Hey, everyone! I couldn't wait to post chapter 2 and after such a positive response, I thought you guys deserved an earlier chapter. Since I'm managing to get ahead on my writing, I might be able to post 2 chapters per week, depending on your response of course. So don't forget to review!
Anyways, I'm glad you decided to give this story a chance and were able to deal with the big differences such as Juvia's normal dialogue and the lack of -sama. I promise you there's a lot more to come for all the characters and we'll have some cute moments. As I've warned in the first chapter, this story will have many clichés since I'm a hopeless romantic. I'll try to show a different approach to those.
One more thing, I'd like if you guys told me what are your favorite characters/couples besides Gray and Juvia, so that I can know who I should include more. I've already planned developments for NaLu, GaLe and Jerza, but if you have any minor couple your like, let me know and I'll try to fit them into the story.
Now, before we can get the chapter started, let's go with the shoutouts:
Martygruvialover: Thanks for your sweet review! I'm glad you're excited for this story, we've got a lot to come. Juvia's past is the main focus here and we'll have many flashbacks and plot twists. I'm sure you'll enjoy them very much.
KassfromVenus: Thanks for commenting! If you're looking to learning about Juvia's past, this is the right story for you. There will be many flashbacks and plot twists.
Guest: Thanks! Here it is.
Let Her Go-Passenger
You only need the light when it's burning low
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow
Only know you love her when you let her go
And you let her go
Now let's get on with the chapter! Good luck cause this is a big one!
2 days after the conversation with Erza, Gray was still considering his feelings towards Juvia and what he would do about their relationship. The blue haired woman had been avoiding him as he noticed and spending more time with Gajeel than ever. He knew those two were close, but still, Gray suspected something might be wrong. When he asked her about it, though, she told him that everything was alright. He didn't believe her, but Gray didn't want to pressure her too much, like everyone had been pressuring him.
Besides Erza, Lucy had also noticed the change in Juvia's interactions with him for the past two days and she questioned him about their relationship. Even after Gray reassured her that everything was fine, she told him to make things clear with her and Gray ignored her. Why did everyone want him to make things clear all of sudden?
He groaned in frustration as he heard steps from behind him. It was now time for the 4th day of the games to begin and Gray was near Fairy Tail Team A's spot, trying to avoid anyone else who might want to talk to him about Juvia.
"You know, you really should talk to her." A voice came from behind him and Gray was about to tell them to go away when he noticed it was Natsu. He was filled with confusion for the pink haired men couldn't possibly know about what was going on between them, he was too oblivious.
"Talk to who?"He questioned while looking away from Natsu and back to the arena. He could see a large bubble made of water in the middle and knew that the first challenge would be starting soon.
"Juvia, of course!"Natsu said matter off factly and Gray sighed.
"Even you?"He muttered, but the dragon slayer heard him clearly.
"Look, I don't know exactly what's going on between you two, but I can see that you care about her, Gray."Natsu said firmly and Gray remained silent. "I overheard your conversation with Erza the other night." The pink haired dragon slayer blurted out suddenly and Gray stared at him with wide eyes.
"What!? You were spying on us?" The ice mage accused and Natsu was quick to explain.
"I wasn't, but I can't control my excellent hearing. I was taking Lucy back to the inn when I heard you."Gray sighed, unsure what to say.
"How much did you hear?"He questioned and Natsu stared at him firmly.
"Enough to confirm my theory that you're an idiot."Gray glared at him. "Why else would you brush off your feelings for her as if they didn't exist?"The dragon slayer added and the ice mage looked away.
"You don't have any moral to speak here. You're clearly head over heels for Lucy and yet you don't act on it."Gray thought he had got him good there, but Natsu's only response was a small blush.
"That's not the point. You need to tell her that you love her before it's too late."Gray groaned, tired of hearing this words, tired of the pressure everyone seemed to be putting on him. Why did they all assume that it would be too late, anyways? This was Juvia, she hadn't given up on him even after he had ignored her for so long, so there was no reason to worry.
"Just shut up Natsu!"He said loudly and the dragon slayer raised an eyebrow. A fight would surely have started soon if Erza hadn't showed up a few seconds later.
"There you two are. Come on, the competition has already started!"She told them and both men followed her back to the arena as they settled in their usual place.
