Captive

by hisuichanxx

"I have this strong urge to make you mine!" What if Juvia had accidentally gotten her wish? Set in the Phantom Lord Arc, an AU in which Gray Fullbuster is held captive by the rival guild

11. Day 8 – Midnight Adventures

xGx

He was fast asleep and none the wiser that that was about to change when something solid hit him in the chest, wrenching him out of his dreams.

His first instinct was to yelp in alarm, but the sound hadn't even pushed past his lungs when a firm hand clapped over his mouth, muting him.

"You must be very quiet," The bluenette breathed, slowly releasing her hold on his face, "try not to speak above a whisper."

"...Juvia?" He asked, not because he didn't know who it was, but because he was at a loss why she'd wake him in the first place.

She released a soft sigh, voice even lower than his, "Yes."

"Ok, well…. I appreciate you telling me you got back safe," Gray mumbled, already turning back into the bed, "but violence is never the answer. You can leave a little note with my secretary and I'm…" He snuggled his nose deeper into the pillow, "I'm sure he'll get back to you… soon."

The pillow was ripped from beneath him, his eyes flew open when his head hit the bare cot.

They may have even twitched a little.

In a tone that could only be described as overtly polite under threat of swift violence, he asked, "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Juvia needs you to obey her, without question."

"Oh, ok."

"You'll do it then?"

The ice mage had already taken back the cushion, fluffing it into his preferred shape, before slamming himself down, "Hell no."

"Then why did you just agree?" She didn't raise her voice, but the agitation contained within it was clear.

"Oh, I wasn't agreeing, it more like taking note. See, over the past couple days I've been dreaming of you more and more, and it's just good to confirm that it isn't my imagination coming up with all these weird scenarios for you at random. You're really like that, day to day."

The pillow disappeared from under him again, leaving his head to smack firmly on the cot a second time.

"You've got one more of those left, before I start fighting back," He warned.

Gray knew Juvia well enough to know she wasn't the type to offer up a threat of her own, but now that he'd thrown off some of his sleep and got a better look at her, a couple internal alarm bells started ringing.

"What's wrong?"

She kept looking back and her hands were shaking, the bluenette looked on edge like he hadn't seen before. He remembered when she'd brought him the ice cream sandwiches, how nervous she was then, but it paled in comparison.

"Captive-san, Juvia was not joking around before," Her teeth were going to war with her bottom lip, and it appeared they were winning. A little spot of blood dotted the corner of her mouth before it went clear, like fresh water, and healed into her skin once again.

If he hadn't been looking, he never would have known it had happened.

Gray sat up, taking her in with more concern, "Did something happen?"

She nodded.

"With you? Are you hurt–?" His eyes bounced over her quickly, but aside from the already healed self inflicted wound, nothing appeared out of place, even her hair was perfectly coiffed and neatly tucked under her wooly hat. "Was it Jose? Did he say something to you when you were–"

Her eyes closed at the mention of her guild master, but that was as far as she was willing to confirm his suspicions, because all she said after was, "Juvia needs you to listen to her and follow her instructions. Precisely. Can you do that?"

He nodded.

She let out one long sigh that seemed to go on for half a minute, then she opened her eyes and nodded.

Standing quickly, she stepped through the invisible barrier without hesitation while making an odd, jerky movement with her hands, and disappeared down the hall.

Gray waited, not sure what to do with himself that didn't involve going back to sleep, when the footsteps stopped abruptly.

A moment later they picked up speed, back in his direction he realized, and Juvia reappeared before him.

" What are you doing?" She hissed.

It took him a minute to organize his thoughts and even then, he had a hard time trying to put his confusion into words, so he just stared at her dumbly.

"You must follow Juvia." She motioned toward herself wildly, almost mimicking walking in place, looking for all the world like she was explaining ballet to a group of mentally underdeveloped rodents.

He finally found his voice, and it was as snippy as one would expect, "Are you forgetting something?"

"Wha–? Oh, Juvia does not have time for this!" Her exasperation was palpable when her hands reached into his cell, grabbed him by both arms and hauled him to his feet, "We must go now, time is of the essence."

Gray was a little too shaken by the amount of upper arm strength she'd just displayed, to respond this time.

The bluenette's tug was insistent, dragging him towards her. Gray flinched instinctively, already preparing himself for the slight shock he'd receive when he'd smack into the rune barrier Juvia apparently forgot she'd placed on the cell.

When the pain didn't come, Gray opened one eye tentatively, then the other, realizing within the span of a second that he was already on the other side and standing in the dungeon's corridor.

He did a slight spin in place, just to assure himself that he really was seeing what he was seeing, and when he stopped his gaze landed on Juvia, who was peering up at him with the same amount of concern he'd had for her not even two minutes ago.

"What's wrong?" Her eyes were scanning him with real urgency, "Are your legs not up to the task of carrying you? Yes, it has been a week. If that's the case, Juvia could…" She turned around then, blindsiding him when she bent over and went on, "If you must, Juvia is willing to offer you a ride on her back, though that may slow us down on the sta–"

"I don't need that!" His outburst earned him a round of shushing from her in return, "I just thought you were going to slam me head first into that magic wall."

She had the nerve to look hurt, then take off stomping.

Gray stomped right after her.

"Why would Juvia do such a thing?" She sighed impatiently.

"I don't know…" Gray shrugged honestly, realizing with a jolt that they weren't headed down the hall towards the showers as he'd assumed, but rather up the stairs just off his cell, to the door that he suspected led out of the dungeons entirely, "Giggles?"

She gave him a strange look over her shoulder.

"This will probably never be relevant to you again," she muttered, her voice lowering more and more as they started climbing, tiptoeing along, "but slapstick is Juvia's least favorite form of comedy."

