Chapter 2: Where are you hiding
AN: Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, followed and favourited! Detailed note at the bottom.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
Despite Grays earlier promise to Juvia; he found himself running late the next morning.
Shit! I was supposed to talk to Gramps!
Grabbing what he hoped was a clean pair of pants and shirt, he flew out of the building while still struggling to pull up his pants.
"Of all the days to be late," he grumbled as he booked it down the hill into town.
Juvia already thought he didn't want her to come along- which was true- but only because he was letting his emotions cloud his judgement. Juvia would be helpful to them he knew, but still...
He had barely set foot into the guild before he heard her call out to him.
Gray cursed silently under his breath.
He had hoped to speak with Markarov before running into her. No matter how reluctant he was for her to come on the mission, he didn't want her thinking he'd been avoiding it.
"Hey Juvia," he started to say before taking in the scene before him.
The place was even more pact than usual and people were running around frantically.
Some he could even see were bandaged and there were people he didn't know getting medical treatment.
He looked back at Juvias anxious face questioningly.
"You haven't heard?" She gasped.
"No, what happened?"
Juvia bit her lip: "Lamia scale was attacked last night."
For a moment he couldn't breathe.
Lyon..?
Noticing his stricken expression she quickly verified. "Lyon-san's fine, no one was seriously hurt..."
He quietly sighed in relief before looking around the guild for the white haired mage.
Juvia stared at the side of his face, nervously contemplating if she should tell him what had happened before he found Lyon.
"This is bad," Gray muttered distracting her, "they're escalating,"
"Yes..." she whispered, "Gray-sama there's something you should know-"
"I see you're the same as ever Gray," Lyons voice cut across Juvias' as he approached from the crowd.
"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow in annoyance but Juvia could see the discernible relief on his face.
Lyons eyes met Juvias for a split second before meeting Gray's glare.
He smirked.
"Shouldn't you be happy?" Lyon taunted, "Isn't it about time someone else's guild was destroyed for a change?"
"Only an idiot like you would think that way," Gray retorted the familiar feeling of wanting to laugh and punch Lyons face in simultaneously, returning.
I'm glad you're alright...
"You don't have to look so worried Gray," he touched Juvias shoulder, "I wouldn't just leave Juvia to your whims after all."
"L-lyon!" Juvia exclaimed blushing.
Grays eye twitched as he tried to keep his face blank.
Bastard!
"To bad that blow to the head didn't knock some sense into ya," Gray motioned to Lyons bandaged forehead.
"You wouldn't have been able to take them down either Gray," Lyon grumbled massaging his head. "Not even Jura could."
"Jura?" Gray asked surprised.
"You didn't hear?" Lyon said grimly, "He's in the infirmary, Poluchka is working on him now."
Gray turned to Juvia who shuffled nervously. "Jura got everyone out before the guild was destroyed but..."
Even Jura was no match...
Just what exactly where they dealing with?
Either way, Gray knew one thing for certain: "I have to go speak with gramps," he said, quickly brushing past Juvia and Lyon before they could say anything.
"Wait Gray-sama-" Juvia called after him but he barely heard her.
He knew he shouldn't but he had too; there was no way he could let her come along...
Gray was so preoccupied he ran right into Erza.
"Oh Gray," she said barely noticing their collision as he staggered back rubbing his nose, "good you're here. We're strategizing you should be part of it." She motioned somewhere behind him.
"Uh, great," he barely heard her as he focused his attention surveying the guild hall, "have you seen gramps?"
"Master?" Erza asked slightly surprised. "He's in his office, why-?"
"Thanks," Gray interrupted as he took off.
"Come find us after!" she called at his retreating back.
He waved in acknowledgment as he headed for the office.
I can't let her come now, not after what happened...
Barely waiting for a 'come in' he burst through the door.
"Gray?" Markarov looked up in surprise, "What's wrong?"
"Master," he stated hurriedly as he closed the door, "I need to talk to you it's important."
"It's about Juvia," he continued as Markarov looked at him expectantly, "I don't see a point in her coming with us..." his words trailed off at the look on his face.
"Juvia already spoke to me earlier."
"She-? What?" Gray asked baffled.
"She made a very compelling argument," he continued sounding impressed, "she was adamant that I allow her to accompany you to find the missing persons."
