ITS OFFICAL GUYS! NEWTON PITTMAN SHIPS GRUVIA! (If this is old news to you people then why did you not tell me before?!) I follow him on twitter and discovered he follows me back. Now being the hyperactive fangirl I am I couldn't help but ask and I recently got the response of Yes! (His words not mine) and I am WAAAAAAY to excited about this but who cares because excitement means I write faster and when I write faster chapters get uploaded fast so MUAHAHAHAHH
Also feel free to follow me on twitter MrBubbletheFish. Reviewing is still appreciated! Thanks to those who reviewed last chapter!
Now. For those of you freaking out. Calm the f down. Also, apitatoor I discovered it was my email account censoring your words hahah I'm silly. Now. On with the fic!
"No. It's not. So now going to make you see RED!" Gray shouted making his move, not at Lyon, but at Juvia.
Acting on instinct her hands flew up to protect herself, crossing over her face. Gray's attack was cut off just as his fist made contact with her, Lyon's foot connected with his chest, putting himself between Gray and Juvia.
"You leave her out of this!" Lyon growled, "You beat me then you can deal with her!" It probably wasn't the smartest of bets, but it would hopefully at least turn Gray's attention to him instead of on Juvia.
Gray laughed at Lyon, "Very well. I'll knock your teeth in, but not so much that you can't watch while I slaughter your precious Rain Woman."
"What the hell did they do to you?" Lyon questioned as their fight began. By an unspoken agreement, neither one of them was using any magic, it was all hand-to-hand combat and with each punch Lyon grew more and more suspicious about the Gray he was fighting. If in face Gray had turned, why would he hold back? Lyon knew about his Demon Slayer magic, all he had to do was use that to take him out if that's what he truly wanted to do.
"They did nothing to me brother." Gray hissed, their faces inches apart before Gray shoved him away, "The question is, what the White Kingdom has done to me?"
"You're not making any sense!" Lyon ducked as Gray swung for his face and quickly spun, knocking Gray's legs out from under him.
This went on for a while, and Juvia just stood there, waiting. It was as if neither of them wanted to win. They landed blows on each other, but they weren't going at their full strength, even Juvia could tell.
When finally, Gray had been distracted enough by a face full of dirt, Lyon gave her a signal and Juvia made a run for it.
Even with his face in the dirt, Gray saw this and flung his hand out, pointing it at Juvia, "You're not going anywhere Rain Woman!" Lyon noticed something then.
"Single handed spell casting is incomplete and unbalanced." Those were Gray's exact words to him, as well as their teacher's words. Why would Gray suddenly be going against those words?
Juvia was struck with his magic and Lyon watched in horror as her legs gave out and she collapsed forward onto the ground. No visible wounds or look of pain were apparent. It was just as if she had decided to fall asleep.
Gray stood up with a sickening, inhumane grin across his face, "Woops." It was that moment Lyon put the pieces together.
"You…"
…
When Juvia finally came to, she was in her warm bed, fresh clothes on and her raw wrists had been bandaged up. She glanced around the room. She was alone. There was an empty chair beside her bed and she had been covered in so many thick blankets it was a surprise she hadn't suffocated.
On the empty chair beside her a carefully folded note with her name on it was waiting.
Juvia, dinner is being served if you are feeling up for it. Lyon.
She couldn't help but smile at the note. He must have been the one occupying the chair while she was passed out. Her smile faltered when she remembered how she ended up passed out, and why she was covered in so many blankets. "Gray…" She hissed under her breath. The jackass had betrayed them. No… He couldn't have. Maybe it was all a façade? But he tried to kill her. She was such an idiot, she had almost let herself fall for that back stabbing jerk!
Juvia cried out, not sure whether it was in agony or frustration, but it sure felt good to let out.
Taking a few deep breaths, Juvia began to calm down again. Rereading the note Lyon left her she decided it would probably be best if she ate something.
Not taking a moment more to think about Gray, Juvia rushed to the dining hall. What she found wasn't exactly what she expected. It was more like a party than dinner. Chairs and tables were upturned, food was all over the place and everyone was drinking and singing with gusto.
The sight of everyone made her smile. Just that morning they had all been fighting for their life and now here they were partying like it was their last night alive. Even those who should really be in the infirmary had escaped to join in the merriment.