They could see that the water bubble was now filled with the competitors and Gray's heart jumped when he spotted Juvia in her purple bikini. It wasn't often he got to see her showing more skin, since she always covered herself, and he wondered why she insisted on wearing such heavy clothing when she had no reason to hide anything. After all, he was a man so he could tell that she had a nice body beneath those coats and long skirts.
"Look, did Juvia just take on Aquarius?"Natsu's voice broke him out of his thoughts about Juvia's body and Gray blushed. His gaze followed Natsu's and he was impressed to see Juvia holding her own against the water spirit.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Aquarius?"Juvia was telling the spirit while they held each other off and Gray wondered when did these two know each other.
"Don't think that I'll hold back just because we're acquaintances." Aquarius replied and Gray saw Lucy cast a confused look her way. Looks like not even she knew what was going on between the water mage and the spirit.
"I wouldn't dream of it"Juvia replied smugly before she put even more power into her water cyclone.
"What? We're even?""Aquarius said, startled and Juvia's expression changed from proud to determined.
"My darling is watching, so I wouldn't live with myself if I failed."She dramatically said and many people around the audience started chatting and wondering who she was talking about. Gray could see a few members of Fairy Tail smirk his way. He avoided their looks as a small blush appeared on his face.
"Looks like the fight isn't the only thing Juvia has in mind."Erza's voice made Gray look at her. He said nothing, but his heart beat faster at the thought that Juvia was trying to impress him. He couldn't deny that he was enjoying the view.
"This is taking way too long. I gotta get out of here."The water spirit said in frustration and when Lucy asked her what could be more important than helping her, Aquarius simply smirked before replying."My man." And then she was gone.
"Again!?"Lucy yelled in frustration while the organizers commented on how strange it was that Lucy's spirit would abandon her in the middle of the fight only to see her partner. Juvia didn't give Lucy time to rest as she once again sent her water cyclone the blonde's way. Gray wondered why she was fighting so much harder than usually, but her previous words came to mind. Yep, she was definitely aiming to impress him. And it was working.
Soon Lucy conjured up Aries and Virgo and they were able to hold Juvia off for a while. The fight was getting more intense as the other competitors, except for Sabertooth's Minerva, were getting on the action. Chelia fought against Jenny and Leslie while Juvia and Lucy continued their mostly one-sided fight.
"It's time I stop pulling my punches. I'll take you all at once."Juvia said after a few minutes and everyone in the audience looked at her curiously and expectantly. She smirked and Gray felt pride swell inside him. This was the Juvia that had amazed him from the first time he met her, the confident and strong woman who could hold her own even against one of Grimoire Heart's Seven Kin. She was in full battle mode.
"Now that's pretentious."Lucy commented and Juvia's smile didn't falter.
"Do you think so? Well, I'm sorry, Lucy, but only one of us can win this fight and there's no way I'm not letting you outdo me in front of Gray."She replied to the blonde's statement and Gray once again avoided the many looks sent his way. He also tried to ignore the statement coming from the main organizer.
"Looks like love is in the air today. But will Juvia be able to impress her boyfriend?"The ice mage wanted nothing more than to yell at him to shut up and that he wasn't Juvia's boyfriend. He actually surprised himself with how calm he was, usually he would have lost his cool after so many insinuations coming from the audience and the organizers.
"It's time to I use my own trump card."Juvia's voice brought his attention back to her. Many of the girls in the bubble were now looking in her direction, Chelia and Leslie were in defense mode while Minerva looked amused and Jenny looked unsure. "I was able to perfect my most powerful spell, which was unleashed by my second origin and strengthened with my love."Gray groaned at her insistence to drag him into it. Tough he would never admit it, a part of him enjoyed hearing her love confessions. She was just so open and forward, something he admired and wished he could be as well. But he couldn't, not when it had only led to loss and heartbreak.
He had known about Juvia's feelings for him, that had been clear for a while now, but now he understood just how deep they went. After all, for her to announce it in front of so many people, she must really love him. And Gray didn't know what to do about that. Even though two days had passed since his conversation with Erza, he was just as confused and conflicted.
