A/N: Update! :D

Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail, etc…

Summary: [POST-GMG] The Grand Magic Games are over, and the future is saved. After all that's happened, Gray finally decides to swallow his pride. Gray x Juvia (Gruvia).

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Pride Isn't Everything

Chapter Four

Atop of a roof on the outskirts of Magnolia sat two figures. They wear black coats with red stripes down the sleeves. Their faces are hidden; white masks covering everything but their eyes. The two peer ahead.

"I can't believe that idiot let them get away…" said a woman's voice.

"Don't worry. They'll come crawling back since we cursed that water mage," A man responds. "You're new to the guild. What's your name again?"

"You can call me Hotaru," she tells the man next to her. "It's always been my dream to join Burning Ember."

"Hotaru-chan, eh?" He licks his lips. "Do you know fire magic?"

"Of course. What do you take me for?"

"Just making sure. Our plans cannot be ruined. It's said that Fairy Tail is the strongest guild in Fiore again. They won the Grand Magic Games this year," The mysterious man tells her. "Now that we've cursed the water mage, we need not worry."

Hotaru smirks. "Though she could have been quite useful to us…"

"She still is," he grins in return. The two suddenly vanish.

Gray stands still, observing the shadow before making any sudden movements. He can barely make the person out without getting nearer. He inches up, taking a closer look. 'White hair?'

"Fancy meeting you here…. Gray."

That voice. There is no mistaking.

The raven haired man walks up to the figure blocking the exit. With each step he makes, Gray's view becomes clearer, and he is able to confirm the person in front of him. Just a few inches apart; their eyes meet.

"Move… Lyon."

"Like hell I'll move! Are you crazy?" The white haired mage gives him a cold stare.

"I said… MOVE," Gray is about to walk past him, when Lyon grabs his shoulder and pulls him back to his original spot. This angers Gray, as he moves his hands to start an attack. "Don't fuck with me right now!"

"I know about Juvia," That's all Lyon had to say in order for his rival to stop his attack and stare at him with a shocked expression. Gray's arms fall limp at his sides.

"H-how…?" He manages to choke out.

"I went to see her last night at your guild," Lyon starts to tell his story. Throughout it though, Gray cannot keep his mind off of Juvia. He doesn't have time to listen to him. He has to go. He has to defeat that dark guild.

'Please let this story be fast…'

Lyon walks down the quiet road, listening to the crickets. It's late at night, but he wants to see if his Juvia-chan is still at her guild. When he reaches the doors, the white haired ice mage bursts through like he owns the place.

"Juviaaa! I've come to see you!"

But she is nowhere in sight. Maybe she went home already. Something is off though. Everyone else is there except her, and Gray. He is greeted by serious expressions that had formed on almost all of the Fairy Tail member's faces.

"She's not here, Lyon," Erza responds coldly.

"Damn, I must have just missed her!" he curses himself. "Or did that bastard take her home? I'll kick his-" Before he can finish his statement, Lucy interrupts him. She can sense the anger around her, negative energy coming off of her fellow guild mates. She decides to try and make peace.

"Juvia isn't well right now," The celestial mage starts. "Gray didn't walk her home. But he's with her at Porlyusica-san's place. I don't suggest you go there!" She can think of two reasons as to why Lyon should not go to Porlyusica's house. Number one is that Porlyusica hates humans. She would definitely kick Lyon out, especially if his reaction to seeing Juvia is extreme. She may get annoyed and kick Gray out as well, which wouldn't be good either. The second reason being, that Lyon won't like what he will see regarding Gray and Juvia. Lucy doesn't know exactly what he's doing, but Gray would definitely be by Juvia's side and very close to her. Then again, seeing that might possibly hint to Lyon that he should give up on Juvia.

"Why wouldn't I go there!? What's wrong with her!?" He didn't care too much about Gray being there anymore. He only wants to know what happened to the girl he has feelings for.

"She's cursed by those bastards from Burning Ember," Natsu tells him bluntly, and unemotionally. Lucy looks to Natsu with surprise. She wonders how he can say that so simply. "We're going after them in the morning." He completes his reply. Natsu did not want to wait until morning, as usual. However, there was nothing they could do. He hates to admit it, but they have no other information on the dark guild or its members.

