Lullaby

Gray bashed the door to their rented room open, the old wood creaking under his slam as he entered with a hunched posture and Juvia whipped around to find him about to throw his shirt, one of the last remaining clothes on him, to the corner.

"I did the stupidest lap around the town just 'coz some guy told me to," Gray growled. "Whoever those Isenwall are―"

"Eisenwald," Juvia corrected lightly which was followed by an exasperated 'who cares'.

"―they gotta be a shady bunch if the folks around don't know or wanna talk about them," he finished and sat down on the only bed in the room with a gruff. "Or perhaps we're on the wrong town and pursuing the wrong people. Are you sure they said the name of that dude―Eligor?"

She huffed and sprung from her place next to the window. "Juvia isn't deaf."

Gray stared, his arms relaxing at his sides with an assessing look marring his features. Juvia thought again of her outburst, bit down on her lip, the tip of her ears flashing red, and retreated to her seat meekly.

Gray sighed and walked towards her. "Alright. We don't have any other clues anyway," he said slowly. "No luck on your side?"

"Nope. And Juvia's tried to be subtle when asking."

She smiled puckishly when he scoffed.

"You don't do subtle, though. Ever," he drawled with a smirk. "You're the anti-subtle when comes to shit like this."

"Juvia can try," Juvia pressed while crossing her arms.

"Yeah, you can."

Gray leant against the window-frame, his gaze gracing over the streets of Kunugi below their room. Juvia did the same, her brow puckering as she wiped one of the loose tufts of her hair from her face and eyes locked in the few silhouettes against the darkening sky. The hurling sensation in her stomach that had been pestering her for three days still coiled inside her, the distress growing by the second as her mind swirled with all kind of possibilities and what ifs and awful visions.

Juvia heaved a deep breath, her sight never wavering from the night outside, and hands writhed on her lap.

"Juvia hopes Gray-sama and she can finish this without any incidents," she whispered with a petulance and aggressiveness of someone who had said the same sentence, word by word, many times before. "Those mages don't know what they're doing freeing Lullaby."

"Stupid people who want nothing good," Gray exhaled with the similar level of tiredness and scratched at his chin. "Say, s'true if one listens to that flute's music they're dead? I mean, seems a bit iffy so..."

"Juvia believes so, yes." Her lips curled downwards. "Although she isn't sure, Juvia's never actually seen―"

"―Lullaby on use and you only know 'coz you're a snooty woman who cannot no nose around the personal belongings of others. Even though it's the godamm Dark Mage Zeref's blueprints on demons," Gray grounded. "Heard that already."

She pouted, her eyes flickering shortly to him. "Gray-sama's dramatizing."

He only arched an eyebrow, though, and puffed his chest grumbling, "Mmm, am I?"

Juvia sighed, her head smacking against the crystal and watched how rainy clouds started to cover the dark sky.

"Juvia's worried," she said while frowning at the first few drops. Her back straightened and she glared outside as her dress wrinkled under her clutch. "Juvia's worried she'll be late even when she knew and doom people that maybe don't deserve this and that there's something else escaping her."

"Escaping you?"

"Uh-huh. Like there was something more to Lullaby," she explained and Gray's face contorted into a frown. "Juvia's been trying to remember, but―"

But there was no answer, obviously, and Gray watched her fight tears back with a well-guarded scowl. Juvia clenched her teeth, reigned over her untamed feelings, or tried to, and threw her head back with an exasperated whimper. She could hear him huff and her lips thinned at that.

"All will go well," Gray reassured her, now only remaining in his boxers and heading towards the bed. He gave one last glance over his shoulder with a mean, tentative smile and added, "And if worse comes worst you and I'll kick butts and make it good."

In spite of the fact that she could not see anything else in the darkness of the night, her anxiety still haunting her and the imminent danger of mass-murderer music remaining, Juvia found herself returning the same smile when Gray caught her eye as he prepared to bed.

"Juvia'd like that," Juvia said and Gray nodded before falling asleep.

She didn't move from her place next to the tapping window, nonetheless, and kept waiting for something.

ooOOooOOoo

To Juvia's regret, however, the Oshinaba Station was taken over by some mages from a dark guild. The whispers of a supposed terrorist attack reached them quickly and they were quicker reaching the station to discover that the once guild of the town, Eisenwald, had seized it.

They looked over the sea of heads surrounding the building and listened to the gathered military platoon commanding the civilians to calm down as she squinted to see something above the racket and Gray made a path towards the station. They wouldn't be able to pass the security wards mobilized for the dark guilds action, Juvia thought, and wondered how they'd be able to walk into the building.

"Does Gray-sama think we could go in by the windows?" she asked while eying the panes.

Gray hovered over all the other gathered people, watching at something that stayed out her sight, and tugged her forward with a shake of his head.

"No need," he spoke above the noise. "Someone took care of the guards."

