Chapter 2

Natsu Dragneel stood on a cliff overlooking Magnolia and grinned, waiting for his friends to catch up with him at the outskirts of the city. Happy, his exceed, circled around his head in delight.

"We're finally home, Happy!" Natsu cheered, pumping his fist in the air. "And we're home for good!"

"Aye!" Happy screamed, flying faster.

"Look at how excited you two are!" Lucy appeared beside them, finally having caught up to the pair that had raced off at the sight of the broken wooden signboard for the city. Gray, Erza, Wendy and Carla followed, smiles gracing their tired faces.

"Aren't you?" Natsu questioned, turning around to face his friends and team mates.

Lucy stretched and yawned. "I will be, as soon as I take a nice long bath with some of these essential oils, get a good nap on my comfortable mattress and have a hearty meal." She smiled wider, imagining herself in the comfort of her home. "I sure hope that the agency I paid has cleaned up the apartment." She added wistfully, dreading the thought of having to clean up before anything else.

"I agree. I would really like to feel rested." Wendy spoke, exchanging knowing smiles with Carla.

"In that case, I suggest we get a move on." Erza took a step forward, placing her hand on Natsu's shoulder. "The guild will be surprised."

"Yeah." Gray agreed, cocking his head. "The sooner we get to the guild and complete the formalities, the sooner we can rest. Let's go."

"All right then!" Natsu yelled as his team broke into fits of laughter.

"I'm all fired up now!"

Juvia sat at a table with her team, looking through the map of Phiri and making specific marks at certain areas of importance. The map had been brought by Jellal and Meredy and neither had spilled the beans regarding where they had procured it from. The two mages had arrived at the guild the previous evening armed with information about their destination along with a few necessities for their long journey.

Gajeel had suggested that they wait till the next morning for further discussion and Juvia had immediately agreed, seeing the tired faces of Cana and Lisanna. She was also certain that Jellal and Meredy were worn out from travel, though the pair pretended otherwise They had all retired for the evening and Jellal and Meredy went with Juvia, having previously arranged to stay at her house. After a good night's sleep and a satisfying breakfast of pancakes and maple syrup, the trio had come to the guild at sharp eight o'clock as was agreed with the others. On entering the guild hall, Juvia had found Cana and Lisanna huddled over a few books and had joined them at their table. They were soon joined by Gajeel and the meeting had commenced. At the end of the exchange of information, Jellal had produced the map that the group was currently studying.

"According to my understanding," Jellal spoke, pointing at the map, "we will get down at the port of Sayaro, which is here, on the eastern shore of Phiri. Sayaro is the closest port town to Tassim, the royal capital. We will most probably be escorted by royal carriage. And if I'm not wrong, our journey out of Fiore will be by a royal ship."

"Wow. That's a lot of royalty." Lisanna commented, following the routes that Jellal was tracing on the map.

"It is." Cana agreed, staring at the unfolded parchment on the table. She turned to look at Juvia. "Do you think they'll have booze?"

Juvia looked up from the map, startled. "Cana!" she chided, exasperated. Cana laughed.

"I'm kidding! I always stay sober for quests. I've not drank anything but water and non-alcoholic beverages since I told you that I'll be joining you."

Juvia pursed her lips, trying to hide her smile.

Cana winked at her before turning to the map again. Observing Cana's scrunched facial features, Juvia felt a sense of relief that Cana had agreed to help when Juvia had reached out to her. The latter had been thoroughly surprised at first, arguing that there were other mages that Juvia could ask for help. But Juvia had held her ground, until Cana had agreed with her eyes wide and face red. Cana was a strong mage, a true Fairy Tail wizard at heart. It was saddening that she was often underestimated with regard to her strength because of how much she drank. Juvia knew that Cana wanted to be as strong as her father. But she also knew that Cana needed to realise her own strength that she hid away conveniently, for the sake of keeping appearances. Cana needed to believe in herself as much as she believed in her magic and Juvia had decided to take it up as a personal mission to help Cana find herself during their quest together.

"Hey guys?"Meredy interrupted Juvia's thoughts, darting her eyes between the others. "There's one more thing to be said with regard to the quest. It may or may not be important."

