Author's Note: I appreciate the well thought out reviews I received last chapter! So many of you are really helping to motivate me to continue the story and are predicting a lot of things quite well! Also, I did get a comment about the scenes being cliché- that's a good thing, actually! Like I have said before, this story is intended to read like a romance novel- full of cheesy, cliché, quick-paced romance and action.

Seas of Change

Chapter 13: The Cool Fire

Juvia swung her weapon harshly and readied herself for the impact. Her arms ached from the repeated vibrations caused by the sword when Erza cut toward her with a skilled, repeating flow. The weapon was still heavy-laden in her grip and had yet to become an extension of her arm. Erza was ruthless in her training, and Juvia found her knees buckling with the force of her opponent. For the moment at least, her grip on the weapon was firm with resolve.

It was easy to see what made Captain Scarlet so fearsome on the sea. She did not relent, not for friend, and definitely not for foe.

"Focus!" Erza spiraled and Juvia's sword went flying. The chill of Erza's own blade settled near Juvia's chest.

Another loss. "Maybe Juvia can't do this."

"You can. You are trying too hard to imitate me, and not looking for ways around me."

Chest heaving with the depth of her breaths, she considered what Erza had said. Maybe there was another way to best the woman in front of her. The insurmountable wall she felt she was scaling had to have a cracking point somewhere. Erza held an easy confidence and pushed hard, and her deduction was right- all Juvia had done until the point was try to copy everything Erza did. Defeating an enemy meant looking for their weakness, finding the loophole- the same thing she had done to escape the Titania three weeks before.

Hadn't that been what Gajeel had taught her? She had seen enough brawls on the Frozen Banshee to know pirates didn't fight clean. They took any shot they could find, no matter how cheap, and ran with it. It wasn't about being graceful. It was about survival. There was no such thing as rules of engagement in a pirate battle.

No one said she had to fight with a sword alone.

"Get your sword and try again." Erza instructed, bring her weapon back for inspection. "And be serious this time. We don't have long to prepare you."

Juvia retrieved the weapon, taking a one handed stance with the weapon behind her, crouched low. Let Erza come. She would find a way through this. Brute force was not the only way to win a fight.

Gray had finished surveying the final touches made to the Frozen Banshee, impressed with the advancements Ichiya's crew had installed. State of the art gunner systems, a weather resistant deck with anti-canon properties, enchanted sails with his screaming banshee motif dyed upon it in blue and gray. The cabins had been upgraded with better bedding, the kitchens updated with a flame-magic stove and an ice-magic box that kept their perishable items frozen. His wheel deck had been completely redone in mahogany, the ship wheel covered in steel and enchanted gems meant for communicating with the main ships of the Fiore Seas Alliance. His former enchanted navigation map had been replaced with and updated version that included weather patterns and cloud cover.

The changes to his office had been minimal per his own request, but the crew of the Christina had managed to sneak in a canopied bed, a liquor cabinet, and a diagram of the ship which tracked the movements of his crew and any guests who boarded it. The amount of magic items he possessed made his ship worth more jewel than he had ever plundered in his career. Ichiya had nodded off that the intention was to make the Frozen Banshee the head of their armada, and as such it needed to posses special qualities- to be shift and maneuverable, to be able to track and contact the rest of the alliance, to be able to scout and shift in and out of danger, and to be iconic.

That, and Ichiya had the largest crew of magic-users in existence. It made him a commodity to all, and forced peace. It also gave him the unprecedented power to deny access to tools their enemies wanted, and instead install them on the ships of his choosing. The man was crazy, but in that respect Gray was glad that he was on their side. He was even more glad Natsu and Gajeel had kept his for frivolous plans in check. He didn't want to come back to a ship with unicorns and mermaids carved into the hull.

What would Juvia think of the ship now? It was not nearly as outlandish as the Titania, where she had remained for her training since the night she had escaped; there were still edges that lacked comfort and instead were cold and stern like they had always been. Would she miss the comfort and company of the other women, of the plush walls and beddings Erza lavished on her own ship?

