Hey guys! Kytrin here with your update! Apologies for it running late. Mslead has been invaded by a herd of relatives and didn't get a chance to post yesterday lol. Don't worry, Wednesday update will be on time. No major announcements so enjoy your chapter!
CHAPTER 35
Run a Rig
Play a joke or a trick on someone
"This is your home?"
Gray smiled in amusement at the goddess's awed expression, "Yeah. It's not much by most standards, but you can't beat the scenery."
In truth, he was more than a little awed himself. It had been five years since he'd last set foot in this valley, and the little village that had once driven him insane now seemed cozy and cheerful.
It had grown over the intervening time, not much, but enough to be noticeable, and the streets seemed far more welcoming than he remembered. Had he really been such an angry brat that he couldn't appreciate the beauty of his own home?
Knowing the answer to that was an unequivocal yes, he just shook his head and held his hand out for her, "C'mon. Let's head down there. My family's waiting."
Juvia nodded and slid her hand in his with a smile, "You told them about me?" She asked, a slight blush tinting her cheeks, "What did you say?"
Gray flashed her a cheeky grin, "You'll have to find that out for yourself!" He teased, and leaned close, "I didn't tell them anything I shouldn't though."
Her lips turned upward at that, "Do you think they would mind so much if you did?"
Gray raised an eyebrow, "Mind? No, probably not. But that's your secret to tell, not mine. Dad will love you either way so I didn't think it mattered."
"So you've said." Juvia laughed, "What of the rest of your family?"
Gray scratched the back of his head, "Mom'll probably be glad I'm courting a lady serious enough to bring her all the way back here. Lyon and Ultear will be obnoxious brats though."
Juvia bit her bottom lip, nervous for reasons she couldn't quite voice. She had no idea how Lucy had done this before. Not that she could ask for advice on the matter anyway. Besides her champion's family had been gone long before they became lovers.
She was a goddess though! It was ridiculous for her to be anxious about this! Of all people she had nothing to fear from them, but honestly she could say she had not done anything more terrifying in her life.
She squeezed Gray's hand, her arm wrapping around his for support to soothe her anxiety.
"Juvia come on, relax!" He laughed, drawing his arm around her shoulders and pulling her to his side.
They crunched together through the snow, and Juvia had to admire his perfect balance.
In truth, she loved Gray deeply. She had a bit of a reputation for being temperamental and as frosty as the icy seas, but Gray had been kind and gentle and... ever since Natsu introduced him to her, she couldn't stop thinking about him.
She had been aware of him of course, Gray was one of her devout followers and she listened to his prayers and guided him where she could. However she had never met him before.
But she had never met anyone who had so much resounding faith in her. Nor someone who could readily set aside her divinity and help her with simple tasks either.
She wanted to make him her champion, but had no idea how to do it. He would have to be one of her creatures, born from the sea, and she couldn't tear him from his family. She wouldn't.
She was ancient and powerful, but not like Lucy had been or even The Creator when he chose Erza as his Champion.
Metalicana's champion, the only other one to ever exist, was a dragon born from dragons. She could be his champion.
The celestial family though — all life belonged to them. They could pick anyone.
She repressed a sigh as he led her to a warm looking house. It had a fresh blanket of snow, but that didn't detract from the coziness one bit. Built of the sturdy wood that surrounded them on all sides, it had been stained a warm honey brown. Under the shelter of the front porch she could see paintings on the door and carvings with different colored wood in the lintel itself.
It was unexpectedly beautiful, and Juvia found herself smiling as they approached.
"This is where you grew up?" She breathed.
"Yeah." Gray grinned as he looked around, "I'd forgotten how nice this place was." He glanced at her, "The locals built it for my great-great-grandfather and his wife after they saved the village from an avalanche. We've been the local go to wizards for ice magic ever since."
"Don't lie to the lady Gray." A haughty voice said, and Juvia blinked as a young man about Gray's age with white hair sauntered around the side of a large oak tree, "We're the 'go to' wizards because we're the best."
"Remind me to introduce you to the cap'n." Gray muttered with a roll of his eyes and sighed, "Lyon, this is Juvia. The woman I've been talking about in my letters." He gestured irritably to Lyon, "Juiva... my brother Lyon."
"A true delight to meet you." Lyon purred, bowing at the waist with a smile, "I see for once Gray's claims were actually on the mark. You are every bit as beautiful as he said."
"Whaddya mean for once?" Gray snapped, "I've always beaten your butt haven't I?"
Lyon smirked, "In the past maybe." He conceded, "But it's been five years. Do you even remember how to use ice magic sailing around on that rowboat of yours?"
"Rowboat!" Gray echoed, already gearing up to take a swipe at his brother, "Listen you arrogant prick, maybe I oughta show you how it's done since all you've been doing is sitting on your tail at home!"