"Yeah?" Juvia urged her to continue, her own eyes still studying the map beneath them.

"Queen Mazha doesn't have any magic. It's said that she lost her ability to use magic."

"Oh? Is that so?" Juvia continued looking through the map, focusing on the northern side of Phiri.

"Yes." Meredy affirmed, lowering her voice down a notch.

"She lost her magic exactly four and a half years ago."

Gray Fullbuster made sure that he was standing behind everyone else as Lucy Heartfilia opened the large double doors to the guild screaming that they were back. He followed the rest of his team inside, grinning wide. In the next moment, commotion had ensued.

He could hear shrieks of surprise and yells of happiness. He could hear catcalls and shouts. He swore that he could even hear a few sniffs and crying. Gray was soon enveloped in a crushing hug from Elfman. Elfman was replaced by Jet and then Droy and then a blur of faces that moved on faster than Gray could recognise. He was soon looking at the babies of the guild as he saw Mouline in Alzack's arms and Beatrice and Benjamin in Lily's and Lucy's arms while Levy stood by them, smiling.

When the crowd around them had dispersed, Gray was tackled by a hug from Cana.

"Ass." She greeted, holding him tight. "You were missed."

He laughed as he pried her off him. "Same here."

Once Cana had moved away, Gray was suddenly face to face with the one person he was dreading to see.

"Juvia." He breathed, his body tensing as she pulled away from hugging Natsu and Happy.

"Gray." She nodded, acknowledging his presence but said and did nothing else. She continued to look him in the eye, hands crossed. If anything, Gray thought he was seeing disappointment in her eyes. He forcefully tore her eyes off her, fixating them on Meredy and Jellal. Before he could open his mouth, Erza had pounced.

"What are you two doing here?"

Erza was staring into Jellal's eyes as if the answer to her question were hidden behind his orbs. It came as a surprise to her that Jellal was at the guild. She did not remember him mentioning any plans of visiting the guild to her on the occasion of their last meeting, which had been merely four days ago.

To Erza's great annoyance, instead of answering her, Jellal turned towards Juvia. It was at this precise moment that Gray paid attention to the odd group that was in front of him. Gajeel stood next to Juvia holding a fat book in his hand. There was Cana, whom he suspected was sober, at their side along with Lisanna, who for once did not seem to be in her carefree and cheery mood. Next to her was Jellal and Meredy, both of them looking uncharacteristically relaxed and not in a hurry.

He looked at Juvia inquiringly as she took a small step forward.

"They're both here for a quest." She spoke coolly, answering Erza. "We leave day after tomorrow." She finished.

"The six of you?" Erza pressed.

"Yes." It was Gajeel who replied.

"Oh. How long is it for?" Erza questioned again, though this time she was aiming the question at Jellal once again.

"We're not sure." Jellal said, ruffling his hair. "Two months at the very least."

Erza's shoulders slacked.

"That's pretty long." Wendy chimed, sharing her thought as Meredy stared at the younger girl incredulously.

"Well, yes. Juvia agrees that it is rather long for a regular mission." She looked around awkwardly before speaking again. "Umm. Juvia does not want to be rude, but we" she pointed towards the six of them, "need to get back to work. We're quite short on time."

"We won't keep you." Erza said, moving away. She briefly made eye contact with Juvia. That glance was enough for Juvia to know that Erza was not done with her enquiries. "Let's go give our report." Erza led the rest of Team Natsu towards Gildarts' office, looking back at Jellal one last time.

Gray took a final look at Juvia who was adamant on not looking him in the eye. He raised an eyebrow, shrugged and followed his team.

"Okay." Meredy said, glad that the awkward meeting was over. "Let's get back to work!" She faked enthusiasm, hoping that it would motivate the group after the strange encounter.

Juvia sighed as the six made their way to their workspace.

She had a gut feeling that these two days would feel like an eternity.

It was during their lunch together that Lisanna had suggested that the group split in the afternoon to collect supplies for their journey and to pay a visit to Porlyurisca to stock up on medicines and potions that could help them since Wendy would not be around and because they would be in a foreign territory. Of course, nobody wanted to visit the grumpy old lady. Yet, after much persuasion, the task to visit her house in the woods had been taken up by Jellal and Meredy, especially since they couldn't freely roam the streets of Magnolia for other purposes.

