The Magical Dance of Ice and Water
Situated between the tall, narrow crags of the coastal mountains on the north-western region of Fiore was the secluded village Edelweiss which, according to Loke, was where the retired ex-councilor under the name of 'Old Hog' had chosen to hide for the rest of his life in peace. Protected by mounds of dark gray rock and brimming with lush green tropical plants around the perimeter, Edelweiss was a difficult village to find on land without a guide. Fortunate for Gray and Juvia, they had a set of wings to carry them over the natural barriers and a demon's senses to hone in on their enemy, leading them to the village's location.
Bursting from the wild thicket on foot, the pair of mages startled a few nearby villagers with their sudden appearance. Other than that, they were a little relieved to find the quiet village unharmed and the people going about their daily lives; a good indication that Fairy Tail had beaten Tartaros to their goal.
"Let's hurry," said Gray to his partner, not wasting another second to catch their breath or admire the scenery.
The girl nodded, but the gesture went unnoticed because the ice-user had already started down the dirt path without her. With Gray taking the lead, Juvia could only obediently follow, chasing right after his quick steps. In spite of the dire situation they could soon be facing, the young woman wore a broad, determined smile on her face. Missions with Gray were rare for her – missions with just the two of them working together were rarer still.
The water mage was ecstatic to be working so close with her man. She wanted to make sure they will succeed in their mission so Gray would be proud of her and finally fall in love. Once everything is all over, he would scoop her up in his strong arms beneath the setting sun and say, "Juvia, never before have I felt the need to kiss you so tenderly. I love you so much." Then he would lean towards her and his soft lips would brush against hers, their breaths mingling…
Juvia felt her face heat up and her heart beat faster as she swooned at the romantic thought of what could be one of the possible outcomes from this mission. She practically skipped at Gray's heels, hoping for her deepest desire to come true. With her head in the clouds, she nearly crashed into her partner when he abruptly stopped to ask a nearby villager for directions in finding the Old Hog's house.
Once they gathered enough information, the mages of Fairy Tail continued down the road at a brisk pace. Dirt eventually turned into stone bricks and the small houses of the outskirts gradually became larger buildings of shops, homes and businesses as the pair made their way to the heart of the village. Palm trees taller than most roofs grew in rows along the sidewalks, their leaves swaying in the breeze. The morning sun was shining hot and bright in this region, bringing out the vibrant colours of the tropical flowers growing in every planter decorating the roads and buildings. The air was warm and fragrant from the many blooms and the ripening fruits neatly displayed for sale at a number of open stalls along the street. Birds twittered in the tree tops and people chattered amongst themselves in the lively part of the village.
Vendors, excited to see new faces in their village, hollered at the mages as they passed to gain their attention, but Gray kindly waved them away while Juvia gave them a small nod and a smile. The pair turned off the main road and entered a less busy street that curved up a hill and ended with a wide, stone staircase carved into the face of a tall, sloped cliff. The village continued on at the top of the plateau with rows of buildings stretching as far as the mountainside and a few more roads leading to other parts.
According to the villager's directions, the Old Hog's small abode was somewhere up here situated between a flower shop and a bookstore.
Juvia kept in pace with Gray's hasty strides as they strode along the quiet street. She held onto the strap of her large, black leather bag that contained the large Communication Lacrima so it wouldn't bounce around too much and risk getting damaged. She had left her basket of goods with Zifur to lessen the burden she had to carry. (It wouldn't be a surprise if she found the basket empty upon her return.)
As they rounded the corner, there was a loud, sharp ring, sounding as if a blade had cleaved through stone and wood, that suddenly disrupted the peace of the village. Quick to follow was the sight and grinding sound of an entire roof sliding off the top of a house one block away from the mages of Fairy Tail. Cut cleanly at an angle, the decapitated roof soundly crashed onto the stone road, sending plumes of dust into the air.
There were startled screams from the surrounding villagers but they were all soon cut off by the terrified shriek coming from someone within the damaged house.
Juvia's blood turned as cold as ice at the sound, her heart and mind suddenly filled with dread.
