Drabbles Ala' Gruvia

Watery Grave

*Inspired by Angst Feels regarding the Alvarez Arc

He could picture her wrapped around him, her eyes full of tears but a smile on her face. That image would be bored into the deepest corners of his soul, imprinted onto the marrow of his bones, fresh and bleeding as a open wound in his chest. The heat of ENDs flames was far away within the coolness of her water and Gray had never hated her intangibility so much.

He couldn't stop her. He couldn't pull her out of the way,couldn't force her away. All he could was freeze her and encase them in a permanent crystalline statute, suspended between the living and the dead- but it would defeat the was doing this for him.

"Gray-sama," her voice had gurgled against her tears, erupted in the cocoon of her water body, "Juvia will seal away this darkness."

How many times had he heard those same words, been protected by the selfish desire of others to keep him breathing? He had sworn it wouldn't happen again, that he would protect her. She was supposed to let him focus. She was supposed to wait for his answer.

"Juvia, no."

"Juvia knows Gray-sama is strong." she had continued, agaisnt the softness of his own protests. He was wrapped in the security of her as the flames ate her away, dissolving her piece by piece.

He had seen how steam could harm her, the amount of pain it placed on the parts of her that had merged into magical particles that turned her to water. It was the power that made her impossible to harm with physical attacks. It was the power she used to invade a demons body and reform to decimate him. It was the power she had used to protect him from Simon.

How much strain did it take for her to hold her water body as she evaporated in the heat?

"Juvia stop. No." his voice was choked. Gray reached for the image of her face, cursing himself for not knowing better. For thinking she wouldn't follow.

For making the same mistake again.

"You have to win." she continued, ignoring his attempts to materialize her, to hold her, to draw her away. She ignored his tears. She ignored his protests. "Juvia knows Gray-sama is the only one. She is so happy she got to learn about family and friends, about love, before she disappeared."

He became desperate, pulling, tearing. "You're not dying!"

Gray turned toward the wall of her water lock, trying in vain to press against the current she created to root him in place. Juvia had not intention of letting him out. She had no intention of stopping now.

He would have to stand here and watch as she turned into nothing, wrapped in the security of her waters and love. He had to watch the pain in her face, hear the sorrowful words that drew every negative emotion within him. The Momento Mori curse was clawing under his skin to take over, and Gray thought he would gladly become the same nothingness she was fading into.

"Be strong Gray-sama. Juvia is sorry, but she told you... Juvia can protect you, Juvia will protect you."

"Not like this!"

He felt childish, arguing over something he had no control over. Would he let her die with venom in his voice? Could he do this?

Could he?

"Juvia loves Gray-sama. She is sorry we can't return to our home."

The space in her water was dwindling, shrinking as the power of END's flames drew hotter, harder, larger, violently encasing them both through the roar. Juvia's eyes strained to keep her water as contained as possible, willing herself to withstand the heat until the fire had died. Until she could release the water that did not make up her body and with it her spirit.

Until she could become one with the ocean, like Ur.

Gray grit his teeth and looked her straight in the eye. "I love you. You better find a way back to me, Juvia."

She blinked.

"I'm not losing you. I have too much to say and too much I want to do."

"Gray-sama.."

"We're going go back to that house. We'll finish fixing it up. I'll expand your garden."

He could see her resolve shaking, the way she bit her lip and looked away.

"We'll get married, have a few kids. I'll start up a school and get some disciples. You'll cook good food and drive them all mad and at the end of the night we'll sit down-"

"- and eat a meal together." she finished.

"You're going to grow old with me, and help me keep Lyon in place. Help me deal with Natsu when I get him out of this mess."

"Gray-sama-" her voice was thick with tears as the water around him tightened.

He knew he was crying. He didn't care. "So find your way back to me Juvia. I' not making this promise to anyone else. That's my answer."

The flames pulled away and for a short moment, Gray thought he had given her the power to fight. The night sky surrounded them and her water pulled him close, hugging him with a mixture of warmth and cool. He could feel her, knew she was still there.

"I'm sorry, Gray-sama."

He hadn't realized he'd closed his eyes until the water was gone, no dampness on his skin only air and salt and anger. His power was gone, because she was gone. She was wrong. He wasn't strong.

He was weak. Ice mages couldn't protect what mattered. They always failed.

Gray didn't want to fight anymore, but it was why she'd saved him. She believed in him.

Stop END.

Save Natsu.

Find her again.

Every part of Gray's body demanded to be released to the darkness brewing within him, but he held off only by her words. He would do what she asked. He'd stop END. He'd save Natsu.

Then he'd stop fighting. He'd return to nothingness with her.