Lisanna and Cana had volunteered to purchase snacks and drinks for their commute, regardless of their royal mode of transport. Lisanna had gone to great lengths, stating that a bag of chips and a stock of candy were always requisites for a sleepless night.

Gajeel on the other hand, had volunteered to scour through Levy's endless volumes of books for any that would be remotely useful for their quest, including those on water magic and complex curses.

That left Juvia with the job of going around Magnolia's old magic market and purchasing a few magical tools that Jellal had instructed her to get.

Prior to their lunch, the group had thought of and discussed a few theories that could explain the simultaneous disappearance of the queen's magic and the country's rain. A few of them had also made sense, such as Cana's assumption that the queen's magic may have been sourced from the rain and Gajeel's idea that the rain may have been caused by an excessive outflow of the queen's magic as was Juvia's case many years ago. But theories were only theories till they could be proved, and so the team had given up after a while, deciding that the mystery could be decoded at another time and date.

As Juvia wandered through the dusty market streets, deafened by the shouts of hawkers and bargaining customers, she kept thinking about the possible connections between the disappearance of Phiri's rain and their queen's magic. Though she could not prove it, she had a strong feeling that the two were definitely connected. She willed herself to remember to ask the queen about the coincidence once she reached the royal court.

Prioritising her needs, Juvia glanced back at the paper in her hand on which the names of various magical items had been scribbled down by Jellal. She'd gotten everything on the list at cheap prices, just as he had told her. 'They don't know the true value of the things they sell.' He had said as he wrote the list. 'They'll sell it at dirt cheap rates as long as you play the bargain game well.' And luckily for them all, Juvia was a wonderful bargainer.

It was a skill that she had acquired as a teenager, from when she had started earning money on quests. Juvia had come from nothing; she did not want to go back to having nothing. So she had saved every Jewel that she had earned, spending it carefully, acting like a true miser. She would bargain for clothes and shoes and even for the fresh ugly produce that was already being sold cheap. But it had worked for her. After a few years of relentless saving, Juvia had enough money to buy a mansion. She was rich. But she had still insisted on careful expenditure. And that habit of hers had allowed her to be the first of her friends to buy a house. People still looked at Juvia strangely when she fought hard for the cheapest rates on everything. But Juvia did not care, simply because this was who she was.

Her fears and insecurities were not for the world to judge.

The sky was shimmering with hues of orange and red when Juvia made her way to the guild armed with a heavy bag to meet Jellal and hand in her purchase to him since he had sent word earlier that he would be staying with Erza that night. She quickened her pace, realising that she was running late. As the guild loomed into view, she could make out Jellal's silhouette leaning against the outer walls of the building. She waved her hand frantically, praying that she would be forgiven for her late arrival. As she came nearer, she was greeted by the sight of scarlet hair, blending into the lighting imparted by the setting sun.

"Juvia is so sorry, Jellal!" She apologised profusely, bowing a little. "She lost track of time in the market!"

Jellal chuckled, waving her off. "It's perfectly alright." He took the bag from her and peered into it, pushing his hand inside. "Did you get everything?"

"All of it." She smiled, puffing her chest out proudly. "And at dirt cheap rates too, just like you said."

"Good job, Juvia." Jellal praised, a smile adorning his face.

The moment was ruined when Erza abruptly stepped nearer to Jellal and demanded Juvia's attention.

"Juvia." She said nonchalantly. "A word with you." She turned on her heels and began walking to the rear of the guild. "Oh, and Jellal?" She called over her shoulder, pausing for a quick minute. "You can leave without me. I'll catch up in a little while."

It was not a request and Juvia knew it.

Juvia sighed as she locked eyes with Jellal. He smiled at her apologetically, his eyes reflecting the concern he felt. Juvia shrugged lightly before waving goodbye to Jellal and following Erza.

When she reached the rear garden of the guild, Juvia found Erza waiting for her at a wooden bench. Juvia carefully made her way towards the latter, irritated that she was being made to stay back. She desperately wanted to go back home and rest.

She wasted no time on pleasantries. "Did Erza need something from Juvia?"