He didn't know if he felt the same towards Juvia and the last thing he wanted was to get her hopes up only to let her down. Besides, he had promised himself to stay away from this kind of feelings after considering the fact that everyone he had ever loved had been taken away. This strategy had worked for over 10 years, but once Juvia entered his life, he started wondering if it was worth it anymore.
"Wings of love!"Juvia screamed and he was impressed with her spell, it managed to kick out three competitors, leaving only Juvia, Lucy and Minerva in the bubble.
"Amazing! Juvia's managed to take out three opponents at once. If she keeps going like this, she's sure to become the queen of the Naval Battle."The organizer screamed and many people cheered. It was in that moment that Gray realized something wasn't right, because Juvia wasn't moving anymore. She was standing in the left corner of the bubble, eyes wide. He was unaware that the same strange presence she had been sensing for the past two days was felt just as she used her second origin and she was paralyzed by fear. Juvia was able to recover quickly from her stupor and her face returned to normal, but by then it was already too late.
"What?"She muttered when she felt someone pushing her and she looked at a smirking Minerva. Gray felt bad for her, she had been doing so well.
"Juvia!"Lucy screamed in surprise and worry as the blue haired woman fell on the ground. Juvia barely moved as she let out a tiny moan of pain from the fall. Neither Juvia not Gray heard the whisper coming from the cause of her distraction. The woman with long dark hair, golden horns and a beige kimono hid herself amongst the spectators as she watched Juvia fight with mild interest.
"So she can activate her second origin. Interesting."Seilah muttered as a smile came to her face. Maybe this girl might be the right choice after all. "I must tell Zeref. He'll surely be pleased."She added before taking one last look at the fallen water mage and disappearing.
"After a valiantly fought battle, Juvia scored third place."The organizer said and Gray's attention was brought once again to the girl in question as he had a bad feeling. Something was definitely wrong.
"No, something's wrong."Seems like Gray wasn't the only one who thought so and he turned his head towards where Fairy Tail Team B was gathered. The one who spoke was Gajeel, replying to Cana's comment that Juvia had been clumsy.
"Do you think so, Gajeel?"Mirajane had asked the iron dragon slayer and his face was more serious than Gray had ever seen.
"I am sure of it. Juvia wouldn't have gotten distracted just like that."Gajeel replied and Gray wondered if he knew what had distracted Juvia during the fight. He made a mental note to himself to ask Gajeel about it later.
"Juvia did great, but now it's all up to Lucy."The ice mage stared at his best friend. Natsu smiled and spoke with confidence. "I'm sure she can take care of that Sabertooth girl."Gray found himself smiling as well.
"Of course. Lucy's tough too."He replied, though his mind remained on Juvia. He watched as she sat up from the floor with Chelia's help and shook her head as the pink haired girl asked her something, a concerned look on her face. She was smiling towards the cameras, but Gray saw right through it. The unsettling feeling in his stomach made him decide to talk to her after the battle was over, even if he hadn't yet decided what to do about his feelings, he was still her friend and he cared about her. If something was bothering her, he needed to know what it was.
"Lucy, no!"Natsu screamed and Gray's attention went towards the celestial mage who was currently fighting against Sabertooth's chosen. He easily noticed that Lucy's keys were gone from their usual spot around her waist and she was defenceless against Minerva, who ket throwing magic attacks Lucy's way.
"I'll keep fighting just like my friends have fought during the tournament. I won't give up now because that would be worse than betrayal."Lucy told her opponent and, though she was clearly in pain, her words came out clearly. She stared at Minerva with determination and the black haired woman just smirked at her before sending more of her magic the blonde's way.
"You should have never crossed Fairy Tail, we're not the kind to go down. That's why soon my guild will be number one again."Lucy continued just as fiercely and many FT members saw Natsu give her a soft smile and there was adoration in his eyes. Yep, he was totally in love with Lucy. Knowing he wasn't the only one who didn't act on possible feelings made Gray feel slightly better.
"That's it, Lucy! Hold on for just a bit more."Erza pleaded quietly and he noticed that she was looking towards the timer that had been set after the battle began. It had been almost 4 minutes since the beginning of it, so only a bit more and Lucy would be able to score second place.
"Go, Lucy!"Natsu cheered and Lucy smiled despite being hit with another wave of heat. She was so close, she couldn't give up now.
