BlackLynx17: SO! I've gotten reviews saying that Juvia and Gray are RELATED, but let me tell you that is not true. I thought I wrote it clearly enough, but it seems that some people didn't get it so I'm here to explain. Gray and Juvia's grandfather met in the water after being completely alone; they weren't related, but acted like brothers which is why I call them brothers. I explain how Lockster found Fullbuster and then they created the Water Element together, so not related, but brothers.

Elements Of The Heart

Chapter 25

Finally

"DEAR DO SOMETHING!"

"I can't."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T, YOU'RE OUR LEADER! THERE MUST BE SOMETHING YOU CAN DO!"

"No, there isn't. I can't do anything dear-

"THAT IS OUR DAUGHTER!"

"AND SHE HAS BETRAYED OUR ELEMENT!" Ryujin exploded at his wife.

Athena fell onto the floor in tears, hugging herself tightly as she cried out. Ryujin closed his eyes and clenched his fists, wishing he could have controlled himself better. He swam over to comfort his wife, she exploded though.

"No! You stay away from me! She's our daughter Ryujin! Our daughter! And you chose everyone else over her!"

"You don't understand dear."

"I don't want to understand if that means losing Juvia!" Athena screamed to his face.

Ryujin felt the water go ice cold as he froze, not being able to do anything but watch his wife break down in tears. He couldn't handle this scene, he couldn't watch this and since he couldn't do anything to help her his only other option was to simply leave... so he did. His wife was in hysterics, his followers in question while their savior... their savior was furious. What in the world had Juvia done to make it so mad? What? What?! Everything was fine just a few days ago, perfect compared to today. She was well on her way to becoming his successor; he had shown her their history and even though she had fallen asleep in there and missed dinner, she still obeyed his rules after and made sure it didn't happen again. When they went on their usual visit to give thanks to the Whirlpool though... that's went he swallowed her up. He couldn't reach her, couldn't hear her or talk to her, she didn't reappear and after the hours and days passed by...

She was gone.

"No, she's not gone." Ryujin growled swimming over.

He had always listened to his father's lessons when he was growing up, always listened and played by his rules. He worshiped their savior, obeyed his every command, and always tried to make him happy. He always put the Whirlpool above his Element, above his family! He didn't understand why this was happening to him if all he ever did was obey.

"GIVE ME BACK MY DAUGHTER!" Ryujin yelled at their savior.

Whirlpool paid no mind to him though. Juvia had been trapped in there for four days now and with each passing second her heart bled for her lover. She tried every move, tried escaping from every direction, but she never made it out and remained trapped inside of the swirling body of water.

"RELEASE ME!" She screamed.

"You don't deserve to be a Water Element, you have betrayed your own Element!"

"No, you have! I read my grandfather's notes! His legacy! You created the war! You drove us apart from the Ice Elements and for what?!"

"AND NOW YOU DARE SAY THEIR NAME IN OUR SANCTUARY!"

"Why did you do it? Why did you force him to fight his brother?! All they wanted was to be happy together and you took that away from them! For what reason?!"

"You humans have no possible understanding of the world around you; if you were not the heir of our Element I would strike you down right now. It's taking every ounce of me not to kill you to cleanse my waters."

"LET! ME! GO!" Juvia screamed swimming around again.

"I will give you the chance to, you must stay away from the Ice Elements though forever and forget about everything you know about them. Your grandfather was smart. I knew the doubt in his heart, I knew he never wanted this, but he knew what was the right thing to do unlike that Fullbuster. At the very end he betrayed me though as you are doing now. Out of a thousand years and all the generations, you were the one who messed up this peace. I should have known; when I saw you for the first time as a baby you had the same spirit of the first Lockster only you were not as weak as he was, like your father is... or are you? Give yourself to the waters Lockster and you shall become free."

Juvia stopped trying to fight the water and swam with it, closing her eyes. It was that simple to escape, to live, to continue her life... the price was too much though. She wanted to se him, she wanted to see Gray and get to him so badly that tears started pouring out of her eyes. She would abandon her whole Element if it meant seeing him one last time and the Whirlpool saw that in her.

"So that is your answer?"

"My answer is that I love him and for you to go screw yourself!" Juvia yelled.

Before the final shot, before the strike down and the cleansing of his waters, something strange happened. The water trapping her started glowing a different color, a bright blue color, and Juvia swore she could hear a voice, her father's voice.

"You." Ryujin growled from the outside, his entire being turning a burning bright blue as he started collecting magic from his savior. His hands started gripping the water, grabbing the Whirlpool and holding it in his arms.

"Release." He heaved squeezing tight.

"MY DAUGHTER!" Ryujin yelled ripping the waters right in half.

Juvia's eyes widened as she saw her father's swimming towards her, his hand reaching out for her with panic in his eyes.

"JUVIA! LET'S GO!"

Juvia quickly swam towards him and grabbed his hand, Ryujin taking off at the speed of a raging current through the waters. He had attacked their savior, his Element would be punished for this. Ryujin had been able to do something that even his great grandfather had never been able to do and regret for the rest of his life. He was able to stand up to their savior for their family.