"I just needed to know something." Erza crossed her arms across her bosom. "Why did Jellal agree to go on this quest with you?"

Juvia was startled for a second before she regained her composure. "Juvia did not ask him why. She requested his help and he agreed." Juvia leaned against the bench to relax her body.

"Oh." Erza was visibly distraught. Juvia felt bad for her.

"Would you do me a favour, Juvia?"

"What kind of favour?" Juvia asked, cautiously. She wondered if Erza would make her promise to keep Jellal safe and out of trouble.

However, the next few words that flew out of Erza's mouth threw Juvia off-guard.

"Could you relieve him of this quest?"

Juvia was shocked, more by the request that Erza had made rather than the pleading expression that was growing on her face.

"No!" Juvia shrieked and then repeated calmly. "No Erza. No."

"Juvia, please." Erza tried again. "Try to understand my intentions. I mean well." She paused momentarily, as if she was contemplating whether to continue. Then, after a deep breath she said, very quietly, "I had plans for the two of us. Plans for us to be together. We've been apart for too long Juvia!" she reasoned. "If you take Jellal with you, I'll have to wait longer. You can always take someone else. Can't you?" The final phrase was a challenge, one that was typical of Erza. Juvia knew that Erza was reaching out to her emotional and vulnerable side, the side that knew the torment of waiting and the pain of unfulfilled love. But surprisingly, it didn't make an impact.

Instead, Juvia seethed with rage. She spoke, her voice dangerously calm.

"No Erza." Juvia stood straight, her hands clutching her sides. "Juvia will take only Jellal and no one else because he is the one Juvia needs on this quest. And if Juvia could wait for more than a year with so much of tension in the atmosphere, Erza can definitely wait for a much lesser time."

She waited a minute, gauging Erza's reaction to her statements before delivering the final blow, an emotional baggage that Juvia wished she could have emptied under different circumstances and in a different manner.

"Juvia waited for Gray in agony under the rain in an abandoned village for six months not knowing whether he was dead or alive or consumed by the darkness spreading across his skin."

Erza flinched and to her credit, looked ashamed.

"Erza can at least be certain of Jellal's whereabouts and safety. Juvia will ensure that he is safe. She gives you her word that he will come back to you at the end of the quest, safe and sound."

Her words seemed to cut across like daggers against Erza's skin. She finally met Juvia's eyes, her good eye moist with angry tears.

"Is this revenge, Juvia?" She barked, tears spilling.

Juvia sighed, glancing at Erza and then walking away.

"No Erza." She said, loud enough for Erza to hear her.

"This is Juvia's quest."

As millions of stars twinkled across the black sky, Juvia lay in her bed pondering over her shattered relationship with Erza.

She did feel bad about what she had said and how harsh she had been, but strangely she did not regret it. She could only hope that Erza would forgive her.

Especially because Erza had always been kind to Juvia. Even when most others gave her weird looks for her enthusiasm about Gray, Erza had always cheered her on giving her advice and lending an ear to the lamentations of her heart. She had always been a great friend, one that Juvia was sure she could count on. Erza was Juvia's confidante, and the first person who got to taste anything sweet that Juvia would bake. Erza was her sleepover partner, showing up on random nights at her doorstep at Fairy Hills, clad in pajamas and equipped with kinky magazines and food. Erza was her four a.m. friend, always there to comfort her after a terrible nightmare that would leave her paralysed with fear. Erza was her first female best friend. Erza was important.

But as much as Juvia loved Erza, she could not forgive her for what she had put Juvia through during the year of the guild's disbandment.

Erza's instructions to Gray had cost Juvia her peace of mind. It had made her worst fears attack her and her worst nightmares come alive. It had stripped her off her sanity.

And although Juvia knew that Gray was at equal fault for not making the choice of telling her the truth although he owed it to her, it was difficult for her to not feel bitter towards Erza, all the same.

On the other hand, as if her problems weren't enough, there was the unresolved situation with Gray. Juvia hated that he had returned right before she had decided to leave.

She was aware that she was the one holding the reigns between Gray and herself at the moment. All she wanted from Gray was an explanation and a decision. She was bent on giving him an ultimatum; to either stay or leave. Juvia sighed. It was simple enough in her head. But nothing was ever simple in real life. She had a day left to let Gray have a piece of her mind. And she was going to make sure he got it.

