The battle had ended, but not without loss. Natsu was weak, Erza almost worse. Gajeel was barely conscious, and Fried had used so much power it was touch and go if he would make it through, and Laxus had not left him since. Some of Lucy's spirits were so traumatised she doubted they would return again. Makarov had finally fallen, defending his children to the last. And the first was gone, taking her lover with her beyond the veil. Many more were still missing or gravely wounded. Alzack had last been seen surrounded and outnumbered, and Jet was nowhere to be found. Mira, Lisanna and Ever were still searching for Elfman.
Fairy Tail had won, but they could not survive another such victory.
Now they were just trying to find their friends, to reunite whoever was left. To protect their own. To mourn.
They had been searching for hours.
Gray scoured the shore, where Juvia had last been seen, battling Brandish. They had seen the outcome, had bound Brandish, removed her magic, but Juvia was nowhere to be seen.
He limped desperately through the surf, calling out her name.
"Juvia!" he called, his voice hoarse with the effort "Juvia!"
There was no answer.
He fell to his knees in frustration, and let his head fall into the surf. He had let her down, left her alone. Now she was gone. He lost her like he lost anyone he gave a damn about. Anyone he thought of as home.
"Gray-sama?" he heard a voice, oh so faintly. Instantly he lifted his head, his hair wet with sea-spray, turned to find her. Hope rose in his soul.
There was nothing. Hallucinating her voice. He sunk down again.
"Gray?" the voice, her voice, a little fainter this time.
It seemed so close.
Then it struck him. The voice was coming from the waves themselves.
"Juvia?" The water lapped around him, softly, almost caressing. She was the water. Of course. She was the water. How could he solve this? Why had she not reformed? How dilute was she, mixed with all those gallons of ocean?
Juvia herself could barely think at all. How could she, with a mind so splintered? She had spread herself too thin, she couldn't get back. She didn't know how. Panic threatened to consume her, she was losing herself. She was fading, her identity lost like ripples. She did not even know her own name. She did not know if she had a name.
You can Juvia.
There was another voice amongst her thoughts, pulling on her.
I can help you. You need to hold on.
Juvia was trying, she was trying so hard.
"Juvia!" Gray was imploring the ocean now, begging it to give her up.
Focus on his voice now, Juvia. Use it as an anchor.
Juvia did as the voice said. It was soft and gentle and kind, but firm. She put all her efforts on thinking of Gray, of his voice. Her memories converged on that voice. Slowly the molecules of Juvia began to congregate to sift themselves from the ceaseless ocean. She could think a little better now, she tried to remember her old shape, tried to remember what it was like to be a human as the particles around her tried to force her apart, to think only of the rhythm of the waves, of the cycle of the moon.
You have to hold on!
The voice leant her new strength. Where Gray still knelt, where a single tear touched the water, a shape began to form. At first, just a silhouette, an indentation in the waves. Then it became more tangible, features became visible. As Gray watched in wonder, the water formed gradually into the sleeping shape of Juvia Lockser of Fairy Tail.
But she was still not flesh and blood.
Good girl Juvia, you're almost there! Just a little more.
But Juvia was exhausted, it was taking all she had to keep from dissolving back into the sea. She couldn't do it. She couldn't give any more! She had nothing left.
The figure began to shift, to fade.
"Juvia! Hold on!" Gray tried to grab the shifting currents that made up what remained of Juvia Lockser.
Hold on!
The water around her pulled less strongly, the voice faded a little as she felt more strength flowing through her.
You can do it Juvia. I believe in you,
As Juvia felt herself grow stronger, the voice weakened.
"Come on Juvia!"
Come on Juvia, my student needs you…
It was barely left now, more like a memory.
He tried to beg once more. "I need you Juvia, please…"
The waves lapped against the shore, and Juvia became more and more. The pounding of the tides became the beating of a heart, the swirl of the currents, blood pumping through veins. She was battered, and weary, but she was human, and she was real.
Gray hugged the unconscious form of Juvia Lockser close to his scarred and wounded chest. His shoulders shaking as he held her.
"You couldn't go yet," he murmured soothingly, pressing his lips to the crown of her head. "I hadn't given you an answer."
Her eyes slowly flickered open, and hesitantly, she smiled up at him, through laboured breath. His tear streaked face looked own on her, as if for the first time.
He smiled back at her, and all was right with the world.
