Hello everyone! I hope you are fine! I am sorry that I didn't update earlier but my exam period is about to start and I have so much reading to do! I am ready to get crazy here ! Anyway, I'll let you enjoy the chapter :) Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail (unfortunately)


Chapter 6: The ultimate sacrifice (part I)


Recap:

She felt like she could face anything only with his warm hand holding hers. Before she could tell him how much his word meant to her, the dragon roared towards them destroying everything in its path with his furious eyes glowing with the flame of anger.


Juvia squeezed the hand of her loved one and she prepared herself to take the hit. She closed her eyes and was ready to shove Gray away when she felt his free hand encircling her waist and captivating her into his protective embrace. She tried to fight, she tried to resist but Gray wouldn't let her go. It's too late. I won't be able to save him, she thought hearing the roar approaching and she left herself free to enjoy Gray's hug. She inhaled his pleasant scent and enjoyed his warmth on her skin as long as she could. He was casually called The Prince of Ice by the members of the guild and yet he was so warm at the moment he made Juvia feel safe and happy. She was waiting for this hug for so long and now that she got what she wanted it was going to end so abruptly. She didn't want that to happen.

She continued to hear the roar but she felt no pain. She felt nothing more than Gray's warmth onto her wounded body. Was she dead? If she had died, how possibly she could feel Gray into her arms? She open hesitantly her eyes and saw a black figure standing in front them and taking the blow. She immediately recognized the spiky, long, black hair, the muscular and well-built body and the arms made of iron. Gajeel was standing in front of them protecting them from the roar.

"You pervert iceberg stop the lovey-dovey stuff right now! It's neither the right time nor the right place to lose your virginity ice-hole!" Gajeel growled with excitement.

"You bastard…" Gray tried to say when Juvia interrupted him quickly. "Gajeel-kun is that you?" she smiled to her long-time friend/brother without leaving Gray's hand even for a second.

"Long time no see sprinkler. Now hurry and help me with that mother of yours! I can't keep her away for long!"Gajeel pointed and Juvia guided Gray towards the battlefield. She stood near to Gajeel with Gray standing beside her and started attacking the dragon. She started hitting the dragon with her water slicers while Gray attacked with his ice make lances and Gajeel hit her furiously with his Iron Dragon's Club. Even though they used all their magical energy to their blows they couldn't even scratch the dragon.

"Water Cane!", "Ice Make Hammer!" and "Roar of the Iron Dragon!" they yelled at the same time and launched their attacks to the dragon that was still under the influence of Jose. The dragon counterattacked with her ferocious roar and hit Gajeel pretty hard in the head and arms.

"Gajeel-kun, are you ok?" Juvia rushed towards Gajeel.

"Yes rain-woman I am fine. It's nothing." Gajeel said but Juvia didn't seem convinced. "Now let's continue to kick some dragon's butt!" he yelled with anticipation and Juvia felt her concern disappear. That was the Gajeel she knew.


The water dragon flew once again into the starry sky but this time she used another attack than the roar. "Water dragon wing attack!" Aquamarina yelled spreading her wings even wider and sent a humongous attack towards Gray. He tried to use his ice-make magic but he was too slow. Before realizing what happened, he felt a strong push and fell to the ground. He raised his eyes and saw Juvia taking the hit instead of him.

"Juvia!" he yelled and she turned to face him. She just smiled at him with her familiar smile that made his heart race. She then transformed into her water form and absorbed all of the attack effortlessly. When she returned to her human form she felt her legs bend from the pressure and she collapsed to the ground. Gray, who was obviously pretty worried, reached her in no time.

"Why baka you had to take the hit?" he asked her angrily.

"Because Gray-sama was in danger. Juvia couldn't let him get hurt."

"I can take care of myself Juvia." He continued to speak angrily, but he immediately regretted his harsh words. "Are you ok?" he said more calmly.

"Yes Gray-sama. Juvia is fine." She said gently and got up with Gray's help but her legs still trembled. Gray saw her fragile figure and stopped her from moving forward.

"You will not fight anymore. We can continue alone." Gray said but Juvia stopped him.

"Please Gray-sama. Juvia has to fight her mother. Juvia has to save her loved ones." Gray saw the sincerity and love in her eyes and he knew that he wouldn't convince her. Instead of continuing this unnecessary fight he let her walk over to where Gajeel was.

"How are you, sprinkler? Can you continue the fight?"

"Juvia won't give up, Gajeel-kun." She reassured him.