Gray swore out loud, his expression one of horror, before he broke into a run towards the maimed building.
The water mage wasn't far behind, feeling nothing by apprehension. She feared Tartaros had gotten to the ex-councilor first. When they were close enough, Juvia was right to be afraid for the Old Hog's life because the damaged house was exactly the one they were looking for tucked between a small flower boutique and an old bookstore.
"Everyone, get away!" Gray shouted at the bystanders and the few people attempting to get inside the home to help.
When the pair of mages were at the wooden door, Juvia sensed a strange, unnerving power arise from the other side. At that same instant, Gray twisted around and tackled his partner.
Juvia's heart leapt to her throat, overwhelmed by the fact that her man was throwing himself onto her. She landed hard on her back, but the pain was not enough to wipe the smile off her face. She was more happy than angry to have Gray lying on top of her, his body pressed right against hers. The moment of happiness lasted for only a split second.
The deafening ring of something sharp cutting through the stone and wood right above Gray's head interrupted the moment.
Juvia held her breath, suddenly remembering the incident that only happened in her memory – where Gray had shoved her out of harm's way to protect her only to get killed by the little monster dragons in the end. Even though Gray's fate had changed, the memory of his death was forever ingrained into Juvia's mind, haunting her in her dreams.
She was the main reason he had died. She had been careless and allowed her foolish heart to get the better of her when the situation was dire. Because of her, Gray was distracted and…
Since then, she had made a promise to herself and that was to never let her feelings get in the way in the middle of a dangerous situation. She didn't want to be a burden to Gray; she didn't want him to risk his own life to protect her again. Instead, she wanted to be his partner; someone he could rely on to watch his back; someone he could count on whenever they were in a pinch. Just like the time when they fought side-by-side and hand-in-hand during the final event at the Grand Magic Games.
With her mind set, Juvia proceeded to take action. She was quick to notice the top half of the remaining house beginning to slide off due to some invisible blade slicing through the entire building. In haste, the blue-haired girl wrapped her arms around Gray and enveloped them both in water. Summoning a current by will, she carried them out of the path of the falling structure in the form of a wave and positioned them back on their feet on the road in front of the flower shop.
Juvia dispelled her tide with only a thought and reluctantly let her partner go just in time to witness the two-story house turn into one. People scrambled away from the falling section while others, standing at a relatively safe distance, were shocked and gaping.
Gray coughed out the water he accidentally swallowed and wiped his face with the back of his sleeve. He was completely drenched but that was the least of his worries. "Damn it! We're too late!" he exclaimed, eyeing the damage.
Before Juvia could respond, she sensed the same, odd power flare up from behind the thick plume of dust.
Both mages acted out of instinct, now aware of what to expect coming their way. Gray, with hands aglow and moving in a blur, molded his magic into the form of a crystalline shield to protect them both.
However, the ice was not enough… The invisible blade cut through the frozen barrier as if it was only paper and sliced into Gray's upper left arm and into Juvia. Luckily for the water mage, her body had turned to liquid at the right moment to avoid the attack. The attack continued past the mages and slashed into the building behind them, leaving a large horizontal scar right across the entire front.
Juvia gasped when the energy passed through her liquefied form, striking where her heart should be. The power was unnaturally cold – not the same cold as Gray's ice, but an evil cold; dark and sinister. It made her magic waver unsteadily. The instant she became whole again, she collapsed to her knees, her body wracked with chills and her breath quivering. She clenched a hand around the fabric above her heart, unable to shake away the disturbing feeling that had overtaken her body.
"Juvia!" She snapped her head in Gray's direction, seeing his face full of concern as he quickly kneeled beside her, his damaged shield still in place.
"J-Juvia… is unhurt," the water mage managed to stutter out of her trembling lips. She shook her head and drew a quick breath in an attempt to regain her bearings. "Don't worry for her. She was only taken by surprise, that's all. It won't happen again." Putting on a bold face, she got back on her feet. However, her chest felt tight and heavy with trepidation.
Gray was visibly relieved and joined her as he quickly sealed his bleeding wound with ice and dispersed his barrier.
