Natal Angel, a Fairy Tail fanfic.

Pair: Gray F. & Juvia L.

Language: Filipino

Rating: K+

Warning: Warning(s)? Ito lang: Kilig moments in English and underaged boy kissing an underaged girl. Yun lang. AT TWO SHOT.

Summary: AU/slight OOC Gray and Juvia. Unnecessary and convenient events result in Gray and Juvia attending the festival by themselves. With help from a few CONVENIENT classmates, Gray manages to ensnare the girl and win his affection. Gray, you damn sly fox.

A/N: This is going to be the final chapter of my two shot GRUVIA fic. Alpenrose, enjoy! =)

Natal Angel Chapter 2: Her Natal Angel

Lumalabas pala na ang tinatago nina Mirajane sa kusina kaninang hapon ay isang secret mission para gawan ng bento para sa kanilang tatlo. Pero, since wala si Natsu, ay pinaghatian ito nina Levy at Wendy habang pinag-uusapan ang mga mangyayari mamayang gabi sa festival. Nagpasalamat sina Gray at Juvia kay Mama Julia at Mirajane (dahil maysadong tutok sa kanilang usapan sina Wendy at Levy, hinayaan na nila ito.) at umalis na. Marami na rin sa kanilang mga kapitbahay ang naglalakad at naka-suot ng kahalintulad na damit – mga yukata at kimono – patungo sa plaza na kung sana gaganapin ang festival.

"Napansin ni Juvia na medyo weird..." Inumpisahan ni Juvia, habang inilapit ang bento sa kanyang dibdib habang naglalakad sila. Medyo nagiging malamig na gabing iyon, at salamat sa manok na niluto nina kaninang umaga ay tumutulong na ma-regulate sa normal na temperatura ang katawan ni Juvia. "Pupunta tayo sa festival ng wala nang ibang kasama, ibig kong sabihin..." HIndi naman niya gustong ma-offend si Gray at isipin na ayaw niyang makasama ito sa festival. Tinignan niya tennis player, ngumingiti.

Ibinalik ni Gray ang niti at sinabing. "Oo. Pero salamat naman at peaceful," Sumangayon si Juvia; hindi nakakagawa ng kaguluhan si Natsu dahil sa pagiging engot nito, hindi nangugulo si Erza at Lucy kay Juvia... napaka-payapa. At dahil mahal ni Juvia ang anyang mga kaibigan, ganun rin sa katahaimikang nagaganap sa mga oras na iyon.

Pinaka-masaya ng mga ras na iyon ay si Gray. Ginawa niya ang lahat ng kanyang maitutulong, at hindi niya ito tinatago. Ikinatuwa naman ni Juvia iyon.

"Wui," Itinuro ni Gray ang kanyang hintuturo sa kalangitan na sinunod ni Juvia. May mga ilan na nagpaputok ng kanilang mga fireworks, at ang kanilang mukha ay napuno ng excitement. "Mukhang naguumpisa na!"

Ang unang gabi ng festival ay parating naguumpisa matapos lumubog ang araw. Hindi mawawala sa opening ceremonies ang kabuki at ang firewokrs display, napakaraming pagkain, at ilan sa mga rides na binkusan para sa lahat. Nang nakapasok ang dalawa sa pinaka-loob ng festival, nililingon nila ang bawat direksyon, namamangha. Kahit sino naman na nakapunta na sa isang festival na tulad nito, ay sa bawat pagbalik mo ay parang panibagong karanasan.

"Juvia, subukan natin 'to."At kinuha niya ang kamay ni Juvia, making her heart skip a beat as he she was tugged over to a snack stand.

Ngumiti ito habang nagtingin si Gray ng pwedeng makain – ang tema ay 'ancient Japanese legends', mga pagkaing itsurang isda o pugita. [2] Kumukha si Gray ng isang skewer na kung saan may nakatuhog na fish cake rito, natatwa habang naalala ang itsura ng fish cake tulad ng isa sa mga halimaw na sinuot ni Natsu noong Halloween Party nila.

