Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters. All rights go to Hiro Mashima respectively.
Lightening flickered by her window the exact moment Juvia sat up from her sleep. It illuminated the room for a brief moment, light reflecting off her wet face. Everything was still, quiet; time was suspended for that one instant. Then it was over, shadows claiming the room again and thunder booming loudly enough to make the ground tremble. The rain poured on and on, rattling the sole window.
But Juvia stayed. She didn't dare move. It didn't matter if she was blinded by the darkness surrounding her or deafened by the weather outside. She knew the moment she even twitched it would all be over. The spell would be broken. And then the nightmares would return to haunt her mind without rest. Everything she'd awakened to stop, would only come to torment her in reality.
Another flash of lightening. She choked out a sob in surprise. The second it convulsed her body, it all came rushing back.
Juvia screamed.
Thunder just managed to muffle the sound. Tears streaked her already-dripping cheeks. Rain fell harder. The gloom seemed to eat her alive. Images, voices, cries, flickered through her mind like the lightening outside. Whispers of danger and death loomed over her.
It suffocated her, the dark. It made it all real. All the nightmares materialized right in front of her eyes. They reached out. Long, shapeless arms stretched for her. Grasping her neck, arms, legs. Every single horror she'd dreamt crawled up her skin. There was no way to escape their smothering hold on her.
"Juvia?" There was a knock on the door.
In an instant, her hallucination vanished. It left her heaving on the floor. Sweat covered her entire body, soaked her pyjamas and plastered strands of hair to her forehead. Somehow, her lamp had been knocked over from the night stand and lay beside her head. Pulling on the cord, she felt the least bit relieved that it wasn't damaged.
The light calmed her down. It wasn't real, Juvia thought. A nightmare. That's all.
Catching her breath slowly, she placed the lamp back on the stand. Pressing her forehead against the cool wood, Juvia wiped the drool from her mouth.
Another knock.
Juvia inhaled a deep lungful of air, her heart rate gradually slowing down. Cautiously, she stood up and staggered to the door. She made sure to swipe her face with a sleeve before opening it.
"Erza-san?" Juvia whispered, her voice hoarse. She leaned against the door frame for support. "What time is it?"
Erza bowed apologetically. "Sorry. I know it's late, but I heard banging and wanted to make sure you were… all right?" Tilting her head, Erza noticed in the dim light the state Juvia was in. "What happened?"
Juvia coughed, slightly embarrassed. "A-a nightmare."
"Ah." Erza said, nodding understandingly. Straightening her posture, she gave Juvia a reassuring smile. "If you need to, you can always sleep with me." Her eyes twinkled, caught up in the big sister act.
Blushing, Juvia shook her head. "No, no, Erza-san. It's okay. Juvia will be fine."
"I see." Erza said. Clearing her throat, she nodded once in affirmation. "I will be across the hall, Juvia. Shout if you need anything."
Smiling, Juvia bid goodnight and closed the door. It was then that she noticed how hard her hand was trembling on the knob. She clasped it with her other hand and slowly slunk down against the door. She shivered. That had been too close. If Erza hadn't interrupted…
No. She wouldn't think about it anymore. Gritting her teeth 'til they hurt, she refused to give in to a simple nightmare. She wasn't a little girl anymore. She had strengthened her abilities. She had become a water mage. She had met Gray. She had conquered the rain that had always surrounded her. She had joined Fairy Tail. She had grown up.
And now she would not let a scary dream control her life.
That said, Juvia didn't sleep for the rest of the night.
Juvia forced her eyes open, refusing to let them close anymore. It was safe to say that her sleepless night took quite the toll on her. Now, even though she was at the guild, she wanted nothing more than to lay her head down and…
No. She shook her head. Juvia will not fall asleep!
"Juvia!" Lucy said, waving as she came over to her table. "Haven't seen you in a while."
"Lucy-san," Juvia said. "Good morning."
"Well, it's actually the afternoon now, but…" Lucy said, trailing off. Then she noticed the dark bags under her friend's eyes. "What happened? Tough night?"
"Something like that," Juvia admitted, pushing memories of it from her mind. "Juvia couldn't sleep."
"It was some storm last night, wasn't it?" Lucy said. "I had trouble falling asleep as well."
Even through her half-conscious state, Juvia noticed how Lucy didn't blame the gloomy weather on her. She had to smile.
"I guess you can sleep for a while now, right?" Lucy continued, smiling, "The sun's out, so I bet falling asleep—"
"No!"
Juvia had stood up, her heart thudding and eyes wide open. Lucy half-raised her hands in some sort of surrender, surprised at her outburst.
Clearing her throat, Juvia sat back down in embarrassment. "Juvia means, coffee will be adequate."
Lucy gave a timid laugh. "Y-yeah, if you say so."
No matter how many coffees Juvia drank, it couldn't keep the sleep away completely. She ended up collapsing in her kitchen, unconscious before she hit the floor. The pot of coffee remained untouched.
When Juvia woke up, she was relieved to find that she hadn't dreamed any nightmares. And for once in a while, she was finally rested. A bit sore from sleeping on the tiled floor, but well-rested nonetheless. Stretching, Juvia let out a sigh of content. Her first peaceful night since she couldn't even remember. This was definitely something to celebrate.
The night after that was also a calm one, giving Juvia hope that maybe her nightmares had finally stopped. She returned back to her old self, full of energy. It was peaceful, silent, and safe. And Juvia welcomed the relief it brought with her entirety.
It was three nights later that everything came back, worse than before.
This is based off of a list of Bloody Dark AUs I found. Reviews are welcomed.