The door of the ex-councilor's home was cut horizontally in half but was still standing until something knocked it down with force. A hulking being lurked behind the frame, too large to fit through the small opening. But with a single sweep of its giant, muscular arm, it smashed aside the remaining bricks and wooden poles that made up the doorway as if it was only swatting away a fly. The rest of the house crumbled apart, revealing an inhuman creature responsible for all the chaos.
Twice as tall as a human, and with broad shoulders and massive arms that touched the ground, the monster that emerged through the rubble glowered at the mages with a pair of yellow, lizard-like eyes. Crimson scales covered its body, gleaming like rubies beneath the sun. A single horn grew atop its smooth, plated head; sharp and curved like a saber's edge. Bolted to its chin was a sheet of golden metal that was pointed and jagged similar to a spearhead.
It wore a button-less black coat decorated with pink-outlined triangles and trimmed with brownish fur around the collar. The sleeves ended at the monster's elbows, stopping at the broad pair of razor-sharp fins that sprouted out of the sides of its forearms. Its bare chest was armoured with a natural carapace that resembled the bottom of a turtle's shell. Its monstrous appearance made the remaining civilians scatter in fear.
Juvia's expression darkened when she noticed the fresh streaks of blood staining the creature's bladed arms.
The monster loudly grunted in annoyance and growled out in a voice that rumbled deep within its throat; "Looks like I missed you little humans." It stepped forward on short, stumpy feet, crushing the chunks of rubble under its heavy weight. Vertical slits for pupils narrowed at the members of Fairy Tail in disdain.
"A demon…" Juvia heard Gray snarl under his breath as he bared his teeth angrily at the creature.
A demon of Tartaros… and the Old Hog's killer… Juvia steeled against the fiend's fierce glare and furled her hands, feeling the same anger as her partner. Not only did the beast slaughter the old man and everyone else inside, it had just tried to kill the mages as well.
"I won't miss again," it stated in a dangerous tone. Its scaly fingers sank into the ground at its feet, cracking the solid stone, and launched at the pair.
Juvia and Gray moved as one, both conjuring up their respective magic to counter the demon's onslaught. The water mage summoned a powerful tide while Gray unleashed a wave of thick ice. Their spells collided together to combine and reinforce one another to create an enormous, twisting column of rapidly growing crystals that were beautiful yet deadly to the touch. It sheared across the road and through every obstacle in its path.
The mages were certain they had hit their foe, but to their dismay, their unified magic didn't stand a chance against the demon's fins that were sharper than any sword. Numerous straight lines appeared across the spiraling thorns of frost as the ice was cut apart.
Gray cursed while Juvia clenched her jaw.
The demon smashed through the ice with its elbow, shooting chunks in Fairy Tail's direction, and continued to close in on its opponents, using its huge hands to propel it forward at an incredible speed.
Juvia phased into water to have the debris harmlessly pass through her while her partner molded a heavy shield for protection.
The beast was before the pair within a blink of an eye, its big scaly fist swinging fast to slash them both down with a single strike.
Juvia leapt aside a second before the monster's massive arm could graze her, losing only a few strands of her blue hair to the demon's natural blade. Gray's barrier was easily demolished, forcing him to deftly roll under the attack.
Twisting on her heel, Juvia faced her enemy with a counterattack ready in the palms of her hands that were shrouded in aqua-blue energy. She brought her hands together before her, concentrating her magic within her open palms. With a determined shout, she released her spell in the form of a powerful jet stream aimed at her target's scaly face.
She struck home and sent the fiend crashing through the glass window of the flower shop where it soundly broke ceramic pots and glass displays.
The demon was quick to recover. The water-user could sense its power rise yet again.
"Here it comes!" Gray warned, falling into a defensive stance.
"Understood!" Juvia said with a curt nod as she gathered her magic.
Juvia couldn't see the attack, but she could feel it coming their way before seeing the damage it left behind. Giant invisible blades cut a criss-cross pattern throughout the entire front of the boutique and deeply marred the road as they headed straight for the mages.