"Tignan mo nga naman, kamukha nung engot na iyon!" Muling tumawa si Gray, at kumuha ng isang cute na itsurang pusa para kay Juvia. Binayaran na niya rin iyon, maski na ayaw ni Juvia at bahagyang itinulak si Juvia patungo sa mga taong walang tigil ang pag-dating. "Ililibre kita ngayong gabi, okay?" Ngumiti na lamang si Juvia. "Kilala si dad sa mga food merchants rito kaya makakuha ako ng discount."

Tinikman niya ang fish flavored cat cake at napangiti sa sarap ng lasa nito habang nililingon ang bawat kaganapan sa festival. May mga magkasintahang naglalambingan, may mga magkakabarkadang nag-aasaran, mga mag-ina at mag-ama na nagbo-bonding, atbp. Nag-ikot pa sila sa main food lane, tumitigil upang tikman ang mga pagkaing masarap man o hindi.

As they munched on some onigiri at nag-ikot pang muli sa mga food booths, napunta na sila sa general merchandise section ng festival. Marami sa mga pwesto na naroon ay nagbebenta ng lahat ng klas3eng bagay;; burloloy, damit, art, lahat ng pwedeng mabili. Binagalan nila ang lakad habang nagtitingin ng mga pwedeng maibili at hindi naiwasan ni Juvia na bumili para sa kanilang kaklase na wala ng gabing iyon. Isang cute na dragon keychain para kay Natsu, tig-isang pares ng hugis bituin na hikaw para kina Erza at Lucy. Nakahanap naman ito ng lighter na may katatagang: "Kung ayaw mo akong naninigarilyo, h'wag kang huminga." at naisipang ibili ito para kay Jellal. Magsama ka na rin ng mga munting amit para kina Mirajane, Levy at Wendy, at isang magandang kwintas para sa kanyang nanay, mayroon siyang dalawang medium sized bags sa kanyang braso. Pakiramdam niya na pwede nang mamahinga ang konsiyensya niya, since na-ibili na niya ng regalo ang mga taong malalapit sa buhay niya na wala noong gabing iyon.

Wala namang binili na partikular si Gray maliban sa pagkain (may nabili itong sunvisor cap ng kanyang favorite tennis team), pero may hinahanap ito na isang partikular na bagay with a mild determination. Naisip nga ni Juvia na may hinahanap ito – pero hindi na nito inalam – at sumunod lang ito kung saan pumunta si Gray habang sinama ito sa iba't-ibang booths. Their hands always managed to find each other as they merged into the crowds; whether it was to not lose each other or not, hindi ito alam ni Juvia at hindi na niya inisip iyon. Ang nasa-isip niyang gabing iyon, sila lang ng kanyang Gray-sama. Half of the time she didn't even notice until Gray squeezed her hand to get his attention. Sa totoo lang, hindi naman masang bagay iyon. Napaka-natural at ilang lumingon sa kanilang direksyon pero hindi nila alintana ito, maliban sa ilang mga... sabihin nating 'gwapo'... pero namumula siya sa tuwing may makikita siyang kinikindatan siya at namumula.

"Wui, Juvia."

Napatingin ito sa kulay asul na amta ni Gray, ngumingiti.

"Anong sa tingin mo rito?"

May maliit na figurine na nakita si Juvia, at inilagay ito ni Gray sa kanyang palad. Isa itong porcelain flower, hand-decorated with all of the elements of the earth. The great blue water was in the middle, surrounded by meteor, ice, star, armor, and fire. It was weird how… symbolic it was to Juvia's life. Instantly she felt a little attachement to the object. She glanced at the booth and saw that it was the only one – the other flowers were ornate and girly – and glanced up at Gray.

"Ito'y...–"

"- Bayad na." Maaliwalas na ngiti ni Gray, at napanganga si Juvia. Tumututol si Juvia habang pilit na ibinabalik ang trinklet; kinuha ito ni Gray mula sa kanyang kamay at inilagay ito sa isang purplet velvet pouch at inilagay sa isa sa mga bag ni Juvia. "Sakay tayo ng ferris wheel?"

