My latest A/N note (30-01-2013): A/N: Hello my lovely readers! How are you? I had a long time since I would upload my stories and I am sorry for being absent for so long but my university program sucks and I had a really tough studying schedule to prepare myself for my exam period. I had an idea of a small sequel in my mind since I started writing the first chapter of the original story. From the beginning I knew that I would want a sequel too. And when I saw some requests for sequel I was more glad to do it. I am sorry I didn't manage to post this on Christmas, but now -in between my exam period (it's carzy, I know xD)- I found a few moments and I will post the sequel of The Fairy Tail Bonds! yayyy! So I thought I would inform you from here so that you knew about the sequel first hand. I hope you'll enjoy reading it and have fun. Look forward to it! It will be posted on 31-1-2013 ^^ See you all in my sequel's A/N note!
A/N: Konban wa minna! How are you everyone? I am sorry I got so long to update but I had a serious writer's block and I didn't have the proper inspiration to write the last chapter for this first arc! Yeah, you read right: this is the last chapter of my story's first arc. So, I let you enjoy the chapter and see ya in the author's note at the bottom of the page. Disclaimer: You already know, so what's the point of repeating myself?
Oh, before I let you read the chapter, I want to thank: Rainbowcastle, Armageddon Angel, erza-chan scarlet. , superduperizee, Guest and OmniKnight for reviewing. Thanks a lot guys. When I was desperate for not being able to write, I read your reviews and convinced myself to continue. And I also wanna thank all those silent readers that continue to read my story. It totally makes my day when I see the hits about my story. :) Enjoy the chapter :D
Juvia's P.O.V.
I walked determinedly towards the light and I didn't turn even once to watch my mother's form during my way to the door. I was sure I was doing the right thing, my heart was beating steadily as I approached the gate that would lead me back to my family and Gray. Only when I reached the door, I heard her say something about Gray and I turned to see her. But it was too late. The light had started to engulf me and before I knew it my mother's form faded away from my vision and I let the heat hug completely my figure. I was on my way back and I felt relieved I would eventually return home.
No one's P.O.V.
Gray was sleeping onto the uncomfortable chair as he did for the last month that Juvia was in a coma. He never let go of her side, even though Mirajane and Cana tried many times to convince him to, because he didn't want to lose the time when she woke up. He wanted to be the first thing she would face when she opened her eyes. And he definitely was going to express his feelings as soon as she got up from that bed.
He shifted onto the hard wood and was trying to drift back to sleep when he heard a noise coming from Juvia's bed. He immediately opened his eyes and reached with his gaze Juvia's form. He scrutinized every little detail; from her long blue curled hair that covered gracefully her shoulders and carefully placed her head to her porcelain pale skin that seemed so fragile, smooth and gentle. He was about to stare away when he noticed a slight movement coming from Juvia's hand. He walked slowly towards her and tried not to blink because he was afraid that he might have dreamt everything. He kneeled near Juvia's bed and he waited patiently for another movement.
After approximately two minutes, his wish came true and two pairs of lush, thick, long, blue eye lashes started to move slightly. He pinched his arm so as to reassure himself that he wasn't dreaming and the pain was certainly real. Juvia was starting to wake. He felt so excited and so afraid at the same time. What if the things Aquamarina said were true? What if she had actually forgotten all about him? Before he could process the idea more, two blue eyes opened and scanned the whole room. He froze to his place and he didn't move an inch as Juvia witnessed his form. Her mouth opened for a little bit then closed immediately. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth again.
"Gray-sama?" Juvia whispered and Gray took her into his arms immediately. He hugged her with all his strength like his life was depending on it. He was sure that he wasn't going to let her go another time. He was going to protect her with his own life from now on. She was going to become his life.
"I thought that I would lose you completely." He said ruffling her hair.
"Juvia would never abandon you Gray-sama." Gray felt this phrase enrage him like nothing before. He felt the rage boil into him, his ribs trying to crash his heart, his breath become quicker and his lungs burn.