The blue-haired girl formed her own blades out of water in hope of parrying the demon's dark power. Her spell was overwhelmed by the other however, leaving her with no choice but to quickly drop down to her hands and knees to avoid getting cut in half.
Her hat unfortunately didn't survive; it was slashed apart and knocked right off her head. Juvia froze, aghast at the sight of her beloved black hat hemmed with white fur lying on the ground in pieces. It was her favourite hat. And now it was completely ruined!
She picked up the precious remains with trembling hands, her lower lip quivering. "Unforgiveable!" she seethed, her blood boiling with rage. She shot a heated glare in the direction of her foe as she slowly rose with the intention of murdering the monster as payback. Just as the demon smashed through the door and frame of the boutique, Juvia unleashed a torrent of scalding water. Her angry tide swallowed not only her enemy but almost every building on the same side of the street. Hot and steaming, her waters scoured every surface on contact; stripping away the cheap paint and grime off the buildings and washing away whatever wasn't tied down. She was confident that nothing could withstand the heat and force of her magic, not even the despicable demon.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed her partner jumping back in a panic to distance himself from the girl's unrelenting spell. Wood groaned and the trunks of trees were bent near the point of breaking from the pressure of her water.
Suddenly, a large shadow swam against her boiling tide like a fired torpedo, which should have been impossible.
Juvia flinched, but it was too late; the shadow was upon her before she could react. Bursting from the scalding water unharmed was the ruby-scaled lizard and it was downright furious.
"No tide can stop me! No matter how hot or cold!" the reptilian monster roared. It swiped at the water-user with its right arm as it shot past her.
Juvia felt something sharp bite into her belly before her body could completely liquefy. She ignored the pain and focused on maintaining her transformation. As water, she dispersed into droplets and pooled on the ground to avoid the brunt of the demon's attack.
"You goddamn bastard!"
She heard Gray's angry, garbled voice, sounding as if he was underwater, but it was only due to Juvia's conscience enveloped in her magical form. She gathered herself and rose from the puddle. The female mage became whole again, back on her feet and back in the battle right at the exact same moment her partner launched an enormous, frozen lance at their enemy.
The crystalline weapon was big enough to skewer the fiend by fivefold, however, with a single swipe of its arm, the monster cleaved through the ice like it was only made of butter, splitting the lance perfectly in half lengthwise. The two split pieces soundly tore into the ground behind the lizard, both leaving ugly gashes in the road.
But the Ice-Make mage wasn't finished yet; he immediately followed with several more lances, these ones twice as large as the first. They flew at the demon at almost every angle, each gleaming point wanting to rip through those ruby scales.
The reptilian creature growled and brought its arms protectively before it, then spun rapidly in circles. Its fins, combined with its tough scales and momentum allowed it to deflect every frozen lance. The repelled weapons were thrown into the ground, tearing deep into the earth, while others were redirected into nearby buildings, wrecking them further.
Unbeknownst to the demon, the lances were not the only thing Gray had molded.
Coming fast from above was a gigantic hammer twice the size of the reptile, ready to crush it flat. The demon took notice a second after deflecting the last of Gray's crystal lances. The instant it stopped spinning, it brought up its large hands and caught the head of the hammer, stopping the weapon from pulverizing its target, much to Juvia's surprise.
Gray wasn't done yet. He had a second crystal hammer coming down from the sky. This one pounded the head of the first with a loud echoing clash, sending enough downward force that it made the ground crack and sink beneath the demon's stubby feet. The monster's knees and arms badly shook from the heavy impact. It struggled, however it wasn't ready to yield against the magical hammers wishing to crush every bone in its body just yet.
Frustrated, the dark-haired mage quickly prepared another spell. "Ice-Make Geyser!" Gray shouted as he slammed his palms into the ground and directed his magic beneath the immobile fiend. Many frozen points jutted from the earth, appearing to impale the demon from right under its feet. The look of shock on its scaly face was the last thing Juvia saw before the many growing crystal points obscured her view of the demon. The frozen geyser pushed the hammers upward. Gray dispelled the second hammer before it could topple over and flatten the nearby buildings.