Juvia wasn't sure what he meant until he pushed her through the last front line of the multitude and into the staircases leading to the station. There was the military, all right, but most of them were knocked down on the floor and the few still awake attending them. Juvia thought, a bit bewildered by the scene, who would dare to do this but then reminded herself that they were dealing with people who had nothing against using the darkest inventions of Zeref-sama.

"Hey, stop there!" one of the positioned men yelled. "This place is under restriction, you cannot waltz in―!"

"We're here to help," explained Juvia, still running.

"So were the other group and they didn't doubt when knocking off my coworkers," the man grounded, persecuting them.

"We don't have time for this," snarled Gray and sprinted inside the building while icing the floor for anyone who wanted to follow them.

She didn't object to the sort of mean-spirited treatment Gray was handing as she would have in any other circumstances, deciding that they should take care of Eisenwald first and then, once there was no imminent dread of murder, the scolding would come.

So they run through corridors and nooks and halls and didn't halt for nothing, even when Juvia had the inkling they lost themselves somewhere between the third or fourth turn. She could feel her heart, throbbing against her ribcage and the sound pounding in her ears until a new noise classed with everything else, and she looked at Gray who was frantically peeking inside every room as they moved on whit ragged breathes.

She pulled him back next to her, magic starting to swirl in her core as a signal that wrong was to come. Gray stared at her intensely.

"Gray-sama, wait," she urged with a deep intake of air, "do you heard that?"

They could hear it, yes, with each ticking second the noise clearing. There was something or someone approaching them from the hallways ahead, the boom of their steps reverberating against the brick walls as well as a roar that sound something like, "WRAAAAAH!"

"Who in the hell yells like that?" whispered Gray, settling into a fighting stance.

It didn't take long for the new individual to come into view once he turned the corner ahead them. It was a guy of their age, with scarf around the neck and strange, pink hair, and instead of slowing down upon seeing them, the boy fisted his hands with flames blazing from them.

"You, Eilsenwade bastards," he was roaring while brawling closer to them, "I'll destroy you!"

"Not another fire mage," grumbled Gray next to her.

Juvia shifted from her position and stepped forward with her hands ups. "Wait, no! Does Pink-san mean if we're from Eisenwald?"

The fire mage didn't listen, and hurled a punch forward but Gray had been prepared forehand and the hit only landed against an ice-shield before it could touch her. Juvia heaved a sigh, casting a significant glance over her shoulders at Gray who just exhaled and frowned. He followed her lead, though, dropping any threatening pose as the shield shattered around them.

"Look here," he said with bared teeth, "we don't know who you are, but we're in no way with those fucking idiots from Eisenwald."

"We're chasing them," sniffled Juvia.

"So―you're not from that dark guild?" Pink questioned, eyebrows dotted together and muscles relaxing slightly.

"Juvia swears to Pink-san that she and Gray-sama are only here to stop them," Juvia said solemnly.

Pink blinked. "Who is Pink-san?"

"You are Pink-san, idiot," sneered Gray. "Your hair."

"Hey, leave my hair alone!" Pink blurted. "My name's Natsu and I'm from Fairy Tail! You better remember that."

Juvia blanched, teeth nagging the inside of her cheeks as she glanced over Gray. He had his nose scrunched and hands contracting closer, watching the new guy with narrowed eyes before tilting his head in her direction. Juvia pursed her lips, regarded Natsu once more and sifted apprehensively.

"If you're from another guild, that means that Natsu-san is here for the same reason as Juvia," she said carefully. "We could help each other if that's the case."

Pink― Natsu, she reminded herself, pouted as if he was thinking very deeply. "How do I know you aren't just playing with me, eh?" he argued and stomped the floor. "For all I know you're making time so that damn boss of yours can broadcast that stupid thing!"

"They what!" Gray shouted, appalled. "Are those people mad?"

"They're going to kill everyone if they do that―even themselves!" Juvia cried and then, to Gray, she hurried, "We should get searching right now!"

"Yeah," Gray nodded harshly. He followed her when she began to sprint down the hall with her hat barely staying atop her head. "If they're broadcasting the song I've an idea where they might head to."

"Uh." Natsu backed off as it downed to him that they were running away from him. "Hey, stop! I was―"

They were too far ahead by the time the Fairy Tail mage reacted, though. Juvia rasped and trotted next to Gray with tensed muscles and a growing dread bubbling inside her. She could feel her stomach lurching and only when Gray touched her arm did she pay attention at what they were heading to.

"Juvia," he called between gasps.

Juvia didn't turn to face him. "Hmm."

He gazed at her with dark eyes and scrunched brow. "Something wrong?"

"No," Juvia muttered while speeding up as they turned another crossway. "Juvia's not… She'll be better once we're done with this mess."

"If you say," he said as if not really believing all she was telling him and then pushed her next to him where stood a door she had missed before. "Here, the studio for broadcasting. Let's go."

He kicked the door down and she followed suit.

ooOOooOOoo

The fight with the man that appeared from the ventilation system was quick and extremely one-sided to the point Juvia felt a tiny twinge of pity towards him. The sentiment was short-lived, nevertheless, when the Eisenwald mage, after a good beating, told them in no uncertain terms that their goal was actually Clover Town, no Kunugi Town; but that they would stop at nothing or anyone to achieve what they had set on doing even if they had to kill, maim and bring down a whole city down with them.