Lahat ng pag-aalinlangan tungkol sa regalong natanggap ay na-alis sa isip niya. Ngayon, nag-aalinlanagan itong sumakay ng ferris wheel. Tinawanan lang nito ni Gray at niyakap ang bewang niya na nagiing dahilan ng paglalapit ng dalawa habang may ibinulong si Gray sa tenga niya.

"H'wag kang mag-alala. Akong bahala."

Natahaimik agad-agad si Juvia, bahagyang namula sa mga sinabi ni Gray.

"Gray-sama..." Sabi ni Juvia, nang nakapila na sila. Tinignan niya si Gray sa mga mata nito, nakikiusap. "Hindi ko talaga gustong sumakay sa mga ferris wheel..."

"Alam ko." Simpleng sagot ni Gray.

"Huh?"

Napatingin na lamang ito sa nasabiing ride, at nanginig ito sa takot. Bata pa lamang siya eh ayaw na niyang sumakay talaga ng mga ferris wheels. Lalo na pag nasa pinakatuktok sila. Iyon ata ang pinakamalalang karanasan sa buhay niya! Na-aalala niya na parating inuuga ng kanyang tatay ang kanilang sinasakyan at sinasabi sa kanya na "tignan mo kung gaano katagal ito mahulog!" habang naghulog ng piso sa lupa.

Nakakatakot nga namang karansan iyon.

Pero bago pa naman maka-back out si Juvia ay iniabot na ni Gray ang kanilang tiket sa operator at hinila si Juvia sa isa sa mga sakayan. Hindi siya square, bilog ito, na may plexi-glass lining para mag mukhang 'binatana' ito. Really the whole thing looked like a giant umbrella with a basket beneath it. It was less intimidating than those rickety old boxes that rocked so easily… Gray swung the door shut and latched it, sitting back and smiling at Juvia, who was frozen to the seat across from him.

"Hindi naman nakakalula ah. H'wag mo lang isipin yun." Yung ngiting iyon ang nakapag-paginhawa sa kanya – pero napahiyaw bigla si Juvia nang biglang sumulong ang ferris wheel at napakapit ito sa poste that attatched the metal umbrella to the box. Sinara nito ang mga mata nito, bahagyang nahihilo sa konting pag-uga ng sasakyan. Nakaramdam siya biglaan kaba at nerbyos; lalo lang humgpit ang kapit niya sa poste.

"Juvia naman, pag nasa gitna ka, ma-u-uga mo nga!" Sinabi ni Gray, sinusubukang umalis si Juvia sa kinakapitang poste.

"T-tumigil ka nga!"

Napahinto si Juvia. Tama nga naman si Gray. Bigla itong napa-upo at itinago ang mukha sa dibdib ni Gray, who gaze a soft 'oomf!' of surprise, bago siya tinawanan at niyakap ito.

"There, see? It's not so bad to just sit here."

Sumimangot ito at umiling, niyakap nito si Gray (na nagpangiti sa tennis player), pero hindi nito tinignan si Gray.

"Wui…" Yamamoto ran his fingers through the smooth blue hair in a comforting manner. "Come on. I brought you up here for a reason, y'know."

Glancing up towards the smiling face, Juvia blushed when she realized what position they were in. All of a sudden she was happy that they were on the ferris wheel, moving up towards the top where no one but the stars could see how close they were embracing. Clearing his throat and moving to sit next to Gray, she ran her fingers through her hair nervously, keeping her eyes shut. She took deep breaths, preparing himself to open her eyes; she exhaled slowly, then opened her eyes.

They were stopped at the top.

Juvia started sweating and resisted the urge to once again cling to either the pole or Gray, and clenched her fists in his lap, staring straight ahead. He could see everything; the whole city was lit up in the darkness, and the stars above were twinkling their friendly hello's. Gray slid his arm around Juvia and rubbed her arm warmly, bringing the girl closer to him.

"Napaka-ganda." Malambot na sabi ni Gray, habang pinapanood ang mga taga-pagaliw towards the hills where the entertainment was being delivered.