One of the things he appreciated most about his captor was that no matter how mundane their conversations got, she always had a way of phrasing her thoughts that made him want to bust a gut.

Nevertheless, Gray wasn't so lost in his amusement to miss when she passed her hand over a hole in the door where the knob should be, her fingertips glowing an eerie blue for a moment, no doubt from a palm-sized magic circle he couldn't quite see, before she pushed it open.

So a specific spell, or maybe the incantation was embedded in the door, and it could recognize Phantom Lord from their enemies. The ice mage nodded appreciatively, scanning the deep shadows within. It was just as he'd suspected, that very first night.

"Wait," Something he'd read in passing some time ago, came back to him, then, "Going back to your whole grudge against slapstick, doesn't Phantom Lord have a resident juggler? I think he throws magical pie-bombs in people's faces and shit like that?"

"Yes," She huffed, "and our hatred is mutually felt."

His laughter was cut short when the door shut behind him, plunging them both in darkness. She grabbed his wrist, and for a wild moment he thought it was out of fear.

"We cannot use the sconces to light our way from here," She warned him, "it's too risky. Unfortunately, the stairs down here are winding and uneven, and we're going the back way, the terrain is rough from disuse. Luckily, Juvia could navigate her entire guild blindfolded if the need ever arose, so you will hold tight," She grabbed his other hand, redirecting them both, "and follow in her footst–"

He had no idea ahead of time that she planned on slapping his hands on her waist, so when they made contact he reacted like a fool, stumbling back in shock until he slammed into the door with a yelp.

The water maiden was back to her shushing, "Captive-san, it is imperative that we remain quiet, Juvia cannot press this upon you enough."

"There isn't a handrail?" He felt around himself blindly, but all he hit was rough, too-warm stone. The maker mage hadn't meant to ignore her so soundly, but there were more pressing issues at the moment. "Or maybe a rope we could kinda hang onto, in-between us?"

"This is the most efficient way," She grabbed him again, putting his hands firmly on her hips once more, and he wondered how she could find his hands so quickly in the thick, inky blackness, "Juvia would not have made the suggestion if it weren't. Now please, we have four flights to climb, and one of them passes the boiler room, which could take more out of you than you have to give, let's get going."

xGx

"Y'know, you never said where we were going."

"That's right. Instead, Juvia asked for your trust, and you gave it."

Was that even admissible in court, he was half asleep at the time and it's not like she had anything written down.

He didn't say that however. Mostly because Juvia was true to her word, she wanted them to remain quiet. Five minutes after they'd left the dungeons they were still roaming the stairwell, and all she'd said so far was ' keep to your left' and ' no more stairs here, but the floor is unpaved, beware of rocks'.

The trek wasn't strenuous in the traditional, physical sense, but that didn't mean it didn't have its own obstacles.

For one, it made no difference if Gray kept his eyes opened or closed, he couldn't see a thing. If he didn't know for certain that she hadn't cast some kind of spell on him, he would probably be fuming right now. This would make what, the sixth time he'd been sightless in this guild? Ridiculous.

He hated to admit it, but she was right, holding onto her was the best way to navigate. He could feel each time she took a step up, feel when she walked on flat ground ahead of time. Even if she'd been guiding him by the hand, he wouldn't have been able to walk the dark this smoothly.

Still made him uncomfortable, though…

But the biggest issue, by far, was the heat.

He hadn't really put much thought into what she was saying, that simply passing the boiler room would leave an impact on him, but it appeared the bluenette knew him better than he'd realized.

The thing about Phantom Lord that Gray hadn't really appreciated before was that it was big, about three times the size of Fairy Tail, and made from old stone walls that held on tight to whatever temperature it was exposed to, cold or hot. That meant the boilers needed to be big, to fill up every room with heat in the winter, warm the water in the communal style bathrooms.

So when they came upon the boiler room and his breaths became laborious, his side began to pinch, and his legs grew heavy, slowing them down, he finally felt the weight of her words.

Cold air blew from him in short bursts with each step; if he could see anything Gray was sure it would have come out as little clouds, condensation taking shape when the cold from within hit the stifling heat.

It was so much worse than what he'd had to put up with in his cell.

Juvia said something then, but it didn't quite connect. In fact, all sound was starting to get a little muddled…

Gray shook his head roughly, as small white dots started to interact with the endless black in his vision.

This… was not good.

He closed his eyes a moment to regain some semblance of himself, but it did him no better, his mind couldn't tell the difference.

Pressure began to build at the base of his neck, working it's way forward until an uncomfortable pounding started above his left eyebrow. Each inhale felt like swallowing straight ash, in fact, he could almost taste it–

Pain blossomed in his shoulder, white hot, when Gray's arm brushed the wall beside him, and every other discomfort fell away.

He wheeled forward, unable to keep his bearings or balance. Then he grabbed his own arm, the skin tender and smarting terribly, before he realized he must have been burned by something. Remembering her insistence that they stay quiet, he kept his groans between tightly clenched teeth, but he couldn't stop what sound forced its way between them.

Cool relief brushed him then, his face and ears, but Gray was so out of it he didn't immediately understand it wasn't his own magic.

"Didn't Captive-san hear Juvia's warnings before?"

He shook his head, forgetting she couldn't see him, before he realized her hands were cupping his face; she could feel his answer.

"Stay to your left, the boiler is just behind this wall, you'll get hurt touching it."

She eased him over to the opposite side a little, not being too mindful of his arm, though he doubted she knew where exactly he'd made contact with the scorching stone.

He was so out of it now, he could almost see Juvia's outline in the endless dark, a strange white shadow, though that may have just been the white dots from before participating in a unionized labor effort…

She guided him by the hand, with his fingers grasped between her's, as if he were a lost child, each of his steps a little slower than the last.