All of sudden, Minerva stopped her relentless attacks and everyone stared at the duo in surprise. "Looks like Minerva has stopped attacking. They're just floating."The main organizer said confusingly. "And the five minutes are up. Now it's just a battle for the top spot." He added after a few seconds. Everyone then stared in horror as Minerva began attacking with full force.
"You still haven't learned your place, have you?"She told Lucy, her tone venomous. The blonde couldn't keep her screams of pain as she received blow after blow."We are Sabertooth, the mightiest guild beneath the heavens. You belong on the ground."An evil smirk came to Minerva's face and that angered Natsu as he tried to run towards Lucy, being held by Erza.
"Stop it!"He screamed, anger and pain clear on his tone. Many spectators screamed their agreement. No one wanted to keep watching the celestial wizard being tortured mercilessly by Minerva.
"We've got to do something."Gray told Erza and the red haired woman bit her lip, unsure which course of action they should take.
"Now this is just sick."Cana commented and the members of Team B nodded in agreement.
"All she's doing is torturing her."Gajeel pointed out angrily before his gaze moved towards the water mage. "Something's definitely wrong."He muttered and seeing his worried face, Gray followed his line of view. His throat constricted and his stomach churned when he took a good look at Juvia. She was still sitting, apparently she hadn't moved at all since Chelia had helped her. Her big blue eyes stared at Lucy in shock, but there was also pain in her face. Her mouth was currently open as if she was silently screaming and her face was even paler than usual. She was clearly not okay and with each blow that Lucy received, she looked closer to losing it completely.
"I have to go to her."Gray didn't realize that he had said it out loud until Erza spoke up.
"You can go once the battle is over, Gray. I can see Juvia's clearly affected by this horrible display of violence, but there's nothing we can do about it now."She told him and he noticed how her teeth were clenched and she looked like she wanted to punch someone.
"Why are they allowing this to happen?" He muttered under his breath, frustrated that he could do nothing to help Juvia or Lucy. Erza's only response was a shrug as her attention moved towards Natsu, who had his hands balled into fists as he stared in anger at the scene in front of them. He looked ready for a fight and Gray understood the feeling. That was when the question that had been plaguing his mind for two days came back. Could it be that he too had fallen in love?
For the next few minutes, they could do nothing but watch as Lucy got kicked and punched by Minerva and to Gray's horror, with each blow an image would cross his mind. In his imagination, it wasn't Lucy the one getting beaten, but Juvia. He knew that she was safe, but couldn't stop his heart from constricting in fear. He tried to shake off these thoughts, to no avail. Each time Lucy screamed in pain he would see Juvia's face instead and it was awful. He felt like someone was ripping him apart with each hopeless sound and he was starting to think that he was losing it.
"Gray?" Erza asked in concern as she put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He didn't move. His jaw was clenched and he was breathing heavily as if he had run a marathon. "It's alright, Lucy will be ok." The red head told him soothingly, but it was no use. He drew in another shaky breath.
"She's getting hurt and there's nothing that I can do." He hated himself for how weak he sounded. What the hell was wrong with him?
"I know, I know."Erza tried to calm him down and even Natsu tore his attention away from Lucy to look at his friend in concern.
"Please make it stop."He pleaded once he saw Juvia getting punched so hard she was thrown back. He looked away from the scene and towards Erza, desperation clear in his face. "I can't...I should be protecting her."Erza gave him a pitiful look while Natsu looked confused by Gray's reaction. It's not as if he didn't care for Lucy, but for him to be so affected by what happened to her was strange.
"What's wrong with him?"The pink haired man asked and Erza looked unsurely at him.
"We have to save Juvia or else she's going to get killed by that...that monster!" Gray told them determinately and Erza's eyes widened.
"Wait, Juvia?"She asked and Gray's attention went towards the bubble where he saw Juvia once again being punched. Why couldn't it stop?
"She's in danger and we're just standing here. Why aren't you doing anything?"He yelled at his friends and Gajeel, Cana and Mirajane looked at him in concern.
