When Natsu and Lucy returned from the mountain with the horn the entire crew jumped for joy.

"My friends we shall soon be up to our ears in money." Natsu told his crew. "Tonight and tomorrow we celebrate. We'll start by going to the nearest tavern for drinks."

"Now you're talking!" Gajeel said.

"I can't remember the last time I had a decent drink of booze." Erza said.

Everyone minus Lucy and Juvia looked at Erza with uncertainty and fear.

"What?" She said.

"No offense Erza but maybe you should skip this celebration." Gray said.

"Why?"

"Well you tend to get a little out of control when you drink." Natsu said.

"Nonsense. I'm perfectly fine with one harmless drink."

"The last time you got drunk you went shark fishing and used me as bait." Gajeel said.

"You all worry too much now let's go before they run out of all the good booze."

"Can I come?" Lucy asked.

"Have you ever had booze before?" Natsu asked her.

"No but I've drank champagne plenty of times."

"Okay."

"What about me? Can I come too?" Juvia asked.

"No you stay here."

"Why can't I come?"

"Because we need you and if we all get drunk we could lose you. Which reminds me, Gray you'll have to stay behind and watch her."

"Why me?"

"You're the holy one in our group and she likes you."

"Not fair."

"Who told you life was fair? Now while we're gone tie down the ship and don't let that mermaid out of your sight."

Gray sighed but he remained on the ship to watch Juvia. While he tied down the ship, she sat on the edge of it looking down at the sea below. It was a fairly calm evening, everything was quiet and nothing eventual happened. That is until he spotted Juvia changing out of her dress.

"Hey! What the heck do you think you're doing?!" He said with his head turned.

He heard the sound of water splashing and saw that she had jumped into the sea, swimming around.

"The pain in my feet was getting worse." She said. "I wanted to take a break."

"Oh I see."

"You know the water is perfect. It's not too cold, in fact it's almost warm. Would you like to go for a swim?"

"No way. You know I can't swim."

"I could teach you. It's not that hard to learn."

"Let me think about this...Um no."

"Alright then but could you please help me back on board?"

"But you just got in the water."

"It's not that much fun swimming alone."

Gray leaned over and held his hand out to her. She took hold of it and then surprised him completely by giving a mischievous giggle and pulling him into the sea.

"Are you crazy?!" He cried out while going into a panic. "Are you trying to kill me?!"

But Juvia just calmly kissed him on the mouth which made him turn red all over, then pulled him under water. At first that only made his panic grow but then he became aware of something unbelievable. He was breathing. He was actually breathing under water. When he finally calmed down she pushed him up to the surface.

"Are you okay?" She asked him.

"Wha...What was that?" He asked. "What's happening?! And why the hell did you kiss me?!"

"Don't be scared, you can breathe under water."

"I can?"

"Of course. When merfolk make lip contact with land creatures they are granted the ability to breathe water just like we do but it's temporary."

"That's why you kissed me?"

"Yes. We merfolk can transfer a lot of helpful energy through our lips. Oh dear, you've turned red again. Did I embarrass you?"

"Not exactly." He willed his emotions to stop making him blush. "Juvia what are you planning to do?"

"I'm planning to teach you how to swim."

"But I can't swim."

"It'll be alright. When you go under you can still breathe and I'll be right here. Now the first step in teaching you how to swim is showing you that the sea isn't always so scary. Let's go."

"Go? Go where?"

He got his answer when she once again pulled him under water. With her hand in his, she swam deeper into the sea taking him with her. At first he kept his screwed shut, terrified by the whole process of going deep into the sea like those last two horrifying events in his life. But after realizing that he could still breathe and was in no danger of drowning at the moment he opened his eyes and was awestruck by the world around him.

Huge numbers of fish, each of a different color and shape swam all around him and Juvia. Below them was plenty of colorful coral and green sea weed. The light from the setting sun that shined through the surface made the sea look even more beautiful. In that moment Gray forgot his fear of the water and found himself actually enjoying being under the sea with Juvia. After awhile she brought him back to the surface.

"Well what did you think?" She asked him.

"I have to admit it was really pretty down there but I'm still a little... Nervous about this."

"If you want we can stop for today. We'll go as slow as you would like."

She took him back to the ship and continued to swim around by herself, a smile on her face and her cheeks rosy with laughter. When it started to become darker she perched herself on a rock that was close by and started to sing.

"Days of burning sun
Watch the colors run
Into pools that catch the eye
Disappear as you pass by.

You're my summer rain
You're my summer rain
And I know that I'll see you again
And I know that I'll see you again."

The sea breeze carried her voice through the night sky allowing many humans to hear her song. Those who heard her were beguiled for they had never heard a voice so beautiful. They knew that no such voice could ever be sung by any human so they were convinced that it was an angel singing to them.

"Hear my prayer
Answer my call
Breathe life into my soul
I am waiting for you to show
Come and hold me so.

You're my summer rain
You're my summer rain
And I know that I'll see you again
And I know that I'll see you again."'

All who heard her were entranced but no one more so than Gray. He was grateful to God above that she wasn't a siren or a mermaid who lured humans to their deaths because if she was he would be a dead man.

What Gray didn't realize was that her song was dedicated to him and the love she had developed for him. She knew that once this was all over she would most likely return to Mermaid Heel and never see him again, that they could never be together no matter how much she wanted it. But still she couldn't help it, she loved him so much and some where in her heart she had a small ray of hope that they could have something one day.

"Dreams of a day with you
Fading away

You're my summer rain
You're my summer rain
And I know and I know and I know that I'll see you again
And I know and I know and I know that I'll see you again
Summer rain
You're my summer rain
And I know and I know and I know that I'll see you again
And I know and I know and I know that I'll see you again
Ah huh ah
Summer rain
Ah huh ah
Summer rain."

With her song finished she jumped from her rock and swam back toward the ship.

"You really do have a wonderful voice." He told her.

"Thank you. Do you sing?"

"Me? No. I'm...I'm terrible but my mother used to sing to me a lot when I was a kid."

"She loved music?"

"Very much. Let me show you something."

He took her down to his room where he showed her his mother's music box.

"What is it?" She asked him.

"It's called a music box." He explained. "You open it up and you wind up the handle here then music plays."

He opened the heart shaped box and began to wind up the handle. A sweet little melody started to play. Juvia was astonished.

"This is amazing!" She said.

"My father had it made for my mother. It's one of the few things that survived the ship wreck."

"This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"You like it?"

"Uh-huh."

"You can have it... While you're staying here I mean."

"Really? Thank you."

Smiled as she listened to the melody. The way she looked reminded him of how his mother looked whenever she heard that music. Though he was glad it made Juvia happy it also made him sad because it reminded him that he would never see his mother's smiling face again.