"Juvia is waiting for you!"

Those words send a shiver down Gray's spine. Not that he lets it show.

Juvia.

The woman who stayed by his side even when he did not deserve it. When he always brushed off her advances but has grown to actually like. (Even if she goes a bit overboard sometimes.) She defended him when he pretended to have betrayed Fairy Tail and work with Daphne. When they did their first unison raid he felt something, but he just thought it was sharing his magic with another person. Worried about her when they were in Edolas when she and the others were going to be used to restore magic to the land. Her sacrifice when Laxus and his team pinned everyone in Fairy Tail against each other.

When she considered dropping out of the S-Class trial to be his partner. As much as he wanted to deny it then, his feelings for her were starting to become more clear, that's why he encouraged her to not drop out because even if they did face each other he wanted to see what she was made of. Then when Meredy linked just the two of them, then all three in an attempt to kill him before Juvia convinced her otherwise. Coming back to Fairy Tail after apparently being trapped on Tenrou for seven years.

Lucy's cousin Michelle coming and starting a whole new journey for them. During this, Lyon and his Lamia Scale team came and visited them and Lyon saw Juvia for the first time and flirted with her every chance he got, putting Gray on edge. Erza, Cana, and a lot of the other single women at Fairy Tail can handle themselves just fine, and if Lyon even tried to hit on Lucy, Gray wouldn't even get the chance to tell him to knock it off before Natsu got involved and roasted Lyon alive (literally).

The Games, where Gray was just starting to admit to himself that Juvia is pretty and that he should start trying to see if he could feel more than just friendship for her. Lyon then came in and tried to drag her away before making a bet with him about whomever wins gets Juvia in their guild. Eventually it came down to him and Juvia versus Lyon and Chelia; Juvia and him actually using team work and defeating Lyon and Chelia with a Unison Raid. (And if he's being honest he did not mind holding her hand, or her saying that she won't stop.) Not to mention when Erza told him that he should give her an actual answer because it was what she deserved. (Not that he disagreed, because even he knew he was giving her mixed signals both in vocals and body language.)

Then fighting the Celestial Spirits and seeing Juvia getting turned into a constellation. Then when everything is said and done and she's back at his side he feels something, but he did not know what at the time, he just knew that with her at his side it felt like he was complete.

Natsu interrupts his thoughts by telling him that he's not in control. Gray smirks, taking off his jacket and showing him where he's allowed his black mark of Demon Slayer magic go, over his right pectoral where his Fairy Tail one used to be is now a white one with Avatar's symbol for Zeref. He tells them that Fairy Tail is behind him and that this is the path he has chosen to follow. He barely hears Happy's voice. He gives his reason for not wanting to re-join Fairy Tail in hopes that his trio of friends standing before him will back off.

Slap.

Gray feels a slight tingle on his right cheek as he looks at Lucy. She's standing in front of him with her head down, tears in her eyes. Hard to believe she's the same person that just slapped him. "Nobody is pretending, we're your friends Gray!" she sobs. "And we always will be, and whatever it is you're going through we're here to help. Hearing you say all that is breaking my heart, after all we've been through-" she gasps suddenly, wrapping her arms around her stomach as she claims it's starting to hurt.

"It must be you, Mary." Gray says casually as the short-pink-hair, starry-eye young woman comes in. With her hair style and clothes, she actually reminds Gray a lot of Virgo, the Maiden Celestial Spirit. She talks but he pays no mind.

"What the hell are you doing to Lucy?" Natsu growls. Leave it to the Fire Dragon Slayer to be worried about her. Then again he always has been, even more so than Lisanna. Ever since Lucy's been a part of the guild Gray has noticed this. He never got why Natsu was very protective of her; at first he thought it was because of how they met, but even now if someone even dares makes Lucy cry Natsu is ready to pound them into the ground.

Chains come up and wrap around Virgo and Natsu. Virgo notes the metal the chains are made out of. Happy tries coming over to help only to be controlled by Mr. Cursey. Natsu gets up and tries to come for him only for Jerome to come in and place his sword over a hunched over Lucy.

"This is what happens when you don't mind your own business, Natsu."

Gray and his fellow Avatar members then take the three Fairy Tail's into a cell where they leave them. It has already been decided who's going to the next city to kill all of the people to reawaken Zeref and who will stay behind. Back in his room, Gray's mind drifting back to his earlier thoughts about Juvia.

The next adventure he remembers them doing was dealing with Tartaros. When his father was revived and Juvia fought Keyes and killed him which in turn killed Silver. He remembers going back home and Juvia following him informing him of what she had did and how she felt like she could no longer love him because of it. As he cried he recalls telling her that she set his father free so she did the right thing. His train of thought after that being that Juvia most likely would have likely lived in a world where he hated her for what she did and her trying to move on than in a world where she was dead and his father still be controlled by a necromancer.