Off away from the rowdiest part of the party, Juvia found Lyon and Meredy almost cuddled up, not quite, in the corner chatting happily with each other while both absentmindedly picked off the plate of food before them. For a minute Juvia thought they hadn't noticed her when she slipped in next to Meredy, but as the current topic they were conversing about grew dry, Meredy spun to smile at Juvia.
"How are you feeling Juvia?" She asked kindly. Lyon had already filled her in about everything that transpired that day.
Juvia gave a little timid nod, "I am feeling well. Thank you."
"I take it you got my note?" Lyon rested his head in his hand looking around Meredy at Juvia.
"He wouldn't leave your side. I had to physically drag him down here to get something to eat." Meredy interrupted before Juvia could answer making Juvia laughed. Lyon glared at Meredy but even Juvia could see the hint of adoration sparkling in his eyes. Remembering back to the past Juvia's diary, she recalled her mentioning that where she was in love with Gray, Lyon had been in love with her. It was an uncomfortable love triangle that left Lyon with a broken heart.
However it seemed that in this Juvia's lifetime, it was her heart which would be broken, and Lyon would be the one to find happiness. Juvia was glad. She didn't want to imagine what Lyon looked like when he had lost everything.
"I told you she would be alright!" Meredy concluded, backhanding Lyon's chest.
"Yeah, yeah." Lyon grumbled rubbing where she had hit, "There was just something I needed to tell her before she got up." He groaned holding his head in his hands while he tried to remember. Juvia took this opportunity to grab something to eat, from his plate of almost untouched food.
"Are you kidding me? What are you? Natsu?" Meredy shouted at the silver haired mage.
"Someone call my name!?" Natsu shouted as the doors to the hall were kicked open with amazing force. The entire room stopped and stared.
There in the doorway stood Natsu supporting a blonde woman who wore an oversized white coat to cover herself and a weak but genuine smile on her face. This had to be Lucy. Beside them stood a green haired woman wearing torn rags carrying a black haired little girl and the same blood hound that had hunted Juvia down to the Hatter's tea party all those weeks before stood beside them. Juvia had no clue who they were, but she remembered hearing something about an Alzack, Bisca and Auska. The little door mouse Happy had a new friend as well, a white cat stood beside him, causing a huge smile on his face.
That wasn't what made Juvia want to scream however. Entering off to the side was him. His top half was uncovered, having given his jacket and shirt to Lucy earlier. How dare he show his face here after what he did? He had betrayed them and someone just let him waltz in here like it never happened!
Everyone cheered with joy and swarmed on Lucy and the other newcomers, leaving Gray off to the side.
Her anger took over and she began to march towards him, ignoring Lyon's calls claiming he remembered what he had to tell her.
"Gray Fullbuster!" Juvia shouted over the joyous celebrations.
Gray turned to look at her with a warm smile on his face, "Juvia… I need to tell you-"
"You asshole!" She screamed cutting him off. He was taken aback by her outburst, but was taken back even more when her fist slammed into his face.
The power behind her punch wasn't near some of the worse hits Gray had taken. At least physically. Emotionally, that one punch had knocked it out of him, "Juvia. What the-?" He asked rubbing his face looking at her with a hurt and confused expression. Was she mad that he had been gone for so long without saying goodbye?
"Juvia." Lyon said finally catching her, "I told you it was a better idea for me to stay by her bed and tell her." Lyon growled to Meredy.
"Don't you blame me. You're the one that forgot!" Meredy snapped back.
"WHAT in the world were going to tell me Lyon?" Juvia snapped turning around to him, "You have ten seconds because I don't know what happened to Gray but I owe him an ass kicking!"
"That wasn't Gray!" Lyon explained quickly and Juvia's anger froze. That wasn't Gray? Does he mean here, or the one that manipulated her into freeing Regulus?
"What do you mean?" She asked suddenly sounding like an innocent child.
"Gray wasn't the one who manipulated you."
…
"You…" Lyon hissed grabbing the fake Gray by his collar and pulling him close, "You have no right to soil Gray's image." He shoved the imposter back and clasped his hands together ready to cast a spell.
"You figured us out that quickly?" There now seemed to be two voices coming from Gray's mouth, "Maybe our information was too outdated. We should have copied Gray Fullbuster again before undertaking this mission."
