A/N: Back with another installment! Sorry it took me a bit longer to get this one out. Had a bit of a block, but pretty sure I'm over that now. Anyway, please read and review! Let me know what you think, give me input! Is there something you'd like to see in the story? Drop it in a review! Thanks everyone! : D Now on to the story...

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.

Echos in the Caves

Once she had gone back to the inn to change, Ojo took Juvia straight over to the main job site. As she climbed down from the carriage she looked around and saw that the area looked quite dry and barren. It was still a mystery to her how they had even come to have an agricultural settlement out here in the first place. It seemed warmer in this part of the town, too. She felt the sun blazing down from overhead, prickling at her skin, even this early in the day.

"Here we are Miss Juvia. Let me go round up the boys and we'll get you started," Ojo said, rushing off to talk to some men she saw a short distance away. After rounding them up they gathered near a large well. There were several men of varying age crowded around and waiting for Juvia to speak. She assumed this must be the 'team' she would be working with.

"Boys, this here is Miss Juvia Lockser, a wizard from the Fairy Tail guild. She's coming all the way here to help us with our water problems and is working for the mayor, so you best listen up!" Ojo barked, sounding rather firm and authoritative. They all straightened up, and nodded, standing at attention and waiting for her to speak. Once satisfied with their position, Ojo turned things over to Juvia.

"Why thank you for that lovely introduction Ojo. Good morning gentlemen, as Ojo so kindly informed you, I've come to help your town with your water problems. I only hope that I can help to solve these issues in the most efficient way possible! Now if you could kindly give me any information available, it would be most helpful," she said kindly, looking around at their faces. They all stared back at her, smiling and grinning, but did not respond. She cleared her throat.

Ojo frowned and furrowed his brow. "C'mon you all, speak up! Miss Juvia ain't got all day for you to be standing around gawking at her!" They all fumbled over themselves and tried speaking at the same time, leading to a confusing chorus of voices. "Darnit all, y'all calm down! One at a time!"

Juvia couldn't help but giggle a bit. It was a bit of an amusing scene. Ojo caught her glance and gave a her a smile and a wink. She felt herself blush and a little flutter in her stomach. "Now, let's try this again. Johnson, why don't you go first. You been foreman on this job for awhile now."

A middle aged man with reddish brown hair and a bushy mustache stepped up, clearing his throat to speak. "Yes sir, I sure have been. You see Miss Lockser, we been trying to dig alternate wells and water channels to have a way for the water to travel up from the aqueduct, but something keeps causing them to cave in or become blocked somehow. We ain't never had that problem before, but then some months ago it all started. We done gone down into the mines to try and find a way to drill through the rockbed, but no one can get down into the deeper caves. Seems there's something down there." When he got to the end, his face went sheet white and he looked spooked. The rest of the men nodded in agreement and backed up what Johnson had said.

"Yes, the mayor said something about the site being haunted?" Juvia asked curiously, looking around at their faces. They all looked scared and worried. "I'll have to see the site to make an deductions about the possible source of these problems. Who of your team would be so kind as to escort me to these caves?" The group of men looked as though they had just lost more color from their faces, if that were even possible. No one stepped forward to volunteer.

Ojo looked annoyed and shook his head. "Oh you big buncha sissies. There ain't nothin' down there but some critter we ain't caught yet. Now, ain't none of you gonna volunteer?" They all looked from Ojo to Juvia, still sheet white and not speaking. "Alright, fine then. Cooper, Graves and Miller, you three and I will take Miss Juvia down to the mines. Johnson, you and the rest of your crew work on getting that well rig set up. We're gonna need something to work with once we get this problem with the caves figured out."