"Just a moment longer," Juvia's words were a hint on the wind, she spoke so softly it almost felt like a hallucination, "the air will change once we turn this corner… You'll feel better then."

Not as soon as he would have liked, but soon enough, his head began to clear as cooler air crept in from his right. His footsteps picked up speed, an urgency that was more akin to being seconds away from pulling his head out from underwater taking over.

When they rounded the corner he let Juvia go, gasping for breath, while he tried not to collapse where he stood.

"You need water…" Her voice came at a distance, though he wasn't sure if it was because he'd left her so far behind, or if he was too out of it for his brain to comprehend her properly. "Juvia had suspected it would impact you, but she never would have guessed… otherwise, she would have brought some water. Oh, what was she thinking?"

While her voice danced around the dark in a strange waltz of worry, Gray coughed out, "But you're made of water, of course you wouldn't think of it. It's always with you."

He'd only meant his words to be a bit of comfort to her, she always got so hung up on her own failings, it was like self-depreciation was a disease she clung onto for sustenance; he'd just wanted to distract her from it.

Unfortunately, that's not how she took it.

"Oh, yes, Captive-san is right! Here–!"

In that moment, Gray seriously reevaluated his assumptions about deities and their place in his universe, because in that moment he heard a sound that was all too familiar. About a couple dozen gallons of water rushing out of a super jet, hitting the wall hard somewhere opposite him.

And who else could have delivered such a miracle on his behalf besides a higher power?

He was on his feet in the span of a second, back pressed to the wall as if it were his only ally for miles around.

Which, technically…

The deliberate tsunami came to an abrupt halt, while the maniac controlling it muttered, "That's odd, Juvia could have sworn… Captive-san, did you get any of the water, or was her aim too far off. Juvia cannot see anything, are you on her left or her right…?"

Inches from his face, Gray felt the spray of a fresh, gushing torrent with enough force to drill a hole in the wall.

"Cut it out!" He hollered, completely forgetting her request for quiet, "You're gonna take my head off with that!"

Again, the water cut off just as quickly as it had started. What he wasn't expecting was her confusion, "Are you sure you're better? There's no need to be brave, the heat is no good for you, if you need water, Juvia is happy to oblige that nee–"

"Forget it."

"But, you were suffering so much, just a moment ago. Why do you refuse help?"

The only thing that kept his cheekiness at bay was her tone. He could tell, she was genuinely confused by his refusal.

"I could have sworn we had this conversation a couple days ago," Gray huffed, righting himself more fully, after he pushed off the wall, "I'm not drinking your water. Point blank."

"Why not?" She sounded strangely hurt.

"Because–?" Because it came from her body! He really had to explain this? "Here, let me turn this around on you. Are you comfortable with the idea of sitting down and drinking my bodily fluids, Juvia?"

Silence met these words, and he felt supremely vindicated.

"Well, that's…" Her voice was faint, almost disappearing in the dark, "Certain promises would have to be made. The standard exchange of jewelry, of co–"

"The answer is no," He went on, barely hearing her, "on both sides."

She was closer now than before, each footstep hitting a puddle with a solid slap, the sound bouncing off the walls around them, "Will you be alright?"

"Yeah, I mean, it doesn't get any worse from here, right?"

"True, aside from the spiders just upstairs, we're nearly home fre–"

"Hold the fuck up, you never said anything about–!"

Quiet giggles beside him left Gray feeling more than a little foolish at her obvious joke, so rather than join in, he huffed, "And it is that exact dark, disturbing – frankly unhealthy – sense of humor that had me convinced you would let me slam my head into invisible magic wall, Juvia. The foundation of mistrust between us wasn't only built on my kidnapping, y'know, it's the things that make a person laugh that really shows you who they are, as a person."

Warm hands found his left arm then, wrapping him firmly, with an air of familiarity Gray almost found curious.

For someone couldn't see, she seemed to have quite the perception of where his hands were going to be any given moment.

"You're going the wrong way."

"No, I know where I'm going, right back to my cell," He said this, even while she led him away from his intended path, not fighting her in the slightest, "I'm not even in the mood for whatever midnight adventure you have planned for us anymore."

Perhaps the clear faux pout in his voice is what kept her good humor up, because she was still laughing when they reached the solid flat ground of what could only be the landing.

Untangling herself from his side, the ice mage listened as she patted the wall before them, jangling something clearly made of metal, before a solid thump! echoed in the stairwell.

Letting out a sigh that seemed to take the last of her good mood with it, Juvia whispered, "Are you ready?"

Something about all this wasn't sitting right with him, but in all the time he'd been awake he hadn't been able to put his finger on what that was, "Just tell me, is this the part of my imprisonment where you steal my kidneys?"

Bright light broke through the solid darkness around them in a slice that grew into a triangle just quick enough for Gray to catch sight of Juvia's sardonic expression, before he was overwhelmed by it.

"Sarcasm is quickly catching up to slapstick, Captive-san."

xGx

Rather than step out immediately, the bluenette popped her head through the door, giving each direction a quick scan, before pulling back in and partially shutting the door.

"Alright, before when Juvia told Captive-san he had to be quiet… she was lying."

Gray pinned her with a look, deeply bothered that the passageway they stood in was too dark for her to fully feel the heat of his ire.

She went on, "But she only lied to give you time to get accustomed to being quiet. Captive-san, look into Juvia's eyes."

He did.

Even in the partial darkness, her expression was intense, "No one must hear us. No one can see us. We have one chance to do this right. Stay close to Juvia, only speak if you have something urgent to say, do not do anything that would bring attention upon us. Can you do that?"

"I'm guessing you don't have permission to be doing… whatever it is we're doing?"

She released a shaky breath that held enough weight for him to be concerned, "No, Juvia… does not."

