Her unblinking eyes flashed with anger as she attempted not to show out her obvious growing irritation towards Gray and Juvia. She tried to suppress her anger as she pretended that nothing had happened and left.
Erza was certainly pissed off.
Loke had given Team Natsu 4 tickets to the Royal Blue recently, another 5star hotel which all of them yearn to visit months ago, as a reward for completing an S-class-mission successfully. As expected, all of them were very excited about this trip but surprisingly, Juvia got a ticket for herself out of nowhere and she's inviting Gray to go on to this trip with her.
"Juvia, Juvia, Juvia! What's wrong with her?" Erza muttered angrily under her breath as she stormed back home alone at night. Apparently Juvia had shown complete disregard towards her surroundings. She was totally oblivious to the fact that Gray and Erza were together and she had continued to present herself to Gray.
Erza reached home within minutes and pushed open the door with such a force that the whole door almost dropped off. She then sat on her bed glumly, with her arms crossed.
Her room had 5 rented rooms joint up together as one. There were numerous armors and weapons at the extreme sides as she stormed down the aisle. The vintage ceiling lights shone down and gently illuminate the classy designs etched on the walls. Pictures of the couple were also pasted on the walls by the side of her bed.
Erza furrowed her eyebrows at the sight of a picture of Gray. Instinctively, she dealt a blow towards the wall where his face was.
"I am your girlfriend, not her."Erza scowled, "Besides how DARE you flirt with her?" In her fury, she tore down the picture and split it into halves, then quarters and finally reduced it to a million of fragments.
Jealousy kills, indeed.
Erza then trudged towards her bed. That night was definitely one of the worst nights she had ever experienced.
The next morning dawned bright and clear. Rays of the sun filtered through the window panes and slowly warmed Erza's cozy bed. Crickets creaked and the birds chirped merrily under the warm sunlight.
It wasn't until Erza heard Gray's voice outside the door that she realized she had overslept. She groaned a little as she stretched, before re-equipping herself into her casual clothing. She then took her own sweet time to wash up before finally taking small tiny steps to the door.
Well, it didn't surprise Erza to not see Gray outside waiting for her. He must have gotten impatient waiting for her and left together with the rest.
Erza closed the door and walked back to her room, each foot a lead weight. Surprisingly Gray was already sitting on her bed, staring at the pieces of paper Erza had torn last night. "Is that the reason why you overslept?" he asked.
Erza paused for a moment, trying to digest the fact that Gray had entered without her realizing. "You should go." She told him after seeing her window slightly ajar.
Gray then stood up, walking closer towards her, "So what happened to my favourite girl here?" he grinned.
Erza scrubbed those words away with a jealous stare. "You should go and catch up with the rest." She repeated fearfully.
"Okay," Gray agreed. But he didn't leave.
Instead he moved even closer, smiling slyly at Erza. She was pleased. It was apparent from the momentary smile that appeared on her face and with that, Gray took her luggage with one hand and another locked tightly together with Erza's and set off to meet the rest.
Phew, what a relief.
"GRAY! ERZA! OVER HERE!" Lucy screamed as she flagged her arm high up in the air to catch the lost couple's attention. "Both of them sure know how to take their own sweet time!" she giggled softly to the pink-haired guy beside her. On the other hand, Happy had finally succeeded in asking Charles out for a fishing-date and will not be joining them.
The hotel left the four filled with awe. The Royal Blue is a 5 star deluxe with 300 rooms including 10 suites. It's almost reaching 50 storeys high and, and most of the rooms come with panoramic views to the pool and sea.
With the 4 VIP tickets from Loki, the staff members stood along the aisle of the red carpets and welcomed them sincerely. The grandness of this hotel had duplicated in the facilities inside it, where even the lifts' floor are carpeted.
"Ah let's just go up to our room now," Natsu said. "I can't wait to go to the beach!"
He then grabbed Lucy and their luggage before dashing into the lift. Gray took Erza's hand as they quickened their steps to catch up with Natsu and Lucy.
The beach was bathed in a hot bright glow under the blazing hot afternoon sun. Waves crashed against the sandy shores before ebbing away. The entire beach was dotted with squealing youngsters who were sunbathing, or surfing on those winged-fish, in other words, flying fish.
