((A/N: New 2k chaaaaapter!))

Strangely, Happy and Lucy were the only ones in the room.

"Lushee? Where's Natsu?" asked Happy, his eyes opening after a short nap, that when it had began the pinkette was with them.

Lucy shook his head, "He should be coming back soon. He said he was going to bring something from your home, but he hasn't returned yet"

Truly, she didn't understand the tight feeling in her chest. He did say that. And he was probably doing it. But why was he taking so long? Their houses weren't so far from each other. He should have been back her ten minutes ago. She bit the insides of her lip until she felt the metalic taste of blood. "Ow.." now tea was not a drinking choice.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, her fingers snapping . The blonde stood up as she walked to her desk, two steps away from her bed.

"What are you doing?" asked Happy as he watched her grab a pen and a paper, and wrote what was on her mind.

Lucy nodded, "Got some inspiration"

"Lushee? Can I ask you a question?"

The celestial spirit mage nodded as she said, "You can ask me two"

"Why don't you ever let us read your novel?"

She stared at Happy. Hadn't she answered that question many times already? Or was it just in her head?

"Well... I guess it's because it's not f-"

"That can't be the real reason" strange of Happy not letting her finish her phrase.

"Uhm, I don't know. It's just it's embarrassing. Thinking what other might opine makes that embarrasment fear, and I guess I don't want what I have been working on to be something to laugh about, or be ignored, or... I don't know" With her sight back to the pen in her hand, she answered honestly. It was always one of her worries. But she knew she had to get out there. Someday. "So I gue-"

"I'm back!" announced Natsu, coming through the window, scaring the hell out of Lucy, even though you would have thought she was used to it, she wasn't.

"God" she muttered, a hand laying on her heart. "Wait a second, Natsu, I got som-" Oh, no.

Oh, hell no.

The idea.

It's gone.

The idea she had and the one that was so great, she couldn't remember it! Her anger rised as she turned to look at Happy. She glared and with a lot feeling. She threw daggers with her eyes at him and Happy ran behind Natsu. He and his stupid question made her forget!

"Oh, Happy..." she said with threatening eyes, standing up. "Can I ask you a question?"

Happy looked scared out of his mind, and Natsu confused by the situation. What had just happened?

"Do you prefer..." she walked towards both of them. They walked back "...being roasted or fried?!" as she ran towards them.

"NATSU SAVE ME FROM EVIL LUIGI!" he shouted, holding to Natsu, who tried to dodge the sudden house items thrown at them while trying to understand what had HE done to be thrown things at.

...

"I'll go for her" announced Gray, who looked worried, on his own way, about the young girl. He ran after her, and shouted, "Hey! You! Come back!"

"Enter back to the house, please, my lord! The lake's waters are rising and might catch you" shouted Ulrich. But the storm was loud and his words were drown. The stream that surrounded the cabin started to drag stones and logs. Some dirty blurs covered the moon, and the lake bellowed with a din of waves and foam.

Gray kept running, crouched underneath the storm. A stronger wave than the previous ones swept him and dragged away deeper into the lake's dark waters, and, if he was able to save himself was only thanks to an overgrown root. He held tightly to it, and climbed to the shore.

Little by little, the elements were placating, and when the clouds dissipated, an white spectrum appeared in front of him, similar to the terrifying spirits the knight had seen in the woods.

Farther away, wrapped in the purest of lights, he saw another white silhouette, the one of the beautiful maiden that laid in the roots of a tree. Gray ran towards her, and, a bit relunctancly, picked her in his arms.

She smiled brightly, "So, you'll tell me your story?"

Gray sighed as he looked up, not sure if he should be thanking god or be angry. "Sure. I'll tell you my story. Just don't run away again"

As her leg was hurt, he held her as they went back to the cabin, she looked at him tenderly while he looked somewhere else, everywhere except her and the waves that moved to a side as they walked.

In the cabin, just as he promised, he resumed to his story.

"In a neighbour kingdom, a very powerful duke, an old friend of mine, organized a magnificent tournament, I went decided not to used neither horse nor lance. Her adoptive sister, Ultear, that was very complimented for her beauty, I nearly didn't pay her attention. To my opinion, she was too proud." Gray shrugged. "So, the lady gave me a challenge, just a matter of earning requital"

"What challenge?" Juvia asked.

"She promised her glove if I went to look for her a gift of the cursed woods"

"But... Why her glove?"

Eugenia explained to her daughter, "When a lady offers her glove, it means she autorizes the man that receives it to flirt with her"

"A gentleman," continued to explain the curious Juvia, "has to accept the challenge of a person his range." he muttered something about some Flame brain always being annoying with that "In it goes his honor. In that way, I set off to search for a present that might work as proof of my bravery. Although I don't actually think I do have to prove it..." he shrugged.

"Juvia would have never sent you to a cursed forest!" exclaimed Juvia

Gray smiled.