She was about to open the door again, when he grabbed her arm, holding her in place, "Look, why don't we just go back? Whatever this is, it's really not necessary," He couldn't help thinking back to yesterday when Jose swooped in and grabbed her, how shaken she'd looked afterwards. A random midnight stroll definitely wasn't worth that.

But Juvia shook her head, determination clear, "We won't be long, but we do have to make a few stops. We should be fine, so long as we do this right."

That was the last thing she said before slipping out the door, Gray following behind her like a shadow.

xGx

As his eyes adjusted more, the ice mage was able to take in the hall they'd come out into, shaded and nondescript. It was quiet, in a way that felt as if no sound had entered the space for some time, "What time is it?"

"A little after 2:30."

So strange. Gray had stayed overnight at his own guild before, come home well past the dead of night, but he'd never been greeted by such all consuming silence before; where was everyone?

The muted color schemes of the dungeons seemed par for the course in Phantom Lord's main corridors. Soft gray carpets ran the length of the halls that looked as if it had seen better days, when it was richer, fuller, less threadbare, the patterns less worn from the aching labor of time and rough footsteps. Ridged taupe stone ran up walls at least twenty feet tall, with the floors flowing into the same material. Between each window was a tapestry with Phantom's crest emblazoned on rough wool. They only seemed to come in three colors that repeated over and over again as they walked, black, gray and a purple that seemed a shade away from also being gray.

Frankly it was depressing.

So much so, he couldn't help thinking back to his own guild again, with it's bright cherrywood tables and benches, the pillars covered in initials and curses, crude drawings and dents from some long forgotten fight, pillars that stuck out of the floor at random to hold up the ceiling because according to legend their first guild master, Mavis Vermilion, knew so little about general construction but was so endlessly, enthusiastically willing to help, that she'd been given the task of installing them with the idea that she couldn't possibly screw it up.

And she had.

He thought about Fairy Tail's gift shop and how for years they hadn't managed to sell a damn thing until Max took it over and had the bright idea to stop selling Makarov Dreyer dolls that came with removable pants. He thought about the brightly painted exterior, in riots of orange, yellow, red, and green, the little iron fairies dotting the gates, welcoming him home each time he'd been away, the elusive second floor meant only for S-Class wizards, the job board, and the bar.

Gray was hit with a sudden, overwhelming pang of homesickness that he knew wouldn't be alleviated even when he managed to get back home.

That place was gone. Destroyed beyond repair by a close companion of the woman inching along beside him, giving every shadowy corner and upcoming door a wary look as if she didn't belong here, as she wasn't as much a part of this place as the tapestries they kept passing.

He kept his voice low, but frustration leaked through when he said, "Where are we going?"

She waved him off, peering behind a potter holding a browning plant that looked like it was on its last leg.

He bit his cheek knowing his growing aggression wasn't necessarily directed at her, rather the situation at large, "Could you at least tell me where in the building we are? Is there a directory somewhere? What if we get separated, I'd hate to be wandering around here, lost."

That wasn't true. While Gray had no idea what Juvia intended, bringing him up here (he suspected she'd worked herself up about his health and thought giving him a walk and some fresh air would do him some good, rather than what it was actually doing, pissing him off.) he knew himself well enough to know if the Rain Woman was ever foolish enough to leave him on his own up here, he was bolting for the nearest exit.

Juvia's mind seemed to be elsewhere, it took a moment for her to process his questions before she muttered, "Juvia would never leave you alone here."

"Hn." All the best laid plans, as they say…

He was about to give it up for good, when she went on, "Juvia is surprised you don't remember, this is the corridor we fought in."

The ice mage jolted, but Juvia just nodded, pointing upwards, towards a skylight, "That's where we met, on that rooftop. Juvia lost her temper and sent you down here in a tunnel of boiling water," She winced then, "Of course, she didn't realize you were hurt at the time, or how poorly you react to heat. Juvia apologizes."

"There's no need," he replied quietly, taking in his surroundings with fresh eyes. His whole time in the dungeons the battle he'd had against Juvia had just been a bit of a blur, but now being so close yet from such a different perspective, things started trickling back in, like pulling himself onto the roof in hopes of catching one the Element Four from above, how reluctant she'd been to fight in the first place, her sneak attack… "At the end of the day, we're enemies. It was my own fault for not going into it prepared."

There was something funny about her face when she nodded.

They resumed their pace, with Gray more focused on clearing up some of his memories; it's not like he knew the way.

He remembered how she'd locked him in an orb of water, not unlike Black Steel the other day. He remembered how surprised he'd been that she'd managed to catch him off guard, that's when he knew he'd have to fight for real.

Gray huffed out a short laugh. He hadn't known anything, no one warned him ahead of time he was facing off against an S-Class wizard. Looking back all he could feel was a twinge of pride mixed into his general embarrassment. Yes, he'd lost. But he'd held his own as long as he could, while injured no less.

The twinge grew into a warm little wave.

After that they'd exchanged a few words, he couldn't remember exactly what was said, but he did remember his confusion, like they were having two different conversations at the same time.

Now he understood that to just be Juvia.

After that bout of misunderstanding, he'd done or said something to piss her off and she's gone completely berserk, so Gray responded by encasing her in a–

Oh, mother of Mavis.

Gray stopped walking.

He was suddenly and completely overcome with the urge to trot right back to his cell and live there forever.

It was some time before he heard her stop as well, racing over to him silently with what he could only guess was incredulity.

He couldn't know for sure, more than likely Gray would never be able to look her in the eyes again.

"What are you doing?"

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"What are yo–?"

