Author's Note: First ever attempt at angst...oh no. HERE GOES. Another for Gruvia week! This time, the prompt was 'sounds' and I tried to put a little spin on it ^.^
Title: The Sounds He'd Remember
Rating: T
Summary: There were some sounds he'd hold onto and some he'd never forget, no matter how hard he tried to.
"She looked at me softly — that's how she stabs souls." - j.d.a.
The Sounds He'd Remember
It started as a drizzle and then turned into a storm. The first sound Gray Fullbuster ever heard while meeting Juvia was the rain. So much rain that the sound itself had blurred into one long, whirring noise.
Damn, he hated the rain. It was so gloomy. Nothing like a freaking hurricane appearing out of nowhere to distract you from the task at hand.
"Drip drip drop…" was the next sound he heard. He turned his head towards the source of the noise, his eyes resting upon a woman clad in navy blue, her face as solemn as a mask as she held a pink umbrella over her head.
Looks like he had finally run into a member of Phantom Lord's Element Four. Now it was game on.
She was a member of Fairy Tail. She had long blue hair that fell down her back in soft waves and eyes the colour of the ocean. Her once monotone voice was now cheery, and when she smiled, her whole face would light up with joy.
"Gray-sama." His name would roll off her tongue and he couldn't remember a time where she said it without adoration. "Juvia found a job request! And she was wondering whether you'd like to come along with her…"
Every now and then, he'd say yes, and Juvia would throw her arms around him, eyes closed—crinkled into a smile—face flushing an even darker shade of pink
"We're going to have so much fun, Gray-sama!" she'd say, squeezing him tight.
"Yeah, well, we make a good team," was what he'd say, taking her hands in his and peeling her off of him. "Let's get going."
Other times, her voice uttering his name would wash over him like a calm wave, filling him with a certain serenity he had longed for.
"Gray-sama…" Her voice was gentle, quiet, as she sunk to the ground with her arms wrapped around him, pulling him into her soft embrace.
He wasn't one to let his emotions make an appearance. He kept his emotions concealed behind walls for no one to see. Yet, here he was, sobs ripping out of his chest as he held onto her like she was the last valuable thing left in his life. Maybe she was.
He heard her call his name, not in that sweet, melodic voice he associated her with, but instead in one filled with fear as she sent a flood of water rushing towards him with tremendous speed. The water slashed at the opponent who was slowly creeping up behind him and sent him flying to the ground in a slumped heap.
Gray's eyes locked with hers for a fraction of a second, his lip tugging up in a smirk as he nodded his appreciation. She returned the smile with closed eyes and bright cheeks, her blue hair plastered to her face and her pale skin covered in cuts and grazes.
Even in the midst of battle, she always had a smile saved just for him.
But the warmth of her smile didn't last long as the next sound ripped through her chest.
A piercing scream filled the air, making his blood run cold.
Time seemed to slow down as the surge of dark lightning engulfed her, causing her to throw her head back and shriek in pain.
He couldn't get the sound out of his head. It was playing in his mind over and over like a stuck record, ringing in his ears.
And there was nothing he could do.
Everything around him had become completely silent, completely still. The chaos, destruction, all movement had slowed down to a halt as she fell to the ground, and the only thing he was aware of was the dull ache forming in his chest and the fear seeping deep into his bones.
His feet were like heavy weights anchoring him to the ground. He couldn't move…why couldn't he move? He wanted to yell for Wendy, Chelia, anyone to come heal her, to save her but all he could manage to do was choke out her name in ragged breaths.
"Wendy!" he finally yelled, voice strained as though there were shards of glass lining his throat, each call of the young dragon slayer's name paining him more than the last.
She wasn't around. It was no use, and he was running out of time.
Dragging himself over, he collapsed to his knees beside her. Blood seeped out of holes from her charred clothes, her tangled blue hair fanned out under her, bangs matted to her face—and she was still smiling faintly at him, though the smile didn't quite reach her eyes, which seemed distant, dull, filled with sadness, and it was so unlike her, it made his heart twist in pain at the sight.
He placed his trembling hands over her body, desperately trying to ice her wounds, all the while repeating her name over and over in muffled cries. Maybe he could save her or ease her pain or at least make himself useful to her in some way—he couldn't just sit there and watch as the blood continued to drain from her face, her body. He couldn't.
"Gray-sama…" she murmured, slowly mustering up her strength to put a hand on his cheek.
Gray didn't realise he was crying until she stroked his cheek, wiping the tears that fell from his eyes and hushing him softly. "It's alright, Gray-sama."
She was the one soothing him, telling him it was alright, and it was so in her nature to do so—never once putting herself before her loved ones, and this time, he hated her for it because it broke his heart clean in two.
He put his hand over hers, shaking as another sob ripped through his chest. "Not you too…"
Her face softened at his words, tears in her eyes. Too many people had already left him broken. She couldn't do it too, not to him, not when she loved him with all her heart and knew how much pain he would be in.
But the tiredness was slowly pulling her in.
Gently wrapping his arms around her trembling body, he brought her closer to him, burying his face into her soft hair and taking in the way it smelled like fresh rain—but that familiar smell of hers was tinged with the scent of burning, and the cries left him harder than ever before because something so known to him was tainted and disappearing, and he couldn't do anything about it except hold her.
In the midst of everything, he listened to her soft pants against his chest, each breath coming out unevenly as she struggled for air. Her life was a flickering candle in the wind, and a storm had passed by. A storm had passed by and it had rained but this time, he hadn't been there to stop it like he should have.
"Juvia?" he said softly, his voice breaking at the thought of his next words. "Juvia, you already know my answer, don't you? You've always known my answer."
It wasn't supposed to be like this. He wasn't supposed to say these words so desperately, so sadly. The answer was to be saved for after the war, during celebrations when he knew for a fact they could be happy together because they both had their whole lives ahead of them, ready to be lived to the fullest.
But never again would he see her smile. Never again would he see those blue eyes, so full of life and love. And never again would he hold her close to him like this, like he had itched to do so many times in the past.
He couldn't even see a future without her; she was the one constant thing in his life, always by his side, always supporting him through everything and it just wasn't supposed to be like this.
Quietly…so quietly that he could have imagined it, the last sound he heard coming from Juvia's lips were the same three words that would haunt him for the rest of his life: I love you.