"Gray, Juvia's not in danger, she's outside the bubble."Erza told him after taking a deep breath and he followed her line of view. His breath got caught in his throat when he saw her and he was immensely confused. Her skin was just as flawless as ever, no sign of injuries. She was still sitting on the ground, holding her knees to her chest while she stared at the bubble right in front of her, unmoving. Gray frowned because he had seen her getting punched and kicked only a few seconds before and all of sudden she was outside the bubble. What the hell was going on?
"This doesn't make sense. She was getting beaten just a few minutes ago."He whispered and Erza's face grew even more concerned. A look of understanding crossed through her face and she was about to say something, but was interrupted.
"And the match is over. Sabertooth takes the goal with a huge amount of brute force. Doesn't look like Lucy is moving. Can someone get the paramedics on the way?" The organizer said and many people sighed in relief that it was finally over.
"Lucy!"Natsu yelled and he was running before anyone could say anything. "Come on, Gray."Erza grabbed his arm and started following the pink haired man. After a few seconds Gray finally overcame the shock of seeing Juvia unharmed and he started running as well, his mind now focusing on the unmoving Lucy. He was still a bit dazed and confused about what had happened, but he could think about that later. Right now Lucy needed him and he had to focus on helping her. He reached the bubble a few seconds after Natsu and Erza, just in time to catch Lucy as she was thrown on the ground by Minerva.
The pink haired dragon slayer held her close to his chest and Gray heard him whispering repeatedly "You're going to be okay." Well, if there was any lingering doubt whether he loved Lucy, it was gone now. The way Natsu reacted to seeing her got hurt, the way he was acting now that she was safe... Gray realized then that he had been acting the same way about Juvia, but he quickly pushed these thoughts away. Had to focus on getting Lucy help now.
While Gray and Natsu were catching Lucy, Juvia finally broke out of her trance and she looked around in confusion before spotting the celestial wizard and her eyes widened. She had missed most of the battle, her mind being too focused on the overwhelming feeling of fear that came with the strange presence. She had dwelled on it for only a few minutes because as soon as Minerva began torturing Lucy, memories of the past invaded her mind and she was paralyzed as they kept coming. Horrible things she had forgotten, dangerous people she didn't know, but who had haunted her nightmares for so long.
She had tried her best not to scream and risk drawing attention, the last thing she wanted was to worry her friends even more than they already were because of Lucy. So she kept quiet while the battle was happening, trying her best to avoid it as the memories overwhelmed her. It was Natsu and Gray's synchronized scream for Lucy that finally freed her from her nightmare. Guilt settled on her stomach upon spotting Lucy and realizing just how injured her friend was.
Juvia was sure her friends were angry at her, she had been close to Lucy, she could have helped her. She couldn't tell them the real reason why she had been distracted, so she would just have to take whatever punishment they would give her. Her stomach dropped when she thought of Gray being mad at her, but she tried to push it away. She couldn't think about her beloved now, Lucy needed her.
"Lucy."She whispered before she attempted to stand up so she could run the blonde's way. She was still unstable from the flashbacks she desperately needed to talk to Gajeel about, so she almost fell upon trying to get up. Thankfully, she felt strong arms holding her into place. Looking behind her, she spotted familiar dark green eyes and white hair. "Lyon?"
"Don't worry, I won't let you fall."His tone was soothing and Juvia was thankful he was there, but why was he there?"The battle is over, so we're allowed to enter the arena. I was worried about you."He added as if reading her mind.
"I need to...Lucy..."Juvia stumbled upon her words, too many feelings overwhelming her at that moment.
"She'll be fine, she's being taken care of."Lyon pointed towards where Natsu was holding Lucy tightly while Wendy and Chelia worked their magic. Gray was kneeling nearby and Juvia quickly realized that something wasn't right with the ice mage. Even from afar she could tell that his hands were shaking as he had placed the right one in Natsu's shoulder in a comforting manner and he was way too pale.
"Something's wrong."She whispered and Lyon looked at Gray also. The black haired man seemed to have caught their gaze and he stared back at the duo. There was pain and anger in his eyes and Juvia's heart hurt.
"He looks fine to me."Lyon commented after tearing his eyes away from Gray and looking at her. Juvia firmly shook her head as Gray avoided her worried gaze, his eyes settling back on Lucy. The water mage was unaware just how much it hurt him to see her being held by Lyon or how much he desired to run towards her. He couldn't at the moment, though.