"On the roof and then in the dungeons, that was the second time– You must think I'm a walking sexual harassment case," He was bent over now, clutching his head as shame coated his skin and seeped into pores, "What do you call me when I'm not around, huh? Mr. Grabby Hands? President Perv? Lord Lecherous III? Please don't use that last one, my father has nothing to do with this, he was a good man!"

"Captive-san, we really don't have time for th–"

"I'm just a creep in an ill-fitting jumpsuit to you, aren't I? It's ok, you can be honest. I can take it." He really couldn't, but his needs were not the priority at the moment.

She grabbed his shoulder, but he wasn't sure if she was trying to get him to stand up and face her, or pinch as much skin from his flesh as retribution for how he'd wronged her. Either way, it hurt.

"Speak quickly, quietly and clearly, so we may continue," She breathed into his ear. He would have scuttled away, but her grip kept him locked in place.

How strong was this girl?

He stood to his full height, which unfortunately wasn't much taller than her, and kept his gaze locked on a space above her hat, "On the roof, during that fight, you were in my ice–"

"Oh. That."

She caught on quickly.

"Yeah. So."

Uncomfortable silence settled over them, while his eyes sought out something safe to look at. But maybe he'd misread something in their situation, because Juvia let out a soft laugh and whispered, "Bygones." Then she turned, already retracing her steps further down the hall, "Now, let's get g–"

Her bláse attitude had the opposite effect on him. He raced in front of her, stopping her in her tracks, and grabbed her shoulders, "Don't tell me, this is–? Does that happen to you regularly here, do the girls just expect it as a part being–?" So many alarming questions were popping up at once, he couldn't finish one without starting another, as his concerns grew, "The Element Four, do they run around having their wa–?"

"Juvia can assure you, no one has ever dared. Not even her past boyfriends…"

Gray released her with numb fingers.

He was going to jail.

She was going to send him there personally, he could feel it.

And Era wasn't separated by gender either… When all this was over, they'd each have their very own floating cell in that stark white room that Gramps had told him about a dozen times over the course of his childhood as a warning against destroying other people's property, and now he was going to live there for decades on end, carted off along with his kidnapper.

They were gonna be neighbors.

Prison buddies.

He wanted to lie down, he couldn't believe this.

"We're already very behind and we have many stops to make, so let's forget this for now, ok?"

He nodded, shuffling after her while the bluenette resumed her cautious padding.

Gray hoped Fairy Tail came for him soon; emotionally he couldn't handle another I'm not a pervert speech like the one he gave yesterday. The evidence against him was beginning to mount and it was damning.

The end of the hall led out into a cavernous room that looked vaguely familiar to him. At the time he'd been with Erza, Happy and Natsu, their goal simple and not too unusual – knock the block off any enemies they came across.

Little did he know a week later he'd be given a guided tour by said enemy, in the middle of the night.

She sped across the entry hall like a wraith on the wind, Gray barely able to keep up, before she blended neatly into the shadows of a shallow alcove. Then she ghosted across the corridor, opening the first door there, before disappearing inside.

Gray followed.

He wasn't sure what he'd expected, but a kitchen certainly wasn't too high on the list.

It was small, about the size of a large supply closet, with most of the available room taken up by old-fashioned appliances. There was a wood fire oven, almost exactly like the one Lucy had in her apartment, a lacrima powered stove that looked as if it were the first one to ever come to market, an iron fridge that Gray more than likely would have thought was a wardrobe if the rest of the room hadn't supplied context, and a door off to the side that Gray could only assume led to a pantry.

All of the cabinets and countertops were made of a deep, worn wood, and there were pots, plates, and cups – battered, but all clean – scattered around haphazardly.

"Stay over there," Juvia gestured to the area behind the door they'd walked in through, "if someone comes in, that's the only space you can hide behind."

He did as she said, shuffling over while a strange feeling welled up then, that he was a dirty secret she was ashamed to be parading around in the dark.

It made no sense, but it was hard to bat the feeling away.

She moved swiftly, not with practiced movements, more like this was a space she was very well acquainted with, that she knew every corner, every nick and squeak, and how to avoid them.

Despite this, he asked, "Do you need a candle or something?" He felt worse than silly just standing there, in his corner; he felt useless.

"No," she breathed, rummaging in a bottom cupboard, "there's plenty of light from the window."

He gave the nearest and only window a quick glance, but quickly did a double-take, startled by what he saw, " Fuck, are you seeing this, it's pouring out there!"

"Yes." Juvia replied, tone clipped.

If he didn't know any better, he'd think she'd rolled her eyes.

Still, it couldn't be natural for it to be raining like it was. Outside looked like an indistinguishable blur, nothing but deep gray fog. He wouldn't even know it was raining if he couldn't see the sheets and waves streaming down the window panes like they were being hosed down.

"Is there some kinda typhoon or tsunami going on?" He remembered Gajeel telling him the guild was moving, and he'd seen it for himself, the Phantom Lord guild hall was hundreds of feet off the ground, if the waves were this high, the world had probably ended.

"Juvia doubts it."

Why was she being so testy? Conversations about the weather were standard protocol for small talk, and she was failing this course spectacularly.

"It can't be magic…" He went on, pressing his fingertips to the window. No one in Fairy Tail had this kind of power, the closest was probably Erza's Sea Empress armor but she hardly ever used it because it only worked while in a body of water, and even then, it was nowhere near her strongest armor. It simply wasn't capable of what he was seeing.

But then again, he had no clue who else Phantom had made an enemy of. He always assumed they'd turned tail and ran to get away from his guild and the monsters it housed, but maybe there was someone else hot on their heels.

Or maybe it was a wizard inside the guild…?

"Does Captive-san like cheese?"

He turned away from his thoughts, just in time to witness Juvia hefting an ungodly wheel of cheese above her head, setting it down far more gently than he would have been able to, given its size.

"Uh, not that much."