The group decided that they would set out in the late morning to early afternoon while gaining information throughout most of the night. Mirajane took out an old book dedicated to curses. The book gives information about the curse, its origin, and how it can be lifted if possible. The master had also requested the Magic Counsel to send him every piece of information on Burning Ember. They were reluctant at first, as they are not fond of Fairy Tail. But given the circumstances, the request was granted.

Lyon pales. She is… cursed? The pain in his chest is indescribable.

He has to do something.

The ice mage runs out of the guild as fast as he can. He knows that Jura also kept a book that gave information on curses and dark guilds. He has to get his hands on it!

Once Lyon arrives back at Lamia Scale, he tells everyone what is currently going on regarding Burning Ember and Fairy Tail. They already know of the attacks around Magnolia, and now a fellow mage, whom Lyon is in love with, is also victimized.

"I'm going to save her!" He tells his guild mates.

"Lyon! You cannot go out there now or alone. We wait until daylight to start," The old lady, his master, tells him.

"Master is right, Lyon…" Chelia says sadly. "We may have a book of information, but we don't know where they are now…"

"You'll probably be killed if you went alone. Or now. The book says they are at their strongest level at night when it's dark outside. Perks of being a 'dark' guild, I guess," Jura states calmly with a shrug.

"Kuso…" Lyon clenches his fist. They are right. He makes up his mind; the moment there is even the slightest bit of daylight, he is gone.

6am came slowly for Lyon, even though he studied the book the entire night. He is the only one left at the guild, though he'll be off soon.

'There…' he thinks to himself as a small ray of sun hits his eyes.

The white haired man takes off. After a while of travel, he reaches his last pathway out of Magnolia. In just about a mile, he will reach the outskirts. It pains him that he could not see Juvia before he left, but he would have felt pain either way just by looking at her in that state. And then there was Gray…

It made Lyon sick to know that the woman of his dreams is always around that guy. He hears footsteps that are coming in close. He quickly hides himself behind a building, just in case an enemy appears. If it's anyone from Burning Ember, he can eavesdrop on their conversation!

Unfortunately, he finds the footsteps to belong to the one person in the entire world who Lyon DID NOT wish to see.

'What the…? Is he…?'

Before it's too late, the Lamia Scale mage quickly, but unnoticeably makes his way to the exit. He stands there, and waits for his long term rival…

"Did you really come out here with no knowledge of them or the curse?" Lyon asks Gray seriously, who stays silent. The silence gives him an answer. "What good will that do?! That won't help Juvia at all!"

"Just shut up," The raven haired ice mage says, his bangs covering his eyes.

"You going off on your own… knowing nothing! That's not how Ur raised us! You haven't changed a bit!"

"Shut… up…"

"It's bad enough that Ur had to go after your ass when you went off on your own to fight Deliora! She died because of that… And now Juvia has to suffer too!?"

Lyon has no more time to speak, as a fist collides with his jaw. He stumbles back, blood dripping down the side of his mouth. "You… you bastard," he grumbles, wiping the blood away.

"I thought… I told you to shut up," Gray says as his dark bangs still cover his eyes. "You're right… Maybe I am stupid for coming out here," He looks up, giving Lyon the most intense expression he's ever given anyone. "But I will find a way to save her. Don't you tell me otherwise. I will save her!"

Lyon raises his brow. Since when was Gray so protective of Juvia? He knew him for a long time, and can when something is important to Gray. That's when it hit him.

Juvia is important to Gray.

Perhaps he really wasn't pretending when he was affectionate with her during the games, like he said he wasn't. Maybe Gray made up excuses when he told him not to take away a 'guild member'. But it didn't matter, because Lyon will not let him win. He wants to show Juvia how much he does care for her. Not only that, but he wants to save her too.

"I do too," he tells Gray. "I fell in love with Juvia the moment I saw her. Of course I want to save her too! My feelings are certainly stronger than yours."

Gray found everything about this conversation extremely irritating and wrong. First, Lyon had the nerve to bring up Ur again, and basically say how he was the cause of her death. This is a topic Gray never likes to revisit. Second, he related Juvia's suffering to that event, claiming that it was similar to how he went off alone to find Deliora. It was bad enough that he couldn't reach her in time before she was cursed. He didn't need Lyon to rub it in his face. Gray had been through hell the last 24 hours.