"Clover Town. What did they lose at Clover Town," Gray had snarled scathingly as they headed towards the exit. "Aiming for the guild masters too!"

Unluckily, the whole station was surrounded by a hurricane that would mince them if they even attempted to touch it. When they tried to overpass it, Juvia watched with wide eyes how her hand dissolved into water and droplets spread around viciously.

"Juvia's getting really annoyed now." She glared at the wind magic with distaste and squared her shoulders before spinning to face Gray. "Gray-sama?"

"Yeah, I know," he sighed while scratching at his forearm. "Take Mittens."

Juvia stood on her tiptoes and pecked him promptly before stepping back to see the effects of her action with sparkling eyes. "Juvia'll be waiting for Gray-sama," she stated. "So don't be late and try to keep your clothes on while Juvia isn't around to remind you."

"You go," Gray said gruffly and somewhat flustered. "Hand his ass on a silver dish for me and do what you know best."

"Juvia'll be delighted to do that." Juvia laughed as she transformed herself into water, inhaled deeply and blasted herself through the birdcage at such speed that the whipping sound rang in her wake.

Gray watched her cross the hurricane with his breath hitching in his throat. She barely managed to keep her liquid form with the howling wind, but once she made it to the other side, not a cut in sight and panting for the exercise and magic exhaustion, she gave one last, longing gaze at him before sprinting down the streets, searching for their leopard to hunt the Eisenwald bastard down.

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants and wondered how he should proceed now. Begrudgingly, he remembered the Fairy Tail mages and the remnants of the dark guild and decided that if he ever wanted to make it to Juvia before everything worsened more than it already did―not like Juvia'd fall, but just in case―, temporary alignment was in need.

"I'm gonna regret this," Gray groused while entering the Oshinaba Station once more and began exploring the building in search of others. "I'm so regretting it already."

Gray found Pink, or Natsu or whatever, and what he supposed were his companions on their way to the main hall, carrying with them a rather tattered man. Gray shifted awkwardly from his position some feet away and coughed to make his presence known as the fire mage and the two women with him brusquely faced him.

"Hey, slanty eyes," Natsu cheered and Gray frowned at his new nickname. The boy looked at either side behind him and stared with a puzzled look. "Where is Blue?"

Gray jeered, balancing on his heels, and prepared a comeback to the idiot's choice of words to refer Juvia. The words didn't make pass his lips, though, because by the time Gray opened his mouth he found himself with a sword pointed at his throat even though he had minded the distance before approaching the little group.

"I remember you. You were in Onibas, at the bar," the redhead woman affirmed harshly. "Who are you? What are you here for?" And pushing the blade closer, she grinded out, "And you better answer the truth."

Gray gulped down the forming knot and gazed with a calmness he lacked. "Gray Fullbuster," he gritted with furrowed eyebrows at the fierce expression plastered on one of Juvia's numerous idols . "And the same as you. I think."

The woman, Erza Scarlet he recalled suddenly, didn't budge from her position but the blonde who had been quiet until then turned to the fire mage and asked, "Natsu, who were you referring when saying blue?"

"The girl with him. Came across them before fighting Kageyama here."

Scarlet glared at Gray but lowered the sword. "Where is she?"

"Juvia went ahead and is chasing the tosser with the damn flute," he spat.

"Who caaaares? I want to get out of here!" Natsu yelled, charging up a punch and clashed against their personal cage. "I'll just break through this!"

The blonde tailed after him with a worried expression. "H-hey, stop it, Natsu! You'll hurt yourself!" she squeaked while grabbing him back away from the currents of wind. Then, her gaze switched towards Scarlet and back to Gray. "How did your friend do that anyway? Bypass the magic wind, I mean. The barrier is practically impenetrable and if you try to one gets sliced."

Gray blinked owlishly and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Uh, well you see, she…"

"Aha, I know!" the fire idiot interrupted him and jumped from his spot on the floor while pointing at the girl with the ponytail. "Lucy," he screamed again with a barmy grin, "I know how to do it! Stellar Spirits!"

"Eh?"

"Natsu," Scarlet called, "what are you talking about?"

"We can get out using the Stellar Spirits!" Natsu repeated, excited. "Like in Evaroo's Mansion!"

There was a beat of silence, Gray feeling exceptionally uncomfortable now and recalling that perhaps this hadn't been such a bright idea with a piercing glare in Fairy Tail's direction, when out of nowhere another scream came from under them and he watched startled as a cat on his two rear feet began to hop.

"Ahhhhh!" it spluttered with a smile. Gray noted, with his thoughts all muddled, that cats, in fact, could smile. "Lucy, I just remembered! Virgo's Key!"

