So here you go. I'm working on updating faster while I have a bit of summer left, and I also want to get a few fics finished so I can start posting my new AU Gruvia (which still doesn't have a name; accepting suggestions, if you want to help!), but that probably won't happen for another three or four months at least, so don't hold your breath!

Also, I've been doing artsy things over on tumblr occasionally, so just drop by panda013 sometime to see!

Anyway, hope you enjoy Perpetual Rain, chapter 12!


Juvia's statement hung in the silence between she and Master Makarov for several long moments. She could tell that he had expected her question, but he was also probably trying to find a way to dissuade her from walking immediately back into danger when she'd scarcely been out of it for a few hours since everything had begun. He had to know, though, that Juvia would head towards the mountains no matter what he said.

She didn't always talk about her love for Gray for no reason, after all. If there was a chance she could save him, she would, even if it meant giving her life instead.

"Nothing I can say will stop you," he sighed, and the blue-haired woman noted that he didn't even phrase it as a question but as a statement, "but I have a stipulation."

"If you're going to tell Juvia to wait—"

"No," he cut her off, shaking his head solemnly and meeting her eyes, "I know you won't stay past tonight. What I want you to do is to take Lily with you when you go. The two of you started this journey together, and I want you to continue it together. I will send a party out to rendezvous with you at some point along the way. Lamia Scale should have a few handheld communication lachrima devices; we sent Jet out with them a few days ago and he's already checked in at Sabertooth, which is the farthest away and the last stop. Tell them that I want you to have one, and with it you can reach the rendezvous team. Mira will have another handheld and she'll be with the team I send."

"Juvia takes it that Mirajane is fully healed already, then?"

"Yes," he answered, nodding, "but I know that Lisanna is not yet fit for travel, so even if she asks to come with you, I cannot allow it. I can't stop her from here, but she knows her own limits. She'll rest a few more days before heading back out with a team from Lamia Scale, if I understood her correctly when we spoke earlier."

"Why doesn't the Blue Pegasus team have a handheld lachrima?" Juvia asked slowly as the thought dawned on her. "I remember they bought some from Warren when he first designed them…with Max setting the prices, of course, so that they could make a profit even though they weren't working closely at the time."

"You see, the one in possession of the compact lachrima was Sherry, and no one has been able to reach her since she was separated from the group," the grave tone in Makarov's voice was not to be missed. And she saw, once again, that he was blaming himself. Juvia knew she couldn't make him stop, but it made her stomach twist uncomfortably to see that pain so clearly written in the deep lines of her elderly guild master's face.

"Juvia sees," she murmured softly, unable to say anything to ease his suffering.

"You will take Lily with you, won't you?" he reiterated, his eyes piercing. "Despite the fact that he pushed you off a cliff?"

"If Lily will consent to travel with Juvia again, yes," the water mage assured him. "When Lily pushed Juvia, it was to keep her save so she could continue, and it was successful so far. Juvia would be happy to travel with him again."

Makarov looked satisfied with her answer, and nodded resolutely. "Good."

A brief silence fell, neither of them making a move to speak. After a few moments, Juvia finally took a breath and asked, "Can you show Juvia a map of the area and point to where you want Lily and I to rendezvous with the others? And also, where the rough location of the hideout is, so if we get separated or lose our lachrima, we can reunite there?"

With a nod, he gestured to the nearby Mira to get a map, and Juvia took a moment to look around her room, examining her surroundings carefully. It was a quaint, cozy little room, but everything unfamiliar now had the ability to set her on edge and she couldn't help but scan for hidden observation lachrima or something that seemed out of place.

Being on edge for so long was messing with her.

"Here it is," the guild master announced, and she drew her attention to the map to pay attention as he pointed out the intended rendezvous area. At her understanding nod, he then circled a wide area at the base of the mountains and said, "Blue Pegasus believes the hideout is within this area, but there is a lot of ground to cover, and being careful will make it take more time..."

He trailed off, but Juvia understood the implications of that—our missing mages might not have that much time left. She raised her head determinedly and cleared her throat to gain his attention.

"If they are out there," she said firmly, the faces of all their unaccounted for members running through her mind, "then we will find them and bring them home, no matter what. We are a family, after all, and a family always looks after its own."

"Yes, I know," he sighed, but Juvia wasn't done.

"It was Fairy Tail that taught Juvia that, Master," she cut across before he could continue, "and it was also Fairy Tail that taught Juvia to believe in and accomplish the impossible."

