AN: I'm updating early because my day will be crazy tomorrow and I'm feeling a little under the weather but this is my prompt for Day Three!
(I was going to upload this one only at day seven with everyone else, but… you'll understand once you read it to why I didn't want to end my Gruvia Week with this…)
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forever = For everlasting time; eternally.
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"Do you remember the first day we met?" The blue haired woman asked and when no answer came, she kept talking. "You were so handsome, Gray-sama. Strong eyes, no fear of me whatsoever even when you knew what Juvia was, you never backed down. To this day I have no idea why you stopped the stake of going right into Juvia's heart, but you did and I am glad. Not because I lived, but because I got the chance to live with you."
Silence.
"Yes, yes." She chuckled. "I know that you knew that some vampires helped the human and my lack of fighting and your gut told you that I was on your side, but you know that there was something else pulling us together that night, Gray-sama. I will never forget how you helped Juvia find a safe place – with no possibility of of sunlight – for Juvia to rest for the day; that was the moment I fell in love with you." A moment of silence. "You know it was, of course; I kept telling you that and you only believed much later in our lives together – it wasn't just attraction even if I did want to sink my fangs on your neck, suck your blood and have you right there. It was something else. I truly believe it was about me finding my soul mate."
The blue haired woman laughed. "And you were human! Your blood still ran hot in your veins and my heart stopped beating five hundred years before." Juvia paused. "Speaking of blood, remember the first time I bit you? Juvia was hurt from a few bullets after a mission and I hadn't fed in a week; you offered your wrist to me and..." A chuckle. "I still remember your face even now; Juvia made sure that you felt pleasure with it. You looked so adorable all red faced, heavy breathing and clearly trying to cover your groin. That was the moment I knew I had a chance: no other man responded to my sucking – pun intended – so perfectly.
"Juvia kept teasing you, of course, and you kept pushing me away – now I know that it was because you were conflicted with your feelings; that you swore to be alone hunting the scum of my kind – but back then, Juvia almost mesmerized you to get you! But oh, when you kissed me that first time… Dear God, it was better than mesmerizing because I knew you wanted me, it wasn't some fake feeling Juvia put in your mind.
"It was weird for you, wasn't it? To be in love with a woman who was the same as the man who killed your family twice, wasn't it? That's why you fought so hard, maybe? It was even weirder to not have a normal relationship, right? To be a day's person that was with a night creature. Remember when Juvia was sad that we couldn't go to the beach during the day and you arranged for our friends to go there during the night? Your words were: everyone can have a day at the beach, let's be different. I fell in love with you all over again.
"We hunted together, we had each other's back, we loved each other very much and we only had one serious fight over all those years… I can see now what you meant then when you said no when Juvia asked if you wanted to turn. Juvia was being selfish, she wanted to be with you forever, but you didn't want to lose your humanity, you wanted to live and die as a human. There's nothing wrong with it, but our forever didn't last long enough" tears of blood falling down her cheeks "but I guess that our forever was the best we could make it, wasn't it? Fifty years by your side were the best years of Juvia's so very long life.
"It wasn't perfect, of course, but it was our imperfection and I wouldn't change it for the world. You showed light to a person that lived in the dark for half a millennia and Juvia can only hope she did the same for you, even though it would never be enough payment for you. That day, when you bribed that priest to marry us at midnight after deciding that life – yours –f was too short to not to spend it with whom you loved… You looked at me like I was the most important woman in the world – even when Juvia just wore something she and the girls could find in half an hour – and you made me feel like I was the most important woman in your world. Did Juvia make you feel that way? Like you were her everything? Because you were, you know?"
There was a pause and when the woman spoke again, her voice was shaky.
"I'm sorry we never had children, Juvia would like nothing more than to give the family you always wanted, but I… I couldn't. As a Vampire she can't bear children unless is by biting and you would never want that, neither would I. We imagined our children many times though, remember? All those lazy mornings just before Juvia went to sleep, we would wonder what we would name them and what they would look like. I loved and hated those mornings. I hated them because I would want to give you all of that, I want to have that, but never could; and I loved those mornings because you would reassured me that some couples are just not meant to have kids and that I was enough. I hated you, then, because you should've gone away from me and find a nice, safe woman to have a family. You know Juvia would give you up if it was for your happiness, but you, you silly man, would tell me that you wouldn't be happy without me and I would fall in love with you all over again.
"Last night, though, was the worst day of Juvia's existence. You forgot a lot about our lives together, but you always recognized me. Maybe it has to do the fact that Juvia never changed her appearance in fifty years like you did – even though I thought the gray hair suited you very much; you looked so distinguished – but whenever I appeared in your room at night (oh, how I wished that I could stay with you during the day, but the sun…) you talked to me for hours and hours about things that happened twenty years ago, or five, or forty. But you always called my name.
"When you gave your last breath, you looked at me in the eye and even though you didn't say a word, I knew that at moment your mind was the same age as your body and you remembered all the moments we had. I felt your grip in my hand and I did what you told me to do when we talked about this day ten years ago when you had more lucid moments: I smiled to you. I was crying too, sorry. I hope you don't – didn't – mind, but it's hard to lose the love of your life even when you know it will happen; we all want a stretch, a few more moments and only a few receive it. I was not one of those last night.
The blue haired vampire took an unnecessary deep breath and looked to her left and saw the much clearer spot in the sky. "It's almost dawn, so Juvia needs to be quick about it." The woman returned her gaze to the gravestone. "I know we won't be going to the same place: you were light and I am darkness, but if you ever taught me anything was to have hope and I can't stay in this world without you. If there's a chance that we can meet, I will take it. Juvia is not giving up, I'm just having hope. I've lived for too long now, it's time to rest. So, I'm going to sit here by your side and meet the Sun and hopefully meet you afterwards." A ray of sunshine met her toes as she lied down on her side, recalling the many nights she woke up to see him scowling down at her (that man had a permanent scowl, she swore) and giggled. "I will always love you, Gray-sama and I hope you loved me half as much back."
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The soft breeze moved the ashes of a woman who lived 557 years – and had just joined the man she loved in the eternal rest – across the green grass. Her ashes covered his grave and it was what she wanted; at least in a way she could stay with him.
On the tombstone – right under a picture of both of them in their twenties, hugging each other and smiling – it read:
Juvia and Gray Fullbuster
They had forever, as short as it was.
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AN: I… yes. I am sorry, but when I saw the prompt, THIS came up and I couldn't shake it off. I am against romanticizing such things as depression (I suffer with that and I can tell you that it's not romantic at all) and suicide (my Mom has a real problem about this, so… Yeah, I don't think it's romantic either), but this is FICTION and if you ever have a problem and you think about taking your own life, call a friend, your parents, a hotline, whatever, okay? Again: this is a work of fiction.
Well, let's go to the "thank yous"! StrikerDaisy, Bubblycutie and Awesomnessdude, AleniaDark, Ariel Tran, ehmaa, Topyra, sparkles princess, olej2k10, Darkhope, Shadow Mystery, siriuslight, Duchess K, MrsGooglyBear, NollyLvn, Playgod,, BookProf101, ColdBurn-3, CapriciousKrego, BrigitteoO and Lavi-hime 4E -3, thank you very much for all the amazing reviews! Made me real happy!
(Okay, after all the drama, you should go read "Sore Loser", a smut fanfiction I'm uploaded to even things out. I mean… Come on, let's all have a rollercoaster of emotions today LOL)
04/03/2014 ~ BonneyQ