for so long.
Suddenly Gray felt warmth spread across skin. Both he and Juvia looked up and watched as the clouds parted and the sun emerged. The dark gray sky instantly melted into a deep blue. Gray turned to look at Juvia. She had her free hand up by her mouth in shock and her blue eyes watered with tears. Her eyes were shining with amazement, like she had never seen anything like it before.
When she caught him staring she turned away.
"Juvia is sorry."
"What?"
In an instant a whip of water shot around Juvia and smacked Gray in the head. He had just enough time to let out a string of curses before he hit the ground and lost consciousness.
—-
Three days later Gray sat in the new makeshift guild next to a very nervous Levy. It had been three very long days since he lost the girl he was suppose to love and since Fairy Tail saved Magnolia. Gray put his head in his hand and let out a frustrated sigh. Levy kept fidgeting, which made her chair squeak, and was pulling her left arm sleeve up and down. Gray's eye twitched. She was seriously getting on his nerves. She fidgeted again and again the chair let out a long squeak.
Gray flung his hands in the air. "What! What is wrong with you?" He yelled, turning to Levy. "Everyday you come in and read a book all nice and quiet like but today you choose to be annoying? Why?!"
Levy froze. Until her eye caught something on Grays left wrist.
"Oh my God." She exclaimed.
Gray realizing what she was looking at grabbed his sleeve and pulled it down. He hugged his arms to his body.
"You met your soulmate! What happened? Why didn't you say anything? Who is she?"
"SHHH!" Gray glanced around the guild but nobody was paying them any attention. "Be louder, will you?"
Levy cocked her head to the side, confused. "Wait is something wrong?"
Gray focused on the floor, rubbing his left wrist. When he woke up three days ago, Juvia was gone. He was left with a name and a face but no way to find her. He had searched for her the first night after the town's survival while people popped champaign and lit fireworks around him. He searched all through the next day while those same people cleaned up the mess they made the previous night. And he searched all the day after that while people reopened their shops and went back to work. Today though, he gave up. He resigned himself to the fact that he was never going to see his supposed soulmate again.
At least he was trying to convince himself he was ok. Judging from the way his heart ached, he knew it wasn't working.
As long as he hid his wrist no one will ask about it for another two years, if they even remembered. Eventually though he was going to be looked upon with pity. He was going to be on the other side of the happy ever after, a warning for kids to make sure they find their soulmate, and a symbol for adults to appreciate the love they have; lest they end up like poor Gray Fullbuster.
Levy, sensing his sadness, sat back and frowned. What do you say to someone who just lost the one person who is suppose to complete half of the your soul like a puzzle piece? She rubbed her own wrist and glanced down at it. She caught her breathe. Less than a minute left.
Suddenly several shouts erupted from the front of the guild.
"Oi Gray Fullbuster! Where are ya?!"
Gray shot up out of his seat and blocked Levy's view. Suddenly Gray was lifted into the air and pushed against the table.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Gray said angered.
A large man with dark hair and metal studs in his face loomed over them, intimidating Levy.
An electric jolt shot through her body and stung her wrist. She squeaked and looked down at her wrist. Instead of the timer there was a name.
Gajeel Redfox
Both Gray and the man looked down at her. At that moment the big guy gasped and grabbed for his wrist, dropping Gray.
He looked down at his wrist before looking back up at her.
"Aw, hell." He said.
The three quieted.
Unable to handle the sudden twist of events, Gajeel turned back toward Gray and glared at him, ignoring Levy.
Levy just stared at him in shock.
"Gajeel-kun?" A girl with blue hair appeared behind the man and put a hand on his arm.
All the breathe in Gray's lungs escaped. He blinked but she was still there. "Juvia?"
Juvia gave him a small smile. "Hello, Gray-sama." She said shyly.
Gajeel shrugged Juvia off. "Look if you hurt her I'm gonna smash your face in. Got it?"