"That's not true." He said and got himself away from Juvia.
"What is it Gray-sama?" Juvia was confused about his sudden coldness.
"You tried to abandon me Juvia!" Gray started to yell and caught Juvia out of guard. "You fell in front of me and took Jose's blow that was meant for ME! You got stabbed because of me!"
"No Gray-sama, I just-" Juvia tried to say but Gray didn't let her.
"Don't even dare to try and justify yourself. You died Juvia! You died into my own hands!"
"I know how you must felt Gray-sama but…"
"But what? You'll tell me that you did it for me? That you did it to save me? You sacrificed your life because you thought that I would continue peacefully with my own?" Gray snapped and Juvia started to feel a little taken aback by his reactions.
"Yes Gray-sa…"
"Don't Gray-sama me! How would I be able to continue my life without you Juvia, huh? What if your mother wasn't there to revive you?"
"Then Juvia would be happy to sacrifice her life for you."
"Did you ever think what I would become of if you died? How was I supposed to continue living without you?" he was always dense about his feelings that he couldn't control himself from saying that was going on his mind at the moment. Now that he knew what he felt, he wasn't going to keep it for himself anymore.
"I am sure that Gray-sama would be fine. After all, he has his family to support him, he wouldn't need Juvia…"
"What the FUCK are you saying? I need you Juvia! I need your aerie presence to haunt me, I need your face to invade my dreams and thoughts, I need your smile to make my day, I need your laugh to keep me going, I need your stalking to make me feel important, I need YOU to make me feel alive!" Gray had finally said out loud the feelings and thoughts that tormented him for so long.
"What are you implying Gray-sama?" Juvia was on the verge of tears and she knew that she wouldn't last for long.
"I mean that I need you Juvia! I mean I-I" Gray blushed and took a deep breath to calm himself. "What I am trying to say is that… I love you Juvia." He finally admitted and felt like a huge weight had been removed from his back.
At first, Juvia thought that she didn't hear well. She thought that maybe everything was a creation by her own imagination, a personal pandemonium that would tear her heart apart when she woke up. But then she realized that she was already awake. She had felt Gray's arm around her waist, his hot breath onto her skin, his hands caressing her body. Everything was real and so was his confession.
"I love you too, Gray!" Juvia confessed back and she finally let herself burst into tears. Her hot and salty tears rolled on her cheeks like fierce torrents of water as Gray pulled her into another heart-warming and secure embrace. Gray's confession was all she needed to hear to make her heart fill with happiness, excitement and love. She waited for so long to hear these words coming out of his mouth and now that she actually heard them she felt that everything she put herself into was worth it. All that stalking, all that agony of being rejected, all those nights of feeling lonely and loveless, all this heart-racing glances that came up to nothing now seemed like child's play to her. The price she had to pay was so low compared to the happiness she received at the moment.
"I got scared because I thought I lost you baka." Gray said through gritted teeth as he hardened his grip around Juvia. Juvia felt his hands onto her pale skin and knew that she would have bruises first thing in the morning but she couldn't care less. She preferred over-sensing him than not sensing him at all. She felt like she wanted to say something but instead she chose closing her mouth and let the silence engulf them. It seemed like the most appropriate thing to do, since their feelings filled the already tiny room. They knew what they needed to know and that was what really mattered.
"Promise me that you will never leave my side again." Gray whispered and before Juvia could answer, a blue light appeared out of nowhere blinding the young couple. Gray and Juvia covered their eyes from the light and when the glow subsided, Juvia managed to recognize her father into a water bubble. Juvia got shocked by seeing her dead father's face into the bubble and couldn't utter a single word while Gray got between her and the bubble so as to shield her.
"Father? Is that you?" Juvia asked hesitantly and Gray looked between her and the bubble with a confused look into her gaze.
"Hello my dearest daughter." Thunderbolt's grandiose voice echoed through the room and Juvia grinned but Gray kept his position between the two of them. "And you must be Gray." Thunderbolt acknowledged his presence and Gray got stiff. "Aquamarina told me a lot about you. You seem a promising guy with a bright future ahead of you. And it seems that you love my daughter as well. I can see it in your eyes and in your heart, as well as I can read it in your thoughts."