"Look gramps-"
"Given the new information we've received this morning, we should be closer to finding these bastards and giving them a Fairy Tail beating."
"That wasn't the plan," Gray argued clenching his fist, trying to control himself. "We're supposed to be looking for the missing people not going after this guild."
"Plans change. If Levy manages to find out what the insignia Jura saw means and who it belongs too we are going after them before more people are hurt."
"That's too dangerous!" Gray spat. "We're dealing with a guild that's already caused over a hundred people to disappear!"
Markarov stared at him solemnly as he waited for him to reel in his temper.
Gray took several deep breaths, trying to squish down the feeling of not being able to control anything anymore.
"Gramps, please don't send Juvia with us," he finally pleaded, bordering on desperation. "I know," he continued as Markarov opened his mouth to speak, "we need all the help we can get but until we know more don't send her with us."
That was as much as he could openly say out loud.
Markarov sighed and Grays stomach dropped.
He'd lost. Juvia was going with him whether he liked it or not.
~0~
Gray stepped outside the masters office only to be bombarded by the commotion in the guild hall.
An sharp pain started to form behind his eyes and he leaned his head against the wall, trying to dispel it by blocking everything out.
However all he could think about was his encounter with Markarov and instantly his temper flared.
What the hell was Juvia doing going behind his back like that! Sure he had done the same thing, technically, but it was for her own good...
Damn it!
He rubbed a hand over his eyes as the pain spiked higher. He was being an idiot and he couldn't stop. It was driving him insane, especially since he needed to focus on the task at hand.
Closing his eyes he silently wished for one normal day where they weren't in immediate danger.
"Gray-sama?"
His eyes snapped open at her voice.
She was looking at him quietly contemplative as if she could sense his internal disquiet.
Not wanting her to keep reading him, he stated coldly: "You talked to gramps."
She smiled sadly, casting her eyes downward. "Juvia knows you don't want her to come."
An uncomfortable feeling settled in his chest but he couldn't lie to her.
"No," he looked away: "I don't."
There was a long moment of silence between them; neither one looking at the other, before Gray spoke:
"But I was wrong to ask you to stay behind."
She looked up at him sadly.
"Juvia-" she started searching for the right words, "Juvia knows she shouldn't have gone behind your back but...Gray-sama, we don't stand a chance on our own. That's why we need to work together, all of us."
He looked up as Juvia stared at him. "If we're together, nothing will conquer us."
"You're right," he smiled, feeling some of the tension leave him. "Thanks."
She smiled, her eyes sparkling up at him. "We should help Erza and the others plan."
Gray nodded and followed her through the crowd of people to the table everyone was gathered around.
"We know the master has been working with Master Bob on this since the first disappearances," they heard Erza say as they approached.
Their guild mates were surrounding several large books and a map of Fiore that covered the entire table.
Lucy nodded, frowning deep in thought, "It must be bad though if even Masters worried enough to involve other guilds."
Erza nodded. "I agree. Jura barely managed to escape and he's one of the Ten Wizard Saints."
"Um, I'm sorry but, if we don't know who our enemy is how are we suppose to defeat them?" Wendy asked.
Levy sighed. "I haven't been able to find anything to help identify the guild. Jura said he saw an insignia on the back of their cloaks but I can't find mention of what he described anywhere." She slammed a large book of ancient symbols closed.
Gray exhaled irritably. "Well how are we suppose to know where to look for them then? People have disappeared everywhere."
Lucy looked up at him as an idea slowly came to her. "So we look where no one has gone missing."
"Huh?"
"It's like you said Gray," she alleged taking a pen from Erza and crossing out towns. "If we take out where everyone has gone missing, then we should be left with the place they're hiding."
"But Lucy," Happy interjected looking down at the map, "couldn't they be hiding in one of those towns?"
She frowned not looking up. "No they're smart. Whoever they are they've gone to a lot of trouble to hide themselves. They wouldn't stay around populated areas where they'd be detected."
There was a moment of slightly stunned silence following her statement, as everyone processed it.
"For once you make sense Lucy!" Happy smiled.
"Shut up cat!"
"Ah I see!" Natsu exclaimed leaning over her shoulder, "way to go Lucy!"
"I-I'm not saying I'm right," she blushed, "but we don't really have much else to go on."