The thought of her perhaps choosing to remain with the crew of the Titania didn't sit well with him. Gajeel and Natsu were seperated from their lovers in that way, and he didn't understand how they could do it.

"Gray."

The piece of iceberg Ultear had enchanted sat glowing on his desk, her voice a firm whisper in the emptiness of the room. He had tried unsuccessfully since seeing Lyon to get in touch with her. The light blue light of the iceberg drew him back toward center of the room. It was a piece of the iceberg that tied the three of them together- where Ur had passed, protecting them from a corrupted Navy that hunted it's people for sport.

"Lyon is with the Balam." he was short and to the point, hands upon his desk as he stared into the mahogany wood where Juvia's nails had scuffed the finish. There was a twinge, short as it was, of desire to have her back in this room with him.

He was only having this conversation because she seemed so sure there was something else to what Lyon was doing. To have been attacked and then defend her attacker felt like a slight against him, but Gray wanted to so badly to believe her. Lyon was a brother, and Ur would have wanted them to stick together in their trials.

Ultear was silent for a long moment before she answered. The only way Gray knew she was still there was from the faint blue glow radiating from the eternal ice. "I don't know anything more than you."

"When did you speak to him last?"

"It's been years, Gray. The same as you."

His eyes narrowed and he pushed away from the desk, running his hands through his hair. What the hell was Lyon thinking?

"How is Juvia?"

Gray glanced toward the ice, wondering momentarily just how much Ultear was able to follow them and see into their lives from her soothsayer booth in Magnolia. "She thinks Lyon has an ulterior motive."

"She met him?"

"He tried to kidnap her."

Ultear scoffed, and Gray could almost hear a smirk. "He was always jealous of what you had, Gray. Lyon has always made questionable decisions. Maybe Juvia is right."

"And what? When the pirate war starts, I'm supposed to put my faith in her?"

"No. You have to put your faith in yourself. It is going to be a difficult battle. One wrong move will send you and your crew into the sea." her voice grew grave. "There are more enemies than you think, alliances you do not know about. You have to protect her."

"You've said that before."

"Heed my warning."

Gray could hear the chime of Ultear's door opening, and the swish of her robes as she stood. The connection was severed without a goodbye as she went to entertain whatever guest had entered her shop. He knew why protecting Juvia was important to him, not that he would voice it; but why was Ultear warning him again? She stayed out of the personal aspects of their lives and they didn't bother to share them. There was something else that made Juvia important to what was happening.

Whatever it was, he needed to find out.

Juvia's fist connected with Erza's chin, knocking her off balance; she swung her leg to trip her up while she was unbalanced, jumping up and swinging her sword down harshly. It hit the steel of Erza's where she lay on her back as Juvia hovered over her, knees on the ground, pressing harshly. She smiled.

"You did it."

Juvia blinked, suddenly realizing she had just knocked Erza to the ground and had won the fight. She moved off the other woman quickly and set her sword to the ground. She had just won. It had taken a few tries to learn Erza's movements, but she had gained enough understanding to find the loophole; two handed attaches required more force and stability, so she had to be more maneuverable. Being just as solid made it a battle of strength, and Juvia had not had the training or the power that Erza possessed. She was faster, though, and that she could use to he advantage.

"Good job." Erza pulled herself into a seated position beside Juvia as she stared at the wooden deck, obviously surprised with herself. "I think Gray would be happy. You understand how you are made to fight, and that makes you formidable. Too many people go through this relying on what they have seen others do or simply on strength alone and that is not how you win."

Juvia glanced toward Erza and smiled, leaping forward to throw her arms around the red haired woman, crying out in triumph. "Juvia did it! Juvia can do this!"

She wouldn't be a burden to be locked away in a storage closet during the fights. When the time came, she could defend what mattered to her, just like Gajeel had tried to explain the night they battled the naval ship. The pirate ship was family, and you fought and defended what you loved. It was loyalty built through blood and hardship and time. Like Gray had told her.