Juvia shut her eyes tight, wishing sleep would engulf her soon.

Sometimes, her own feelings maddened her.

Lucy sat on a rocking chair cradling Benji in her arms, watching as Levy put a sleeping Bee down in her cradle. Levy reached for Benji and Lucy complied, passing the child to her.

Lucy had wanted to stay over with Levy for a day or two, to give herself the satisfaction of spending time with her best friend's babies, especially since she'd missed most of their early months of life. Levy had been happy to have her over and Lucy was overjoyed at the prospect of some quality time with the three of them.

Gajeel was locked up in Levy's study, going through pages and pages of old and dusty books in the company of Panther Lily. Now that the twins were put to bed, Levy was finally free to spend some time with Lucy.

Levy signalled for Lucy to follow her out into the balcony of the guest bedroom that had been converted into the nursery. The two ladies settled down on the patio chairs, under the glimmering stars. From where they sat, they could both clearly see the Orion's belt and Ceres, the brightest star in the sky.

"So.", Levy began, crossing her legs. "Would you please explain the case of the letter and your arrival?"

Lucy giggled.

"Well you see," she started to speak, smiling at Levy's annoyed expression, "the truth is that we weren't supposed to be here at all now. At least, that's what we thought when I wrote you that letter. We had to change plans because we found a lead that no one else had found over the years.

"We just happened to be lucky, to be completely honest. What really helped us was Natsu's and Wendy's heightened senses. They were both able to sense a very slight shift in the magical particles that were left during each robbery and massacre." Lucy paused, inhaling the fresh air around her.

"The gang of thieves turned out to be significantly strong mages sharing the same magic. They had managed to evade other mages and the council forces for so long because their magic is light speed and invisibility combined with being able to bring about absolute silence.

"It was still extremely difficult to catch them, though. But ultimately we managed to do it. Gray froze an entire village at Natsu's signal. The thieves got trapped in ice. Wendy cast a spell to incapacitate their magic before Natsu released them from the ice.

"And yet it took us a long time to defeat them and collect back everything they had taken. They were well trained and strong. Imagine being able to hold up against seven magic users without any magic at all."

Lucy slumped into her chair, reliving the climax of her fight as Levy grinned.

"So the lead saved you all." Levy remarked, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. "And a good thing too. I'm glad you're back, Lucy. I missed you."

Lucy peered into Levy's eyes and smiled. "I'm glad to be back too. I want to make up for lost time."

They settled into a comfortable silence until Lucy spoke again.

"What was it like?"

"Huh?" Levy faced Lucy, not comprehending the question.

"The pregnancy." Lucy clarified. "What was it like? How did you handle it?"

Levy closed her eyes and breathed deeply before speaking.

"It was so hard." She whispered, just loud enough for Lucy to hear her. "Gajeel and I, we weren't in the best of financial situations to have a child, much less two. I couldn't use much magic after my first trimester and no one would let me on quests during my first 12 weeks.

"We were quite low on money. It solely became Gajeel's responsibility to earn enough for five people. Lily and he took quest after quest during the first seven months to make sure we had enough for the months following the delivery. Besides, Gajeel needed to find a bigger house for us all before I moved in with him and we couldn't afford to buy one. That left us with the heavy burden of rent every month.

"By the seventh month, Gajeel wouldn't let Lily accompany him on quests either. He told Lily to stay back with me in case I needed help.

"Juvia was a huge comfort during it all. She helped out a lot. She would go along with Gajeel and Lily on higher paying quests. Gajeel hasn't told me, but I know that she gave a larger part of the payment to Gajeel taking less for herself. She was also a regular visitor here, making sure that I was okay and had everything I need. She even helped with the nursery and bought us the cribs, insisting that it was her gift to the babies.

"Anyway, after all that hard work, we finally had enough to hold off for a while. Gajeel didn't take any more missions during the last month of gestation.

"And he hasn't taken up any quests till now, either."

Lucy listened carefully, feeling disappointed that she had not been present during Levy's time of need.

"But won't you need Gajeel around?" Lucy was curious. It was pretty evident that nobody knew how long the quest would last for.