"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Gray asked the inevitable question and Juvia felt like being punched in the guts. Her father was actually dead. So how he could be in the room and talk to her?
"You are right young man. I am pretty much dead but I continue existing as a spirit in the spirit world now, with all the deceased dragons. One friend of mine, a stellar spirit mage, helped me pass to the world of the living for a while so as I could talk with my daughter."
"Juvia is happy to see you, father, even if it's for a little while." She felt like crying again but she kept her tears from flooding out of her eyes.
"I am happy to see you too, Juvia. I am glad you have found a good family and a nice young man to love and protect you."
"That's for sure." Gray nodded affirmatively and Juvia smiled widely again. "I am not going to let her from my side again. I will always be with her to protect her, to cherish her, to love her."
"You remind me of my young age, Gray. I was also very dense when it came to my emotions but Aquamarina showed me what love felt like. But after realizing my feelings for her, I never ever let her go. Only death separated us, but again she will join me in the future so I will patiently wait till I see her again."
"That's the plan sir. I will never let her go." Gray said and took Juvia's delicate hand into his own.
"I am happy that Aquamarina's plan didn't work, because if it did a beautiful love like this would be destroyed."
"What do you mean?" Gray asked but Juvia knew too well what he was talking about.
"Aquamarina wanted to convince Juvia to go with her, while she was asleep."
"Is that true?" Gray asked Juvia looking at her fiercely.
But before Juvia could answer, Gray softened his gaze and looked back to Thunderbolt.
"It doesn't matter. The thing that matters is that Juvia is here with me. Juvia chose me."
"Juvia will always choose you. You are my one and only." Juvia squeezed his hand and Thunderbolt's smile got wider.
"I am proud of you, my child. And I am glad to see that you found happiness. So, I think it's unnecessary to threaten him and start describing what will happen to him if he hurts you, right?" Thunderbolt asked at first with a serious tone and Gray and Juvia got frozen from their shock, but then her father burst into laughter.
"I am kidding, I am kidding. I am sure that everything is gonna be alright. So…" but before Thunderbolt could finish his sentence, Gray started speaking.
"Sir, I would like to ask you something." Gray told instantly and Juvia looked at him with curiosity. He hadn't crossed his mind before that he would be so courageous about his feelings and do such a bold move, but Gray was a man of opportunities. So, he saw an opportunity and he grabbed it by the hair before it could go away. He wanted to obtain the blessing of Juvia's parents and since Juvia's mother seemed hesitant (and tried to snatch his girlfriend away), he thought that her father would be just perfect for the job. What if his move was too sudden? What if everything happened too quickly? He actually didn't care because he was sure that Juvia was the woman he wanted to spend his life with. Because of his density and his lack of expressing his feelings he had almost lost Juvia too many times. And he wasn't willing to let her go away.
"Yes Gray, what is it?" Thunderbolt asked and Gray took a deep breath to get some courage as well. That's it Gray, you can do it!, he thought and spoke.
"I would like to ask your permission to marry Juvia." Gray admitted and Juvia was ready to faint.
"Whaaaaat?" Juvia barely kept herself from starting screaming as a crazy fangirl. "It's a dream. Everything is a dream."
"No, it's not a dream Juvia." Gray said and took the risk and gave a peck on Juvia's lips.
"It's not a dream." Juvia accepted the truth and felt her knees tremble.
"I don't say that we are gonna get married immediately. I want to enjoy you as my girlfriend firstly. I want us to take small steps at a time. But since your father will be with us only today, I…"
"You don't need to explain Gray. I completely understand your way of thinking and I totally agree. You have my blessing to marry my girl. And don't rush yourselves. You have a whole life ahead of you. Make the right moves when you are ready."
"Thank you father. For everything." Juvia let a tear slip through her eye.