He was immediately undercut from his threats as Lyon settled an arm around a confused Juvia's shoulders and began to steer her inside away from Gray, "And this is our humble home my dear Juvia. Come let me guide you away from that brute and out of the cold. Gray is such a savage sometimes."
"Huh? Wait really it's no problem!" Juvia looked helplessly over her shoulder at Gray as Lyon slammed the door in his face, leaving his brother out in the snow and away from his lover.
"Wait! Lyon you bastard!"
—::—
Gray shuddered as he glared down at the map that Levy has unfurled before them.
"Are you sure this is the right location?" Gray asked, his voice bitter and thick.
"I'm afraid so Gray, I'm sorry. I wish it weren't true," Levy said apologetically.
Juvia looked over her shoulder to see where they were going, a sharp gasp pulling from her throat.
"But this? This is in the mountains!" She gave Gray a wide-eyes stare. "Isn't this your...?"
"Home." Gray spat like it was the most vile curse he could think of.
Natsu frowned a little at the tone. The Gray he knew hadn't ever spoken about his home like that. What had happened to make him react like that?
"Am I missing something?" He asked Lucy, who was watching Gray with sad eyes. She sighed and shook her head.
"Gray..."
"It isn't fair Lucy!" Gray burst out, "Why does it have to be there of all godsdamned places? Huh?!"
"I very much doubt the gods would have expected the last four hundred years to actually happen." She replied softly, "They buried these temples thousands of years ago. How could they have possibly expected events would play out like this?"
"But they're gods Lucy!" He replied, his voice strangled on grief and rage, "Shouldn't they have..."
Lucy laid a hand on his trembling shoulder, "If they could do that, don't you think they would've prevented your curse in the first place? Prevented all of this in the first place?" She turned him slowly and met his eyes fiercely, "It doesn't work like that and you know it. Hell, we've been living it for the past few months! I know what it looks like to you, but this isn't them being malicious or laughing at you. You know that."
Gray's eyes slid away, "I know that." He muttered, his fists clenched tightly, "That doesn't mean I have to like it though." He turned his back on the meeting, "I'm going to take a turn in the nest." He mumbled and stomped off.
Lucy sighed as she watched him go and held out her hand to stop Juvia from following after him, "No. Leave him be for a bit." She told the sea goddess, "Trust me. He won't want company until he's had a chance to blow off some steam."
"But... I don't understand." Juvia exclaimed, "Why is Gray so angry about having to go home?"
Lucy stared out at the water for a moment, "Because he doesn't have a home to go back to there." She looked at Juvia's stricken expression, "There was a war. Gray's hometown and several others were caught between two armies trying to cross the mountains to get to each other. Between them, they razed the town to the ground, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Only a handful survived."
She gripped her arm, "He blames himself for that. If he'd used his cursed arm and invoked the destroyer's magic, it's possible he could've saved his village. But the price would've been his own sanity. So he didn't. And he's lived with that ever since."
Tears filled Juvia's eyes and she looked up towards the nest, her hands covering her mouth. She slowly lowered them to her chest, feeling as if her heart was breaking for Gray.
Acnologia's curse on Gray was by far one of the crueler ones she had seen. For every ounce of happiness he had, Gray would suffer something worse by twice. He would be protected only when he was at sea, but his home was landlocked.
Where he grew up meant he was only a magnet for bad luck and horrible events to rain down on him. It was a wonder he hadn't been chased from his town.
Instead it seemed that Acnologia had advanced onto him on his own, torturing him to get back at her.
It wasn't Gray's fault at all. He had been just a mortal thrown in between a battle of gods, and Juvia didn't know how to make it better for him. The man who always had so much love and faith in his heart for her, was suffering in such a way it broke Juvia to see him like this. She curled her hands into fists and tightened her jaw.
"This was Acnologia's doing. Like everything else," Juvia swore.
"That guy sure has a way of screwing everyone over," Cana sighed.
"I'm gettin' real tired of his games," Gajeel growled, "Alright then. We ain't got time to think about that. Who is our away team for this?"
Lucy looked at her crew and sighed, "I can't make Gray come with us. It'll be too painful, but we won't have anyone else to guide us."
"We'll get by without Gray," Juvia insisted, looking at Lucy firmly. The woman watched her for a moment before she smiled in agreement.
"We do things better by the sea of our pants anyway," Lucy admitted.
"Alright then, I'll go with Natsu and Juvia when we land. Gajeel you need to get started working on repairing the staff, Levy you'll have to get ready to get us out of here in a hurry okay? Us being out on land won't end well," Lucy grit her teeth.
"Isn't it a bad idea for you to be out on land though Captain?" Natsu asked, concerned about her safety.
"I'm not sitting this out," Lucy replied, "Besides you're cursed just as much as I am. It doesn't matter who goes out on land we're cursed either way."