And last, to declare that he cares about Juvia more than him? That Lyon's feelings are stronger for her than his? Last Gray checked, Lyon isn't the one Juvia spends the most time with. Lyon isn't the one who stayed by Juvia's side the entire night. Lyon isn't the one who held Juvia's hand. Lyon isn't the one that Juvia loves.

Juvia doesn't love Lyon.

And Gray won't let him have her.

The raven haired ice mage is convinced that there is no way that Lyon's feelings for Juvia are stronger than his own are for her. Lyon may like her and find her attractive, but the prick hasn't been around Juvia long enough to know the real her. Gray doesn't necessarily believe in love at first sight either. Sure Juvia was infatuated with him since the beginning, but their relationship actually grew and keeps growing stronger with each passing day.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Gray responds to Lyon's comment. "Look we can settle this later. Saving Juvia comes first. I've wasted enough time here."

He doesn't exactly want to work with Lyon. But unfortunately, Gray has no information. He has to think of options that will benefit the water mage. Cooperating with his long term rival is one of them.

"It's been awhile since we worked together. Since the games…" The white haired mage recalls their battle, and fight against the dragons. Gray and Juvia were always next to each other, and it annoyed him. It still does.

Gray is astonished that Lyon is basically able to read his mind about them working together. The Lamia Scale mage continues, "I'm the one with the information. So you need me. But two mages are better than one. Just don't slow me down."

"Yeah, yeah. Tell me what you know already!" Gray mumbles.

"I'll tell you as we move. Let's go!" They leave Magnolia, searching for any signs of their enemies.

"THAT IDIOT!" An enraged Erza thrashes her sword through a wall in the guild. Its lunch time, and Fairy Tail had just received word from Porlyusica that Gray had left her house around 6 in the morning. His intentions are clear, and that's what scares her.

"Calm down, Erza!" Makarov uses hand gestures to support his comment. In reality, he is very worried. It hurts him to see one of his 'children' in such an unstable condition. Juvia was originally the enemy, but had proven herself to be a kind and caring person. She was instantly attached to Gray, which is one reason why he sent Gray off with her on a mission during the first days of her being an official member. He wanted to make sure she was comfortable.

And then there was Gray.

Makarov first met the ice boy when he was very young and had the desire to revive his sensei. Since then, Gray had become a very prominent member of the guild, and one of the strongest. He grew up over the years, although still maintained a 'brat' side at times. It was just like him to go off on his own like that. The master realized how close he and Juvia became, especially since the games. Everyone knows that Gray cares a great deal more for Juvia than he lets on. They're all waiting for that moment went he finally swallows his pride.

"Calm down!? Why didn't he wait!? We have information now! He can easily get killed by himself against an entire dark guild. And you're telling me to calm down!?"

Erza is close to Gray. If she had to choose anyone from the guild and call them her best friend, it would be him. He found her alone; he saw her cry. He stayed by her side and broke through her confusion. Through everything, he was there for her. It hurt her to see him in pain; Erza is no fool. Gray's had feelings for the water mage for quite some time. She can see it, but he is still searching for his own answer.

"I'm pretty worried too…" Lucy looks down, sadly. "He didn't leave her side the entire night. And now he's gone completely."

"Don't worry about him," Natsu says apathetically, which causes the entire guild to look at him in shock. "What? We're about to go out there ourselves. I'm sure we'll bump into him at some point. Pretty sure that other guy is going after Burning Ember too."

"You mean Lyon?" The celestial mage asks him.

"Yeah, him. Besides that, Gray is strong. He'll be okay until we find him."

'Natsu…' she thinks to herself and smiles. It's definitely nice to hear him compliment Gray instead of put him down. Even though they fight, Lucy knows that Gray and Natsu share a close friendship.

"He still should have used his brain though," Gajeel's voice intrudes. "If he would have waited, we could have all gone together with information."

Levy, who is sitting next to Gajeel, looks up at him. "When you really care about someone… or even love them, you don't waste any time when they are in trouble, right?"