What now though? There was nowhere they could run where the Whirlpool wouldn't catch them. This whole domain was his playground, everything that the water was connected to the Whirlpool was connected to as well.

"That way Daddy, please." Juvia whispered.

Ryujin looked down at her and stared.

"Please... I know how to calm him. I know what to choose that will make everything right. Just please... let me see him one more time. Let me say good-bye." Juvia cried.

"Juvia." Ryujin said lightly.

On the way she explained everything to him, even about the love she held for the Ice Element she could never touch.

Gray ran his hardest trying to reach her. He could practically see her face, her smile, soon she'd be near him. Soon he'd see her, alone or in the arms of another, he didn't know. He reached the spot and started moving the snow around, seeing the ice and water underneath him. His mark starting burning, twitching. That was good, right? That meant they were connect, that the magic recognized each other.

"What are you doing son?"

So close. Oh so close. Slowly Gray turned his head around and spotted his father behind him, standing tall and serious like he should have been. Gray had stolen magic from the Iceberg and fled the castle, he could be put to death for what he done. This was the Ice Element's leader's son though and he wasn't going to do that to his own blood... he should have though. Gray got up from his knees and stood up proud and strong without a hint of regret in his eyes. He faced his father like a leader, never backing down.

"What have you done?" He asked.

"I needed the power Father."

"For what Gray? What was so important that you needed to sneak out of home and steal our savior's magic?!" Gray Sr. yelled.

"You wouldn't understand!"

"You don't think I've ever been in love?!"

Gray's entire being froze. His father sighed and walked over, digging underneath his chest plate. He pulled out a small sculpture from it and presented it to his son. It was Juvia, the one he made when he first met her.

"Where-"

"I'm at the Iceberg just as much as you are Gray, did you honestly think I wouldn't notice? Did you honestly think I wouldn't know what you were doing every time you left home?" He asked, his voice stern but soft.

"Fat-"

"What's her name son."

Gray slowly reached out and grabbed the sculpture, holding it in his hands.

"Juvia."

"And you love her?" He asked.

Gray flinched at the words love, "I don't know... I need to see her though. She's been missing, this has never happened before. She always sees me Father, but she's not here! She's not!"

Gray Sr. placed his hands on his son's shoulders and shook them.

"Calm down, this is exactly why I came with you. Gray you barely took any magic from the Iceberg, you won't be able to create a single dent in this barrier." Gray Sr. said.

Gray blinked, "barrier- Ice- Father?" He asked.

"I'm the leader of this whole land, you think I didn't know where the Water connected with the Ice? I must count you lucky though son, I've never once encountered a Water Element here." His father said taking off his coat and armor.

Gray watched as he stripped, revealing a similar black tattoo on his arm.

"Father." He whispered.

"I'd do anything to see my son happy. If this will make you happy then I will gladly help you. I would have helped you sooner only if you asked." He smiled.

"I'm sorry." Gray said, looking down at his feet.

"You will be when we get home, for now let's meet this girlfriend of yours. This is where the barrier is weakest son so we need to focus all our magic right here." He instructed.

Gray nodded and grabbed his father's hand, feeling their magic surge around them. His eyes turned an icy blue and his breath came out as ice, focusing on their target.

A glimpse of blue appeared though and he immediately fell down on his knees.

"JUVIA!" He yelled.

Juvia looked at Gray's face and thought of it as a miracle, reaching up to touch him.

"Gray." She cried.

Their fathers stood in the background, seeing the raw emotions of their children. Gray Sr. smirked while Ryujin glared before sighing lightly.

"I love you." She mouthed.

Gray couldn't hear her, he had been reading her lips enough to know what she had told him though. She loved him, she was in love with him.

"You have to know Gray, I love you. I've always loved you and I want to be with you Gray. I love you." She cried.

Gray's eyes turned cold and he leaned back slightly. Juvia's eyes widened as she tried to reach for him.

"Get back." He told her.

Juvia took it as a rejection, "Gray? Gray please-"

"GET AWAY JUVIA!" He yelled at her.

Juvia's eyes widened, tears appearing in them. She floated back, shaking her head and covering her mouth. Gray walked away from her and she felt her heart break. She ran away after that, swimming as fast as she could with her father trying to catch her. She had love him, gave him her heart and he destroyed it.

"Gray." Gray Sr. said.

"Let's do this Father, hurry." Gray said grabbing his hand.

Their magic started surging again, the ground around them shaking.

"An attack won't work, we need to absorb the ice. Not the whole thing, just a small enough hole for you to get through." Gray Sr. said.

Gray nodded and the two of them fell to their knees, both placing a hand on the ice. At the first crack Gray started crying. Happiness, sadness, he cried for everything. As the cracks got longer and louder, he actually chuckled a bit.

Juvia turned around at the small lights sparkling in the water. She saw the ice wall as far as the eye could see, but also something else. Light, bright light. Cracks of light... cracks in the ice. Her eyes widened and she went swimming back, her father forced to follow.

"Juvia!" He yelled.

"He's breaking the ice Daddy, we have to help. If we can reach the Ice Element then we'll be safe! I'll be with him!" She smiled swimming back.