The two bikini-clad ladies were busy having fun out in the open ocean, both paired up with their respective boyfriends. Natsu's groans could be heard as he tried gripping onto the surfing board desperately, while Gray and Erza were having fun between themselves. Erza had challenged Gray on a race which Gray accepted readily, leaving Lucy and Natsu behind, struggling to catch up with them.
Smiles were etched on their face as they surfed towards the horizon. They had never knew that they could actually have so much fun with one another as both of them were never in good terms when young. And after they were together, they had to worry about others knowing their relationship.
Dripping wet, they came out of the water and ran towards an empty corner - build sandcastles. It was no surprise that young adults like them actually enjoyed such games since they rarely had the time to enjoy when they were young. Erza and Lucy buried Natsu alone into the sand while few feets away, Gray was sitting down, watching them having fun.
"Here Erza! Put this starfish here!" Lucy giggled, pointing towards Natsu's chest. Before Natsu can even protest, Erza had thrown two starfish onto Natsu. The girls burst into peals of laughter and Lucy started kicking the sand as she squealed in delight.
"Lucy!" Natsu laughed grabbing her shoulders but the sand had scattered all over the place. Gray groaned in annoyance before rubbing his eyes where the small particles had found their way there.
"Heartfillia." Gray sighed. Erza then took a peek at Gray, where he was arguing with Natsu over that minor incident.
"Ah forget it, I don't want to ruin such a beautiful day because of one hot-headed kid." Gray brushed Natsu off and stood up.
"Do I need to-?"
"Its okay Erza, I can manage it myself." Gray smiled, cutting off her sentence. Erza pouted slightly after Gray walked off. She had never liked the feeling of getting rejected by the people she loves. Erza pondered for quite a moment, before jumping up and chased after Gray.
On the other hand, Natsu was screaming his lungs out to Gray to have a duel with him while Lucy was busy apologizing to the passersby after realizing they had attracted several unwanted stares. Natsu then regained his composure and swing his head to both sides.
"Where's Erza?"
"Just shut up please!"
Erza looked rather annoyed at the middle of a street she was currently standing. How far could the washroom be? She had been walking for quite a while and she seemed a little puzzled now. Where the hell is – oh there's Gray! Erza let slip a momentary smile on her face as she skipped towards his direction. Her heart fluttered at the mere thought of what he might say after seeing her. However, her steps increasingly slow down as she approached him, feeling as if a force tugging her feet back.
"Is that…"
Erza squint her eyes as she mouthed the name of the person she was thinking.
Juvia.
What is she trying to do again? Erza folded her arm as she took tiny steps and walked towards them. Suddenly Juvia was sobbing, and at the next second she was hugging Gray. There was an incredulous look on Erza's face as she was taken aback by what was eminent at that point. Wild thoughts raced through her minds and irrational visions were dismissed with reluctance. She quickened her steps; her stare never left the duo.
"Erza-chan!"
Erza's gaze shifted from Juvia to Gray. She looked at the ice-mage for explanation, but he only shrugged and gestured Juvia to leave. Juvia hung down her head upon seeing Erza and quickly ran off. Erza then shot Gray a quizzical look after she saw Juvia blushing crimson red.
"What were you two talking about?" she said. "Well or should I say what were you both whispering about?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Yes nothing."
Erza glanced at Gray, wounded, which made him quiet for a few seconds.
"Alright, she came to profess her love again," he sighed.
Her eyes were now filled with soft, bruised brown of disappointment. "Why can't you just say it when I asked?"
"Let's say Juvia had expressed her love to me again and then apologetically and with great delicacy, I rejected her bizarre confessions. Would it be good if everyone heard our personal conversation? No. Would it do us better if somebody blabber nonsense and rumours start to spread? No. And… Would it be good if my girl misunderstood me? Nope."
"You know how hard it's for me to pretend nothing had happened every time she talks to you." Erza sighed. "It's ridiculously…. Ridiculous."
Gray cleared his throat and let out a chuckle. "You are ridiculously adorable." Erza shunned his attempted kiss and he surrendered. "Alright alright I promise I will not give her any chance to speak to me about non-guild related problems ok?"
She looked at him meticulously for a few seconds, then, averted her eyes out to the beach, smiling sheepishly, and he knew he was forgiven. Gray kept Erza in his arms and leaned forward, but was interrupted by Erza.