Gray stared at the blue feline who he hadn't noticed before and scrubbed his hair while the other three began planning and muttering between themselves and he stood in the sidelines, watching at everything and anything as he uttered lowly, "The cat speaks?"

ooOOooOOoo

Juvia was somewhat wheezing as Mittens sped up through the rails heading to Clover Town. She felt tired after her stunt on getting out from the birdcage, but it didn't stop her when she brought down the man who had been flying away from the air back to earth with her water whisks as a disgusted frown began to form on her face.

Eligor groveled in the dirt before getting up and Juvia darted the last remaining space between them, leaving the leopard behind and readying for any sudden attacks while stamping her foot down with an authoritative air.

"Stop this, Eligor-san. It's over," she commanded before continuing with a taut stance and stressed words, "Please, it's not worth it."

Baffled, the Eisenwald mage stared at her for what it seemed for too long and then chortled, a deep, reverberating sound, making Juvia wary on her feet.

"Who are… No, it doesn't matter," Eligor snarled shaking his head and casted his magic with the precise movements of his hands. A burst shot out, blowing up sand and dust from the rails and Juvia barely managed to remain in place, backtracking one, two steps. "Do me a favor and die."

She clenched her fist as well as her teeth and stepped forward, calling forth water and magic and wiped the dirt that hindered her vision in a clean swipe. But before she could act, there was tornado downing on her, its sharp brisk of wind only countered by her water form.

Eventually, as the attack calmed down and seeing her opportunity right there, Juvia burst out one lash of boiling water up into the sky where Eligor floated with a mildly surprised expression. It failed.

"I see. Your body can transform into pure water at will." He stroke his chin with a revolting smile and shrugged. "It won't matter, anyway. So do your prayers, woman, and once I'm done with your pretty face the guildmasters come next."

Juvia glared furiously and spited, "Juvia's had enough of you."

She prepared herself for another round. Juvia worriedly wondered at the back of her mind if she could face this man cleanly before sorting out to her most unpleasant habit while magic swirled weakly and her muscles strained at the effort. She was in fact resigning to her fate of scaled skin and haws accompanied with gills when, out of the blue and before anyone could do anything about it, a pink and blue missile launched itself into Eligor and tackled him to the ground. A scream, a groan and a breaking sound boomed and Juvia tensed at the new intruder with suspicion arising once again.

Only as the latest opponent revealed she breathed out. "Pink-san!" Juvia chirped, eyes still set on the Eisenwald mage. "How did you get here?"

The pink-haired boy shook his head vigorously before jumping back into a guarded stance and stared at her dubiously before his face lighted up. "The girl with slanty eyes!" he burst out. "So it was you who held this one back! For a moment there I worried this bastard reached Old Master but―oi, Happy, are you okay?"

Juvia watched, dread pooling at the pit of her stomach, how Eligor's expression contorted into one of pure rage while Pink and his blue, winged companion cat-thing exchanged words.

"Pink-san, focus!" Juvia ordered as she Water Locked the mage in a bubble that he broke free from with a snap of his fingers.

The Fairy Tail mage somersaulted backwards as he shot a grateful thumbs up on her direction. Juvia seethed as Eligor avoided another assault of her water whips, only reacting to the man behind her when she heard the sound of deep breathing and felt her skin tingling at an unusual heat in the back of neck.

The ball of flames grazed her side before they dissolved into nothingness when Eligor counterattacked with an attack of his own.

"Told you, name's Natsu," Pink complained at her and Juvia chewed on her lip. "And this is my friend, Happy," he said pointing the cat who waved from his position. Then, holding a burning fist up and glaring at the enemy hovering some meters from the ground, Pink growled, "And you―I'll stop you!"

"You puny flies," Eligor spat, a trail of blood running down his mouth and the end of his cloak burnt. "You brought this onto you. Stormail!"

"Ohhh, nice." Natsu grinned from ear to ear with a ferocious glint as they watched the nasty winds surrounding their opponent. "Bring it on, soft breeze! My flame will take you on."

Juvia huffed, a bit disheveled by all the events happening all at once and wished that Gray would arrive as soon as possible. Because, even though they had the advantage of numbers, she wasn't so sure of what to think about her new ally.

She breathed out, however, and readied with steeled nerves. She couldn't afford to lose this.

ooOOooOOoo

"So," Gray coughed wryly, tilting his head towards the man next to him, "why are you bringing this one along?"

The blonde who had presented herself as Lucy Heartfilia clenched onto the cart's side with a soft whimper and said, "We couldn't leave him alone with those wounds," she explained. "He needs treatment ASAP and since there was no one at Kunugi, it's better to bring him to Clover Town.

The Eisenwald mage scoffed. "I think he meant why you saved me since I'm the bad guy here."

Gray kicked the man with a sneer and shrugged off his cloak with a swift motion.

"Don't put words I didn't say on my mouth," he said with a flat voice. "I just wondered why bring you when your guildmates could take care of you."