The men nodded and split into two groups. The group that Ojo had picked to accompany them into the mines headed over to a shed and began pulling out equipment. The others went to work on the well that they had been near. They gathered ropes, lanterns and helmets, and put protective gear on as a precaution. The three men seemed to be stalling a little, but Ojo kept urging them along. It was a short hike to the mines from the well stations, and once there Ojo brought them to a stop. "Now here we are Miss Juvia. We gotta make sure our lanterns are all lit up and we have to stick together. It gets a little wily down in these mines and I would hate to see you get hurt in any way," he began, looking toward the mine and motioning in the general direction. "But shoot, I know you can handle yourself just fine. I can tell you're just as tough as you are beautiful, and that a whole hell of a lot!" Juvia smiled. She appreciated the vote of confidence.

As they progressed into the mine, proceeding through the dark entrance with utmost caution and care. Juvia tried to take note of her surroundings and gain every detail. There wasn't much to take in at first, as it was very dark and seemed to get darker the deeper they went. She did notice that it was rather chilly and that there was a cool breeze coming from the depths of the mining caverns. The darkness was like black ink pooled all around them, their lanterns standing out brilliantly against the darkness. But as brightly as they shone, it still did not seem to light more than a few feet in front of them. Juvia shivered a little as they got further in. She traveled behind Ojo, trying to find something significant along the walls and floors of the cavern's pathway, but the light only lit the little bubble around them. After some time, Ojo came to a stop, turning to Juvia.

"Miss Lockser, this is where it gets a bit more rough. We have to climb down a rope ladder a ways, and there's an awful big drop down into a chasm. I'd appreciate if you let me go first so I might help to guide you, seeing as you've never traveled down here before," he said, motioning to the territory ahead of them and looking at Juvia rather seriously. She appreciated that Ojo respected her opinions and position on this job.

"Of course, Ojo-sama. That would only make sense. Please lead the way," she said as she gestured forward. The handsome farmer smiled and nodded firmly. They traveled a short distance more before he stopped to light a couple of torch lanterns that vaguely lit up the area. The start of a rope ladder could be seen just over the edge of the walkway. Ojo stopped again. He turned and addressed the three men behind Juvia.

"Cooper you set up the rig for Miss Juvia, Graves you steady the ladder from the top. Miller, you hold the lanterns so it gives the lady some extra light. Y'all hear me? "

The three men nodded and gave a 'Yessir'. They proceeded to set up a rope rig with a belt that Juvia could put around her middle for extra security while climbing down the role ladder over the large chasm. While the others weren't doing this, she took it as a necessity due to her lack of experience. Though she was here to be independent, she didn't want to be unsafe. Ojo went down the ladder first, disappearing into the darkness as he descended. Several minutes passed before they heard him call up to them. The man he called Cooper threw one end of a rope down until there was tension put on the rope, meaning it had reached Ojo at the bottom. They then looped the rope through the small hardness Juvia had on around her middle, and then ran the rope back through a rig loop that was set up on a nearby support beam. Cooper called down to Ojo and then offered a hand to Juvia as she began down the rope ladder. She clung to the ladder, careful not to move too quickly, nor too slowly. Surely she was anxious to get to the bottom, but she wasn't going to be impetuous. The darkness surrounded her, enveloped her; it felt as though it were consuming her. The further she descended, the colder it became, chilling her right to her core.

Juvia finally reached the bottom and was greeted by a smiling Ojo, offering a place to steady herself in the dark, his strong hands guiding her downward. Once she was on the ground, she let loose a deep breath of relief. It was nice to be on solid ground again. Ojo held the rope steady while Cooper climbed down and then the others followed. When the entire party had reached the bottom, they continued on, going deeper into the caves. They lit torch lanterns along the way, but nary a light could penetrate this deep, cold darkness. It was different than anything Juvia had ever really experienced. It almost reminded her of the cold emptiness she felt before she met Gray-sama and joined Fairy Tail.. the feeling that made her the "Rain Woman".