"There are so many people around! What if somebody sees this?"
"Nobody is looking at us." Gray tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear and kissed Erza so tenderly that it unravels her. She kissed him back, like a stolen candy tucked under her cheekbones, the kiss was sweeter than expected.
"Done." Gray grinned, "We can go now." Both smiled and they headed back to where Natsu and Lucy were.
Two hours later, it was near dusk. While the yellow crescent was creeping up into the night sky silently, Lucy was racking her brains for a suitable dress for the dinner later. She navigated through the oceans of clothes on the bed, took and threw back several dresses consecutively while Erza was resting on a relaxing chair. "Hey," Lucy whined, "you promised to choose a dress for me!"
Erza stood up and stretched. "All of them are beautiful." She shrugged. "Just choose one of them."
"Wow that's really helpful of you." Erza let out a laugh. "What about you? Have you chosen your-"
Bright light engulfed Erza's body immediately and a white summer dress was revealed as the light faded.
"I really won't mind taking over your magic." Lucy laughed and picked up a dark-blue dress. "I shall get this one."
There was a knock at the door. There stood Natsu and Gray, who were both smartly dressed, especially the latter. With a dark-red shirt and a black tie, he was perfectly ready for the dinner. Even Natsu had changed his casual outfit into a striped sky-blue shirt, a matching one with Lucy's.
Gray's eyes widened upon seeing Erza's simple dress. He folded his dark tuxedo jacket on his arm and approached Erza.
"Erza… Don't you think your dress is not appropriate enough…?"
Erza blinked at him, and then examined her dress. "Really? I thought it was fine." She then transformed for several times until Lucy and Gray gave their approval. Gray complained about hair right after she had her dress changed and reluctantly, again, she sat down for a new hairstyle by Cancer, Lucy's spirit.
"No kidding." Erza stepped towards the mirror. "Isn't this a little too exaggerating?" She smoothed out the creases in her sexy rose dress awkwardly and asked. A few strands of hair were left falling down while the rest were tied into a loose and sophisticated bun. The thigh split dress had also revealed her legs and she couldn't help but to feel uneasy. This dress is way too formal, she thought.
"You look beautiful!" Lucy giggled and tugged on Gray's sleeve whereas Natsu was busy staring at Erza in awe.
"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said this was exagg-" Lucy gave Natsu a small elbow jab while Gray was frantically pantomiming to him to be quiet. "B-beautiful."
Erza narrowed her eyes before laughing in amusement. "I'm indeed over-dressed but I guess it's good to pamper myself sometimes!" she shrugged.
"Alright let's all stop arguing over Erza's dress and just go down to have some fun!" Natsu then whispered some words into Lucy's ear which made her so excited that they both ran down quickly to where the crowd was. Gray offered his arm to Erza and they made their way towards the ballroom.
Once they reached the ballroom, they were awe stricken and impressed with the grandeur of the auditorium. Candle-lights were attached onto each pillar and the view of the glorious sunset made the relaxed atmosphere of the ballroom too enticing to leave. Couples waltzed on the giant dance hall and the rest were either having conversation among themselves or savoring on those finger-food prepared by the famous chefs. The hotel indeed lives up to its name.
A moment later, Lucy and Natsu disappeared.
"Probably exploring around?" Gray shrugged as he moved towards Erza. He extended his hand out and bowed, "Would you care for a dance, my lady?"
Erza nodded approvingly and chuckled. "Of course."
The pianist weaves melodies in soothing legato as they waltzed in the gigantic ballroom. Gray had his arms around Erza with an easy confidence that nobody else has. He touched her as if some part of her was his. Maybe after all these years, they really did.
There is a fine line between the stares of the smitten and the stares from the unknown. Erza's skin tingled as she cast furtive glances around the moment the music stop.
"Gray… By any chance did you see anybody familiar…around?" she frowned.
"No. I didn't see any one familiar except Natsu and Lucy." Gray said.
Strange. Erza shrugged but she's still positive that she felt something odd. She quickly brushed off those thoughts after Gray assured her and smiled, preparing for the next dance. Just then, Gray loosened his grip on Erza's waist and whispered 5 minutes into her ear and made his way to the gents. She rambled around the ballroom, searching for the other pair while waiting for Gray.