"Gray!" Juvia shouted, giving her partner a sideways glance so he could read what she was about to do.
"Gotcha!" the Ice-Make mage confirmed.
Their opponent was formidable. There was no knowing if the lizard could survive Gray's spell and Juvia didn't want to risk having another surprise attack. She surrounded the tall geyser of frost with a huge sphere of water which Gray quickly froze solid.
Both mages stood still, their eyes locked on their combined spells. It looked like a perfectly carved ice sculpture of a giant hammer balancing atop a smooth, reflective orb of pale blue crystal. The ice glinted like diamonds and steamed under the hot sun shining above.
It had gone quiet and still. Only the dripping of water and their panting breaths disturbed the silence that had fallen over this part of the village.
They waited.
After a full minute of nothing coming from the ice, Juvia let out a great sigh of relief. It didn't seem like the demon was going to escape its frozen prison anytime soon. She turned to her partner only to stumble from the pain flaring from the wound she had nearly forgotten about.
"Juvia!" Gray caught her in his arms before she fully fell over.
Her heart skipped a beat at the concern in his voice and his strong and gentle touch as he helped her stay on her feet. Acting bashful, she lowered her head to hide her blush only to notice the hole in her black dress that ran across her stomach right above her golden chain belt. Gingerly, she touched her wound and pulled back, finding her fingers wet and crimson.
"Shit. He got you," the ice-mage exclaimed, frowning at the sight of her blood.
"Only a minor injury," the girl assured, putting on a brave face. The wound was badly stinging and starting to throb, but she tried her best to hide the pain so her partner wouldn't fret.
Gray wasn't convinced. He put a firm hand over the large cut to apply some pressure, his worry never leaving. He quickly looked around. "Where did your bag go? Did you bring any first-aid stuff?"
"It is–" Juvia stopped in mid-sentence when she found her bag gone from her hip. The monster must have cut the strap at the same time it had cut into her. Her blue eyes scanned the area, unable to find the big black bag amongst the ice and rubble. It shouldn't have gone too far, but Juvia was worried the Communication Lacrima may have gotten damaged from the fall.
"Never mind. Here, put pressure on it." Gray grabbed her hand and placed it over her own wound. She abided with a nod and bit her lower lip when she felt her own blood trickle between her fingers. The injury was deeper than she had first thought.
Gray unbuckled the main strap that held the sleeves of his outfit in place and slid off his right sleeve first before shredding it into two pieces with a conjured crystal knife. Carefully, he wrapped the strips of damp black cloth around his partner's waist to cover the gash.
Juvia once again shyly hid her blushing cheeks as Gray encircled his arms around her to bandage her injury. She couldn't remember the time he had cared for her in such a way.
"What were you thinking?" he suddenly scolded her as he worked, his voice quiet.
Juvia blinked in confusion. However, Gray wasn't looking her way. He was busy cutting up his shirt to make more makeshift bandages. He left his other sleeve on where his injury was still frozen over.
"There could have been people still inside those buildings. You shouldn't have sent boiling water everywhere," the Ice-Make mage continued.
The water-user bowed her head in shame. She hadn't considered the safety of the villagers when she had unleashed her spell as payback for the loss of her hat. "Juvia did not think things through…" she murmured.
Her partner sighed in her ear as he leaned forward to wrap another layer around her waist and stomach. His breath tickled her neck, sending a tingling sensation through her chest. "Be more careful… Okay?" he said sternly as he pulled back, meeting her eyes with his, his hand lingering over the main knot he made at her hip.
She smiled and nodded. For what felt like a long wonderful moment to Juvia, their gazes never strayed from each other's. Until a loud cracking sound coming from the demon's prison pulled their attention.
"What?! No way…" Gray stiffened at the sight of the large crack running across the once perfectly smooth orb of ice like lightning parting a stormy sky. Smaller cracks spread around the main one and covered the entire sphere seconds later. "We're not letting him break out!" the ice mage exclaimed, shifting into his offensive stance.