It was all true, and she saw that he was thinking about what to say in response. He couldn't tell her that they might not succeed. She wouldn't hear it with so much at stake, although she did know within her own heart that it would be a slim chance that everyone was alright. Despite this, she knew what she wanted to say next. With a small smile, the water mage decided to push it once more.

"We are the never ending mystery, the answer of the question do fairies have tails?"

"And what is your answer?" she saw the tears in his eyes as she stood for him to see her leg, and she drew the sweats up high enough to show her guild mark. Her finger traced the ink, from the nose of the emblem to the tip of each wing, and finally what she could only describe as the tail. This she traced slowly.

"It's right here," she murmured softly. "Every member of Fairy Tail has this marking; all of our fairies have tails. And right now they're flying free, doing everything they can to help and to survive. So now all you have to do is believe in them, believe in the miracle, and we'll do the rest. You just protect the whereabouts of Natsu and Lucy in the best way that you can, until we get everything figured out."

"Juvia…" Master's voice was thick, and as Juvia sat, she saw a slim hand come to rest on his shaking shoulders.

"Juvia's right, Master," Mira's sweet voice said, and the blue-eyed woman turned to smile gently at the lachrima image, "we are the mystery, which means that they won't know what hit them when we come after them for hurting our family."

"You brats…" the water mage watched the tears streaming down his cheeks, but he made no move to wipe them. "You brats are makin' me look bad. What am I, a decoration? Hmph. I'll do what I can do in every way I can, so you just worry about yourselves. Juvia, when you leave, don't forget to take Lily with you. I can't have you off on your own again. And ask Lamia bout the compact communication devices—we need to keep in touch as much as we can. There are a few tricks with it, but they should have the instructions for it so you'll find out then."

"Yes, Master!" Juvia agreed quickly, finding it hard to force the words past the lump that had formed in her throat. "Juvia should be going now. The others will wonder what has taken her so long, and she is supposed to talk with Lily tonight. Goodbye, Master! Juvia will contact you soon!"

"See you soon, Juvia!" Mira called back, smiling as brightly as Juvia remembered.

"Goodbye, child, and good luck," Master Makarov dismissed, and finally as the lachrima disconnected, she saw him reach to wipe his eyes.

She sank back onto the mattress of her bed for a few moments then, discarding the lachrima and closing her eyes. Juvia took a deep, shaky breath and threw her arm across her eyes, squeezing them in an attempt to ignore the burning that prickled at the corners.

The fact that there was so much at stake was killing her, and she could see that it had the master on edge, too. She hated to see him look so weak…so old…for the first time since she'd known him. It was painful to see him like that when he had always been hopeful and had put his faith, time and time again, in the children of his guild that were just too damn stubborn to lose. But now some of his children had lost…and he didn't know just how much it had cost them.

And there it went—one single tear, slipping down the side of her cheek to disappear somewhere in her blue locks. A strangled sob came shortly after, and then she had to roll onto her side to stifle the broken cries that wouldn't stop.

She could still see Gray's smiling face when she closed her eyes, but soon after she could see them widen in surprise or anger, and then she could see him collapse in pain, his eyes going blank. She'd seen it in person a time or two, and it was never a pretty sight. She had always felt her heart constrict in her chest, and she'd scream Gray-sama! and run to his side in an instant. But now she couldn't do that because Juvia didn't know where he was or if he was even still breathing.

And that…that was the hardest part.

Juvia could be strong for Master Makarov because he needed to see it. She could be strong for the members of Lamia Scale because they didn't quite know what she was going through and she didn't want to torment them all with the knowledge of what had happened to Gray. The water mage could even be strong around the others from her guild because they didn't quite know the extent of what had happened, just that some of their members were missing.

But when it boiled down to it, Juvia was through with being strong for herself. She had held herself together for so long that her breakdown seemed overdue.

She let her fears spiral out of control for the first time in a long time as she drew the pillow tightly against her chest and tried to muffle her sobs. It wasn't long before she heard a distinct telltale rumble outside, and she felt herself crumbling as the sound of pouring rain started up.

Once again, she was to blame for ruining a beautiful day for everyone else.

Despite her best efforts, the image of the necklace in Master Makarov's hand the last time they had spoken haunted her thoughts, and she let out a desperate, heartbroken wail.