5minutes passed. Then 10minutes. 15 minutes.
She began to feel the butterfly beat of panic at the pit of her stomach. What is taking Gray so long? Where is Natsu? And Lucy? These thoughts were screaming in Erza's head as she recalled what she saw or felt half an hour ago. Are the Grimoire Heart members making a comeback? She spun around, trying to spot anyone suspicious. At the corner of her eye, she saw a dark haired lady leaving the ballroom warily. She stared at that lady from far, her expression impassive. Weird, she thought. Without hesitation, she decided to follow her.
But before she could even lift her feet, the whole room turned pitch black.
"Darn," she cursed furiously under her breathe. Frantic murmurs could be heard everywhere and even the mighty Titania felt helpless without the presence of light.
"Some words are born…. Some words fade away… Some words live inside of you…"
That beautiful voice got her full attention. She wheeled around and smiled. It's Lyra, one of Lucy's celestial spirits. She felt a great tidal wash of relief, her anxiety ceases, knowing that her friends are safe. Her curiosity soon outpaced her skepticism as she marveled how in the world Lucy managed to get Lyra up the stage.
Out of nowhere, a blinding light shone directly on Erza. She was flustered and tensed up, ready for a fight.
"Erza..."
That velvet voice, she recognized it at once.
Gray stood in the aisle, where all the other visitors automatically scattered to the sides, understanding the whole situation by looking at the bouquet of scarlet rose in his hands.
Erza stared at him in blank astonishment as he moved nearer and came to a halt.
"Will you marry me?"
His words reverberated across the ballroom and there was a beat of silence.
She blinked at him. "Okay… So what's the punch line?" She teased.
"ERZA!" Lucy shrieked upon hearing what Erza said and muffled laughter could be heard from the crowd. "Be serious!"
Grimaced, Gray placed his hands on his chest in mock sorrow. "That totally hurt my ego." He stepped forward, never been more serious, and looked into her eyes. "Will you marry me?" he repeated.
"No ring?" Erza asked playfully and Gray immediately broke into a smile. He could easily infer what she meant. Yes. He fished out a diamond ring at that instant and pushed the ring into Erza's fourth finger before she could even protest. He caught her face securely within seconds, his lips just an inch from hers. And…
"CONGRATULATIONS!"
Gray rolled his eyeballs and shouted at a particular group of people. "Can't you all just choose a more appropriate time?"
There stood all their friends. Almost the whole Fairytail was present.
"Master! Mira! Cana! " Erza laughed then she regained her composure. "They knew everything?" She stared at Gray in disbelief.
He shrugged in response. "I bet they knew from the start."
Erza laughed at the thought of the two of them, fancy hiding their relationship when the whole world knew about it.
"Erza-san!" Juvia took tiny steps towards her, fidgeting nervously.
"Juvia…"
"Although it pained Juvia seeing Gray-sama with another girl, but I'm glad it was you Erza-san. May… May you have 20 children with Gray-sama in the future!" She blushed furiously and pushed a beautifully-wrapped present to her.
Erza felt a twinge of guilt, she was wronged about Juvia. Juvia had known this proposal all along yet she was being a petty girl, jealous of the impossible things. Erza quickly wrapped her hands around Juvia neck, startling the latter a little, as a form of apology for doubting her.
"I knew they will end up together from the first day she stepped in. Gray I told you she was your lucky star!
"Gray you are the MAN!"
"For the first and last time, WAY TO GO YOU SQUINTY EYES!"
"AYE-SIR!"
True happiness etched on the couple's face as they thank all the wishes. Gajeel is now on the stage, singing the song he had written for them "True Love". Any kind of object was thrown at him as people protested against him, forcing him to be down the stage.
But Gray and Erza couldn't care less. He dropped a kiss on her forehead and pulled her into his arms. He held her so close that nothing could come between them.
Not even the narrowest sliver of regret.
Disclaimer: This story is purely fan-made; I do not own Fairytail but the plot is mine.
A/N: I had written this story for ages and I'm glad that I have completed it! No doubt this story almost killed me halfway through coz I find it quite hard to write a lively story for Grayza! Anyw, do mind my grammar errors etc and I hope you guys will enjoy reading this!
reviews = LOVE