"Eh?" The iron dragon slayer gives her a weird look. It isn't hard to figure out what the petite girl is implying. Gajeel wasted no time in trying to find and save Levy on Tenrou Island. Natsu wasted no time in finding and saving Lucy during the Grand Magic Games when she was arrested. Naturally, Gray would go out there for Juvia and nothing would have stopped him.

He took a bite out of his iron. Juvia is a close friend of his. They had history; being together in Phantom Lord and all. She was the one who recommended him to join Fairy Tail with her; she didn't want to leave him alone. At first, he pitied her since her love was so incredibly one sided in the beginning. After awhile, Gajeel saw how serious she actually was and that the ice mage started responding to her advances. He admits he felt slightly happy for her. Now, his friend is suffering. All Gajeel wants to do is beat the shit out of whoever did this to her.

"Aye! Gray must love Juvia if he went right away!" Happy says aloud. "Just like how Natsu saves Lucy all the time… hehe." The cat's comment makes Lucy blush, while Natsu gives an annoyed face.

Most of the guild grins at the scene. Meanwhile, Wendy starts to feel disappointed in herself. "I.. I wish I was of more use… I wish my healing magic could work!"

"Don't be hard on yourself, Wendy." Carla tells her sternly.

"Yeah, it's not your fault," Mirajane pipes in.

Erza sighs. When you love someone you do things you never thought you'd do before. Everything she did for Jellal came rushing back to her at that instant. However, she quickly shook away her thoughts; focusing on the task at hand. "Let's not waste anymore time!"

Due to having information on the dark guild, Fairy Tail agreed to only send a select few members out to hunt. Erza, Lucy, and Natsu of course; along with Gajeel, Levy, and Wendy. Happy and Carla followed in suit. Makarov urged his grandson, Laxus, to go along with them but he refused and said he would rather stay and protect the guild. This was much to Makarov's surprise. Maybe Laxus could really be his successor one day.

"I'm all fired up!" Natsu pounds his fists together.

"Hang in there, Juvia! Gray! We're going to help too!" Lucy says, pumping one fist in the air.

The rest of them either smirk, or smile.

"The curse is from the book of Zeref!?" A flabbergasted Gray exclaims as he and Lyon travel the outskirts of Magnolia in the forest. His 'partner' started telling him all the information he knew in regards to Burning Ember, along with the curse that's placed on Juvia.

"Yes. You'd know that if you researched before coming out here!"

"Cut the bullshit and just tell me everything!" Gray responds, annoyed.

"From what I read, the guild formed about 14 years ago. That's counting your 7 year gap. They weren't very well known and they use fire magic," That part Gray had gotten from Juvia. He needed to know more. "It's led by a mage called Akuma. His name means 'devil'. Fire certainly represents the devil. There are only three real main fighters in the guild, including the master. The rest of them are weaker and don't really fight, despite knowing how to use magic."

'So that's why that guy I beat with one punch was so weak… he wasn't a main fighter… The only reason he got Juvia was because he disabled her magic...' Gray thinks to himself.

"They constantly search for ways to improve their power. Fire is weak against water, and it's said they want to not only practice on a water mage, but control them," Lyon continues, looking down. "Juvia was obviously their target. Though I can't understand why they would curse her if they want her."

"He did tell me to hand her over," Gray mentions. He filled Lyon in on what happened and how Juvia ended up being a victim. However, he had forgotten about the bastard actually attempting to take Juvia from him because he was so caught up in worrying about her. "He said if I handed her over, her life would be spared." He shuts his eyes tightly.

Lyon nods. "Maybe they can lift the curse whenever they want, so it didn't matter if they cursed her or not. Those assholes probably want to practice on Juvia, and make her a main fighter in their guild. No one would expect a guild that uses fire to have a water mage. Throughout the years, their presence grew. They aim to be the most powerful guild, wanting to destroy the top three guilds in the country. Sabertooth, Lamia Scale… and Fairy Tail."

Gray opens his eyes again. It was a typical thing; many guilds want to overpower Fairy Tail. This time though, they crossed the line. No one hurts a Fairy Tail member and gets away with it. No one hurts the one that Gray cherishes the most and lives.

No one.

"Akuma is a dangerous man. He has two minions named Fudo and Hotaru. Fudo has been with the guild since the beginning; his name meaning 'god of fire and wisdom'. Hotaru is apparently a newer member, but her name means 'firefly', so she fit in right away."