Her mind was awash with once happy memories, but now they were twisting into nightmares and her emotions concerning them were a grotesque parody of what they had once been. She felt the sweat beading on her skin, but she buried her face into the pillow, nearly suffocating herself, as another forlorn cry passed her lips. She could taste the salt on the damp pillowcase as her muffled, open-mouthed scream tore from her throat.

Gray's smiles were now twisting into grimaces of pain, the competitive twinkle in his eye become a dull, glassy stare—and Juvia couldn't banish the images from her mind. She felt herself sinking deeper and deeper into despair and despite her best efforts, she couldn't pull herself out of the abyss. A flash of lightning illuminated her small, temporary room and then a crash of thunder followed nearly immediately after. The sound made her shoulders tense and she remembered how, on one of those rare occasions where her rain followed her inside, Gray had woken her up, concern lighting his dark eyes.

To think it had already been three and a half weeks since that day. When she closed her eyes, she could see him as if it was yesterday, standing shirtless on her side of their hotel room, his large hand shaking her gently awake as her indoor storm drew his hair down across his forehead in damp strings. She remembered the red handprint blossoming across his cheek because he had startled her in her fitful sleep, and she remembered the way he had gently grasped her wrist, then disappeared only to return and towel her hair dry.

And more than any other time in her life, her chest ached for him. The pangs in her heart screamed for him, and the sounds escaping her lips were the raw expression of her desire.

Her love burned through her painfully, raging so ferociously that no part of her was left free from its onslaught. And she let her heartbroken sobs completely overtake her until, after what seemed like an immeasurable span of time, she could force herself to sit up, the heels of her hands pressed lightly against her likely red and swollen eyes, and take a few shuddering, shaky breaths without bursting back into tears.

"Why does Juvia's love have to hurt?" she mumbled weakly against her wrists.

"Isn't that how you know it's real?"

Juvia let out a startled gasp, nearly toppling off the bed as she turned her eyes quickly to the door. It was barely open, but there stood one of the last people she had wanted to see, a dark and unreadable look in his eyes as he offered her a gentle smile.

"L-L-Lyon!" she squeaked, scrambling to sit on the edge of the bed as she discarded the tear-soaked pillow in its rightful place. "Don't scare Juvia like that! Sh-she was just—"

"—just crying up here, all alone, while everyone else is waiting for you to come back down for a little while before turning in for the night?" he cut across her, not unkindly. "Juvia, as soon as the first rumble of thunder happened, every Fairy Tail member looked up towards the rooms, asking which one you were in so they could come talk to you themselves."

She flinched, opening her mouth and beginning to apologize, but Lyon's sigh cut her off once more, and then she felt the edge of her cot dip down with his weight as he sat next to her.

"They don't know what we know, Juvia," he murmured softly, staring out the window where the roiling clouds obscured the previously bright sky, and she jerked her head to him with wide eyes as he kept his gaze on the clouds. "Only Lisanna knows that Gray was sent out…and only the two of us know more."

"W-what is Lyon talking about—"

"I'm his foster-brother, Juvia," he gave her a pained smile, "despite how poorly I've played the part in past years. Your master thought that I at least had the right to know what had happened as soon as he had heard anything."

Tears welled up in her eyes once more, but she bit her lip to keep from crying again. Lyon's hand pressed between her shoulder blades, gently rubbing circles there as she fought to find the words to say.

Finally, after a few long moments of silence, she managed, "I-I'm sorry."

If he was surprised at her use of a first person pronoun, he hid it well as he asked, "For what?"

"It was Juvia's plan to send groups out…" she very nearly whispered, turning her own eyes to watch the storm outside even as he focused on her. "She planned the decoys, but she had no way of knowing that it would be this bad when everyone got out there…"

"Everyone knows what they're signing up for, Juvia," he assured her, his tone gentle. "Everyone in Fairy Tail is always ready for life or death situations, and do you think your allies are any different? We all knew what we were getting into when we heard that someone was after Natsu. After all, only someone insane goes after one of the strongest mages in all Fiore and doesn't expect some kind of backlash, right?"

Despite herself, Juvia let out a wry chuckle. "Lyon is right," she grinned softly at him before sobering up a little and adding, "Lyon is right about everything. Juvia knows that everyone is strong and that everyone is always prepared, but she still blames herself for it. And…and Juvia knows that it hurts so much because she really does love Gray…" she swallowed, and then looked at him sadly, "…and she knows that Lyon understands because he still loves Juvia."

His sad smile was answer enough, but after a while he answered softly, "You're right. But you're in love with someone else, and I can respect that, Juvia."