Gray, still too stunned that the girl with name on his wrist had magically appeared in front of him, mutely nodded.
"Good." Gajeel said. Awkwardly he turned to Levy. "Um. Hi."
Levy gave him small wave.
Juvia pushed Gajeel away from Gray. "We should talk in private."
Gray nodded but was still staring at her, making Juvia blush. He let Juvia lead him outside away from the guild.
Gajeel watched them as they left. He knew Juvia could handle her own, but still. She had practically fallen in love with Gray after stalking him for the past two day.
When he had asked how she could possible love someone she just met, she had looked up at the sun with a faraway look in her eyes. "He took away Juvia's rain and gave her light. Isn't that what love is suppose to do?"
Gajeel had grunted, not knowing what to say. And even though this Gray was supposed to be her soulmate, Gajeel knew that Juvia could sometimes be a little enthusiastic. She already had her wedding colors chosen.
Drifting back to the present, he felt someone's eyes on him and looked down. His own soulmate sat on the bench looking up at him in shock.
Great, now what?
He looked around awkwardly. "Uh, is anyone sitting there?"
The girl, Levy, shook her head.
Clumsily, Gajeel sat down. Levy felt her cheeks grow warm, so she focused on her shoes.
Gajeel kicked some imaginary object in front of him.
They sat in silence for a while until finally, after what seemed like forever, he turned to her.
"So… you're a wizard?" He asked casually.
"Um, yeah… are you?"
"Yeah." Gajeel nodded.
Both of them sat apart not daring to look at each, both unable to come up with anything else to talk about. They gazed out amongst the guild, wondering what Juvia and Gray were talking about and if they would be ok.
They sat there inches apart silently wishing and wondering if the other was truly the one person they were meant to love. Both unaware that the other was more than they could possibly have dreamed of.
Outside the guild, Juvia turned and stopped in an abandoned street.
She turned to Gray. He is so handsome she thought. He was wearing a shirt and jacket today, much to Juvia's dismay but he still had the same countenance as before. Following the past him the two days taught Juvia much about her soulmate. The most important though that even now with his cold eyes and cocky demeanor, he cared deeply. He had fought for his friends and his town. And when she disappeared he scoured the city for her. He was deeper than display he put on for the world.
Juvia shuffled her feet. "Juvia is-"
"You attacked me!" Gray yelled.
Juvia winced. "Juvia didn't want -"
"You knocked me unconscious!"
"Juvia never-"
"And even worse, you abandoned me!"
Juvia looked up at him.
Gray had his arms crossed and was looking indignantly up at the air.
He took a deep breathe and sighed. His eyes leveled with hers.
"I just thought you left me."
"NO, NO, Juvia had too or else the Phantom Lord would have known and attacked you directly to spite Juvia after Juvia surrendered too easily. And Juvia would never abandon you, Juvia followed you for three days and-"
"You were stalking me?!"
Juvia started to fumble with her coat. "Juvia had to figure out where you were and Juvia knew you were part of a guild but she didn't know if that guild would accept her after what she did."
"Oh."
Juvia looked at the cobblestone ground. "Juvia didn't mean to make you worry."
Gray nodded. "So did Makarov accept you?"
"Yes, your master is a very kind one."
Gray silently agreed. He looked at Juvia. She was a bit shy, but full of life. Her blue eyes stayed downcast. Suddenly, he wished he could see them like they were the day they met when the rain had stopped. Her eyes had shone with awe and life. It was like she see saw the glory of the world for the first time and loved it for giving her that gift.
He wanted some of that wonder in his life.
Gray coughed and looked away. "So, um, do you want to start over?"
Juvia smiled slowly in agreement.
Gray held out his hand. "I'm Gray Fullbuster."
Juvia extened her arm and took his hand. Her eyes shining like the sun. "Juvia Lockser."
A small grin spread on Gray's face. "Pleasure to meet you, Juvia."