All her life she was haunted by this feeling of loneliness, a sense of separation from everyone and everything around her. Her powers made her unique, but they also made her different; some people don't think different is good. She had been ridiculed and bullied because she was different from other people. No one could handle being around her for an extended period of time. They became to sad and depressed because it was always 'gloomy'. She couldn't help that the rain was there… she was born that way. But then she met Gray-sama and she found her sunshine and warmth. As cool a customer as he was, Gray-sama had warmed her heart like no one else ever had before. She finally saw a blue sky, she finally knew how to smile. It was something so new and so amazing to her. All because of her love for this man, Gray Fullbuster. And yet, he had turned her away… time and again.. Even after sharing a home with her, sharing a life with her… after defending her life and almost giving up on everything because he thought she was gone.. And he had denied her yet again. He wasn't obligated to love her in return, but he could have at least had the decency to give her some closure. He refused to respect her as an equal, an individual. She was just some love crazed freak that he could toy with when he pleased… Juvia felt her insides grow colder as they traveled on, and her thoughts grew darker and colder with them. Soon a feeling of desperate sadness mixed with a seething anger began to overtake her. Ojo stopped them just then, and turned to face Juvia, meeting her gaze.

His kind honey brown eyes were warm and comforting as she looked upon them, her own dark blue eyes locking on them. It was then that she felt some warmth again and pulled away from the grim thoughts that were plaguing her mind. It was like a warm drink on a cold day, washing the heat over her whole being. He looked at her with great concern, his brow furrowed and mouth set in a firm line. He tilted his head a bit in an endearing way that made her smile in spite of herself.

"Are you alright there Miss Juvia?"

"Oh goodness, yes. I'm fine. I'm sorry! ," she said quickly, shaking her head to clear it as he stared at her. Her cheeks went pink in embarrassment, as she jabbered and waved off his concerns. "I'm fine, don't worry about me! Just peachy keen! No worries here!"

Ojo smiled at her again and nodded "Long as you're alright Miss Juvia," he said as turned to look around the area they were standing in. "Now this here is the central point for several passageways. It's a maze of sorts, really when you think about it. And there are openings to the aqueduct, or at least there were. Most of them are caved in or severely damaged. Either way, we can't get the water up through them.

Before Juvia could respond there was a high pitch squealing sound, followed by a low sort of hooting sound that echoed through the cavern. The little hairs on Juvia's body all stood on end, her arms now stricken with goosebumps. Behind her came a chorus of girlish shrieks and screams, and she turned sharply to see Cooper, Graves and Miller clinging to one another. Ojo frowned, looking around to attempt to locate the source of the sound. And then it happened again, followed by an ominous gonging that rang through the caverns, echoing and reverberated over and again. Sounds echoing upon themselves and creating an almost nauseating cacophony that ran right through every fiber of her being. Juvia felt rocked and jilted, but was still standing firm as she looked around.

"What was that sound, Ojo?" she asked, her voice shaking a little. She was a bit nervous, but alert and ready.

"That was the ghost!" yelled Cooper

"It's a demon!" shouted Graves

"You're both wrong! It's a phantom!" croaked Miller

"All of you just hush up now!" Ojo barked, furrowing his brow and looking around turned and looked to Juvia. "That was whatever critter is living down here. Haven't been able to get a look at it, so ain't had a chance to catch it! Don't you worry, Miss Juvia. Between you and me, we can handle whatever it is!"

Juvia nodded firmly, steadying her stance as the sound called out again. Whatever it was, it was coming closer and closing in on them. She could feel it grow colder by the moment. Ojo had closed some of the distance between them, standing closer to her in a protective way. She had no idea what they were about to face, but she was ready for it.

Gray's POV

After his train arrived in the station at Ballador, Gray made his way through the midday crowd to find a carriage pick up point. Mirajane had said that she was going to arrange a ride for him, so there should be someone waiting to take him to Montil. He wasn't really sure where he was going, but noticed an information booth midway through the station. He waited for a moment while the girl working in the booth helped someone ahead of him. He found himself thinking about what Juvia might be doing at the moment, wondering if she was alright. He hoped that she was safe. In all honesty, he hoped that this whole thing was just him being overprotective and worrying too much. He didn't want to be right and have it mean that she was in danger somehow. He wanted to be wrong about this one.