Juvia had to admit that with Gray's arm around him, she felt much safer. Protected. Just like Gray promised he would be. Smiling lightly, feeling some of the tension in her body release, Juvia relaxed slightly and watched the kabuki stage in the distance.

About five minutes passed, and they were still on top of the ferris wheel. Juvia got nervous briefly, and glanced over to Gray.

"Erm… why are we still on top? Shouldn't we have rotated by now…?"

Gray glanced at Juvia, then realized that... yeah, they had been up there for some time.

"Hm. Let me see."

Without much thought (or care!), Gray leaned over the wall of the booth to call down to the people behind them. "Hey, do you know what's going on?"

The people shrugged and called back. "I think the wheel is stalled!"

Gray returned to Juvia, who was much like a statue, and shrugged a bit sheepishly. "Sorry… looks like we're stuck here."

As soon as Juvia registered that Gray wasn't leaning over the edge precariously, her body seemed to melt as she molded himself back against Gray's side.

"Don't lean over like that! You could fall!" Juvia reprimanded, and Gray just chuckled softly and shrugged.

"Well, I didn't, so I think we're okay." He nodded, then glanced up at the sky when a whistle and a whirr echoed about.

In the not-too-distant field, people were lighting off the fireworks. They flew high in the sky and exploded into beautiful, radiant colors, making even Juvia forget that they were about fifty feet off of the ground in a booth that was swinging lightly with the breeze. Music was playing, people were clapping, but it felt like the pair was on top of the world, where all of that was just muffled noise. Juvia could hear her Gray-sama's heart beat and breath, which did all the more to comfort him.

Gray brought his legs up onto the bench, sitting Indian style. His arm stayed around Juvia, Juvia stayed pressed to his side, and they sat in comfortable silence as they watched the fireworks create a story with their colors and shapes.

"Juvia,"

Parehas na lumingon ang dalawa at sa pagkakataong iyon, nagbunguan ang kanilang mga ilong. Namula si Juvia at napa-titig lamang si Gray sa kanya...

Na-alala niya kung gaano kalungkot siya nung una silang magkakilala, ang mga mlungkot niyang mga mata... mga labing hindi mabuksan... parang isang taong binusalan ang bibig...

Na-alala niya nang biglang huminto ang ulan matapos silang magtalo, maluha-luhang mga mata, bibig na bahagyang ngumiti, ibang iba dun sa itsura niya na nauna...

Na-alala niya kung paano mamula at kiligin si Juvia kapag mag-uuspa sila...

Na-alala niya kung paano siya pinapangiti ni Juvia kapag ito'y nalulungkot...

Na-alala niya kung paano manliwanag ang kanyang mukha sa tuwing babatiin niya ito ng simpleng 'Hey' or 'Oi'.

Lalong-lalo na, na-alala niya nang tinitigan siya ng kanyang mga kaklase na tinuturing siyang parang isang traidor...

Siya lang ang tanging tao na nasa tabi niya...

Ngumiti si Gray sa pagkakataong ito at nakalimutan nilang dalawa na...

May sasabihin pala si Gray. They stayed in place like that for a few moments, the fireworks casting colorful glowing shadows over their faces, and then it happened. Juvia wasn't sure who moved first, but their lips came together softly, just the gentlest of brushes. It sent a slight spark of electricity through her spine; it was her first kiss, and she never expected it would feel this good, let alone be with one of her best friends. Their lips stayed pressed together, and Juvia felt her eyelids slowly drifting shut. A hand reached up and fingers gently caressed her cheek, and she instinctively leaned into it.

The action caused their lips to interlock in a new angle, and Juvia gasped softly at the sensation against her lips. Gray took in Juvia's bottom lip and nibbled on it gently, his hand moving from Juvia's cheek back into her hair, sifting through it affectionately. Fireworks continued to explode, but this time Juvia couldn't tell if they were the ones that were being lit by the people in the fields, or the fireworks and stars that she saw behind his closed lids as Takeshi pulled him closer.