"No, he doesn't. Can you help me get to him?" Juvia replied and she stumbled when trying to take a step forward.
"Perhaps you should eat something first, I think that would help. I can take you to the restaurant close to the arena."Lyon suggested and though Juvia wanted nothing more than to run towards her beloved and hug him, she knew that she needed to think of herself right now. By the way her legs were wobbly and she felt so weak, she feared she would pass out soon.
"Alright. Thank you for helping me."She cast Lyon a small smile that he returned and they slowly left the arena, his arm around her keeping her up. Upon passing Lucy, Erza, Natsu and Gray, she wished her blonde friend her best wishes and explained to the others that she would get something to eat and later she would meet them at the infirmary. Erza and Natsu nodded while Gray avoided looking at her, she could see his jaw was clenched and his free hand was balled into a fist.
Lyon led her to the restaurant and as they got more distant from the arena, she found herself able to breathe again and feeling a lot better. By the time they reached their location, she no longer needed Lyon's support, though he kept an arm on her back just in case. They sat down at their table and she ordered a tea and some snacks while he asked for smoothie. Little did she know, the simple choice of having a meal with someone she considered a friend would soon lead to disaster and heartbreak.
"We need to talk."Erza whispered to Gray after Lucy was handled to Porlyusica and most Fairy Tail members were gathered in the waiting room of the infirmary. The black haired man had been tense ever since Lyon and Juvia had left the arena together and she knew that he was bothered by it.
"Outside."Gray replied while looking towards Natsu and Gajeel, who were close to them. The latter looked worried as he kept staring at the door, probably hoping that Juvia would return soon. Gray found himself staring at it as well and he sighed. If only he had reached her before Lyon did.
He followed Erza through the infirmary and outside, soon they found a secure corner of the street far enough that the dragon slayers wouldn't be able to hear them. "What happened back there, Gray?"Erza asked him after a few seconds.
"I don't know. I'm starting to think I might be losing it."He chuckled bitterly, but his face turned serious upon seeing her look."Look, I don't know why, but instead of Lucy all I could see was Juvia."He paused as the memory of it came to mind.
"I could see just how much pain you felt seeing her get hurt."Erza said simply and he was confused by her reaction. He had assumed that she would start formulating theories about what happened.
"Of course it pained me, she's my friend."His statement earned him a shake of the head as a bittersweet smile came to Erza's face.
"Men. Why are they so stupid sometimes?"She muttered in frustration before she looked at him firmly. "Gray, if your reaction today hasn't showed you the truth, then I don't know what will."There were too many thoughts swirling in his mind for him to actually focus on what they were discussing.
"What are you talking about?"He asked in confusion and when Erza laughed instead of responding, anger overtook him."What?" He all but yelled.
"Do you honestly have no idea what I mean?"She questioned and he shook his head. If he was his normal self he would have quickly caught up, but he had just spent minutes watching someone he cared about being tortured. He was anything but normal.
"Do you remember our previous conversation?" Erza asked after watching him for a few seconds.
"Pretty hard to forget."Gray replied to her question.
"You said that you hadn't decided what to do yet."Gray nodded and Erza sighed. "It seems to me that the decision should be quite obvious now."
"Erza, what are you..."She interrupted him.
"You were broken, Gray, at the mere thought of her getting hurt. You were so worried about her that your mind even fabricated images due to your fear of losing her. Can't you see what this means?" He stared at her, eyes wide as it finally clicked. His reaction to seeing Juvia getting hurt, the way his stomach had clenched every time she even said hi to Lyon, the way he had been noticing all kind of things about her he wouldn't have if he didn't pay attention. But could it be true? Had he actually fallen for her?
"I...Do you really think that... "Erza interrupted his question, a smile spreading across her face.
"You love her. Even if it's not as strong as Juvia's love for you, you can't deny your feelings for her any longer. You can't keep lying to yourself, Gray."She gave him a pointed look and Gray had to sit down because of the emotions overwhelming him. He loved her. There was the answer he had been looking for. It was undeniable. Unchangeable. Impossible. And yet, he could feel it now, so clearly. He loved Juvia Lockser, maybe even too much. And that terrified him, because surely fate would find a twisted way to ruin it.