"We have to risk it," Juvia insisted, "Much as I hate to admit it, we aren't going to find anyone better equipped for this."
She looked over at the crows nest where Gray sat alone. She bit her bottom lip and turned away once she said her piece. Her arms wrapped around herself, remembering a time when the brooding on Grays face was replaced with loud laughter and joy.
She had failed her love. Terribly.
"I hate to start rainin' on y'all's parade, but the Fairy Tail ain't gonna make it to the port nearest them mountains without repairs." Gajeel growled, "She's taken two good thumpin's already from the last two relics. We need at least a week or two in port to get her refitted. Mebbe more."
"To say nothing of our supplies." Cana sighed, "Cap'n, I hate to say this, but we're not in good shape. We're not going to be able to save anything if we kill ourselves trying to get there."
Lucy crossed her arms and frowned down at the map, "Alright. We'll make for Harjeon then." She tapped the map, "It's the nearest port to us. We'll do a full resupply and refit." She eyed the various gods speculatively, "Is there a way any of you could do a kind of suppression on Gray's and my curses for the duration?"
Gajeel scratched his chin thoughtfully and shook his head, "Naw. Not us. Only ones who could pull somethin' like that off would be the Spirit King an' Gramps. That'd also mean a good sacrifice though blondie. We're talkin' somethin' real personal to ya."
Lucy's heart clenched a little as her thoughts drifted over to the one thing besides her keys that would probably fit the bill, "We'll keep that thought in reserve then." She said tightly, "Maybe Gray and I can just stay on the ship the whole time."
Gajeel shook his head, "Not possible cap'n. Fairy Tail needs to be dry docked for a bit. I need to get a proper look at how bad that damn sea serpent damaged the hull down there. We ain't taken on water, but I ain't gonna trust it otherwise."
"I'll call Jellal for you." Natsu offered, "You can talk about it with him directly."
Lucy sighed and nodded. Juvia's magic on them was fragile now, barely clinging together with how their memories were returning. She didn't know how Jellal was able to help Natsu without requiring a sacrifice, but she suspected it was a result of him being a champion.
"Alright Natsu. Call him, Juvia will you get let Gray know what's going on? He will need to get something in mind to sacrifice," Lucy murmured.
"Levy you keep the course, Gajeel man the wheel. Cana keep the crew tight, you heard Gajeel. Our old girl isn't in the best of shape right now," Lucy gave her a crooked smile, "Now come on Natsu. Let's get you what you need to summon the Spirit King."
Juvia watched them go, knowing they would need a lot of materials and time to prepare that particular summoning. She looked up at the nest, hooking her fingers in the ropes and began her ascent. Rope climbing still wasn't something she was good at, but for a mercy she managed to get up to the nest in one piece and haul herself into it all the same.
"Gray," Juvia looked at the sullen man, who didn't seem like he was altogether happy to have company.
She nestled into a spot next to him, hands settling on her knees, "Lucy told us what happened to your village."
"She also mention it was my fault?" Gray crossed his arms and stiffened his shoulders. Juvia could see the heartbreak in his eyes, but she grabbed his arm in her firm hold to pull away from his body.
He yelped a bit in panic when she handled his cursed arm, reaching out and unbuckling his bracer, tossing it to the side.
"This is not your fault Gray. You were wise never to use this magic, this curse would have destroyed you," Juvia snapped at him, "Acnologia wanted nothing more than to make you suffer for something I did a long time ago."
Gray looked up at her with a frown, "Something you did?" He asked, "Why the hell did he curse my whole family for something you did?"
Juvia winced a little at his tone, but couldn't fault him for it, "Because..." She sighed, "Because your ancestor sailed with Natsu on the original Fairy Tail. After Acnologia caught up to them for disrupting the wedding, he got Natsu to safety on an island. I think his plan was to get help for his captain and try to rebuild from there."
"But he never got the chance." Gray supplied, his frown still there, but less sharply angry and more considering, "I guess Acnologia happened?"
Juvia nodded, "Yes. He cornered your ancestor while Natsu was still grievously wounded. I was occupied trying to save as many of the crew as I could. I didn't realize the problem until..." She sucked in a pained breath, "Until he sacrificed his own life to invoke me."
"He loved his captain." She whispered, "They argued all the time, but I've rarely seen greater faith in a mortal than he had for Natsu. And he was one of my most devout worshippers, but the faith he had in Natsu far surpassed it. No matter what insanity Natsu got them into, he had faith there would be a way out. Even at the end, he willingly sacrificed his own life to see his captain live. They were closer than brothers, and he was confident he would be reborn while Natsu was still alive and have the chance to be part of his crew again."
"It was that invocation that gave me the power needed to save Natsu. To cast the protections I have. And it was doing so that led to your family's curse. Acnologia would not abide my total victory, so he took his revenge on you, on Natsu, and on Lucy." She bowed her head, "I'm sorry."