"Oh Lucy, I will always need Gajeel around!" Levy laughed. "But I'm the one who convinced him to go."

"What?" Lucy gasped, shocked.

"I know that it sounds unreasonable." Levy spoke calmly. "But there were quite a few things to consider. First, there was the fact that Gajeel wanted to go on this quest because it involves Juvia. Then, there was the fact that Juvia had been a pillar of support for us during our hour of need. And finally, there's the fact that we want the money."

Lucy tilted her head to a side. "How much will they be paid?"

Levy answered, her voice hushed, "One and a half million Jewels per head."

Lucy felt as if the air was knocked out of her lungs. "That much?" she rasped, unable to believe her ears.

Levy nodded, face flushed.

"Wow." Lucy breathed, still in shock.

"We can buy a house and still have enough money for a few months worth of expenditure." Levy voiced her opinion. "And I won't be alone. Lily's here with me. And I have you guys too." She smiled warmly.

Lucy nodded in agreement, too moved to speak.

"Besides, they promised to be here for the twins' birthday." Levy said and Lucy found herself smiling.

Above them, the stars continued to twinkle.

Gray was sprawled across his jet black couch nursing a beer bottle, his head resting on his arm. He felt content to be back in familiar territory, where there was no threat or danger. Home was a good place to be.

He breathed slowly and heavily, taking another sip from the nearly empty bottle. The dark brown liquid sloshed vigorously inside, lining the bottle with drops of various sizes. A box lay open on the table in front of the seat, a few strands of leftover spaghetti clinging to its edges.

It was unfortunate that Gray was once again spending his returns from quests in his own company. During the year before the advent of his one year long quest, Juvia's house had been his stop after a quest on all days when she would be at home. She would tell him to take a shower while she cleaned his injuries and would dress them neatly after he was done bathing. He would then be fed with warm food and allowed to take a nap.

Gray sighed, knowing that there was no one and nothing to blame for his fallout with Juvia but himself. He regretted walking out on her that particular night, but he had been hurt by her words; hurt because it came from her, hurt because he knew it was true and hurt because he would leave again, if he had to.

The problem was that he had meant to be harsh with her when they had departed on their quest. He knew he had done wrong and that it was unforgivable to have pretended to not hear her apology. He had acted out of anger and childish impulse, having wanted to hurt her like she had hurt him the night before. And it was the cold and horrid realisation of this thought that kept haunting him for the time he was away.

A couple days into his journey, guilt had begun to claw at him. He had wanted to turn back and go home to Juvia and apologise and hold her and to just stay a while with her. But in that moment, he had also known that the quest was important and that his team needed him. He had stayed on, begrudgingly. In the course of his travel, he had considered the possibility of contacting Juvia somehow, to ease his heartache. But he had been held back by his own notion that Juvia deserved better than him. And in the end, he had succumbed to the voice in his head that kept telling him to let their relationship fall apart.

But that was not what his heart wanted.

Gray was a conflicted man and he was aware of it. He also knew that he was running out of chances with Juvia. He knew that he would be left behind if he didn't resolve to make up his own mind and act fast.

He had to talk to Juvia, regardless of the outcome. He owed her an apology and an explanation and, most importantly, the truth.

It killed him to know that he couldn't be as committed to a relationship between them as Juvia could do so effortlessly. Her affection and love scared him. The truth was that Juvia's love was the kind of love that Gray feared the most.

Gray Fullbuster, Ice Demon Slayer, was not scared of darkness or ghosts of his frightening past; he was scared of love that drove a person to kill themselves to save his life.

Gray closed his eyes firmly, settling into disturbing sleep.

A/N: I live for drama and breed drama. :")

But on a serious note, I've always had a problem with Erza's directions to Gray during Alvarez Arc. And it sucks that we never got to see any closure from anyone's side. So yeah, my frustration gave birth to the scene between Erza and Juvia. A few of you guys had questions about Gajeel leaving on the quest. I hope that this chapter cleared any doubts.

Btw, this is just day 1 of drama. Juvia has one more day before leaving for Phiri. Day 2 drama in Chapter 3.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and gave a favourite to the story!

~Ana