The kiss was incredibly sweet. Not just the amount of fondness of it, but from what they had eaten as well. Juvia's senses were on overdrive, her whole body receptive of what was happening. Goosebumps formed on her forearms and he shivered slightly; she wasn't sure if it was the cold or the feelings that were forming in the pit of his stomach.

All too soon Gray pulled away, his fingers still tangled in the blue locks. The tennis player's breathing pace had increased a bit, and so had Juvia's.

"Ah, Juvia, you're cold." He noticed, bringing Juvia into his chest as if it were the most normal thing in the world. As if the intimate moment they had just shared was as common as sneezing between them.

It was nice. Don't dwell on it. Don't think about it.

Just let it happen.

Again Juvia felt protected in the embrace of the tennis player, resting her head against the teen's chest and watching the fireworks. The snuggling was doing good for her body temperature, which had dropped and risen quite quickly in such a short amount of time. Now she was comfortable and cozy in Gray's arms. He had even forgot that they were dangling from a metal wheel fifty feet off of the ground – that is, until they started moving again.

She whimpered and clutched at Gray's yukata, sniffling and cursing God, the operater, ferris wheels, fairs, and for some odd reason Erza, but they reached the bottom safely. The operater apologized to them, but Juvia was too busy clinging to Gray as they carefully exited the booth to pay attention to the look that they were receiving from the ferris wheel guy.

Gray assured the man that they enjoyed the fireworks as he grabbed their stuff, leaving Juvia stranded for just a moment before returning to the girl's side, helping him arrange the gift bags on his arms. As they walked away Gray turned and gave a smile and a wink to the pink-haired ferris wheel operater, who gave a smile that shone through his whiskers and tapped his hard hat in acknowledgement.

"Uwi na tayo?" Tanong ni Gray.

"Hm? Oh, uh… mayroon ka pa bang gustong gawin Gray-sama?" Tanong ni Juvia, ayaw na niyang tapusin ang gabi na kasama niya si Gray. Basta hindi sila muling sasakay sa ferris wheel na iyon. Nappikit, may naalala si Juvia. "Wui, yung operator ng ferris wheel. Hindi ko siya na mukhaan pero pamilyar yung mukha niya..."

"Sigurado ka ba?" Tanong ni Gray bago sumagot. "Wala naman akong napansin." Ngumiti ito, inisawang sagutina ng tanong ni Juvia. "Wala naman na akong gustong gawin. Yung iba bukas na mangyayari."

Tumango si Juvia habang lumakad sila, dahan-dahang nawawala ang mga ingay ng festival habang sila'y palayo ng palayo. Nag-uuwian na rin ang mga tao, nasiyahan sa fireworks at pagkain nila. Isama mo na rin sina Gray at Juvia sa kanila; nasa tabi pa rin ni Gray si Juvia, napapa-pikit-pikit, ang antok na dahan-dahang nararamdaman ni Juvia.

Nang makarating na sa kanilang bahay, tinulungan ni Gray na maka-akyat ng kwarto si Juvia, inilatag sa sahig ang mga bag na punung-puno ng mga regalo. Tumalikod ito habang inintay na matakatapos na magpalit ng pantulog si Juvia at inihiga na sa kama. [No pun intended.] Hindi rin siya nagtagal, nang aalis na ito may kamay na humawak sa kanya.

"Mr. Sungit..."

Napa-tingin si Gray sa kanyang bansag. Inaantok na si Juvia pero naka ngiti pa ito.

"Salamat..."

Gray smiled in return and bent down his head at an angle, pressing a perfect gentle, tender kiss to the girl's lips. He straightened and gave Juvia's hand a squeeze, then turned to leave the bedroom.

The breeze of the door swinging shut ruffled some papers in the room, including Erza's note, which flipped over to the back side.

Protektahan mo siya... Maging hanggang sa dulo ng walang hanggan...

Er-chan!

WAKAS!

A/N: English version soon to be published as Homecastle requested. Still, a two shot. I'm glad the GRUVIA is on its way to cannon road! WEEEE! All GRUVIA fans, let's all rejoice! =)

D.S.K.27-FT