She considered his words for only a moment, then shrugged, placing the whole thing on a length of fabric just shy of covering the entire counter, "Better safe than sorry."

Better saf–? How hungry was she?

He'd assumed she made this pit stop to grab a nibble and keep it moving, but now he was growing concerned.

"Juvia thought they'd at least save a few slices of pizza, but–!" She was in the fridge now, and it's emptiness appeared to be causing her stress.

Gray, on the other hand, wasn't so surprised,

"Is this place really big enough to feed your entire guild out of?" Fairy Tail's kitchen's had been twice, maybe three times, as big, and there were constant delays getting enough food out to feed everyone. Mirajane even set up a special catering fund for parties, just to prevent any hiccups during their informal get-togethers.

"The main kitchens are downstairs," She pulled out a loaf of bread, rapped it twice against the counter, then discarded it with an irritated huff. Even from across the room, Gray could hear how stale it was, "along with the bar and main dining area. If the rumors are correct, your guild actually burst down the wall, that day you invaded us."

Why did he feel a little embarrassed? It had been badass in the moment. And justified… "Then why don't we go there?'

"We can't risk it."

"I mean," He really didn't want her to starve on his behalf, "we don't both have to go, I could just wait here until you get back." Gray probably wouldn't run.

"No, no, that's not– Jose-sama keeps a tight log of all the food that comes and goes out of that kitchen. He's meticulous about the books," The bluenette explained, shoving a set of cookbooks aside, but whatever she was looking for wasn't there, "If so much as a grain of rice is out of place, he'll know. On the other hand, this place," She gestured to encompass everything around them, "was a spare room that belongs to Juvia alone, her Master allows her to rent it out each month. Juvia outfitted the whole place herself; everything you see Juvia thrifted and fixed in her spare time. She is the only one who really comes here, aside from Gajeel-kun and she's in charge of supplying her own food, but she could have sworn…"

Gray had always suspected, and it was pretty thoroughly confirmed yesterday, that Jose was a slimy unfettered bastard, but to count the number of rice grains each guild member was allowed?

No wonder he'd hardly ever seen Juvia eating anything, she'd probably already used up her monthly allotted amount.

"Juvia," he started seriously, stepping out of his designated corner, "you need to file a formal complaint."

She looked confused, but that was probably because this was the first she'd ever had anyone advocating for her.

"None of this is normal," He pointed wildly at everything in sight, as a means to encompass her entire life so far, "but the rice thing. Th– that's criminal!"

"Ah…" She looked like she was about to say something, but then she shook her head, and went back to searching.

"Not to brag, but y'know, at Fairy Tail–"

"How do you feel about olives?"

"Hate them."

"Hn. They're probably oxidized anyway…" She shook the bottle a little, then went back into the pantry.

"Anyway, at Fairy Tail we're allowed to eat three, sometimes four times a day!"

"Sounds nice."

"Better than you can imagine." He agreed emphatically, "and I'm not just talking rice, I'm talking meats, fruits, beverages, dessert–"

"Oh, there's some chocolate in here!"

"I'm not a fan of sweets," He reminded her.

"Oh, that's right…"

"Mirajane – she's the one normally in charge of the kitchens – she makes a mushroom pot pie that'll make you start a riot."

"Oh, Juvia believes you," she nodded, emerging from the pantry with a cloth satchel labeled Sunrise Almonds, "Your guild is well known for its riots, it's nice to finally put a reason behind it. Pot pie. Really? Juvia never would have guessed…"

"Well, that's not really…"

"Dried apricots aren't really sweet," The bluenette turned another bag he hadn't noticed around, to show him, "would you be willing to try…?"

"Yeah, sure." This girl was really on her last legs, and she still wanted to make sure he was comfortable. "And bring the chocolate, too."

Her eyes brightened, "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Even if he had to shove it down her throat personally, he was going to make sure she ate.

She skipped back with it a moment later, piled all her wares together onto that large rectangle of fabric, before pulling the sides up and tying it all together.

Then she tested it, lifting it up a few times to check that it was tied tight enough, that it would hold, and how heavy it was, before pulling it down from the counter.

"Hey, you want me–?"

"Juvia is fine," She bounded past him, opened the door, and gave both ends of the hall a quick glance, before nodding, "Ok, the coast is clear, let's go."

xGx

They went back to the main entrance, climbing the stairs to the second floor, and turned left, down a hall that looked identical to the one they'd just left.

This time however, Juvia led them further, all the way to end, and seemed less cautious when she opened the door here.

This room appeared to have many purposes. On one side was a wall of bookshelves, all the way up to the ceiling, on the other were weights, benches, discarded weapons, old dummies torn beyond repair and a flipped table.

Juvia headed for the bookshelves, kneeling down quickly before a set of trunks he hadn't noticed at first glance.

He followed her, waiting while she searched. After the fourth trunk had been turned over, coming up empty, the ice mage thought it was alright to finally ask, "What are you looking for?"

"Uh…" She seemed to think for a moment then answered her own question, "Yes, you can help. Here, check over there, in the storage bins, we're looking for a little leather box, not very big, it should look brand new, with gold runes all over it."

"Gold runes…? Alright." He pulled the storage bins over to the only chair that didn't have a hole in the seat, sat down and began to look.

There were odd little chatskis, old photos, a dying plant, unworn shoes, a broken hairbrush, plenty of paperwork, scissors, a pie pan, sunglasses with the glass missing in one eye, scented candles, nail polish, bandag–

"Captive-san!"

"Ow, why did you hit me?"

"Juvia has been calling you for some time."

"Ok, well, there's a lot of interesting stuff in here," He stated defensively.

"It's all junk."

"So you see a jar of 500 colored marbles and your first instinct is junk?" He asked dryly, shaking it under her nose. She swiped it away, laughing quietly, " Wow."