"You really know a lot…"

"Well that's all I did last night when I found out about Juvia!"

Gray sighs. He starts to think that maybe instead of spending the night with her, he should have done something more productive to help her. His brain tells him he did the wrong thing, while his heart tells him otherwise. "I stayed with her all night, Lyon. While you got the research done, I watched over her," He decides that they need to make peace. He just didn't have the energy to argue. "It's a team effort. So… thanks." He cracks a small grin.

Lyon can't help but grin back, even though he is a tad pissed off that Gray was with Juvia the entire night. They share a trademark facial expression exchange when they are determined. Still running through the forest, he continues giving Gray information. "There's not much else we need to know about the guild. The main thing is that they use fire magic. Now, the master not only uses fire magic, but he apparently admires Zeref. He got his hands on the book of Zeref somehow and memorized a bunch of spells. That's why he's different from the rest. The curse… it's called the curse of dreams."

"Curse of… dreams?"

"Right. When a victim is bitten by someone who knows the curses' spell, small dark circles appear on whatever part of their body was attacked. Listening to your description, it fits Juvia's and the rest of the innocent's cases," Both ice mages come to a halt as they reach the end of the forest. Lyon looks at Gray.

"The curse knocks them unconscious and attacks the victim in their dreams. They see themselves in a hell hole, though the scenery is different for everyone. In their dreams, they are constantly fighting enemies. If they get hurt in their dreams, their life force drains in real life. The more they are successfully attacked or hit, the more their life force fades. Their energy is sucked away from them. And if they die in their dream… they die in real life too." The last part of his sentence pained both of them, especially Gray.

"That's why many regular civilians have died. They aren't mages and can't defend themselves as well as people like us." Lyon concludes.

"Juvia…" Gray looks to the ground. Why had he failed her? Why did she have to suffer? Why?

Lyon sees the agony on Gray's face and offers some comforting words. "She's strong. She will hold out until we can save her," he told him without a doubt in his mind.

"Yeah…" he responds. Juvia was considered S-Class in Phantom Lord, and a candidate to be S-Class in Fairy Tail too. "Yeah, she is."

Perhaps Gray really did care for Juvia as much as he did, Lyon thinks to himself. Truthfully speaking, he really hoped that the display during the games was only a one time thing.

But Gray is serious.

"Oi, Gray… Before we continue… I need to ask you something. And don't lie to me. I'll know if you're lying." Lyon utters to Gray with a rigorous face.

"What?" He stares at him, a bit ticked off.

"Juvia… do you love her?"

Porlyusica sits at Juvia's bedside. She had just fiddled with the machine. So far, it's maintained Juvia's energy as much as possible, but her life force started to decrease only slightly once again.

"Damn this thing…" the old woman mumbles to herself. She's someone who always hated humans, but seeing the misery on that black haired boy's face made her give in. Besides that, she does hold a soft spot for Fairy Tail.

She suddenly gasps as she witnesses Juvia flinch. Porlyusica wasn't sure if her old eyes fooled her or not, so she watches even closer. After about fifteen minutes, she is about to get up, when Juvia's arm catches her eye.

"Her fingers… they moved…" She didn't know how or why. But the purple haired woman is sure of what she saw now for the second time.

Something is happening to Juvia in her unconscious state.

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A/N: Even though this is a Gruvia fic, I still want to include Gray and/or Juvia's other bonds. For example, Erza and Gray. To me, Grayza is a crack/fanon pairing. However… they have chemistry that if Gruvia and Jerza didn't exist, I'd probably ship them together. ((dodges tomatoes thrown at her)) And ironically, Gruvia and Jerza are my OTPs for Fairy Tail. xD I also really like Gajeel and Juvia friendship.

Oh hohoho a big question! What will Gray's answer be? Laid back, cool-headed Gray being confronted about love! And what about Juvia? Is the flinch good, or bad?! Haha.

Lyon did his homework. I wanted you guys to learn more about the dark guild in this story, after all. (Btw, some of you guessed correctly at the figure blocking Gray last chapter which was Lyon. I was surprised! I need to try harder. But congrats and good guesses there. lol)

Anyway, sorry that took longer than before. I'll try to update faster next time. Feedback? :u