Hello Lovelies! I'm so sorry about the delay! I had a huge exam to study for last week, and I didn't want to give you guys a half-assed story.
Also, some of the words in this story that you may not recognize are Greek translations (rough ones anyway) for "Wave" and "Water". As most of you know, Juvia's name is based off of the Spanish word for rain. I based Nami's name after the word 'Tsunami,' and it is a type of wave. "Kyma,"is a Greek translation of wave. "Nerό" means water.
Any who- I wanted to thank you all for sticking with me! If anything is confusing or if you just have something you want to say about my story, please comment below!
Just, Breathe…
Gray pounded at the ground with tired fists as tears flowed down his eyes. His new abdominal wound once again began to pour blood, pooling at his side. Suddenly, the pink haired wizard burst through the balcony doors with a fiery kick, immediately taking a defensive fighting stance before spotting the bleeding ice mage on the ground.
"Shit! Gray!" Natsu shouted, looking around before coming to the ice mage's side. "Dammit! Erza, I told you I heard some shouting out here!" he shouted behind him as he knelt down.
"Oh, my Kami, Gray!" Lucy shouted, coming to kneel beside him. She and Erza frantically looked around for any sign of their water mage.
"Where's Juvia?" Erza asked. All three looked down to the ice mage who began to grit his teeth, bitter tears pooled in his eyes. He tried to stand. Natsu stood and with an outstretched hand and tried to help him, but Gray shoved him away.
"He took her from me," he growled at himself, swaying. "He took her from me, and I couldn't do a damned thing about it!" he shouted, laying a fist to the wall. "I couldn't stop him!"
"Shit," Erza said through grit teeth, her knuckles turning white. The air turned cold.
"Don't worry, we will bring her back," Lucy offered, walking towards the distraught male. Gray growled, swiping at her arm, not accepting any form of help or comfort. Natsu appeared and defensively but calmly stood between them and grabbed the extended forearm of the ice mage. He squeezed in warning.
"Don't blame her for this. She was just helping you, man," Natsu told him in an even voice. Gray's eyes were hidden, shadowed by his sweaty bangs. He snarled at the comment before lunging at Natsu. The fire dragon slayer, anticipating this and pushing Lucy away, blocked each attack with worried eyes.
"Gray! Snap out of it!" he shouted. The ice mage couldn't stop, and he eventually landed a powerful punch to Natsu's side, sending him flying across the balcony. Gray came at him again at a speed neither of them had seen the ice mage reach before. Natsu didn't have time to react before an icy fist collided with his stomach and another with his face, knocking the breath out of him.
The fire dragon slayer coughed up blood. He grit his teeth as a red line trickled down his chin. Before Gray could land another blow, Natsu caught the flying fist. The ice mage tried to pull away before throwing the other hand at the fire mage, and that one was caught and trapped as well.
"Gray! Stop it! You need to calm down!" Erza shouted, but he wasn't listening. Lucy suddenly came from behind the red-head. She kicked Gray away from Natsu and lunged at him quickly.
"Do you think Juvia would want you to do this?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "We're your friends, Gray!" Gray dashed for her, but Lucy dodged, jumping over him and landing a swift, precise hit to the back of his neck, effectively knocking him out.
"Go get Wendy!" Lucy looked at Erza. The red-head grunted in acknowledgement and nodded before she dashed inside. Lucy walked to the fire mage and knelt down beside him. "Are you okay, Natsu?" she asked, placing a hand behind his head and back.
"Yeah, I'm good," he replied, shifting himself to a sitting position with her aid. The fire mage glanced to his best friend. "He must be really upset."
"I know, but that's no excuse for him to hurt you!" she shouted. Natsu chuckled, and Lucy turned her curious face to his smile.
"You think that ice block can hurt me?" he chuckled as she gently punched him. "Ah, well, I can't say anything, really," Natsu smirked as he starched the back of his head. Flashbacks sending chills down his spine. "If I were to lose you right in front of my eyes, there's honestly no telling what I would do."
"You cheese-ball," Lucy chuckled, scooting closer to him. She let him rest his head in her lap, running soothing fingers through is silky hair. The pair looked up as opening doors squeaked and Erza and Wendy came rushing through.
"Natsu?" Wendy asked, coming towards them. "Are you okay?" He waved her off, pointing to the ice mage that was collapsed on the ground.
"Help him; I'm good," he offered. Wendy nodded before dashing to the unconscious ice mage.