"I was careless with your ancestor. I thought the worst he would do was take his life. I never suspected his entire line would suffer," Juvia settled her hand over the markings on his arm, "This punishment was meant for me. I'm sorry you've suffered for it."
Gray stared at Juvia, not sure how he felt about what he was seeing now. The goddess had always protected him, hadn't she? She had done the best she could, even while operating under the weight of grief to try and protect those she cared about.
He wondered again about this mysterious ancestor of his that Gray suspected wasn't really an 'ancestor' at all and the relationship he had with Juvia. Gray had begun to suspect he had his own past life, the strange dreams he had been having seemed to align too well with events unfolding around them.
Memories of Natsu as his captain, teasing and getting him into all sorts of trouble flew to his mind. The fun they had, the companionship. The endless adventures and the love of the sea and the woman who owned it.
"Juvia it's not your fault—" Gray began, only for Juvia to settle her fingertips over his lips.
His heart thumped when she edged into his personal space, those fathomless deep eyes watched him, gentle but intense.
"It's Acnologia's fault. He caused this to happen when he became short sighted in his duties. But when we defeat him, I might be able to break this curse on you when he is gone. Should you refrain from using it." Juvia poked his cheek and gave him a firm look, "Under no circumstance will you use it."
"This will do more than change your mind Gray, it will corrupt your very soul and spring forth a demon who is a slave to the Destroyer like the demon gates," Juvia lowered her head and pressed her lips against his skin. The sharp intake of breath which escaped him left every inch of his being shaking, like warmth was trembling into his body.
"I love your soul Gray," Juvia smiled up at him, expression earnest.
Gray smiled at her, "Then I'll do everything I can to keep it pure for you." He replied softly, one hand tugging absently on the sword pendant around his neck.
The movement attracted Juvia's eye and she looked down at it, "What is that pendant if you don't mind me asking?"
Gray looked down at it and chuckled sadly, "It's a family heirloom." He replied, "It belonged to my father, and grandfather before him. I... inherited it... after..."
He broke off and took a steadying breath, "It means a lot to me."
Juvia nodded solemnly, "Then I hope it's not the only treasure you have." She said gravely, causing him to look up at her sharply, "Natsu has agreed to contact Jellal, the Spirit King, for aid for the three of you. Especially Lucy. There's no way we can hope to remain undetected for long for ship's repairs or to get to the mountains with Acnologia looking for you on land."
She lowered her eyes, "The price of such a blessing will be something of great personal worth to you at the very least."
Gray felt his heart constrict, but nodded steadily enough. He understood the rules of sacrifice. Better now than he ever had before really. Such a protection, even temporary, would not come cheaply.
"I'll think about it." He replied, unwilling to commit to giving up his pendant at the drop of a hat.
Juvia smiled and nodded, "Then I'll leave you to your watch." She replied, "No doubt Natsu and Lucy are still preparing for the ritual."
She turned to go, but Gray caught her wrist before she could leave, "You're welcome to stay if you want."
Juvia caught sight of his rosy cheeks and the subtle press of his lips together, before she nodded and settled down next to him. Her knees tucked up to her chest and her head fell lightly against his shoulder.
"It's a beautiful view," Juvia murmured and closed her eyes, enjoying the breeze.
"Yeah," Gray looked at her, his heart pounding in his chest, "It's beautiful."
And that's the chapter! I hope you guys all enjoyed the gruvia! We've got more coming! I also wanna give a big shout out to all of our reviewers. You guys totally rocked it and made your preview! Congratulations! As a bit of an apology for our posting shenanigans lately, here's an extra long preview. Enjoy, and we'll see you Wednesday! :)
"Lord of Stars, keeper of souls, and bringer of life, hear our call." He intoned formally, unable to get away with his more informal summoning habits under the circumstances, "We beseech thy counsel and thine aid in this time of uncertainty and need."
He slid a recently sanctified dagger across his palm and dropped the blood that pooled onto the altar, "We pray you accept the sacrifice of blood and hearken unto us."
"Oh, I haven't heard that invocation in centuries!" Levy breathed with a nostalgic sigh, "I'd forgotten how elegant it was!"
"Aye." Juvia agreed, "You don't think about how much the traditions have shifted until you hear one of the older ones again."
The stars overhead seemed to twinkle more brightly, and the wind picked up and swirled around them, motes of magic filling the air as the wind coalesced behind the altar and glowed brightly before fading away to reveal a smiling young man with blue hair and an intricate tattoo.
He radiated power and strength in a way none of the other gods in their crew did apart from the time Levy had been invoked, and instinctively all the mortals knelt in reverence.
"A formal invocation Natsu?" Jellal asked as he took in his surroundings, only for his gaze to freeze on Lucy's form, "Lucy..."