He also recalls the day that they saw a whole town destroyed and while on their way back, hearing her so worried was startling. How she didn't go all fangirl crazy when he offered the chance for her to go with him to one of the new locations they had gotten word about. Putting his hand over hers in reassurance because, unlike Natsu, Gray actually knows to keep his eyes on the road instead of turning around and having a heated gaze on his companion. He can't help the feeling of relief that flushed through him, heart picking up, and a tingly stomach when she accepted.

Then Makarov disbanding Fairy Tail and he went to an old abandoned home to train and get stronger. Not that he expected to be alone that much, that's why he chose a house that had at least two bedrooms; so that when Juvia did show up (Gajeel dragged her somewhere first, their final quest for Fairy Tail) she would have her own room and he could actually sort out his feelings. And it was actually quite enjoyable. They did everything together, though Gray isn't to keen on the fact that she picked up his stripping habit. But the only thing that comes off is her jacket, which reveals her corset so he hasn't said much.

Then Erza called and asked him about going undercover. He didn't want to, but if there was a way to defeat Avatar and keep Juvia safe he would do it. They expected the operation to last a month or two, three at most. That way he could have explained things once they were over and they could go back to normal. But it's been half a year since he left Juvia and he misses her more with each passing day. There are nights when he has such vivid dreams about them together that when he wakes up he half expects himself to be back at their home or Juvia to suddenly show up. He wonders if she's okay. It's taken a lot of self-restraint to not contact her. As he imagines their reunion there are two scenarios that come to mind: 1.) Juvia doesn't hate him and she'll embrace him in a bone crushing hug like she always does and will immediately forgive him. 2.) She's going to kick his arse and yell at him for leaving her for half a year with no word.

He would like the first one to happen, but the more he thinks about it the more he is unsure of which one he would prefer more.

When Alok takes the others to the city they are going to destroy, Goumon stays behind to deal with Natsu, Lucy, and Happy. As much as Gray would like to take them down from their ranks, he can't just leave his friends alone. Slipping away from the group, Gray goes down to the basement where his friends are being held captive. He hears Natsu's voice as he gets closer to them. He gets there in time and freezes Goumon just before his ax even makes a mark on Lucy.

"Gray." Lucy says through her gag. Gray uses his ice magic on their shackles to break them free.

"So typical." He states as he changes his hair back to normal. "How can you guys always ruin everything?" He brings out his communication lacrima and calls Erza. After a brief conversation (and making the blackness of his demon mark leave), Gray throws the lacrima to Natsu who holds it up to his ear, tensing when he hears Erza's voice. He nods his head when Natsu looks at him, confirming whatever it is might be going through that Salamander's mind.


"What are you trying to say Erza?" Natsu wonders as he, Lucy, and Happy sit on the floor looking at the raven-hair Ice Mage.

"I'm a spy." Gray clarifies. "Give me some credit, do you really think I would join some creepy Zeref cult? It's time to get moving. We'll explain everything on the way." With that Gray leads his friends out of the old, dark church as Erza explains what Jellal asked of her several months ago regarding Avatar.

"How are we still hearing her?" Happy questions as they leave on some animals. Gray's communication lacrima now in his pocket.

"We have a portable communication lacrima." The wizard explains. "Anyway, after our last fight this pattern broke out all over me so I went to Porlyusica to see is she could help. As you saw I am now able to make it appear and disappear whenever I want."

The two wizards then continue their story. Erza admitting to them talking about what they've been up to and Gray calling it fate, claiming he'd do anything for Erza and the fact that he actually does want to get his hands on the Book of E.N.D. and destroy it as his father's last wish was for him to destroy it.

"Yeah, okay." Natsu interjects. "Buy why didn't you tell Juvia about this? She's literally worried sick."

Sick? Juvia's sick? Did her rain come back? Did he do that? (There is no wondering, he knows it as fact.) Has she been searching for him in the rain? Or did she just stay inside and not eat that much? Oh Fairy Tail what has he done?

Erza intervenes and tells them that she asked Gray to keep it a secret and that the more people know about a covert mission such as this the more likely it is to fail and that mere knowledge of the plan could put someone in danger. Though now, Gray is wondering if keeping her in the dark at all was a good idea if she's sick.

"So kept her in the dark for her protection, huh?" Happy laminates.

"Still a crappy thing to do." Natsu replies.

Gray's mind is on autopilot as his mind wonders to Juvia. Hopefully they got Wendy and Carla before they found Juvia. If not then she could be even more sick if she's been out in the rain and no one is keeping an eye on her to keep her from getting better and going back out in the cursed rain. Then his mind goes back to when Jerome accused him of being a spy, had they gone to his room? Did they use a spell to search his memories and find out about Juvia? With his heart beating against his ribs he hopes that she has someone with her.

Turning, Gray apologizes to Lucy for what he said and she apologizes for slapping him. Gray then makes the remark that the maid outfit made it better, if only to get on Natsu's nerves while he's actually thinking about his Water Mage. A slap from Lucy is nothing and something he can deal with, one from Juvia not so much.

Natsu then comes forward and gives them a rousing speech where they all exclaim "I'm fired up now!" and it feels good to be back with his friends.