"I almost lost my head, you know, with all those evil spectrums and strange shadows... So-"

"Don't keep going, Gray-sama!" suddenly begged Juvia, "Juvia wouldn't want to be the cause of Gray-sama's wretchedness. Juvia's parents were right. It's not nice to listen to horror stories so late at night. If Gray-sama wants to, he'll tell me about other things tomorrow"

Juvia's sudden prudency left everyone a bit surprised, but, as they were all so tired, they went to sleep before the impulsive maiden changed her mind again.

...

The gentleman delayed his departure more than once, never giving an actual good excuse about it.

Both Gray and Juvia were day by day closer, somehow. Even if he kind of ignored her as she stared through the column of the house (the only one that there was), unlike the vivid personality she had the day they met, everytime he called her, for whatever reason, their bond grew stronger.

Ulrich and Eugenia, charmed by the gentleman's bravery, the unexpected suitor (although he himself didn't seem to have noticed this) was able to deal with their daughter's strange mood changes, and at the same time fix the old cabin where they lived, renovate their humble furniture and even build a little boat...

They couldn't picture a better groom.

Because of that, (a long, long time had to pass, but it happened anyway) when he asked their daughter's hand they accepted without a doubt. Although the proposal didn't caught anyone of guard (except Juvia, who was extremelly glad), everyone was happy and almost couldn't believe the metamophorsis Juvia had suffered. Now she only exhibited graceful modals all the time and behaved with modesty and moderation. Well, most of the time.

They didn't take long to exchange vows, with Juvia and Eugenia being so excited about it, it couldn't be delayed like the gentleman's departure, that was almost forgotten by now.

The ceremony was short and emotional, mostly for Juvia and Ulrich. They sealed their engagement with a kiss. Juvia, unexpectedly, bit Gray's lips, so their blood would be mized forever, and honestly, Gray was kind of used to her thinking by now, so her just went with it after a second of surprise.

For the whole day, Eugenia had been preparing the nuptial bedroom, covering the whole floor with roses' petals and candles. But when Gray crossed the door and lifted his bride's -, he was shocked to see tears falling through her cheeks.

"Juvia has something to confess. She doesn't kn-know if after hearing this Gray-sama will still love Juvia" she whispered.

"Juvia. Don't dou-"

"That Gray-sama loves her? Then, he should know she's a spirit of the water. One of those monsters of the stories that scare children so much. I was born without concience and without the ability to regret. Since I can remember, I wanted to have a soul, and, as an ancient legend says, if a water's creature was able to love a man, in exchange it'll have a human soul. Doesn't Gray-sama understand? It was Juvia's people that put Gray-sama in her path, and it was Juvia's sisters that left her in the home of the couple. They provocked the water's fury to get Gray-sama to her, and delayed his departure. But the soul Juvia wanted so much has now become a heavy burden for her. Juvia will die if Gray-sama leaves her"

Gray, astonished, had listened to Juvia in silence. He read in her deep sea blue eyes such honesty that his uneasiness disappeared. He dried her tears with a caress.

"Hey..." he gave her a half-smile, "I.." The first time he confessed was also a bit like this. Slow. And he seemed to hope Juvia to complete the phrase for him. "I'll love you just the way you are, okay? You don't have to worry about something like that" he muttered.

Relieved, the beautiful maiden fell asleep. In Gray's mind trembled the pictures of horrible spectrums, that transformed themselves into sirens, dragons... Then, he stared some time at the blue haired woman in front of him, that looked as gorgeus as ever in the moonlight, and kissed her forehead with tenderness.

...

On the following days, the sweet Juvia kept charming everyone with her carings. She helped her old father to stand up, opened the well before he even got thristy, sewed buttons for her poor mother, well, everyone was proud of her, Gray more than anyone.

The river was calming, what was for Juvia a matter of concern, as she was afraid her husband would leave.

He calmed her, "I won't leave without you, Juvia. Know that"

But the young maiden was fearing the opinion the others would have would make him break his promise.

He held her by the shoulders, not wanting her to look away as he told her this for the last time. "You are my wife, okay?" he said, "If anyone, especially that Flame brain, dared to disrespect you, they would suffer the consequences"

Juvia nodded. "Then, let's leave, Gray-sama"

"But, why leave the place where we are so happy, Juvia?"

"It's necessary" replied Juvia, "the more my parents love the woman I have become, the more it'll hurt them when I leave"

After the answer she gave him, he couldn't help but give up to her arguments.

The next day, when the sun began to caress the surface of the water, the two lovers said goodbye to the old couple, and began the journey to a new life.

"Water" said Lucy with a dry throat.

"Aye sir!" shouted Happy. Natsu chuckled as he watched the Exceed fly once again to the kitchen. "Natsu! Don't laugh!" cried Happy.

((A/N: Hey there! That was the longest chapter this far. Hopefully the rest of them are as long. Don't know. Had inspiration. Okay guys, Review please! What do you think of the stories? Which one is the one you like the most?

TeaLover84: Thanks a lot! Actually that myth was the trigger of all this. I mean, it's actually a short story my mother used to tell me when I was a child and I always loved it, and I thought, Why not make it a fanfiction? And then magically all this happened.

Guest: Will do! I'm glad you enjoy!))