Hello, boys and girls. I'd like to tell a story.

So this chapter was suppose to be out a couple of days ago but a work project got in the way of it so I had to put it on pause. Hopefully, I can get the other four chapters out quicker.

This chapter is more introspection from Gray's end than actual dialogue. I've tried to imagine what would be going through his mind having Juvia enter his life. So here it is.

Warmth

As an Ice mage, one would think that Gray Fullbuster is just like his element: impassive and cold. But people defy simple explanations. While he may portray himself as a cool and dispassionate person, that isn't the case at all.

Gray Fullbuster is a total hothead when it comes to his frenemy/rival, Natsu. Some would say that they were destined to be like that since they have opposing elements. Others would say that because they grew up together, their friendship is built around this idea of one-upmanship. But if you were to ask Gray, he would say that he just can't stand looking at his slanty eyes. As much as he dislikes Natsu (no, not really, but a guy like him can't be honest about his feelings), he can respect his strength as a Dragon Slayer and a Fire Mage. And still, he is a precious friend, one that has stopped the Ice Mage from sacrificing his life on multiple occasions.

Gray is super protective of his friends and guild. It's very understanding. Losing his family in the way that he did and then watching his teacher sacrifice her life for him made the Ice Mage very reluctant to form bonds again. But Fairy Tail is a guild that worms its way into your heart. The friendships that he has formed with the guild aren't superficial. They are what give him courage and power. For the many times they annoy him, in his heart of hearts, he wouldn't trade them in for anything.

Gray truly respects his team. It hadn't been his idea to join this group and he thought he would be fine by himself but he had to admit that their group has got a synergy that can take on whatever challenges are thrown at them. Happy, while not useful in combat, his utility in transportation is unmatched. Wendy is like a little sister to him and the center of their support; her spells have turned the tide of the battle many times. Lucy may not be as physically strong as everyone else but she has great courage and powerful spirit magic, plus her intelligence has been a plus in the final battle against Acknologia, casting that powerful Fairy Sphere. And Erza's monstrous strength and leadership, well, there's not much that can be said about that.

This was Gray's family and it filled him with a warmth that permeates his very soul. And he would have been satisfied with these knuckleheads.

But then came her.

They met in the rain as enemies. She was one of the people who had kidnapped Lucy. Of course, he wasn't going to take it easy on her. She was strong and he struggled mightily against her but eventually prevailed (and also copped a feel.) Gray didn't know it at the time but this fight would significantly change the course of his life, and this warrior woman by the name of Juvia Lockser would be the catalyst.

Juvia was very intense back in the early day. She would make him food with his face on it. She would make dolls in his likeness. She spent as much time with him as humanly possible. Gray was very flummoxed by her presence. He's never had anyone pay that much attention to him like she did. He had taken her on her first mission as a member of Fairy Tail only because Master Makarov had asked it. Much of it was spent having her fawn all over him. The azurette made him feel weird. There was this kind of roiling in the Ice Mage's gut around her, not bad or good but something strange. It was different than what he had experienced with everyone else in his life and it would take him at least three years to finally understand what was going on.

The first time he noticed that Juvia was different to everyone else was when Urtear tried to kill her. Gray Fullbuster would put himself in harm's way to save a friend but there was something else to that. It was like, 'If something happens to Juvia, I don't know what I would do with myself.' Which was strange. Some time after this event, Gray tried to imagine if anyone else in the guild were to die like Juvia nearly did but it didn't affect him in the same way as what happened to Juvia.

The second time was when Juvia confessed to destroying Keyes and, by proxy, returning his father Silver to his eternal rest. He was filled with such pain, not just from losing his father for a second time but the thought of Juvia suffering because she believed that he wouldn't love her anymore after being the catalyst of his suffering. But Gray was grateful that she did what he could not. And when he hugged her, he realized what he felt from her.

Warmth

Not the kind of warmth that made him unconsciously strip. This wasn't the warmth that he felt when he was in Fairy Tail, that of camaraderie and family. Juvia Lockser was different from everyone else in the guild. The more he spent time around her, the warmer Gray felt. This warmth was addictive, making him feel weak. It's both frightening and exhilarating. It was until night before the final battle with the Alvaraz Empire when Gray realized the reason Juvia was different than everyone else.

Gray had fallen in love with Juvia.

But the Ice Mage didn't say it on that night, overlooking Magnolia. Gray knew that he had to focus on the battle to come and he didn't want to be distracted. This war was important and once it was done, he could finally give her the answer she deserved.

Well, that was the plan…until he and Juvia faced off against the ice mage from Alvaraz. That despicable bastard put a chain around both of them and forced them to fight. Gray could feel himself fading away when he was pummeling Juvia. It made him sick, both as her friend and as a man, that he could hurt Juvia like this. At the rate he was going, he could kill her. So before he loses himself completely, he formed an ice broadsword and impaled himself on it…

Only to see that Juvia had done the same.

Gray couldn't believe it. She wasn't suppose to die here. Juvia was suppose to live. She was suppose to move on and find someone else. She couldn't die here. But at the very least, he could die with her.

And when he woke up from his severe injury, Gray was confused. He expected to die. It wasn't until he saw the strand of magic on his arm. Juvia was putting her magic into him, a magic to save him from the brink of death…at the cost of her own life. The horror that Juvia, who had loved him through thick and thin, someone gave him everything, even the last vestiges of her own life while he gave nothing in return. It broke him and lead him down a dark path until he saw the Water Mage alive again, requiring Wendy to walk and exhausted from the loss of magic, but alive. It was truly a relief. His warmth is back. And with the power of friendship, they were able to defeat the Alavaraz army and ultimately defeat Acknologia.

After they had taken a day or two to relax and recuperate, Gray tells Mira that he is going to be gone for a week. When the barmaid asked where he was going, the Ice Mage lied and said he was going to visit the grave of his parents. He felt bad lying but he just didn't want anyone to be around him, especially Juvia. In an abandoned cave, near the grave of his parents, the Ice Mage stripped himself of his shirt. Allowing the magic to engulf him, the powers of ice magic and Devil Slaying magic echo and rage.

The memory of Juvia dying still haunted his dreams. Someone so friendly, so silly, so powerful, so wonderful, someone like her shouldn't die for him. And the only reason she nearly did was because he was weak. That weakness of his disgusted Gray. So he will not allow himself to be weak anymore. He will get stronger, better. He will master his Devil Slayer powers

The thought of Juvia's smiling face spurs him on. She deserves someone who better than the man he is today. But one day, he will be better, the person she needs, so that he can bask in the warmth she provides.

And that's the end of the chapter.

So the situation of Gray and Juvia's relationship in 100YQ bothers me. At the end of the main series, which is a year later epilogue mind you, Gray's still on the fence about his feelings for Juvia. I don't really understand it. It would make sense if it was a month or two but a whole year? And he's having his revelations only now on a separate continent? Dafuq? Nah, I'm not buying it.

So yeah, this is my two cents about it? In any case, liked the chapter? Hated it? Have no opinion one way or the other? Leave me a review. I'd love to hear from you.

Until next chapter,

A. Angel