The sky dragon slayer quickly healed him, and they carried him into the dorm. Levy cast an enchantment over the dorm to keep Gray from leaving since they all knew he would try. Wendy made sure to keep him a deep sleep for a bit.
The dragon slayers went outside, checking the surroundings for any sign of the water mages, but found none. Not even a scent trail.
Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Levy, Gajeel, and Wendy sat in the living room together. Wendy came from behind and placed gentle hands on Natsu's back so that she could begin healing his wounds.
"Thanks," he told her, feeling his muscles begin to relax. When she finished, she sat on the couch beside Erza. Lucy pulled Natsu's head back into her lap. Levy and Gajeel sat in a lounge chair, with the bluenette in his lap.
"What do we know?" Gajeel asked, resting his chin on his hand.
"Before he went crazy, all that Gray had said was 'he took her,'" Natsu replied.
"We can safely assume that it was Nami," Lucy added.
"Where would he take her? Why take her now?" Levy asked.
"Atlantis," Gajeel spoke up.
"That's right. He said he wanted to rebuild Atlantis," Erza commented. "But, wouldn't we have noticed if a new city had emerged?"
"So, he's probably hiding out somewhere," Natsu interjected.
"If he's hiding out, he's going to be somewhere nearby," Gajeel spoke up. "There's no way he would have made it to the springs and here without having a location to recuperate."
"Either way, we know that he's probably going to use Juvia to his advantage against us," Lucy added. "I still don't understand this creep."
"That's why we have to find him before he tries to get Juvia involved in his sick fantasy," Gray spoke up, hobbling into the room.
"Gray, how are you moving?" Wendy asked, rushing to his side with glowing hands. The room fell silent, all eyes on him. Gray looked to the others then down to the girl at his side. He sat down in the nearest chair and let her finish her treatment.
When she backed away, he groaned, scratching his head before looking up and meeting the pinkette's eyes.
"I'm sorry for attacking you," he blurted out. "I was just so angry, but I-"
"Don't worry about it right now, ice for brains," the fire mage returned, waving him off with a grin. "Let's focus on the task at hand." Gray nodded, smiling.
"We need to tell the old man about this pronto," Gajeel spoke up. Levy could feel the tension radiating off of him in waves. She placed a comforting hand on his knee before looking towards the group.
"Master Makarov won't be back until morning, until then, we need to have our facts ready," Erza replied.
"The guild has some books on Atlantis and it's whereabouts," Levi spoke up. "I used to read about it when I was a kid, but I never expected it to be true."
"What do you remember?" Gray asked.
"Well," she began, tapping a finger to her chin, "the legends said that the city couldn't be resurrected without the power of Poseidon's Triton. But the only person that has ever been able to wield the Triton was Poseidon, himself," she answered.
~RAINING DESIRE~
Bright blue eyes slowly opened, looking around to a blurry, dark, wooden room. There was a small light source in the above her, but she couldn't make out much more. The water mage's body felt so heavy. She pushed the white sheet off of her shoulders and looked down to see that she was still in her night clothes.
"W-where…?" she began to ask. Juvia groaned as she rolled to her side, falling off of the small bed she was on. The sudden thud brought another presence into her room.
"Are you awake?" a gentle voice asked. When Juvia looked up, everything clicked.
"You-" she began, but was cut off by a coughing fit. Nami left and returned with a bottle of water. Juvia looked at him suspiciously.
"Relax, I didn't put anything in it," he rolled his eyes. It was another moment before she took it from him and drank until her throat calmed. She wiped her mouth and looked at him again.
"Where did you take me?" she asked in a deep voice, pushing herself into a sitting position.
"Somewhere none of them will find you," Nami replied, leaning against the door frame. "Do not worry, I'm not going to harm you in any way."
"Where is Gray?" she asked.
"He is right where we left him," he answered. "Do not worry, I'm sure your comrades have found him by now."
"What did you do to me?" she asked, groaning as her body didn't listen to her.
"Don't strain yourself," he told her, kneeling and picking her up bridal style. Since she couldn't resist, she resorted to glaring at him. "My, my, I didn't know you were capable of a face that intimidating," he sweat drooped. "As for your question," he began as he placed her on the bed, propped up by a pillow. "It was series of hits to pressure points so that I could take you without harming you since you were so resistant to me."
"You haven't really given me a reason to trust you," she mused.