"As if," the man slurred, followed by a hollow laughter and began sweating bucks under Gray's intense glare. Next, with the same distressed expression, he regarded Heartfilia coldly. "If any of you had the hopes of using me as a bargaining chip to stop Eligor, he's ruthless. May as well off me now. He won't care―"

"How dare you―" Heartfilia snapped, frowning while her grip tightened around the wood when the cart jerked once again. "Fairy Tail isn't that kind of guild who would play with humans' life as if they were nothing more than―"

"Y'know," Gray cut in smoothly, "seeing how you're spouting nonsense and have this obvious wish to die, I can do the job for you."

Heartfilia gasped and he could see from his peripheral vision Scarlet, sweating and panting from the magical exercise of pulling their transportation, turning towards them with a sharp motion. But it didn't matter in the slightest and Gray narrowed his gaze on the Eisenwald croon who was glowering back and continued:

"You should start counting your blessings and live for them; not throw a tantrum each time something goes wrong," he said in the same plain tone. "Everything doesn't have to come down to living or dying. And a guild's no more than a name and a mark, anyway. Nothing worthy to die for."

The mage bristled and, despite his severe injuries, started to get up. "How can you say that when you―"

The cart jerked to the side, almost falling off the rails, and Heartfilia scattered towards Scarlet with a worried expression while Gray grounded his teeth together. He could discern something along an apologize and reassurance from Scarlet; but once she calmed her friend, she turned around to confront them.

"Back there, cut it out," she said.

The ride was silent from there on, only disturbed by Scarlet's tired huffs and the sound of wheels against gravel. Gray observed Heartfilia squirming on her seat and sneaking glances between the Eisenwald guy and him.

She sighed, then, and said to him, "You're wrong."

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Hmmm?"

"A guild is more than a name and a mark," she said matter-of-factly.

Gray shut his mouth close with a snap and stared ahead.

ooOOooOOoo

"You're strong," Natsu said to her as they observed the sprawled figure of Eligor, passed out after their last combined effort to bring him down, and rubbed his cheek. "I mean, I coulda beat him up myself but it was certainly easier with someone backin' up."

Juvia budged from her crouched position after checking that their opponent was actually incapacitated and agitatedly picking up the flute from the ground. A scathing itch at the back of her mind clawed restlessly as her skin prickled because of the objet, all wrong and wicked, and she glared at the flute with pinched brow. It took her a moment, gulping down the vile sensations, before she lowered it and shook the feeling off.

She stared at Pink before allowing a hesitant smile to surface.

"You're strong too, uhm… Natsu-san."

The cat approached them with unbelievably huge eyes and toothy grin, and looked up to them, saying, "Aye, Natsu's the strongest and the amazinest too!"

The fire mage laughed loudly, throwing praises to himself as the cat joined him in the task while Juvia watched them once she dusted off with pursed lips. There was something reminiscent about the boy in front of him: the way his cheeks hollowed and his nose perked up and his eyebrows scrunched. Small things that alone wouldn't steal her attention not even for a second but all put together made her brow wrinkle in thought.

This, she thought, was unnerving to say the least, in a way that shouldn't be possible but somehow was.

"Hey," he called, waving a hand in front of her. "Heeeey, you there?"

Juvia blinked, exhaled and gnawed on her lower-lip, embarrassed. "Oh, Juvia's sorry. She was a bit distracted, but―Does Juvia know you?" she couldn't afford but asking while squinting at Pink and the cat. "As if Juvia's seen Natsu-san before, somewhere, but not quite."

The fire mage face scrunched in utter surprise and peered at her through suspicious eyes. Juvia shuffled, peeved, and blushed a light red.

"Eh? What kind of question's that?"

"Maybe she's your fan?" the cat provided thoughtfully. "Maybe she liiiikes you, Natsu. Like one of those Erza's or Mira's fans who always send letters and stuff."

Juvia perked at that but before she could rectify the situation Natsu bumped a fist in the air. "Ohhh, Happy! That's it! You could have said so, y'know."

"Uhm, no, Juvia's―"

The screeching of wheels and shouts in the distance silenced her. She could discern a cart nearing their position, halting just next to Mittens who had been licking herself and watched how people dropped off from it hurriedly.

"Hey, Erza!" Natsu waved. "This girl says she's my fan! Ain't that cool?"

"Natsu, keep it down," a skinny blonde reprimanded assisting Erza Scarlet walk. "Don't you see she's tired after using all her magic? But…well done stopping Eligor," she finished, smiling broadly, while Scarlet congratulated him as well.

Juvia peeped when Gray materialized before her and sighed with a soft expression and a tired eyes. She could feel the warm swarming inside her again and smiled, motioning an exact replica on him.

"Fan. Of that one," he said nonchalantly. "Since when?"

"Gray-sama." Juvia hugged him with all her force and took glimpse of the women speaking with Natsu before leveling a gaze back on him. "What was Gray-sama doing with two women―alone?"

Gray huffed and shrugged her off as easily as he would a jacket. "Not this again," he mumbled, scowling at her, and leant closer. "Anyway. Lullaby?"

"Here." Juvia held the flute high and they both stared at it for a good while before lowering it away, wary of the heavy presence it carried and the uncomfortable sensation pooling at the pit of their stomach.