Her heart swelled. He was being kind and considerate of her feelings, and she knew that he really cared for her when he was so willing to let her go because she was in love with another. And while she knew it had to have been devastating for the ice mage, she appreciated it.

"Thank you," she murmured softly, and she gently leaned her head against his shoulder, basking in his comfort.

"You're welcome, Juvia," he said warmly, rubbing her back gently before pulling himself away. "Now if you don't freshen up a little and go back downstairs, at least for a while, your friends are going to start wondering what's happened to you up here."

Sniffling, Juvia pulled herself upright and giggled a little, rubbing the last few tears from her eyes.

"Right!" she smiled at him, and while the painful images that had been plaguing her wouldn't go away as soon as she might like, she could finally bring herself back together. She would be able to be strong in front of everyone else once more, and that was all she needed.

As Lyon left with a subdued backwards smile, she let her shoulders relax.

So…he knew about Gray, too.

Somehow, it was a relief that she wasn't bearing the knowledge on her own, and that she and Master Makarov had one other outlet. She was sure that, soon after she left, Lyon himself would go out searching too; that was just how his relationship with Gray was, despite the rocky patches that they had been through in the past.

With a deep breath, though, she went to the small basin of water in a corner, with a mirror hanging above, to wash her face and hopefully reduce the redness and swelling before she went downstairs. She was sure Lyon would come up with some brief excuse to buy her some time, but she couldn't rely on that forever, so as soon as her face was considerably less puffy from her mental breakdown, she put on the strongest neutral face she could muster and headed down to meet with everyone.


As she stood near the doors with Lily and looked back at the subdued goings-on, Juvia let herself smile a little. Even though her stay here had been brief, the one night of rest had rejuvenated her and she was ready to head off and rendezvous with the team that Master Makarov would send to meet her. And hopefully…hopefully they would be able to find the Blue Pegasus team and Gray.

"Are you ready, Juvia?" Pantherlily asked, looking up at her as she surveyed Lamia Scale. With a small smile, she looked down to him and nodded almost serenely.

"Juvia is as ready as she'll ever be," she responded, and as she looked back up to smile at Lyon, who had escorted them to the doors with Lisanna and a few others, she let her appearance morph once more into her blonde friend's likeness. "I am ready to head out whenever you are," she did her best to once more adopt Lucy's slightly haughty tones, and Pantherlily grinned as he slowly grew taller. Pink hair started to grow from his head, and the water mage inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Whereas it was easier for him to portray her beloved Gray, it would be more believable if they were a team of Lucy and Natsu travelling around.

"Be safe, you two," Lisanna said quickly, stepping forward to hug them both. "Give them hell for me until I can get back out there, too!"

She tapped her bandaged knee lightly, a smile on her face, but Juvia could tell that it really bothered her. The takeover mage desperately wanted to get out there and help her friends, and Juvia knew the feeling. She had been beaten and weary, but one night's rest had been sufficient to her needs and, after hearing of the possible lead on Gray, she knew she couldn't stay one more night.

"Contact us if you get into trouble," Lyon advised, nodding to the compact lachrima that Juvia had hidden in the leather pouch at her belt. It was to imitate Lucy's keyring, but it was also the next best place for something like the communication device. "If we're close enough, we'll come to find you."

"Thank you," Juvia—no, she corrected herself, Lucy—said sincerely before turning to her companion, nodding, and heading through the door. As they exited, she raised her right hand—with a shimmering, false pink marking on it—in the traditional hand gesture for Fairy Tail. A brief cheer from their few well-wishers rose, and she grinned to herself.

Now was not the time to lose her nerve, Juvia knew.

And then the doors of Lamia scale closed behind Lucy Heartfilia and Natsu Dragneel, and the two made their way through the streets, heading directly to the gates. The mages of the guild had already given them supplies aplenty so they had little reason to slow or stop their trek.

At the city gates, the exceed in the guise of the fire dragonslayer gave her a smirk so close to Natsu's that she was caught off guard and asked excitedly, "Ready to go, Lucy?"

The fake blonde beamed, "Yes!"

It wasn't long before they were back out in the wild again, wearing appearances that weren't their own and charging headlong back into a situation they knew little about.


So…here's the next chapter. I'm sorry for yet another sort of filler chapter, but it was important for setting up the story! I also wanted to show more of Lyon here, and the relationship with Juvia, so I hope you liked that!

Thank you so much for reading, and I'll try to update at least once a month if I possibly can!