"Not much I can do about that now, I suppose," he shrugged. "You will grow to trust me again."
"Like hell," she spat.
"Tsk, tsk," he chuckled. "What rotten language to use towards your future husband, my dear."
"You think I'm going to marry you?" she asked.
"You will," he commented, sitting beside her on the small bed. "it was our dream when we were younger."
"What?" she asked, raising an eye brow.
"When we were kids, I asked you to become the Amphitrite to my Poseidon," he answered, running his fingers through her smooth hair. "And you said yes."
"We were kids," she huffed.
"Well, we are grown adults now," he purred. "and I am so close to becoming Poseidon that I can taste it."
"What?" she asked, curious now.
"With the power of the Triton, I can control all the water in the world, all the oceans, rivers, and seas. I will become Poseidon," he smiled, excitement filling his eyes. "And with you by my side," he soothed, "as my wife and my fellow ruler, we shall lead this world into it's perfect utopia as Atlantis!" he shouted.
"That could only happen if the Triton and Atlantis actually exist, but they don't," she told him calmly. "Those are just things we would read in children's books."
"Oh," he smirked before standing and grabbing a series of documents, bringing thems to Juvia's side. "Is it now?" he asked. He showed her all of the pictures and details and a map that led to the treasure's location.
"What? T-this can't be-"
"Real? But it is," he told her excitedly. "You see, my dear," he began. "There was a reason I came to get you so soon," he told her as he petted her smooth, blue hair once more. "I need you to help me get the Triton. It's a two-person job, really. I could do it on my own, but I thought this would be a fun experience for the two of us."
"And what, pray tell, makes you think that I would help you?" she asked, demanding.
"To put it simply, if you don't," he narrowed his eyes, "your darling Gray and the rest of your pitiful excuse of a guild will die." He turned away from her as she gasped. He placed the documents back on the desk and leaned against it.
"You wouldn't be able to kill them," she bit out, struggling to sit up. "They're all strong; they're my family!" Nami chuckled, coming to her side and pressing against her shaking shoulders, laying her back to her former position.
"Oh, my dear, you underestimate me," he stated before showing her three, purple, flickering communication lacrimas. "Allow me to explain your options. Each of these represents a lacrima that I have placed in the guild hall, in the girls' dorms, and in your dear Gray's apartment, right underneath his bed. Now, if you do not wish to be responsible for their demise, you'd better consider your options before I make the choice for you." Juvia sat in silence for a moment, gritting her teeth.
Nami sighed. He honestly hated manipulating her like this, but if her guildmates were to intervene, it would cause nothing but trouble.
"Damn you," she muttered. Juvia looked up to him, meeting his gaze with piercing, blue eyes.
"Alright," she began in an even voice, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, "I'll help you find the Triton, and," and she paused, capturing his attention. As she opened blue, doe eyes, she leaned forward from the bed, placing a hand behind her for support and one on her thigh with a sinner's smirk. "I'll give you one chance, to win my heart," she paused once more, "Kyma."
Nami's whole face perked up and his body jerked at that one word. He smiled, nearly losing his balance as he rushed towards her, capturing her hand in both of his. His eyes were wide, expecting and hopeful.
"Y-you remember my nickname?" he asked through a stutter. She nodded.
"How could I forget?" she reiterated, giving him a small squeeze. "I remember everything about you…about us."
"I-I-I-I thought you had forgotten everything about me, Neira," he commented, using her old nickname and pressing a kiss to her knuckles, relief washed over him. He couldn't believe it. He was unbelievably happy.
Internally, Juvia grimaced, but she offered him a kind smile. He held her hand to his face with closed eyes, relishing in her comfort. If Juvia was to find a way to save her friends and defeat Nami, she had to play along until her Gray could save her. She knew they would come for her, so for now, she would wait and play along with Nami's game.
She gently pulled her hand away from his soft grip and offered him a tired smile.
"I'm a bit sleepy," she said, yawning to emphasize her point. "Would you mind letting me rest for a bit longer?" she asked.
"Of course," he replied. Nami walked to the door and shut off the light. "I'll wake you when I have lunch ready. For now, you should rest and gather your strength. We will begin out quest soon." She nodded, and he shut the door. Juvia fell back onto the bed with a groan.
'Please,' she thought, 'I know if anyone can find me, it's you, Gray.' She rolled over in the bed, pulling the covers to her chin.