There was something about it, its shape or form or essence that reeked of bad auguries and worse fates.

Gray harrumphed. "Good. Bet you it was easy peasy and you steamrolled that man, Eligor was it?"

"It was," she said with a mischievous glint that made him grin. "Now, Juvia can stop worrying about all this."

Their moment was cut short, though, when Fairy Tail moved towards them. Erza Scarlet headed their little group and cleared her throat before bowing just the tiniest bit with her red hair falling around her and the two behind her followed her lead.

"You two," Scarlet began with a calculative face before it bloomed into a tiny smirk. "Thank you for helping. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't slowed Eligor down," she said and Natsu and Blonde smiled brightly.

"It's nothing," Juvia mumbled while Gray snorted at her starry eyes.

It seemed, Juvia mused, that Gray would never get over her perfectly normal and tame idolization of the things and people she liked. So she tilted her head innocently and he rolled his eyes.

Unaware of the silent conversation going on, Scarlet nodded solemnly. "At any time, I think we should head up to the Masters and hand them Lullaby―"

It rattled, the ground, and the squealing sound alerting them of something going wrong, but way before they could do something about it already went down the wrong path.

By the time Juvia fell on her guarded stance, she was pushed down by a shadowy hand, only held back from falling to the ground thanks to Gray's hands grasping her. She watched as a trail of dust left them behind, carrying with it Lullaby and their hope. Juvia swore internally as her eyes widened.

"That son of a bitch" she heard Gray growl so lowly that made her chill at the sheer disgust it detained, although the shouts from Fairy Tail swallowed everything whole and Juvia observed Erza Scarlet barking orders right and left while the other two tried to keep up with her. They were like headless chicken, Juvia thought, all confused and scared and clutching at straws.

Nevertheless, Juvia allowed herself a second to give in before she pulled herself together again and soldiered on towards Mittens with Gray tagging along close by. He was tense, but kept sending worried glances in her direction and Juvia briefly wondered how she might have looked there but casted away the idea. It didn't matter.

Once they were prepared, she gave one last suffering groan and gritted, "Let's go."

ooOOooOOoo

They reached Clover Town in no time but still too late to stop the Eisenwald guy― Kageyama, wasn't that what the Fairy Tail mages said?―from meeting the Masters. Kageyama was speaking with this old, tiny man with a bizarre cap that was smiling up by the time they found him, and when they were about to brake in, stop the madness and settle everything back as it should be, another plump man shushed them quiet.

"All is right. Just watch," he had said while Erza Scarlet protested and Juvia caught something along the lines that the one interfering with their task was, in fact, the master of Blue Pegasus or so.

She wasn't paying further attention, though, her mind railing at great speed and eyes darting from Kageyama to the little man and back to Gray, and in a desperate attempt if worse came worst, pulled Gray's head lower so she could reach him.

"Juvia! What are you doin'?" hissed Gray. "Stop putting your hands on my ears."

"Just in case Eisenwald Mage-san decides to use Lullaby!" she protested.

"And you think this will work?"

"Gray-sama shouldn't worry about Juvia," she answered pointedly ignoring him. "Juvia's bogging her ears with water."

Gray glared, his chest rising with it, and huffed. "Juvia, listen, you're being paranoid―"

The blonde girl glanced at them, expression obviously distressed and pointed at herself, her friends and the Master still talking with Kageyama. "Uhm, could you do that, the water trick, with me…us, too, please?"

"Don't worry, Lucy," Natsu cut in with his face contorted into something feral, "I'm plummeting that asshole before he blows the first note of that flute."

"All of you," Scarlet growled at them with her sword only half-sheathed and mouth snarling despite Blue Pegasus' Master's reassurance that they hadn't had to worry, "shut up."

Juvia gawked and then turned to Gray who just shrugged. "She's scary."

"You haven't seen her when she gets real." Natsu snickered, although a bit jadedly, and then whispered in a confident, strained tone to them, "Erza resembles a true demon when really angry."

Gray stared at the fire mage flatly. "Doubt that."

Juvia whined to him.

The next they heard was, for all their relief, a defeated moan from Kageyama who had kneeled in front of the tiny old-timer and, to Juvia's surprise, started sobbing. There was collective sigh of respite at the scene. Lullaby was thrown away and the imminent danger dealt with, and Juvia watched how Fairy Tail jumped forward, cheering and clapping what she supposed was their guild's master in the back.

"Finally," Juvia heard Gray mumble next to her and she nodded weakly in response. She didn't relax, however, not just yet, and casted a worried once-over to the lawn where she guessed Zeref's invention had fallen.

The itching was back once again, gnawing at her as if she had been forgotten something that shouldn't have been, and she hugged herself with one arm while Gray watched her with furrowing eyebrows. Juvia pursed her lips as she tried to remember what the thing that disturbed her was.

