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Now back to the present…
Rising to his feet with Juvia lying motionless and cold in his arms, Gray left the horrible room to find his comrades. It was decided. Not a single one of these bastards was going to get away with harming his nakama. Gray carefully walked towards the door so that he would not jostle Juvia and cause her any further pain. Once he'd reached the exit, Lucy and Wendy caught sight of him and their eyes travelled down to the very injured Juvia lying still in his arms. Lucy gasped and her hand flew to her mouth as her eyes widened to the size of saucers. After getting over her initial shock, Wendy was the one who finally flew forward to examine her incapacitated comrade.
"Gray! I need to heal her! She's not in very good condition! If we don't get her some medical help right away she's not going to make it!" Wendy breathed out quickly.
"I know that Wendy, but right now we're in the middle of a warzone and we can't put her down here," Gray insisted, knowing that not only was it not the plan but it would also leave a high risk of injuring Juvia more. "We have to stick to the plan and get out of here. Lucy you'll have to cover us since I need Wendy for Juvia. She's strong. I know she can pull through this."
"I got it…" Lucy mumbled in a daze, her wide eyes still not leaving Juvia.
Quickly, they gathered themselves and began to move swiftly through the base towards a close hotel in town. Having decided that asking Porlyusica and Wendy to heal any injuries was quicker, they rushed back to the hotel that Porlyusica and a small team had found for the aftermath. It was clearly a better decision than a non-magical hospital. The plan was that once they reached the hotel where a makeshift infirmary was, Juvia would stay there while Gray and Lucy went back to the battle. Wendy would stay to help the medical processes going on there. For now, the small group was rushing through hallways, past rooms where one could hear fighting happening, and towards the exit that leads in the direction of the infirmary. Both of the girls were at Gray's sides, making sure that no harm could come to Juvia. Gray hurried along being careful not move Juvia and worrying about her at the same time.
Suddenly, the little groups of heroes came to the end of a hallway that had only one door. The door was large, the wood and the metal that it was made of seemed to frozen over as rolls of icy fog came off.
"I sense a familiar magic through there… almost… like my own." Gray whispered to the girls with his eyes looked on the precarious situation.
"This is the only way through. If we take the longer way around Juvia won't be able to make it, we have no choice." Lucy stated with feigned confidence, "Even if we have to fight our way through."
So, Lucy stepped forward and placed her warm hand to the frozen surface. The door swung inwards without effort.
"I've been expecting you. And look at that, you've brought my little prisoner along!" The room rang with malevolent laughter.
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The peals of laughter didn't cease as the group took their first tentative steps into the room. In the center, there was a dark shadowy figure that they had seen before. The laughter was emanating from the one that Bates had called Lucifer. Gray took a quick assessment of the room before refocusing on the figure before him. Behind Lucifer there was a door through which he could see sunlight. The rest of the room was bare, just the stone walls encased them in that pocket of the base.
"Prisoner?" Gray snarled, "Juvia is no one's prisoner. She is a proud member of Fairy Tail! If you think I'm going to let you get away with this you've got another thing coming."
Gently, Gray bent down and placed Juvia close to a wall where she'd be farthest from any fighting. Slowly, he stood and took a fighting stance. Lucy followed his example as her hands went to hover over her precious keys, but Wendy went to take a protective stance in front of Juvia. She'd only join if the awful man went after the vulnerable figure behind her.
"You mean to fight me? Hah! I normally wouldn't bother myself with such unimportant insects.. However, you happen to have my prize in your possession," Lucifer examined his nails and sneered, "Her screams satisfy me, and I require her magic to finish my little pet project."
"Well you can't have her. She is ours." Gray growled, "What project could possibly require you to drain an innocent girl of her life so cruelly?"
"Well wouldn't you like to know!" Lucifer grinned with power over Gray's slight curiosity, "It's actually going to be my final revenge over that disgusting water mage."
All of the sudden Lucifer paused. Something seemed to be communicating with him in his head. The way he looked like he was listening to something though there was no one to be heard. A dark, crazed look passed over his face.
"I'd love to stay and have some fun, but it seems something has come up. Another time puny children, and you can even take that insufferable brat with you, my revenge will come soon enough." And with that being said, Lucifer disappeared in a cloud of icy mist.
"What?! He can't just leave! I wanted to kick his ass for what he did to my girl!" Lucy began pouting as her hand dropped to her side.
"No time for that! We have to go! Juvia's heart beat is dangerously slow and faint!" Wendy began a frantic attempt at moving Gray.
"Let's go!" Gray scooped Juvia up into his arms quickly. Her shivering becoming even more weak.
They pushed their way outside and ran as fast as they could to the hotel. Juvia's hand fell limply to her side.
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In the hotel room, Porlyusica works quietly, quickly by herself..
Shuffling her feet, Porlyusica sets up the medical station the best she can without knowing the condition her patient was in. She prepared for the worst though she didn't feel there was any reason to worry. Wasn't it just a simple kidnapping? She continued arranging everything perfectly, mixing herbal solutions for every possible situation, sterilizing her tools, and conserving her magic. Soon she thought she heard the sound of hurried running outside the door. Just as Porlyusica turned to investigate the door burst open.
"Quickly guys! Porlyusica! Where do you want me to set her?!" Gray ran in frantically. Never before had anyone seen so many emotions present on his face.
"Here. Calm down. Place her here." Porlyusica said cooly although she could see that the girl was in very bad condition and hardly hanging on to life.
Porlyusica began barking orders, and Wendy rushed to help her. As soon as Gray had placed Juvia in the hospital bed, he and Lucy were shooed out. The door slammed shut. Gray stood staring at the closed door, his face blank and his eyes clouded over.
Lucy looked at him, "Gray…"
"This is all my fault Lucy… all of it.. If I had just been kind and not upset her she'd never have been on her own." Gray mumbled as a single tear tracked down his cheek, "How could I be so heartless and cruel? She was only trying to be kind. Always so kind." The single tear became uncontrollable sobbing.
Lucy stepped forward and tenderly put her hand on his shoulder, "Gray.. none of what has happened was solely your fault. It was all of us. Not a single person thought to look for her but you. Even then, we hadn't noticed a piece of us missing." She spoke to him softly with love like that from a comforting sister, "Please, don't blame yourself. Juvia is strong and nothing could ever keep her down. Now let's go and avenge her! The battle awaits."
Gray listened to Lucy's advice, and turned to give her a hug, "Thanks Lucy… you're right. Let's go!"
Wiping his tears, Gray and Lucy ran back towards the base.
"I'm going to destroy whoever was responsible for this."
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