"Stop speaking from his mouth!" Lyon demanded, "Show me your true form!" In a puff of smoke, the fake Gray vanished and in his place stood Mini and Gemi, otherwise known as Gemini. Lyon couldn't help but snort, "Your imitations have gotten weak Gemini. They are less like the real thing than they once were. Gray uses two hands when casting his ice make spells."
"I suppose you are right there. Piri-piri!" Gemi remarked.
"Piri…" Mini sighed.
"And here we were going to let you go so you could tell the others Gray had turn on you all." Gemi continued, "And we didn't even get to toss Rain Woman to Aquarius."
"Piri-piri!" Mini agreed, "Now we will have to take you both out for good!"
"I don't think so." Lyon quickly stripped and vanished, silently cursing himself for not wearing his purple and pink jacket. Silently apologising to Juvia he did the same to her and scooped her up so she too would vanish along with him. He was thankful for the awkward stripping habit he and Gray shared and the ability to disrobe quickly. He was also thankful Juvia was out for this entire chain of events, it was embarrassing enough knowing he was carrying a naked Juvia. He never looked however.
But it was the only way they could escape. Then he realised he was thankful for one more thing. If Phantom had never turned him into a cait sith all those years ago, he would be dead a thousand times over and so would Juvia. The little vanishing act he was going to miss if he ever turned fully human again.
…
Lyon deliberately left out of the part when he had stripped Juvia, because other than that, he was the perfect hero. He had finally done what he was unable to do all those years ago, what came almost naturally to Gray. He protected those he cared about.
"You-!" Juvia went to shout at Lyon for neglecting to tell her before she went and punched Gray, then she remembered Gray. Horror eminent on her face she spun back to look at him, still rubbing where he hit, "I am so sorry! I- I…" She quickly looked around and her eyes locked with a wide eyed Lucy. Juvia ignored it however and pushed past Gray, "I need to breathe." She explained lamely.
Seeing Gray again, alive, well and most importantly not a traitor, caused all sorts of emotions to barrel over her. What she felt inside… it was confusing her. It was something she never felt. It made her scared and happy all at the same time. It's not possible. It couldn't be love… could it?
…
Gray finally managed to find Juvia, and it was probably in one of the most obvious places ever he couldn't believe he didn't look there first. He entered her room quietly but she didn't turn her head to face him. She looked so beautiful, illuminated by the huge glowing full moon, and the stars seemed to twinkle in her eyes as she looked up at them in wonder.
Finally, when he crossed his arms over themselves and leant against the balcony beside where she stood, Juvia's eyes fell from the sky down to him, "Is Lucy okay?" She asked gently. When he nodded her smile turned back to the stars, "That's good." She paused for a moment, "I'm sorry." She finally said.
"It's okay. Lyon explained everything."
They stood in silence, Gray fighting the urge to bombard her with questions, and Juvia resisting the urge to send him out. "It's strange." Juvia began breaking the silence after almost an eternity, "The night sky looks so similar to the one back home, but it is entirely different."
Gray nodded again, "Mhm. That was the first thing I noticed when we were sent here. The stars are all out of order, and the moon seems bigger." He said glad for some form of communication between them, "But, if you know what to look for…" He leaned in closer to her and pointed up at a constellation, making sure she was looking in the right direction, "You can see familiar constellations. The twelve zodiac constellations sparkle year round down here. See? There's Taurus, Capricorn, Gemini, Sagittarius, Aries, Virgo-"
"Cancer." Juvia added finally seeing what he was talking about. He flinched at the mention of the zodiac Cancer, but Juvia didn't notice as she pointed out the ones she saw, "… Aquarius is so faded." She said softly after she had named ten of the twelve, "Then Leo…" She squinted up at the night sky, "I can't see it at all."
"Leo vanished from the skies years ago." Gray sighed sadly at the thought of his lost friend.
"The twelve zodiacs live among us here right? That maid Virgo is the Virgo isn't she? And Gemini and so on." Gray nodded, "Did you know Leo?"
Again Gray nodded, "He was a good friend of mine. Loyal to his Queen and his friends. He was the reason Regulus was sealed in the silent waters." Juvia looked down at the mention of the legendary blade. It was her fault that it was now in the enemy's hands. She fell for Gemini's trick. They had looked so much like the real Gray, but now, with him so close to her, she could tell the difference. If only she had known before…
"His only flaw was that he was the biggest flirt. He knew he looked good and wasn't afraid to flaunt it." Gray continued, "I met him as Loke and to this day that is what everyone knows him as."