"Good morning, Sir! Welcome to Ballador Central Station! What can I help you with today?" suddenly came a bright sounding voice. Gray shook his head and looked up and was met with the face of the girl working the information booth.

"Oh.. uh.. Yeah, morning. Sorry, I was thinking… Anyway, uh.. Where can I find the pick up point for the carriages?" Gray sputtered, finding himself a bit flustered. He had been so focused on Juvia that he had forgotten where he was for a minute. What was going on with him? He was usually a lot more level headed than this.

"Were you needing to arrange a carriage or did you have one prearranged?" the girl asked, giving him a friendly smile.

"Someone was calling ahead to arrange for one for me. I'm going out to Montil," Gray responded.

The girl looked surprised, her eyes growing wide. "Montil? That's all the way out in the middle of nowhere!"

Gray nodded. "Yeah, I know. But I have some personal business out that way."

The girl's formerly overtly cheery disposition disappeared as her face fell and she grimaced. "Be careful going out that way. People say that town is haunted or has some kind of curse on it," she said, her voice low and ominous. "Whatever your business is, I suggest you get it done with and get out of there as soon as possible!"

Gray looked at her, eyebrows raised, frowning deeply. What did she mean?

"What do you mean, haunted or cursed?" he asked urgently, now growing concerned all over again. He had to find more about what she was talking about. "What's wrong with Montil? Are there bad people running the town or something?"

Suddenly an older woman showed up in the booth and had overheard the girl as they came from the back, and now heared Gray asking questions. She cleared her throat and stepped forward. The girl stood at attention, now looking anxious, nervously glancing between the woman and Gray.

"I'm sorry, Sir. Nothing is wrong at all. Have a pleasant day!" she chirped, her voice going up an octave as she spoke. Gray furrowed his brow. He wasn't giving up that easily.

"No, please, what was that about Montil? Why would you say that?" he pursued, staring at her and ignoring the hemming and hmmming of the older woman. Before the girl could speak, the other woman spoke up.

"Please excuse Gwendolyn, Sir. Certainly she misspoke. Now what was it you were needing help with? The carriage pick up? Why yes, that's about a five minute walk straight that way and then off to your right there will be the individual pick up stations. If you already have a ride arrange, your driver will greet you there. If you require to arrange a carriage, you must visit the Carriage Depot office that is located near the pick up stations. Thank you for using Ballador Central Station. Have a lovely day." she said, her tone firm and dry, a light lipped smile forced upon her mouth. Gray sighed and knew that he wasn't going to get any more information from them.

He turned away, frustrated and now in a hurry, noticing the time on a nearby station clock. Gray rushed in the direction the woman had pointed him in an effort to make it in time to catch his carriage. A short time later he could see the carriages come into view. He noticed one of the drivers holding a sign that said FULLBUSTER and he knew where to go. It didn't take long to get loaded into the carriage and on the road to Montil. The driver apologized for the bumpy roads in advance and warned that because of the 'extremely rural location' of the town, there was an extra charge for the trip. Gray paid the charge without complaint, simply wanting to get on his way to the town.

The carriage ride was bumpy, just as the driver warned, but Gray didn't really care. He was too distracted thinking about Juvia and how he was going to execute his little plan. The first thing he would do would be to find a place to set up a base of operations and that meant finding a place to stay. He assumed the town would have some kind of accommodations, and hopefully he could get a room without having called ahead. Considering what he had heard about the town so far, he didn't get the impression that people were flocking to it in droves. So hopefully that wouldn't be too much of an issue. He wished he had told Mira to not use his real name. He should have thought about that ahead of time. That would have made his covert mission a lot easier. After he found a place to stay, he would check out the town and try to locate Juvia. It shouldn't be hard to find her, considering she would probably be the talk of the town. That usually happened when Fairy Tail came to town- everyone knew they were there one way or another. And it didn't hurt that Juvia was exceptionally beautiful and kind, so everyone always took a liking to her. He could safely assume that she would quickly become popular with whoever she met.