"Right!" announced Juvia. She acted first and called forth a rising, swirling pillar of water that engulfed the breaking orb and tilting head of the hammer.
Next, Gray brought both of his glowing hands before him and froze every drop of the girl's water in a flash of brilliant white light. The new sculpture now looked as if a hammer was in the middle of smashing into a gushing fountain of sparkling crystal water.
Five times as thick as before and twice as high, the magic-infused ice should be sufficient enough to keep the demon imprisoned.
But those of Tartaros were a fearsome bunch…
From within the layers of ice, Juvia could sense the demon's evil power spike to a whole new level, much greater than anything she had ever felt. Wicked and cold, the girl shuddered from the unnerving sensation running through her body. This awful feeling was much worse than the first time she had experienced the creature's evil essence when she had turned into water.
She clasped her hands together before her chest and took a wary step back, her quivering gaze locked on the ice that encased their foe.
The ice rumbled and new cracks quickly formed over the crystal surfaces. Then without warning, the entire sculpture shattered apart like fragile glass, sending chunks the size of boulders and shards as sharp as spears in every direction. Every nearby building were either demolished or pierced with all sizes of ice.
Gray had erected a frozen wall to protect them both from the flying debris. Ice clattered against ice, leaving shallow craters and dents in the strong barrier. Once the barrage was over, the dark-haired mage dispersed his wall. His mood darkened when he saw the being that stood in the middle of what was once a supposedly inescapable prison.
It was the lizard demon but its appearance had drastically changed with its risen power, standing nearly twice as tall and thrice as large. Ruby scales were no longer smooth like polished gems but rough and sharp like spines. Two more horns sprouted from the back of its plated head to join the other and its face now bore a short reptilian snout and a mouthful of viciously sharp teeth. It now had a pair of fin-like ears on either side of its head, the spines sharp and pointed. Spikes adorned its shoulders and down its back where a bladed dorsal fin was now present in the middle, leaving its coat to hang in tatters. Most fearsome of all were its arms that now had another pair of fin-blades growing right at its elbows. Its main pair had doubled in size, curving past the smaller fins of its elbows, and looked much more deadly than before. A long tail slowly swayed behind it, armoured in spikes and ending with sharp tail fin similar to a shark's.
Its yellow eyes shone with a malevolent light as they bore right into the mages. "Troublesome little humans," the demon spat derisively. "Look what you've done! You have angered me! There is no stopping me with your petty magic. Try as you might. I will kill you both in the end!"
With that, the monster charged at them at full speed like a raging bull.
Juvia braced herself in spite of the apprehension that plagued her. She had to be brave and determined because she was a mage of Fairy Tail. And Fairies never cower in fear no matter how strong their adversaries; no matter the difference in strength. She had done it before and she will do it again.
"We'll defeat you before you can even try!" Gray boasted, concentrating his magic in his hands.
Juvia stood with her back facing her partner's, gathering her own magic as well. "Our combined love will bring you down!" she added.
"What?!" Gray shot her a sideways look of horror.
Juvia of the Deep could only smile because the demon was already upon them.
A/N: It's not certain if Torafusa was the one who killed the ex-councilor Gray and Juvia were sent to protect, but I do know it was one of the members capable of cutting things. So I chose the lizard guy because he seems to be formidable enough to counter against Gray's and Juvia's magic and I'm assuming Kyouka is busy scheming with Crawford Seam at this point. Also, I'm not too sure what Torafusa's attacks really are aside from being physically strong and capable of swimming through water so don't believe that he can actually shoot pressurized air blades - that's something I made up. I also made up the look of his transformation (does he even have one?) so don't believe that is true too. I'll have to adjust his character as the manga progresses.
Edit: Altered Torafusa's transformation; he's now a lizard/shark hybrid demon and not a merman demon like he is in the manga.
Also to point out, this is my first time trying to write 'romance' due to Juvia's personality so try to bear with the quality of it... Romantic situations are difficult for me to tolerate. (I'm not a big fan...) Hopefully, those parts with Juvia interacting with Gray aren't too awful.
Thanks for reading!