This is, by a landslide, the most difficult piece I've ever attempted to write. It will only get more difficult, too. Luckily, I like a challenge! As an author who relies so heavily on description and sensory detail, taking away one of those senses really hinders me, and it's hearing no less! That takes away all standard communication! I was so tempted to choose sight (since I love blind AUs) but I really wanted to try something that's never been done before (I think). While being blind can be romanticized (heck, people blind themselves on PURPOSE for sex), being deaf has never been, so I wanted to take something horrific and make it into something beautiful. Or, at least, try. Anyways, I hope you like it and choose to follow this story as it will be multiple chapters!
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The Spriggan War was by far the ugliest fight Fairy Tail had yet to be in. Everyone threw their entire heart and soul into defeating the enemy, the true enemy, Zeref.
Juvia didn't consider herself to be the most unfortunate. She wasn't Gray, burdened with the task of killing E.N.D., who happened to be his best friend. She wasn't Mavis, running desperately for her life but still trying to inspire an entire guild of physically and emotionally drained wizards. She wasn't Natsu, fighting the literal demon inside himself as he attempted to destroy his own brother and knowing full well he would consequently kill himself too.
She was just Juvia, lying in a makeshift sick bay, recovering from her attempted (and nearly successful) suicide. She wanted to get out. She wanted to fight alongside Gray. She wanted to save her friends as they had saved her so long ago.
But she was just Juvia.
Never did she imagine that she would eventually be the reason Fairy Tail was able to take down Zeref. Never did she imagine she would save her friends, almost killing herself for the second time in the process. Never did she imagine that she, Juvia, would find a power within herself so great it would place her center stage when she had always been a background character in a story bigger than her.
But when she saw Gray about to be killed, she went bezerk. It didn't matter if it worked or not, she could not stand by and lose the man she loved more than anything again. Juvia drew power from her own life force, creating spells on the spot that had never before been seen by anyone in the history of wizardry. She drew water from the ground, the clouds in the sky, the surrounding land, homes, even the air. Anywhere she could possibly find moisture she stole from. Juvia didn't remember much. She remembered being filled with hot, burning rage, just thinking that this man had been the cause of all this chaos, this destruction, this loss, and now he was trying to take her Gray away as well after he had just barely survived the encounter with Invel. Magic burned through her whole body. She remembered light bursting forth from every inch of her form as she shrieked, using all of her hatred to defeat the one undefeatable wizard. Maybe she was able to harm him so much because he underestimated her. Zeref had created Natsu to kill him and had believed that only he could harm him. He did not anticipate having another orphan present that drew their most powerful magic from their emotions. Juvia would never wrap her head around the fact that she alone had weakened Zeref enough for the others to finish him off. How did she even do it? Juvia was just a seventeen year old girl, an orphan, willing to die for the ones she loved. She wasn't born to do this. There was no dramatic foreshadowing that had prepared anyone for this outcome. It had been a sudden explosion of power that no one, not even herself, had thought would happen.
Juvia thought she had died.
Her surprise when she woke up in a bed surrounded by flowers and chocolates and "get well" cards was incredible. Her first thought was wondering where she was. She didn't recognize the room. It was simple, with plain wooden floors and bleach white walls. There was a basin with water and a washcloth, as well as a dresser and a cabinet that seemed to be filled with many different kinds of herbs and potions. Juvia was mildly disturbed by the eery silence; it made her feel so alone. Juvia wondered aloud where she was.
Or rather, she tried to wonder aloud. Where was her voice? She couldn't hear it coming out! Breath quickening, Juvia tried to yell.
"Hello?!" she tried to shout, but she heard nothing. Not even air. So, in a panic, she began shrieking, hoping she would at least hear the air escaping if her voice was gone. Juvia felt her throat burning and her lungs deflating, but she heard nothing. Not even the sound of her heavy breathing, and not even the sound of her crying as she felt liquid drip down her cheeks and her chest rattle with hiccups, oh-so-silent hiccups. The door burst open soundlessly, and Porlyusica ran over to where Juvia was curled up, knees drawn to her chest, hands fisted in her hair, screaming her lungs out. Juvia looked at Porlyusica in desperation, hoping to hear where her voice went. It was just her voice. It had to be.
However, after Porlyusica grabbed Juvia's hands and untangled them from her now incredibly knotted hair, her lips moved and yet there was still no sound. Juvia's head began to figure out what was happening, but she didn't want to believe it. Her tears dripped faster as she shook her head.
"I can't hear!" Juvia cried, knowing she said something but hearing absolute silence. "I can't hear! I can't hear! I can't hear!"
Juvia repeated those words like a mantra, feeling her sobs rattle her entire body as she continued to violently whip her head back and forth. The world blurred from the water pouring from her eyes. Porlyusica shook Juvia's hands from where she held them at the wrists, demanding attention. Juvia made no attempt to mask her terror as she turned her watery eyes to the healer. Focusing intently on the movement of Porlyusica's mouth, she managed to decifer the word she was repeating. Breathe.
Only then did Juvia noticed the lack of oxygen flow down her choked up throat. Forcing herself to stop hyperventilating, she took a few short gasps of air, then a few slightly longer breaths, and then slowly managed to achieve stable, steady airflow in and out. Her body still shook with hiccups as she breathed, but she tried to focus on the hardness of Porlyusica's deep crimson eyes. This woman was experienced. She would help Juvia through this. Her hearing did not have to be gone forever.
Right?