"I love you Juvia. I wish you happiness. And if you need help some time in the future, reach with your gaze the stars and I will guide you through the darkness."
"I love you too, father." Juvia said and her father's image started to fade away.
"And you protect her with your own life if needed, Gray. She deserves to be happy."
"I am gonna do exactly that sir. Be sure of that."
"I am." Thunderbolt said and his image faded completely away.
When Juvia was sure that her father had completely disappeared, she turned to Gray and burned her face into his chest.
"Did Gray-sama mean everything he said to Juvia's father?" Gray put his hand under Juvia's chin and lifted her head to face her.
"I meant everything I said Juvia. I know that you cannot trust me that easily but…"
"It's not that Gray-sama…"
"Let me finish Juvia. I had always been dense about my feelings for you. You have gone through a lot and certainly you don't need more suffering. So I am going to show you my feelings a lot more from now on. I will make certain you are happy. You are my life Juvia. You are my one and only." And with that Juvia crashed her lips onto Gray's. Their kiss was intense and passionate, like there was no tomorrow. Their lips clicked as two pieces of the same puzzle and Juvia knew that everything was right. Everything came out as it was supposed to be and Juvia felt for the first time the ultimate happiness.
While the young couple was kissing passionately only thinking about each other, Cana and Mirajane burst through the door and got shocked by the spectacle. Gray and Juvia broke the kiss but continued keeping their hands entwirled.
"What the fuck?" Cana exclaimed while Mirajane run and hugged Juvia who had turned ten shades of red.
"Finally you two got together!" Mirajane grinned widely. "I am happy you came back Juvia." Cana finally recovered from the shock and approached the awkward trio.
"Welcome back Juvia."
"I am glad I am back." Juvia said in first-person speech and everyone got surprised.
"So you are officially together now?" Cana winked at Gray and Juvia felt her heart beating incredibly fast.
"Yeah Cana. Juvia is my girlfriend." Gray admitted and turned to Juvia, but to his surprise she didn't faint. She dealt with the whole situation calmly enough and he was very proud and happy about that.
"Finally you got over your density baka." Cana hit the back of Gray's head and he just ruffled his hair mechanically.
"Oh shut up Cana." Gray breathed and Cana giggled.
"I am so happy about you two." Even though Mirajane said she was happy, she frowned. "Why did you frown, Mirajane?"
"Now that the official match-making program Gruvia is over, with what am I gonna keep myself busy?"
"We were a match-making program?" Gray's eyes were ready to pop out from their sockets because of the revelation.
"What did you expect? You were too dense to understand anything. Seriously Gray, sometimes it crossed my mind to use my Satan Soul to make you take Juvia on a date."
"I am glad you didn't." Gray trembled at the thought. "And now it won't be needed. I am gonna do that by myself."
"Finally!" Cana and Mirajane said at the same time.
"Now we are gonna leave and let you two alone to enjoy your time together. When you finish, ehm, with your business, come by the guild to celebrate Juvia's recovery ok?"
"Cana!" Juvia's cheeks turned into shades of red that possibly didn't exist since then.
"My innocent Juvia, you'll finally see the light." Cana teased her.
"Cana, get out before I lose my patience!" Gray sounded very threatening and Cana took that as her cue to leave completely Juvia's room.
After the two girls left, Gray sat on the bed and motioned Juvia to follow him. She sat next to him and waited patiently till he talked.
"Now that we are all alone, I would like to give you something." He said and circled his neck with his hands. Juvia was watching carefully his hands as he unbuckled the necklace with the silver cross around his neck. He took it into his hand and tried to put it onto Juvia's neck but she motioned negatively and nodded.
"No Gray-sama. Juvia cannot accept this gift. This necklace is very important to you." But Gray insisted and finally put it around Juvia's neck.
"Yes, it is but you are more important for me Juvia. So I want you to have it. The most important person for me in the world will wear my most precious thing. Of course you can wear it if you want to. If you don't want then…"
"No, no, no Gray-sama! Juvia wants it very much! She will wear it all the time." Gray finally buckled the necklace and planted a kiss onto Juvia's neck.