It came then, the memory, as soon as her eyes set on the demonic flute never better said before and she retaliated with hitched breath and huge, bulging eyes. Flashes swirled inside her, and a shooting voice that had just the tiniest tinge of exasperation of someone finding a little kid snooping around where she shouldn't have flooded her mind, explaining carefully in words that even a kid could understand why he was so disappointed in her.

"Juvia," he had chided long, long ago in their little hiding spot of somewhere long gone, "how many times have I told you that you shouldn't enter this room?"

She put the pretty in a horrific way drawings of a gigantic, horned monster and object that resembled a flute back on the table and blushed at the fact she had been caught red-handed. "But Juvia was curious! And Zeref-sama spends so many hours here, so Juvia thought to look into these drawings and―"

"Those are not for little girls like you," he chastised sternly, but still somehow came out as fondly. "Forget about them. They are not for anyone to see or understand." He looked around, regarding the papers, his unfinished inventions and the diaries, and when his gaze found the slightly ajar door in the far corner, he turned sharply to her, asking in a somewhat darker tone that chilled her to the core, "Did you go into that room?"

She shook her head almost instantly with his dark eyes glistering. "Nuh-uh. Juvia promises."

"Good," Zeref had said, nodding, and tenderly patted her in the head. "Let's go, it's time for your weekly checkup."

Juvia stepped back, aghast at the vivid, nostalgic memory that blurred her sight with unshed tear, and then she stepped forward, pushing away all the overwhelming feelings and calling forth on water whips and magic that was just one idea away from storming out in something that she feared more than she feared their current predicament.

"Juvia, what the fuck." Gray tugged on her sleeves and tried to pull her back towards him but it was too late, her whisks already shoving every gathered master and the Fairy Tail members to the sides in a sneak attack.

They protested first, before readying for another attack and facing her with their weapons withdrawn or magic blazing. Gray, too, took a fighting pose and glared at her. Her eyes didn't' dither from Lullaby. She had remembered. She had remembered the drawings of the stupid flute next to a gigantic monster, and it was enough to set all alarms on.

"What was that for?!" someone yelled with a snarl. "What are you trying to do, uh?"

Juvia sniffled, feet grounding on the earth. "Lullaby's awakening," she mumbled weakly, voice cracking at the end of the sentence, and pointed the flute.

And it happened as she spoke. Smoke came out from the mouth of the skull adorning one of the ends of the musical instrument, going up, up in the sky like ominous clouds that could bring no good and slowly but unstoppable took form. Juvia felt her heart sink and fear clutching it, giving even three little steps back much like all the presents did as the enormity that was the true Lullaby with its rotten body made of wood hovered above everyone else.

It had horns and claws and was so big that you had to crane your neck if you wanted to look up into its eyes that resembled endless holes. Juvia heaved a deep breath, her inside churning at the idea of fencing this monster in front of guild's masters who would call out her existence to the Magic Council, and gathered her magic for the oncoming scales and gills and the rest of the fanfare that scared her.

Except a hand gripped her shoulder and when she looked up, she found Gray's stern and mildly irritated face."You didn't tell me about this!" he quietly growled outside the earshot of the others who were freaking out at the new figure. "Next time send a memo before pulling stunts like that at least."

Next, drawing her closer to him and shooting a glare over her and at the gaping people, he added, "Let's wait. See if we can do something before you go full martyr."

"And if Juvia has to?"

Gray straightened instantly, his gaze darkening at her words but cut out when the raspy, broken voice of Lullaby boomed above every other sound. "Let me consume your pitiful souls," it said with a crooked smile that didn't seem natural on the thing. "Now, which should be the first one?"

"Whazzdat?!" Pink blurted and then looking back at the blonde, asked again, "And souls are edible since when?"

Juvia was the one who took the task of answering the question with a sniff and a scowl. "That's… Lullaby's true form created by Zeref-sama's magic," she explained stiffly. "It's living magic."

"Zeref-sama…" Scarlet stuttered with a thoughtful, suspicious expression and the blonde girl perked up at that. "The Dark Mage Zeref of four hundred years ago?"

Nevertheless, by then Lullaby began opening its mouth, laughter reverberating from it and the pull of magic swelled inside them. Juvia whipped the demon's legs, for fear and raw survival instinct that seemed to have swallowed her whole, while she felt the cold of Gray's magic doing its wonders by casting a shield over everyone when Lullaby retaliated with its own attack.

Natsu and Erza Scarlet joined them as well, fortunately; Juvia saw how one blasted fire from his mouth and the other cut down the demon with her overpowered armors and blades while approaching the monsters and slowly climbing up its limbs. They did a quick work of backing the demon, aided by her and Gray's tries of unbalancing Lullaby.

Their little group of four kept the relentless attack. It was the only way Juvia knew they had any hope and prayed that the masters gathered there were knowledgeable on Sealing Magic because she wasn't feeling like they had even the ability of completely finishing off one of Zeref-sama's demons.

"Erza, Natsu, bring it down now!" the tiny man next to the blonde yelled over the clamor of their magic. "The other Masters are ready to cast the sealing spells! You two should do the same, too," he added to Gray and Juvia with a curtly nod and gentle voice. But, almost instantly, his wrinkled face obscured and his eyes narrowed on Juvia. "And then you, young woman, would you explain why did you know about Lullaby's secret no other was aware of and Zeref-sama?"