"Juvia it's dangerous! We don't know the ice!" Ryujin called after her.

"Of course we do, our grandfather's brother lived up there! They'll be kind to us, please Daddy! I need your help!" Juvia begged holding out her hand.

Ryujin's eyes widened before he sighed out, grabbing his daughter's hand.

"Alright Juvia, you win. Right at the crack, give it everything you got." He told her.

Gray felt his whole being go numb, turning into ice itself. He started shivering and looked over at his father, seeing sweat run down his face as he started shaking as well.

"It's too strong." He grunted.

"Is that how weak your love is son?" Gray Sr. asked.

Gray remembered when his grandfather saw his long lost friend Lockster after so many years. The joy, the happiness, the forgiveness. He was going to break the ice right then and there and connect their worlds together again, hoping that their war didn't matter anymore, Lockster hadn't let him though. He was weak and couldn't face his friend after so many years.

Gray was weak. He was going to start being strong though.

"JUVIA!" He yelled out pouring everything he owned into his strength.

"GRAY!" Juvia yelled back hearing his voice, pouring just as much strength as he was in breaking the barrier between them.

She heard him... she heard his voice. Gray froze as he heard her own as well. She sounded... sounded nothing like he imaged. Gray started laughing, his father looking at him like he was crazy for a second and while both father and son had their guards down... the ice below them caved in.

Water was such a cold and heavy thing, suffocating. Gray and Gray Sr. couldn't swim and were stuck underwater, drowning. Juvia, with her wide smile, swam over and rescued him though. She swam like she never had before and grabbed his arms, jumping right out of the waters and onto the ice. It was cold and hard, scrapping her skin a little bit as she landed. She was on the ice though, she was on the ice.

"I guess that means I'm stuck with the other man." Ryujin mumbled saving the boy's father.

The air felt thin around her and was sort of hard to breath, not unbearable though. She didn't know how long she could breath in this ice world, for now though all she was focus on was Gray. He felt cold to the touch, so very cold, but also soft and warm at the same time. His eyes were closed, his wet hair sticking to his forehead and skin. He looked so much handsomer than usually without the ice between them. Her heart started soaring as she dared to hope, dared to speak the words that she's been wanting to tell him for so very long now. Words that were rushed before because she feared for her life in the waters. Word she could say with ease now she was with him.

"I love you Gray." She cried tears of happiness, brushing his sticky hair away from his face.

His eyes opened immediately as he started coughing out the water that filled his lungs. His black eyes started shining like crystals as he blinked slowly, meeting bright aqua blue ones. He never noticed it until now staring face to face with her, but her eyes look bright like the Iceberg's crystal glow. Her skin was as pale as ice, her eyes as bright as her, her smile strangely warm. That's the only thing that would have gave her away at his Element, other than her bright blue hair, how warm her smile was. Juvia smile seemed to keep stretching wider as she touched him. He felt like what she felt like, different though. Gray took a deep breath as he inhaled the cold air and sighed back out.

"Water... can't say I like it very much."

Juvia let out a beautiful carefree laugh that made Gray shiver. It's been a year, a year and finally he was able to hear her voice. He barely noticed her hand stroking his hand, her other hand squeezing his biceps to make sure he was actually alive. Everything just felt so nature, like it always was like this.

"To tell you the truth, I didn't imagine you with a voice like this." He chuckled.

He always pictured something more elegant with the way Juvia moved, something lighter, not this smooth and slightly deep voice she had. It suited her though, very much.

"You have the voice I always dreamed about." Juvia whispered lightly.

The two father's Lockster and Fullbuster stood in the background, feeling a great deal out of place. The two of them were freezing, but dared not voice anything not wanting to ruin their child's first meeting with each other. So they stood together side by side, completely invisible to their children. Juvia and Gray never broke eye contact, some sort of smile on each other their faces. Juvia's chest moved rapidly up and down, she didn't know if it was because it was hard to breath or if it was because she was so close to Gray. She felt herself freezing, the water she was soaked in slowly turning into ice.

"Ice is much colder than water, much colder. I didn't think that was possible." Juvia told him.

Gray nodded, looking down all of a sudden. "Your water was cold, I nearly froze to death."

He laughed awkwardly and Juvia merely smiled at him.

"I'm sorry I sent you away, I didn't want to hurt you by accident." He told her.

"I know."

"I'm glad I can finally see you though, you're... you're pretty warm compared to the water." He stuttered.

Ryujin shook his head while Gray Sr. groaned. His son was chocking out there, badly. He tried to think back on if he ever taught his son how to talk to a girl or ask one out. His mind came to a blank. Thankful Juvia took after her father's side and knew what she wanted, when she wanted.

"Gray, this is nice and all, but you aren't saying what I want to hear." Juvia whispered, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Right." Gray blushed, clearing his throat.

The moment was here. Finally face to face with her, he knew what he was feeling. He knew what he wanted to stay and wanted to hit himself for not saying it the second he held her in his arms. Gray leaned up and wrapped his strong arms around her, pressing her against his chest.

"I didn't want to say this between a wall of ice, but Juvia... I-"

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