"It suits you."
"Thank you Gray-sama, but even if it didn't, Juvia would wear it just because it's yours." Gray blushed because he wasn't used to this kind of situation. Yet.
"Let's go to the guild and celebrate your comeback."
"Let's do that." And they left Juvia's room together.
The minute the newly created couple entered the guild everyone started whistling and clapping. "Welcome back Juvia!" everyone yelled in unison and then called out a synchronized "Congratulations!" for the lovebirds.
"Finally Gray, you made a move." Macao and Wakaba teased him while Levy hurried and hugged Juvia.
"Juvia I am so happy you woke up!" the petite mage hugged the water mage with unprecedented strength.
"Juvia is happy to see you too, Levy-chan."
Before anything else could be said, the guild door burst open and one of Fairy tail's elite teams walked into the huge room.
"Hello everyone!" Natsu yelled enthusiastically with Happy sitting casually onto Natsu's arm. Behind him Erza held a strawberry cake into her arms and Lucy smiled even though she looked very tired.
"You won't believe what happened into our S-class mission…"Natsu started saying but then he stood still when he caught a glimpse of Gray and Juvia. Lucy's smile froze onto her face and Erza dropped her strawberry cake when she saw Gray and Juvia holding hands. Natsu approached sneakily Gray and whispered into his ear.
"Psss, Gray?"
"What?" Gray asked not moving away from Juvia even an inch.
"Do you know that you hold Juvia's hand?"
"Of course I know you idiot!"
"And she wears your necklace too."
"Yes, I am aware of that too."
"What the hell happened while we were gone?" Natsu started pulling his pink hair while Happy cheered "He liiiiiiikkkes her!"
"What happened while we were on a mission, Gray?" Erza asked smiling.
"It's a long story Erza but the bottom line is that now Juvia is my girlfriend." Gray admitted and Erza with Lucy congratulated the couple.
"Congratulations Juvia. I hope now you'll stop thinking of me as your love rival right?" Lucy asked grinning.
"Yes, Lucy-chan. Juvia finally understood that Lucy wasn't a rival to begin with."
"I am happy that now you see it that way." Lucy said and hugged the bluenette.
"I guess that Mirajane used her Satan Soul to convince you to take her on a date huh?" Erza smirked while Lucy shivered at the thought.
"No, it's a little more complicated than that, Erza-chan." Juvia said and she started to describe what happened during the past two and a half months with a little bit of help by Gray. When the description completed, Natsu started yelling with all his might.
"All hell broke loose! And we missed all the fun Happy!"
"Aye sir!" And all the guild members burst into laughter. Juvia looked into the crowd of friends and then at her loved one. At that moment, when all shared a moment of tranquility and fun, she realized that her happiness would last forever. Not because she was certain that she would live always with Gray. She certainly hoped for that but she wasn't sure. The only thing she was sure of was that Fairy Tail, her beloved family would, always be there to support her and that was all she needed to avoid the darkness, once and for all. In any case, the Fairy Tail Bonds are very strong to be broken.
A/N: How did you find it? Love it? Hate it? Find it indifferent? write a review and let me know :) So, this is the end of the first arc of the story but it's not completely the end. I will write a second arc about this story that will show us Gray's and Juvia's adventures after they get married and I will upload it to this one, but I will define where the sequel begins. I still have surprises for you in store and I will definitely write them down. But I will take a break now, for two months or so, so I can prepare the next arc and fill my batteries with energy and my mind with ideas and inspiration. So when you receive an update by my story it means that the sequel is up. That's why I am not going to put a Complete tag to my story :D I wish you have nice holidays and enjoy the rest of the summer :D
P.S.: This chapter is dedicated to my dearest pen-pal that turned out to be a good friend, MissForgetfulMe. Thank you a lot for your support and for your company, you are the best! Certainly you are my best friend in fanfiction-world and a good friend in reality. Pen-pals FTW!