Juvia winced at that, heard Gray's bristle close, and scooted away from the man. Gray attempted to catch her gaze but she dismished it in favor of paying attention to Lullaby.

Juvia glimpsed the pink spot crawling up the monster's neck and oversaw Scarlet flying towards it, both of them preparing their last combo while she and Gray did the same. Water and ice swirled around them before with a last push and Lullaby's piercing scream rupturing the air it exploded against its chest. She saw the fire from Natsu's mouth and the big black sword wildly swinging in Erza's hand adding to the mix, and finally―finally― it was over.

And Lullaby fell.

Juvia heaved a sigh of relief when the mages around began sealing it away.

"After this," Gray said grumbling, "I wanna a whole week off. And you're inviting me for the next ten meals."

"Juvia'll gladly invite Gray-sama to trout." She giggled when he pulled a face. "With limon."

Gray huffed. "This is no way of rewarding someone." When she staggered, drained and sweating, he held her from her shoulders and drew her closer. "Tired?"

She nodded against his chest, the constant overuse of magic finally catching up and dragging her further down. There was no time for this, however. Not yet when that man's words still rang on her ears, with its underlining accusation and suspicions a flat-out warning.

Would you explain why you knew what no one else did, he had meant, but the truth couldn't be said to them with their connections, and she straightened up at the remaining thread still looming over them.

"Juvia thinks she won't get a moment to catch her breath," she said, glancing the other way where Fairy Tail and the masters were talking and Gray followed her. "Or even a week. We need―"

"Yeah, I can see. They know something's up," he answered and started walking slowly, calling for Mittens who was hidden between the bushes, and softly pushed Juvia towards her while still keeping a watch on the celebrating group. "Let's get outta here before they notice."

ooOOooOOoo

They barely made it.

They were discovered fleeing half-way mounting Mittens, but managed to leave their persecutors behind thanks to the leopard's neck breaking speed.

So they run and only stopped in a run-down inn somewhere between Magnolia and Kunugi where no one in their sane mind would stop to search. They rented a room from the old, barmy woman and it was only then, after they were alone and she was lying on the bed after exhaustion took her, when Juvia allowed herself to truly fear.

She rolled on the mattress, and watched Gray taking care of their equipment in complete silence before she couldn't stop herself from asking the inevitable.

"Now what?" she said.

Gray halted his action, looking at her from the other side, and scratched his arm with a frown grazing his features.

"Now," he began warily, "we take some holidays away until things calm down."

Juvia sighed while interlacing their hands together once he got close to do so. This was sweet of him, trying to keep a resemblance of a plan and serenity much like he did back when they failed that mission of saving the woman who had been kidnapped and then tortured and Juvia had started bailing her eyes out at the unfairness of all it. But then again, he always failed in the way his brow creased and quivered, and she smiled up at him.

"Juvia doubts we have the jewels for that."

"Why do you insist on trashing my plans?" he scoffed.

Her smile widened just the tiniest bit. "Juvia lives for two things: loving Gray-sama and shooting down plans."

He groaned, somehow flustered, and glared at her for a long moment before picking up his discarded pants from the floor and threw them to the bed. When he looked back, there was this serious expression on him that made Juvia wait for something she might have not liked.

"I have an idea where we can get a good chunk of jewels," Gray said, and seemed to believe it too. "It's a bit crazy though. And kinda impossible, but eh, we both are all about impossible."

He smirked weakly, which made her smirk too, and Juvia thought that, if they were so deep in trouble already, what could get worse.

So she answered with the same worn out tone and shrugged.

"Juvia guesses we are."


Notes: OKAY, finally canonland and FT reunion and lots of other things! Yeshhh. But, because there's always a but, my semi-regular update time of around 3 weeks ends here.

It's time to go back to Uni and all the bullshit it carries, and if my timetable is anything like the year before ('coz I STILL don't know what timetable I have, fuck you uni) my free time will be nonexistent. SO, updates from here on will take much, much longer. Months maybe, and I hope you all understand this. C'est la vie.

Now, with the chapter. Being honest here, it was hard to pull off but I think I, maybe, kinda managed it. Sort of. Tried to make the first meeting between FT and GruVia kind of goofy, "this guys're fucking strange" deal for both parties but still made them wary of each other, which is hella hard with FT and I'm not sure. Uh. Anyway. Skipped or altered most fights, too, because I didn't feel they added anything to the plot or characters. So there.

Thank you so much for favorites and follows and the reviews by dragonball256, Guest, SleepingNanny, Contrail, Merle the Great (You're right, Lyon wasn't in Lamia Scale in canon before Galuna, but I'm taking some liberties here so I hope it's not much of a bother!), mecglove, Laudi12 and winterliebend, and hope you all will be patient with me because next chapter finally introduces Lyon and Ultear and I have been so waiting for that!