Fire, Water and Ice
"Oi, wait up, Juvia!" Natsu yelled as he ran after the blue-haired Water Mage.
"Natsu-san?" the woman asked as she turned around. "What can Juvia do for you?"
"It's about tomorrow," he said as they walked down the road to the river. "The First predicted that you are battling Chelia first on your own until Lyon will arrive – probably with Gray. I guess that this would be a good time to tell you that Lyon once stabbed Gray."
The woman stopped instantly and her eyes gleamed dangerously in the darkness of the falling night. "Lyon-sama stabbed Gray-sama?" she asked sharply. "He-he tried to kill Gray-sama?"
"Yup," Natsu said as he gently grabbed her arm and led her down the street. "That was shortly before you first met him, Juvia. He tried to murder him because of some issue regarding their old teacher. Gray obviously survived but I thought that you should know … especially since Lyon and Gray got a score to settle. Gray wants to prove that Lyon is not his superior, I guess."
"Juvia understands," she said. "Juvia will help Gray-sama defeat his … his rival. Does Natsu-san have any other advices for Juvia? It is crucial for the team that Lyon and Chelia-san will be defeated fast and without much ado."
"Well, Gray works the best if he got a partner whom he can trust blindly … and according to Erza, water and ice make a better team than wind and ice…" the Dragon Slayer said before he grabbed Juvia's shoulders. "Please, Juvia, help Gray to win this fight. You are my replacement … so kick as many asses as you can. Give that girl and Lyon something to cry about … show them what you are made of … defeat them well – and tell them that I said hello."
"Natsu-san…" Juvia said hesitantly. "Juvia understands what you mean to say. You would love to be out there tomorrow as well but you have to save Lucy-san. Juvia promises that she will give her best. She will fight for Fairy Tail and all her nakama."
"You are truly amazing, Juvia," he said as he let go of her. "I really don't get what Gray's deal is."
"Natsu-san, it's not nice to speak about someone who is not here at the moment," the Water Mage said as she blushed faintly. "Gray-sama has been stressed out since the Games began and Juvia does not wish to bother him."
"You are too nice for him," the Dragon Slayer said as he rubbed his neck. "But no matter what, it's not my business anyway. Just make sure to let everyone know that it's dumb to mess with us."
A few metres away, a man left the shadow, only to be startled when someone else touched his shoulder. "Damn, Erza, you shouldn't sneak up on me like this!" a certain Ice Mage hissed.
"You were following Natsu and Juvia, weren't you?" the red-haired mage smirked. "You should either stop following her or you should get better at it."
"Yes, yes, I know," he said as he raised his hands in defence. "I was just worried that Lyon might appear to bother her again … especially after Master Mavis' little speech earlier."
"Uh-hu," the Knight said as she rolled her eyes. "You are a terrible liar, Gray. Natsu would be overjoyed to give Lyon the beating of a lifetime. I personally think that you were worried that Natsu might make his move on Juvia before you can make your move … am I right?"
"You are not," he snapped. "I was making sure that she gets home safe – what's wrong with that? You always say that I should behave properly and when I try to be a gentleman, you complain."
"Yes, probably because I don't think that you are doing this right," she smirked. "Being a gentleman and escorting the girl home does not mean stalking the girl from a safe place amidst the shadows until she is home." She sighed deeply. "Just tell her, damn, Gray. Tell her that you pretty much want to date her and to marry her and to have thirty kids."
"E-Erza!"
"Gray – it's the truth!" she snapped. "You and her, you are pretty much the same when it comes to your social skills – you hardly have any. She has been rejected by everyone until you took the goddamn rain away from her and you never opened up properly to anyone but Cana because of the issues with your late teacher. And seeing that Cana has set her interest elsewhere, you hardly got any options left, Gray. And Juvia would understand – hell, she understands it even now. Just freaking explain her your fears and get over with it. Good night."
For a moment, he looked after her as she rushed away before he sighed. "Thanks, Erza."