"Juvia found it."

"I figured as much," Gray stood, dusting down his pants, only to have his seat stolen by Juvia, "so what now?"

She flipped open the box, and pulled out a lacrima, "Now, Juvia just needs to set it up and we can go."

"You want me to watch the door…?"

She shook her head, already engrossed in the little orb now that it had finished booting, "No one ever comes to this end of the guild at night, they all think it's haunted after Evangeline's body was discovered hanging on the rafters."

Oh, lovely!

"She explained very clearly that she'd accidentally used her Body Swapping magic on a butterfly, and it took her a while to remember how to transfer back – because, you know, it's harder when you switch with an animal, even worse with a bug – but the image was rather terrifying and so, no one ever comes here. At least at night."

Juvia was so busy fiddling with the lacrima she missed the look of utter outrage on Gray's face, because of how thoroughly she'd tricked him in the first half of that story.

As the lacrima didn't project whatever image she was messing with, the ice mage could only assume it was an older model. Gray couldn't see anything beyond blurbs of color from where he stood, so waited, trying not to appear too impatient while he shifted his weight from foot to foot.

Once she was through, supplying him no information or context for her actions, Juvia pocketed the lacrima, rising from the chair and gathering the food parcel in her arms once again.

"We only have one place left," she whispered, gesturing for him to follow her as she made her way to the door.

The caution and wariness returned once they were out of the hall, with the water maiden peering over the railing before they continued onward.

They worked their way down a corridor that seemed twice as big as the ones they'd visited before, with the windows towering high above, casting strange shadows while the rain thudded dully against the glass. The silhouette left streaks, spotting everything in sight.

By now, the bluenette had abandoned the duck and dodge method for something far more straightforward: running for her life.

Gray could barely keep up, and he had to wonder once again where all her strength was stored to race down the halls the way she was, while carrying no less than five pounds of cheese.

He was just about to ask (beg) for her to slow down and maybe slither along at a more reasonable pace in the shadows, when something caught his ear.

Blaaaaaauu–hahaha!

It sounded so far off, as if it either came from a great distance or else was a part of his imagination, that he didn't immediately acknowledge it, but the second time, it was so much louder and more insistent, that it gave him real pause.

BlaaauuuuUUUU–HAHAha–HA–UH–!

"Do you hear that?" Gray stopped, trying to pinpoint where it was coming from. Juvia, just a few feet ahead of him, stopped too, looking at the ice mage in concern, "I don't know what it is, it sounds like–"

"Wailing."

The sound started up a third time, as if to confirm her theory, and he nodded. It sounded like a large, unruly baby was telling the world, in no uncertain terms, that it had had enough. It was awful, and only seemed to be getting louder the longer they listened.

He turned away from it, intent on asking her if they should hide or not, when the water maiden grabbed his wrist and ran across the hall, shoving open one of the towering windows, the hinges squealing horribly as they swung open.

He was so busy trying to figure out why she would risk opening such noisy windows instead of just dodging into one the nearby abandoned rooms, that he didn't notice the glow of her hands, forming a bright blue magic circle, until it was too late.

Then she pushed forward, squarely at his chest.

One moment he was standing in front of her, the next he was outside, in the rain, looking at her wide, dark blue eyes. Then he started to fall.

He was in so much shock, it didn't immediately occur to him to scream before he landed on something solid. He dropped heavily, limbs failing a little, while his mind tried to catch up to what was happening.

In a moment of terrible decision-making, he made the mistake of looking down.

The maker mage was on a disc of some kind, floating in midair. It was no longer than the length of his body and transparent, giving him a clear view of the black emptiness around and beneath him, miles above the ground.

He lowered himself on shaking knees, clutching the edge of the circle like a lifeline, while rain pounded him from all sides, the wind howling in his ears while a cold fog climbed down into his lungs.

He was soaked in seconds, making it hard to see through wet lashes and the hair in his eyes, but he blinked hard and caught sight of Juvia climbing up the windowsill and closing it behind her, before she jumped, and that time he did scream.

She seemed to keep falling, her sky blue hair streaming behind her, the only bright streak in the muddy darkness, after her hat tumbled off, into the wind. It felt like it went on so much longer than his fall had, until another disc appeared, catching her just in time.

He swiped a hand down his face, trying to get a clearer view of her, but just as quickly as he wiped it away, more water was there to replace it. He dabbed at his eyes and chin with one of the sleeves of his jumpsuit instead, while his other hand remained glued to the edge of his disc – he couldn't have let go even if he wanted to.

Through his limited line of sight, he saw her rising steadily, until they were level with each other.

"What the fuck, Juvia!" It didn't even properly come out as a question, he was sure half the words didn't even reach her, absorbed and carried away by the wind.

In return, she stared at him, eyes looking too big for her face, not saying anything.

If this was her idea of a joke, or some kind of punishment or experience or whatever he was going to lose his fucking mind, he was going to absolutely los–

"BLLLAAAAAAAUUUU–HAHAH–UH! Uh–UUUUAAAH! AAAAAHH–HUUUU!"

For the second time Gray froze, as the noise from before, so much louder, rattled the window they'd just escaped out of, and those beside it. The very air seems to vibrate with sound, overwhelming even the wind, shaking him down to the bone.

He looked back to Juvia, this time in alarm, but her eyes were closed, shaking her head slowly, while she clutched the bundle of food to her chest, pale hands clasped together in a death grip.

Gray had already given up trying to dry himself by now, but the thought was fully abandoned when two figures came into view. One was tall, unnaturally so, like a boulder come to life, the other one didn't make much sense no matter how long he stared. It wiggled and waved as it moved, and the way it moved was weird too – like it wasn't on legs, as if it didn't put one foot in front of the other, but rather glided above the ground.