He leaned back in the seat, thinking about when they lived together during the year that Fairy Tail had disbanded. Before he had gone off on his covert mission as requested by Erza, they had been living a quiet little life together. Training, working, eating, sleeping. He had gotten so used to her presence. When he did leave to work undercover in Avatar, he missed her every day. While he had never admitted to anyone, it was the thought of being with her again that got him through every day. It was what got him through all the darkest of days in recent past. Hell, when he thought she was dead during the Alvarez war, his entire world shattered. But yet, when time came to really step up, he lost his nerve and chickened out. The more he thought about it, the more he knew it was time to change. She deserved better than he had given her. There had been so many times that they had come so close, yet he always pulled away. What was he so afraid of? Letting loose an exasperated sigh, he laid his head back and closed his eyes. With any luck the rest of this ride would go by quickly and he would arrive soon.

Back in Montil

Juvia braced herself as she felt the air around them swirling, readying herself for anything that might attack. Whatever was present in the cavern of the mine was moving around them at a rapid rate, swooping and flying about. It was impossible to tell what it was because it was so very dark. Thinking quickly, Juvia had an idea.

"Ojo, I'd like for you and the others to all concentrate the light in one area on my word," she said, her eyes darting back and forth. "So when I call a direction, you turn your lights that way."

Ojo nodded firmly and then called out to the others. "Ya hear that boys? Ya'll listen to Miss Juvia!"

"Now and….LEFT!" Juvia called out and a large spot of light shone, lighting the cavern for a moment and she saw something moving through the air. She had to make a move.

"Water slicer!" she cried

Whatever it was cried out again, whooping and howling, moving around them again. Juvia had missed that time, but she wasn't going to give up that easily. Steadying herself on her feet, she braced herself again.

"Now….RIGHT!" she called and they shone their lanterns in that direction and again she could see the movement. "Water slicer!"

There was a large gust of chilled air rushed past them as the entity cried out again, sounding as though it was moving up and away from them. And then suddenly it was dark, silent, and still. Juvia stood in place, listening carefully. Whatever had been there before had left them now. The cavern seemed better lit and they were able to see some of the passageways.

"Miss Juvia, would you like to go deeper into the mine or return to the surface?" Ojo asked, looking to the water mage. She turned and looked at him, thinking for a moment and then answering.

"I think perhaps I should like to return to the surface for now, Ojo. I believe I have some research to do before we continue," she said.

They then left cavern and worked their way back through the passageways in the mines. As they got closer to the surface, the more light seemed to show around them, and the air grew warmer. When they had reached the surface, she could feel a very distinct difference in the atmosphere. It wasn't just the normal change in temperature from going underground. There was more to it than that. She needed to pool her resources and find out more about the mines themselves. She also would like to talk to some of the townspeople. There seemed to be some missing pieces to the puzzle and it was going to take some work to put them together.

Once they returned to the inn, Ojo helped her down from the carriage in his usual gentlemanly way and saw her inside. They chatted for a few minutes in the lobby before Juvia excused herself and retired to her room to freshen up. As she climbed the stairs, she had a very odd feeling. It almost felt as though someone was watching her every move, as though she was being tracked. She tried to shake the feeling as she gathered her things to go for a shower.

Little did Juvia know, there indeed was someone watching her, right behind the cracked sliding doors to the tearoom. Someone whom happened to be very interested in Juvia and this mystery man that seemed a little too friendly. The dark haired man behind the door noticed the way the large man looked at the blue haired beauty, and he didn't like it one bit.

So Gray has finally reached Montil, and of course, the only place to stay is the same inn Juvia is staying in. How's he going to pull this one off?! Will Juvia find him out? And what was that crazy thing in the mines? Tune in next time to find out! Please review! They inspire me to keep going!