"Alright," Erza interjected, "then that leaves the most likely places being-"
"Cait shelter?!" Wendy gasped staring at the circled town.
"It's the closest place from here," Erza said adapting a kinder tone. "It doesn't mean we're right."
"Yeah!" Happy interjected cheerfully, "Lucy's wrong all the time! She'll probably be wrong about this too."
"Gee thanks," she muttered her eye starting to twitch.
"There's no reason to fret Wendy," Carla huffed crossing her arms, "the guild no longer exists and there was never anyone else around that area. It would make sense for them to be hiding there."
She nodded. "Yeah...you're right."
Beside Gray, Juvia shuffled uncomfortably.
"J-Juvia's not sure," she spoke up, receiving everyone's attention.
"What do you mean Juvia?" Lucy asked.
"It's just, Juvia doesn't think it'd be that easy," she frowned. "If it was that easy to find them we should've by now."
"That's true..." Erza muttered. "This could be a trap."
"Aye!" Happy flew beside Natsu.
"Natsu?" Lucy turned to him, "Haven't you been trying to catch their scent since the disappearances started?"
"Yeah..." he scratched his head, "anytime I catch a whiff of those bastards scent it disappears too."
"Gajeel said the same thing," Levy muttered, "he's been out almost every night. He said the scent seemed really old like it was there a long time ago but that doesn't make any sense since the disappearances just started a couple months ago."
"It's not Just that," Natsu huffed, "the smells different each time, but somehow seems like the same person."
"You sure you're not just mixing it up in your head?" Gray asked irritated.
"What'd you say?!"
"Just that you're an idiot whose probably just going around in circles aimlessly."
"That's enough you two!" Erza snapped, shutting down the fight before it started. "Here's the plan: we're going to Cait shelter. Natsu you'll let us know if you can catch the scent. If not we'll move on to another area they could be hiding. Understood?"
"Erza, wouldn't it be faster if we split up with Gajeel-kun and covered more area?" Juvia asked.
"Absolutely not," Gray snapped a little harsher than he intended. "We stick together. We don't know what we're going to find when we get there."
"Gray's right," Erza amended, "we'll stick together for now."
"Aye!"
"Fine."
"Wendy should go with you guys," Levy said standing up. "Just encase."
"But don't you need me here?"
"Poluchka has it covered. Jura was the one who got injured the most the rest of the guild seems fine."
"Isn't it weird though?" Lucy asked looking around the guild hall.
"This whole situations weird," Natsu sighed.
"That's not what I meant," she glared, "I mean why would they even need to take people in the first place? Why attack Lamia Scale now? And why was no one really hurt?"
Gray looked down. Lucy's question echoing his own.
"Because they were waiting."
Everyone turned to Gray.
"They're careful like you said," he continued glaring down at his feet. "They're planning something big."
Juvia pressed herself closer to him as everyone's faces fell.
"Well whatever it is," Natsu smirked breaking the tension, "we'll just have to take them out first!"
While Lucy started up with Natsu, Juvia looked up at Gray's tense posture.
She could see the stress in his face as his eyes were far away and guardedly thinking.
Without thinking she lightly touched his hand and privately squeaked in happiness when she felt his fingers lace through hers.
Juvia looked away trying to keep her face impassive, knowing her blush would probably give her away. Her hand almost felt as if it were on fire where it met Grays and she could barely hold still.
Gray-Sama is holding Juvias hand! Juvia's in heaven!
She swooned and leaned against him, only to feel his body stiffen.
"J-Juvia is sorry!" She gasped leaning away.
"Shh!"
She stopped, becoming instantly aware of the sudden quiet that filled the guild and the explosions coming from outside.
Juvia looked at Gray in alarm.
Before she could say anything he promptly pushed her to the side.
"Gray-sa-?"
"Get back."
He formed his ice make stance, glaring at where the commotion was coming from.
"Natsu..."
"Yeah," he growled, his fists erupting into flames, "they're here."
AN: So guys things are going to start getting more graphic from here on out. I will be killing off characters in the upcoming chapters just so everyone's forewarned. Also everything from chapter five onward is mostly written I just have to finish editing it for you guys.
**I apologize in advance for the feels I will cause gomenasai!
Special thanks to Akimoto Ayumu and Juvia Loxer.