"That's what I wanted to hear." He smiled to her with his sharp teeth biting his lower lip.


The fight continued but the three powerful mages couldn't even wound the water dragon. Gray tried to pierce the dragon's wings unsuccessfully with his ice bringers, Gajeel tried to wound the dragon with iron dragon's sword but he failed and Juvia hit her mother with her water nebula without even scratching her.

"This thing is very strong." Gajeel said panting.

"There must be a way to stop her." Juvia tried to think but nothing seemed efficient enough.

Gray tried also to think what other options they had. They had fought with everything they had this dragon and yet it wasn't enough. He looked around and saw his fellow nakamas struggle to win against their opponents. They seemed tired and they probably had reached their limits so they couldn't depend on them. There must be something that they could do…

Yeah, there was something. The last solution. The ultimate sacrifice. The Iced Shell. Even though he had promised that he wouldn't use it ever again, he was going to cast it so as to save the people he loved. That was what Ul had done when he was a kid and he had stupidly fought Deliora so as to avenge his parents' deaths. He would cast the spell to save his family. To save her. She was willing to sacrifice her life for him, why wouldn't he? He loved her and he wanted her to live.

Gray stepped forward surprising Juvia and Gajeel and yelled "Iced Shell" in front of the dragon. He took position and started casting the spell. Light was beaming from a blue circle beneath his legs and his skin was glowing. While trying to remember the exact movements that he had to do so as to activate the spell he felt a sharp pain onto his cheek and lost his position. His eyes were ready to pop out when he realized that Juvia had just slapped him.

"Don't you dare to that again! Do you hear me?" She screamed in front of him while she had bowed her head into his arms. She had snatched his blouse into her fists and she had started sobbing. Gray was startled at first with Juvia's reaction but then he just looked her with eyes full of affection and hugged her tightly.

"I just wanted you to be safe. I want to protect my loved ones, even if it means that I have to die."

"Do you think that I am going to keep living if you die? My life means nothing if you die! Keep living for your loved ones Gray! Keep living for me!" It was one of the few times she spoke in first person. It was one of the few times she had dropped the honorific off his name and that showed how tensed she was. She meant every word she said and that made Gray's heart beat faster and his cheeks blush a bit. Before he could say a world he felt rain drops falling onto his face. He raised his eyes and saw thick gray clouds above their heads. This image reminded the time he and Juvia Unison raided for the first time against Daphne… That's it! How I didn't think of it earlier? Gray mentally slapped himself and then he raised Juvia's head. He whipped away her tears, even though it was unnecessary because of the rain.

"Juvia I found the solution. Let's Unison Raid!" He said eagerly to Juvia.

"I told you sex-freak that it's not the time… Oh, I see." Gajeel had realized what he was talking about while he was busy distracting the dragon.

"Juvia would do anything with Gray-sama!" she suddenly cheered and caught Gray's hand into hers once again. He hugged her slim waist as they were going to dance tango and let their magic loose.

"Water Jigsaw!"

"Ice Make Super Freeze Arrow!"

"Unison Raid!" they yelled with closed eyes and their voices fully synchronized. When their magic fused, a huge ice arrow formed above their heads and got covered with Juvia's water magic. With them opening their eyes the arrow got released with enormous acceleration and hit the dragon piercing one of her wings. The dragon roared in pain and a little blood seemed to roll out of the wound.

"That's it. Keep going ice-pants and sprinkler!" Gajeel cheered enthusiastically and helped the duo with his dragon roar. Gray and Juvia did the attack again and again managing to create some deep wounds onto the dragon's torso and wings but this wasn't enough. While they were preparing to make another attack, Gray felt one of his wound open and his blood roll slowly across his torso. He unconsciously groaned from pain and Juvia noticed his reaction. He tried to hide his condition but he failed.

"Gray-sama, are you ok?"

"I am fine Juvia. Don't worry about me." He tried to hide the wound as well but it was just too large to get hidden. Juvia noticed the wound and smirked sympathetically.

"Gray-sama, it's ok. You've done enough. Now it's time to get some rest."

"What do you mean?" he tried to ask but he saw the world turning black as he felt Juvia's fist into his stomach.


How Juvia will win the dragon with Gray being unconcious and all? Let's wait and see ;) This chapter is dedicated to Rainbowcastle Gruvia FTW 3! Thank you for your wonderful suggestions and advices for improvement. I appreciate it a lot. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it :D I would like also to thank all the reviewers and the silent readers who read my story. When I see the stats, it just makes my day and these days I really need it. Arigatou :D