And now she could do the same. She could protect Gray and the rest of her friends.

"Do you really think he'll be happy?" she pulled out of the hug, eyes wide.

Erza laughed. "Of course. He has a thing for tough women."

"Like you?" there was a hint of anger in Juvia's voice that caused Erza to lift her hands in defense.

"No, no. You're different, Juvia. There is something inside you that appeals to him, and a strength that is built off cunning. Gray has lost a lot in his life; being able to depend on you to keep yourself safe is something he will not take for granted."

She paused, letting Erza's words settle in her mind. Gray had lost a lot in his life. The story of his family and then the woman who took him in were the foundation on which he had built his life, his crew, his freedom. It was that story that drew him to her. Did Gray worry she would join the ranks of the others he had cared for?

She would just have to prove him wrong.

"Juvia lives for the ones she loves; she believes that as long as you have love in your life, you must keep on living." she answered gracefully.

Erza smiled softly, setting a hand on Juvia's head. "That's a good way to live."

Standing aboard the Frozen Banshee and preparing to set sail felt different this time. There was a level of anticipation that Juvia realized had only a few weeks before been dread. She stood on deck, not locked away below. There was no fight-or-flight fear that had accompanied her first step onto the ship. She wanted to be here, more than she had wanted to be anywhere else. How many months had Gray and the crew tried to convince her that this ship was their home, and how many hurtful things she had said to convince herself they were wrong… and yet here she stood, watching from the bannisters as Gray, Natsu, Gajeel and Loke stood on the dock with the rest of the Fiore Seas Alliance.

Once the conversation finished, she saw the pirate handshake- each pirate setting their index and middle finger flush against the pirate brand on the wrist of the one whom they were shaking- pass between the captains and first mates. Gajeel set his elbow atop Levy's head, leaning over to say things that turned the other woman bright pink. Did Gajeel really possess a romantic side? If Levy's reaction was any indication, the answer was yes.

Juvia realized that there were probably many things she did not know about the crew of the Frozen Banshee. She had spent so much time pushing them away that she had not truly taken the time to understand them. And Gray… there were sure to be many mysteries she had yet to unravel about him. During her stay on Torenju, she had rarely seen any members of the crew aside from Gray and Natsu, and the thought of spending time with Gajeel again or sharing with Loke that he no longer needed to keep her secret filled her with joy and excitement.

Friendship. That's what this was.

Comrades.

Family.

"Are you ready?"

Juvia jumped at the sound of Gray's voice as he stepped beside her to oversee the final members of his crew boarding the ship. Her heart pounded nervously and she found that despite their intimacy, she had no idea how to approach Gray as her captain. She may have the coat and hat of a captain, but the ship was his, and he was pirate.

She was a pirate.

"Ready as ever, Captain Gray-sama."

He scrunched his face at the name, tugging on the brim of her hat to pull it over her eyes. She fought to pull it back up, but he held fast. "I'm going to have to ask you to do things you won't want to do."

"Juvia knows."

"You will have to fight for me, you may have to kill for me, Juvia."

She regained control of her hat by placing her hands about his wrist; his skin was cool to the touch, and Juvia could feel his pulse that signified his life. Was it just her, or where their heartbeats in unison? With a soft motion she pulled his hand from her hat, then pushed it back up.

"Juvia does not want to kill anyone." she answered honestly. "However, Juvia will do what she must to protect what she loves."

The cool, calculating expression he held faltered for a moment before he drew his arms across his chest. Gray closed his eyes, brow knit, and Juvia waited to see how he would respond. Afterall, she had just let slip that she loved him. Was it too soon? Of course it was too soon. Maybe he would look at her and tell her to get off his ship?

"It's time to go." he brushed off her comment, keeping his thoughts to himself. Gray whisked away from her and headed toward the wheel deck.

"Gray-sama..."

"Ghihi. Lady Luck, you're not gonna get much done just standing there." Gajeel walked over, and pushed her toward the center of deck near the masts. "Time to raise the flag and get the hell outta here!"