"Loke…" Juvia said quietly. It couldn't have been. Was her Loke and this Loke the same person?
"Yeah. I wish I knew what happened to him." Gray's head dropped in defeat. This was not where he wanted this conversation with Juvia to go. It was the wrong end of topics he wanted to talk about.
"Light brown hair, hazel eyes, azure glasses? Kind of tall. Huge lady killer?" Juvia asked curious.
"How'd you know?"
Her eyes widened. It couldn't have been. Her Loke was born before the guilds all vanished from Fiore, seven years before. Gray's Loke had died, or vanished, in this world, it had to be a coincidence. Or… Juvia shook her head, "Back home, before I came here, a Duke proposed to me. Loke Leorke. He fits the description of Loke the Lion by a scary amount." It seemed strange to think of that place as home. It always was where she lived and grew up, but it was never really home.
"S-so you're engaged?" Gray seemed to pick the wrong part out of Juvia's words. His spirits seemed to die with the thought that Juvia was taken. All that courage he had mustered up, vanished.
Juvia giggled at his shock, "No silly. I never accepted. I guess if I never came here, I probably would have however. It's what mother would have wanted." Juvia let out another short laugh, "I even deluded myself into thinking I might actually love him, or grow to love him. But now…" She trailed off looking down at her hands tapping the railing.
"Now…?" Gray didn't want to push her, but he really wanted to know what she was trying to say.
"Now, I-I realised I was never in love with Loke, because now I know what love feels like."
"How?" His once word questions were beginning to annoy even him.
Her eyes locked with his, and the sparkle that her deep blue eyes held spoke a million words, "How did you know you were in love with the past Juvia?" She asked quietly. It wasn't what her eyes were asking him, but if he answered that question he was afraid he would embarrass her. Now she saw that what she thought about Gray's black eyes was true. They weren't dead like Gemini's, they did in fact hold colour, flecks of blue danced in his eyes like tiny stars.
"Well. I thought about her all the time. I wanted to know how her day was going, I wanted to hold her at the end of every day. I wanted to be the shoulder she cried on when she was sad, I wanted to be only hers, and she only be mine." Juvia's eyes fell again and she suppressed her feelings. Gray went on, "I found that every little thing she did, I thought was adorable and it only made me love her more."
"You love her still don't you?"
"I did." Her eyes snapped up to meet his again, "I did." He repeated, "But no longer. She is gone, and I see now is the time to move on."
"Oh…" Juvia felt a swirl of emotions inside of her. She couldn't tell whether she was glad or heartbroken. Gray had finally gotten over her past self, but did that mean she was right? He would never love her?
"You might see this next part a little contradicting to what I just said but…" She looked back up to meet his eyes when he kept talking. This time he had moved closer so their shoulders brushed and he lent towards her. As if some magnetic attraction was pulling her, Juvia found herself leaning in too, "I think I-"
Juvia cut him off with a finger to his lips, "Two souls meant for each other can't escape destiny."
"Screw destiny." He whispered kissing her finger before nudging it away, "I decide who I love on my own, and I never thought it possible that I would fall for you all over again."
"I'm not her." Juvia repeated, but this time she was not offended or put off. She felt his hand slide up her neck carefully and he gently ran his thumb across her jaw as her hair fell over his arm. They were less than an inch from each other and Juvia could feel his warm breath on her lips and she was sure he could feel hers.
"I know." His voice was so quite that Juvia almost missed it as he closed the gap between them. This kiss was nothing like the first they shared. That had been more Juvia's past self, using the present Juvia as a vessel to be with her darling Gray-sama once more and Juvia could feel then he wasn't kissing her, and it was the idea that she was for all intents and purposes the past Juvia.
Now however, it was different. Gray's soft and if not hesitant lips were all for her, the Juvia in the here and now. He was gentle at first, afraid to make one wrong move, but his confidence grew when Juvia's hands raked through his hair and returned his compassion.
He went to pull back, but Juvia held him firmly close to her, not allowing him to get very far. This made him laugh slightly as he rested his forehead against hers and they both closed their eyes. Juvia sent out a silent wish that they could just stay like this forever. Just the two of them. No war, no Lyon, no Loke, no death, no complications. Just the two of them in this moment right now. She knew that it was impossible.
"I don't want to lose you." He whispered breaking the silence this time. He held himself back from saying 'again' because he lost a different Juvia and he accepted that.