Once Juvia was mostly calm, Porlyusica began to speak again, slowly, using hand motions to punctuate her meaning. "Stay...here," Juvia read from her lips, watching Porlyusica point at the bed. "I..." Porlyusica pointed to herself, "...am going...to get...others..."
Juvia nodded, frightened out of her mind. What will Gray-sama think? Will he be frightened too? Will he run away? Is everyone else alright? Was anyone else injured? Her thoughts ran in circles as she waited anxiously. Juvia pushed herself into a sitting position, ignoring the shaking of her still weak arms. Moments later, Porlyusica returned. Following her was Gray, Mavis, and Gajeel. Juvia thought that, knowing Porlyusica, she probably refused to let any more people in due to her hatred for humans. Juvia's eyes flitted between her best friend, the First Master, and the love of her life, unsure what to focus on. She had never felt smaller as she was scrutinized in what was to her complete and utter silence. Gray's dark orbs were, as usual, difficult to read, but Juvia had gotten good at it. She could see his worry, but also his contrasting relief. He was probably so happy to see her awake; Juvia had no idea how long she had been asleep. Gajeel looked angry, his piercings where his eyebrows should be crinkling together slightly as he frowned. Juvia had known Gajeel long enough to understand that was the way he expressed his distress.
But Mavis...Mavis was truly unreadable. Her blank face was a perfect mask of calmness: green eyes dulled, rose-hued lips set in a thin line, and not a single crease or twitch to be shown in her porcelain skin to signify an expression. It made Juvia uncomfortable, but it also made her feel...strangely more at ease. Juvia watched them all exchange words with Porlyusica. After a few minutes of being unable to decifer anything, Juvia turned her eyes away to look at the sheets she was crushing in her fists. It made her chest constrict with emotions when she was reminded of her loss of hearing. She already missed Gajeel's deep, rumbling voice; she already missed Gray's smooth, drawling tone; she already missed the sound of the guild coming to life, with so much shouting and fighting and insanity. Juvia didn't realize she had begun to cry until she felt cool, callused hands brush away the moisture gathering on her cheeks. Snapping her head up with a gasp, Juvia's wide sparkling orbs met with Gray's own softened ebony eyes.
Gray-sama... she thought fondly. Juvia could see Gray's sharp inhale as she thought it, and suddenly it occurred to Juvia that she might have accidentally said it out loud. Gray withdrew his hands, much to Juvia's disappointment.
However, he then moved his hands on top of hers as he said back, "Juvia."
Juvia didn't hear anything, but knowing he said her name back and the warmth on her hands were his own made her smile. Gray's face instantly brightened, losing it's somber aura. He licked his lips before trying to say something again slowly. Juvia focused as intently as she could.
"Can you..." he motioned to Juvia, "...hear..." her motioned to his ears, "...me...?" He motioned to himself. Juvia's smile fell, and she shook her head. Upon seeing Gray's face darken, she immediately tried to smile softly for him. Deciding to try speaking, she reminded herself to focus and not be deterred by the strange feeling of being unable to hear her own speech.
Hoping she wasn't speaking too loud or making strange noises, Juvia told Gray slowly and hesitantly, "It's...okay...Gray...sama."
Much to Juvia's surprise, Gray's eyes began to water and his teeth ground together. In a flash, he threw his arms around her, pressing his face into her chest as he sank to his knees at her bedside. It was almost reminiscent of the time when Juvia had confessed to killing the necromancer that kept his father alive. Recovering from her intial shock, Juvia slowly reached around and rubbed his shivering back in comfort. Looking up from Gray, she smiled at her best friend.
"Gajeel..." she tried again, tasting the word in her mouth but hearing no validation that she had spoke. Although, seeing Gajeel's of all people eyes beginning to water was more than enough validation. Juvia's smile fell and her eyes widened as he angrily marched over to her, standing next to where Gray was still clinging to her. Then, all of a sudden, he lunged out and hugged her too, opting to wrap his arms around her shoulders to avoid Gray. Juvia blinked in surprise at such an out of character gesture.
Does Juvia...no...do I really mean this much to people?
In that moment, sitting in her bed, surrounded by flowers and chocolates and cards and two crying tsunderes, Juvia couldn't help but to start shaking again. This time, though, it wasn't from sadness. It was laughter. She couldn't hear it of course, but she could feel her ear-splitting grin and the pleasant rumbling in her chest. She wrapped her arms around the two most important men in her life and held them close, still giggling lightly. She couldn't see Porlyusica or Mavis because of Gajeel's looming figure, but something told her they were smiling too, even Porlyusica.
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That's all for the first chapter! I just couldn't end on a somber note; Juvia is a very positive character, and I think even a situation like this wouldn't keep her down for long. She'd probably still be in internal turmoil, but she's always chosen to be as externally happy as she could muster for her friends. Anyways, wow, that was challenging to write. I had to put in my headphones at full blast and try to record my voice to understand what was realistic for her to be able to do and what wasn't. More will be elaborated on her condition in the next chapter, as well as Mavis' role in this whole situation (it's a big one!). While this is a Gruvia fic, I'm definitely not skipping out on my favorite BROTP, Gajeel and Juvia! Anyways, I really hope you like this concept and how I've chosen to write it. If you do, please leave me reviews! I got such wonderful positivity on my last fic, Communication, that it actually made me start immediately on this. The power of reviews is strong, faithful fanfic readers! Wield your power wisely!
~Maria
