Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters. All rights go to Hiro Mashima respectively.

"No!" Juvia shrieked, trembling with impossible force. Red trickled onto her hands, weaving its way through her fingers and accentuating each crease in her skin. She wiped her arms on the sheets again and again and again, trying in futile attempts to get it off of her. It only spread further, flowing into her pores and then eyes, until it was all she could see. The moment she opened her lips for air, she could taste the coppery fluid flooding her mouth. She desperately fought for a breath

Then she started falling. The intensity of red was replaced with the terrifying familiarity of the darkness. She wheezed and hair stood up all over her body. Hands were reaching out to her as she fell, faster and faster. Screams flew out of her mouth the further she plummeted. Whispers tickled her ears as the wind howled into them. Bawling, she covered her ears tightly and curled into a ball. The voices still reached her, prying into her mind and filling it with their malice.

"P-please," Juvia whispered. Her eyes were streaming, lungs crying out with every breath she took. "Please s-stop." To her distress, the whispers steadily increased in volume. In only a few seconds, the screaming drowned out Juvia's every thought, replacing them with the darkness they brought. She struggled against it, resisting her nightmares with all her might until she could hardly breathe. No, no. Stop!

Her efforts were in vain, and Juvia could feel her control slowly slipping from her grasp—

With a loud gasp, Juvia fell off her bed, no longer asleep. Hands shaking, she slowly felt the floor around her. As she recognized her surroundings, Juvia lit her lamp and slumped down in relief and fatigue. There was no way she'd go back to sleep, not with the threat of more terrors looming over her bed anyway. But she was also too exhausted to move.

So instead, Juvia lay there on her floor. She thought about what was happening to her. The nightmares that had started possibly a few months ago—she couldn't really remember when exactly—and barely left her any peace. Why did they start? And why weren't they stopping? She'd had enough dreams to last her a lifetime.

Juvia half-raised her hand to wipe the sweat off her brow. When was it going to stop? If it was going to stop anyway. That made her shudder. Juvia wouldn't be able to last much longer. Just a few moments ago, she'd almost lost control of—

Juvia shook the thoughts out of her head. She would not think about her nightmares. She wouldn't dare. They had already managed to creep into her reality as Juvia had been seeing those… those things in her peripheral vision. Thinking about them would not help. That wasn't to say that ignoring them had all this time, but…

Did she have any other choice?

Covering her mouth, Juvia unsuccessfully stifled a yawn. Her gaze danced lazily above her guild mates heads, before landing on the Request Board. She hadn't gone on any missions lately, not trusting herself to collapse in the middle of anything important. Juvia looked away. It's not like she could help it in anyway. But the whole money thing was becoming problematic.

A gust of cold air blew into the room, scattering snowflakes throughout the guild. Juvia smiled sleepily, watching Fairy Tail members shriek as the frosty air grazed them. That's right, she thought, It's getting to be that time of year again…

"Yo."

Juvia looked up, startled to see Gray coming up to her. "G-Gray-sama?" This was a little out of the ordinary. Juvia was usually the one to strike up a conversation.

"What have you been up to lately?" he asked, sliding into the seat next to her. While Juvia fumbled for an answer, Gray regarded her uncertainly. He could tell something was off (Gray wasn't as stupid as that fire-breathing idiot made him out to be), and truth be told, it was a little unsettling. Gray had long gotten accustomed to Juvia's… odd habits, but he doubted that her lack of cheerfulness was something he'd ever really be able to get used to.

"Juvia just," Juvia finally spoke, "Hasn't been getting enough sleep."

"Something happen?"

Being guild mates did mean that Juvia acquired some of Gray's attention, but this new concern made her cheeks redden lightly. Especially now that his shirt had disappeared. "U-um, just bad dreams." Raising her head, she was surprised to find her heart beating so quickly, as if her nightmares hadn't been bothering her rest in the least. With newfound peace, she watched Gray continue their conversation. Maybe there was a way through this after all.

"I'm sure there has to be some solution—"

Without warning, Juvia suddenly stood up. She'd spoke too soon. Shivering, Juvia fought to keep control as the darkness wove its way through her thoughts.

"Juvia?" Gray stood up as well, taken aback.

The fear reflected in her eyes as she looked at him was enough to stop him from saying any more. Her head shook slowly, her feet taking steady steps away from him. Her hands were trembling as the formed fists tight enough to blanch her knuckles.

"Juvia… Juvia apologizes," Juvia said, her words strained. She took a sharp breath, and ran out of the guild. But Gray could still catch the raw emotion her faced showed.

Pure terror.

Once she was a safe distance away from Fairy Tail, Juvia leaned against the alley wall. Tears were already falling readily down her faded cheeks, but Juvia kept quiet, her hand not moving from her mouth.

Impossible. It couldn't be.

How could she let this happen? Juvia knew it was dangerous. She knew the nightmares weren't leaving her alone. She knew that she had barely any strength left to control herself. She knew all of that.

Then why?

Juvia slid down to the ground, sinking into the thin sheet of snow. Why had she put him in danger?

His face flashed in her mind, worried and confused. How could she do this to him? If she hadn't caught her herself in the right moment, Gray would… he would…

Juvia broke down, her hat falling into a pile of snow next to her. Clumps of flakes frozen together got caught in her hair as they fell from the sky, only to be disentangled by the shaking of her body.

How could she have been so stupid?

Her chest heaved with every cry. The wind exhaled the icy air onto her, chilling every tear that rolled down. The weather didn't stop its howling as the sun sank away, even as Juvia finally calmed down. It was cold, to put it lightly, but the temperature was the least of Juvia's worries.

She hiccupped once, twice. It was no longer safe—she was no longer safe. To keep all those she cared about away from danger, Juvia would have to stay away from them, no matter how much it hurt her. Because hurting them was much worse.

Slowly standing up, Juvia grabbed her hat and gritted her teeth. This was not about her any more. This was about everybody else. As she trudged towards her home, Juvia strengthened her resolve.

She would keep her friends safe, even if it killed her.