Juvia smiled and cracked open her eyes again and looked up at him. His forehead was still pressed lightly against hers, and his face was creased with worry. She soothingly ran one of her hands from his hair down his jaw, then his neck until her hand rested under his jacket, which he had recently gotten back from Lucy, on his exposed guild mark, "You won't lose me. Ever." She eventually replied just as softly.
"That's not something you can promise." He argued.
"Then teach me to fight. I need to know how to protect myself. If Lyon hadn't come when he did…" She pulled her head back from his and made him look at her, "Not teaching me how to fight is exactly how you're going to end up losing me Gray. I need you to believe in me."
He thought about her words for a moment. Then, he groaned and buried his face into her shoulder, "I hate when you're right." He mumbled wrapping his free arm around her waist and pulling her against him. Juvia's arm was a little crushed, but with her free arm she wrapped around his neck and rested her head on his head.
"You love it." She whispered in his ear.
Gray tried to come up with a quick response but then again he groaned, "Just let me have this one." His complaints were turning playful and Juvia closed her eyes.
"Okay." She found her eyes closing again.
They stood like that for a while, taking in each other's warmth and hoping to hold onto this moment forever.
And then Juvia learned she would hold onto this moment forever. It was the moment she learned that it could be love. No. It was love. There was no doubt about it. This is what she had been missing her whole life. Her other half. Her Gray…
…
Erza breathed a sigh of relief when she finally heard the screams of her baby. Seeing the tears of joy in Jellal's eyes almost brought her to tears, had she not already dried her tear ducts out while going through labour.
Not long after Jellal had left her in the hands of Doranbolt and Gajeel she had gone into an immoveable state and they were forced to carry her. When Jellal returned however he held the legendary blade Regulus and Erza went to cry out with joy, however it came out as pain instead.
After quickly issuing orders for the army to pack up and retreat it took the combined magic power of Doranbolt and Jellal to teleport them, Erza and a few select others back to the castle.
As their son was carried away to be washed Jellal gently wiped the sweat from Erza's forehead with a cold towel, "You did it." He smiled warmly.
"Sorry… for what I said…" She breathed heavily. Throughout most of the labour Erza had cursed Jellal, swearing she would cut off his balls so she would never have to go through this again. And that was one of her tamer threats.
"As long as you don't act on any of them, it's fine." Jellal laughed putting the towel back in its bowl of water.
The small blue haired physician came over with the small bundle in her arms, "It's a boy." She informed timidly handing the baby over to Jellal before scurrying off.
"Thank you Wendy." Jellal said nonchalantly before looking down at the baby boy in his arms. He was absently chewing on air with a little smile on his face. Over his eye the same red mark as Jellal swirled and he already had blue hair just like Jellal.
"He's beautiful." Erza cooed over her son, longing to hold him. Sensing this Jellal handed the baby over to her, "I don't care if anyone ever calls you a bastard." She whispered softly tapping his nose, "You will always be our son, my little Prince Siegrain."
"Siegrain?" Jellal questioned the use of his fake alias he had used once years ago.
"He just looks so much like you. It seemed more fitting than Mystogan." She explained.
"Couldn't you be original?" He sighed not sure whether he liked either of those names.
"But it reminds me of you." Erza finally tore her eyes from her newborn to look at Jellal.
"Doesn't he already enough? He looks an awful lot like me." Erza laughed and leaned over to Jellal, planting a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth.
"Siegrain." She whispered to him, "Son of Queen Erza and Jellal Fernandez. I like it."
"I'm still not sure." He pouted but Siegrain giggled, "You like it don't you buddy?" The baby giggled again as if agreeing, "Well." Jellal couldn't help but smile at his son, "I suppose that settles it. Welcome to the madness Siegrain." You might just be enough to save her from the darkness he added in his mind.
Ha I didn't realise this until after I wrote this chapter that when Gemini is Gray in the Oracion Seis arc, he does in fact use one hand when casting ice man spells. If you don't believe me go to episode 58 and look for yourself!
Now I can finally start on my English that is due on Wednesday but I need a draft by… last Wednesday haha… I need to get my priorities straight. I hate monologues…
REVIEW MY PRETTIES! I will be struggling from here on out. I have an idea on where I'm headed… I just need to gill in the gaps to get there. What do you people want to see?!