"Shit!"He cursed, earning himself a smack on the head."What the hell do I do?"He started freaking out as many possibilities ran through his head. Should he tell her or should he wait until the games were over, so they'd be able to focus for now? Would she be happy to learn about his feelings? The memory of her leaving with Lyon made his heart hurt. What if she didn't want to hear it? What if it was too late?
"You have to tell her, Gray. Before it's too late."Erza voiced his thoughts and he nodded, his heart was beating faster by the seconds and he was getting nervous. He had never done anything like it before, so he had no idea how to proceed.
"But how? Am I supposed to just blurt it out? Or do I need to prepare a speech or something? Help me Erza!" He begged her while kneeling and she chuckled.
"Don't worry, I know someone who will be able to help you."She told him with a smirk and he had a bad feeling.
"But I don't want anyone to know about it."Erza shook her head slightly.
"Everyone will know anyway, so there's no reason we should hide it."Upon seeing his unsure look, she sighed. "Alright, we won't tell everyone. Only the person who'll help. Ok?"She gave Gray her best pleading face and he sighed before nodding.
"Alright. But who's this mystery person?"Erza simply smirked before she excused herself. She walked back into the infirmary, catching the attention of the FT members who were awaiting news on Lucy's condition.
"Hey, Erza. Is everything ok?"Natsu asked, he was standing by Lucy's door, looking anxious and worried.
"Perfect."Many people raised their eyebrows at Erza's unusual happy demeanor. "Have you gotten any updates about Lucy?"
"Wendy told us that she'll live, but they're still unsure of how much damage there is."Levy answered, voice shaking. She was sitting on a chair near where Natsu stood, Gajeel by her side with a hand on her shoulder. Erza internally smiled when she noticed Levy's hand was holding his and there was an unusually soft expression on his face.
"That's good. I'm sure she'll be just fine, she's strong."Erza looked pointedly at the anxious dragon slayer, but he remained silent.
"So, is there anything you need?"Mira asked, sensing the reason Erza had come back to the infirmary.
"I need your help, Mira. It's an extra-important and top secret mission."The red head replied and ignored the curious looks sent her way. If Gray didn't want anyone to know what was happening, she would keep her promise.
"Sounds interesting. Can't wait to hear about it!"Mira excitedly said before she took a few steps towards Erza. "Lisanna, can you keep an eye on Elfman?" She turned to her younger sister, who had been sitting by her side.
"Sure, but I think he's in good hands. Evergreen hasn't left his side in hours."The younger girl provided with a smirk and Mira's smile enlarged. The two sisters knew their brother clearly had something going on with the older woman, but both parties insisted on denying it. Well, they weren't doing a good job at hiding it, not with Evergreen's reluctance to leave his side for the past two days.
"Those two are just too cute. I hope they get together soon enough."Mira said before she followed Erza outside. They walked for a while and once they were outside of the dragon slayers' ear shot, Mira spoke.
"So, wanna tell me what this is about?"She was barely containing her curiosity and excitement, it wasn't every day that Ezra asked for her help, so she guessed it must be really important.
"It's the most important challenge we'll be completing during the Games."Erza said dramatically and Mira raised her eyebrows. "I'm calling it Operation Gruvia."
Thoughts, anyone? Did you enjoy GrayXNatsu friendship and mentions of NaLu? Soon we'll have cute scenes with these two and a big reveal!
Did you like my take on the Naval Battle with Gray's reactions to Juvia's words and a better reason for her distraction? I hope you didn't think the scene where he finally realized his feelings came too fast. Keep in mind that Gray falling in love with Juvia was a process, it didn't happen just now. He just realized it. And well, Lyon's presence made it crucial to tell her soon or else it might be too late.
Did you like my twist on Lucy's torture and Gray seeing Juvia instead? I thought it would be a nice way of showing him his true feelings.
Lastly, what do you think is gonna happen in the lunch with Lyon? I'm sure you can already tell how important it will be for the story.
Stay tuned for next chapter: Decisions.
You should expect love confessions, funny moments and flashbacks. It should come by next Monday or maybe sooner, depending on your response. Think we can make it to 5 reviews this time?
DON'T FORGET TO TELL ME YOUR FAV CHARACTERS/COUPLES!