Even in the blurry fog that seemed to thicken around them, almost intentionally, Gray was able to make out the two men as they strolled down the very hall he and Juvia had been walking a moment before. How they didn't notice the two, floating just outside the window, watching them as they walked by, he didn't know – and perhaps he should have been more grateful – but Gray and Juvia were just close enough for him to make out the wavy green hair, oval glasses, and hideous yellow suit of the smaller man, while the taller one, dressed all in white, seemed beside himself as rivers of water leaked from beneath the bandages that covered his eyes.

He knew exactly who they were, having witnessed the power of one, while the other had been described to him in great detail in Fairy Tail's makeshift basement infirmary by Lucy: Aria and Sol.

There was no rush, no hesitation, none of that strange air of guilt that Juvia had, while these two passed. They seemed perfectly comfortable and absorbed in their own conversation, moving at a leisurely pace while they chatted.

Though perhaps chatted was not the right word to use for what Gray was hearing. With Aria's blubbering and wailing, not much else could be heard; even with the screaming roar of the wind, it was not enough to drown out his sobs. To compensate, Sol was forced to shout, even going so far as to cup his hands around his mouth just to get a word in.

Therefore, Gray heard everything.

"How? Oh–AAAH–UH! How can you ever–!" The larger one, Aria, screamed between his fingers, "I'm sorry, Sol, I ruined–! HOW COULD YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?" He was so distressed he stopped, bent over double while he clutched his knees, leaving Gray thoroughly disappointed.

Of all the windows, this was where they had to stop…

"Bygones, bygones!" The second man trilled, swaying in place, "Once again, I am asking of you, what is the point of tears, my towering friend, when there is wine to consume? Lovers to pet? Life to live, ugh, to the fullest!"

"I– It's– just so– saaaad!" Aria hiccuped, puddles forming beneath him, "How could I ever forgive myse– myself? I let you all down!"

"Hmm. Perhaps," he agreed, "but no worse than we've ever been let down, Mon Gros. We do not kill a horse for straying a little. So long as they return, bygones, bygones! Take last week for instance, when you first awakened you destroyed everything in sight! Walls, lights, pillows, detergent, your magic ruined them all. Not too far away, was my massive cheese collection, and you know too well, Monsieur Redfox has had it out for mon cheese for months and yet, you missed! So you see, every stale croissant has its uses."

That made no sense. Was that a theme amongst these people? Was that a qualification to join their guild?

Furthermore, why did they have to stop and have this conversation? He couldn't see anything anymore, head bent to avoid getting water in his eyes – a fruitless endeavor – and his skin was swollen from overexposure to the storm.

Perhaps to Gray's earlier point, Sol's words did little to console Aria, who blubbered, "I didn't miss on purpose! You're happy because of a mistake and Gajeel hates me b–"

"Non! Non!" Sol cut in quickly, seeming to predict the end of his sentence, "Once again, you are mistaken! The cheese did not earn you his ire. Monsieur Redfox is simply incapable of love–"

Juvia scoffed, surprising Gray.

"–never respect you anyway, it is best to just smile and nod in front of an unruly beast. At least until you find a way to rid the world of it."

"What about the others?" Aria's sobs, which in the right light and context could be seen as somewhat comical, dried up then, as he hung his head and asked in a voice that was quiet by comparison, "Master Jose looked like he wanted to throw me overboard when he heard I lost to Titania and their old man. Officially, I'm now the weakest link of The Element Four. If the Master has no use for me… What will I become without…?"

His words faded, while Sol looked him over with something akin to pity, "Ah, Mon Ours, you are too hard on yourself, I've always said so. In fact, everyone has alwa–"

The sobs picked up a little, then, "Why would they talk if they didn't believe? They know, they all say it! The master will throw me out next, I'm holding you all back–!"

His keening took on a screech that seemed to linger in the air, in response an ache started in Gray's eardrums.

"Non." The other wizard replied steadily, "Rest assured, that is not true. You cannot find even two people who would agree. However, if you ever feel down about your standing in this guild, just take a look outside," Sol spun in place, gesturing grandly to the windows and by extension, Gray and Juvia, right outside. His heart jumped into his throat, panic building when he saw the pair fix their gazes directly at them, but just as quickly the feeling passed, replaced with confusion.

They seemed to look right past them.

Sol patted Aria's arm, "Even if you tried, for a hundred years, with all your efforts, you can never be as much a failure as Demoiselles Pleuvoir."

"Yeah, I suppose…" He hiccupped, "Yeah, you're right…"

"But, of course! Now, none of this boo-hoo boo-hoo, you have delayed our destination too long. Let us continue, and speak of more merry things, yes?"

"Yeah…"

Sol patted his back twice, "Good lad."

Aria returned the gesture, the tears not stopping, though there was a little more pep in his steps when they took off once again, promises of tea and day-old biscuits, formulating between them.

As they disappeared from view, the wailing started up again, but there was a strange joyous hint to it now, as if he were also singing within his sorrow.

Steadily the sound faded. At the same time, Gray realized with a start that his disc was no longer stationary. It was hovering closer to the window, inching steadily until it was a hair's breadth away.

The reflection that stared back at him was the picture of an abandoned puppy in the rain.

It was almost peculiar how brave he felt when he managed to remove one hand from its death grip on the disc beneath him, his wrinkled fingertips wrestling with the little handle-holds, too shallow for him to get a firm grip on in this weather, trying to get it open again.

A pale hand appeared beside his, like a real life ghost, pulling it open for him. As strange as it sounded, he was too soaked just then to say thank you in response.

Clamoring stiffly across the windowsill, he landed with a wet slap in an undignified heap on Phantom's carpets, overwhelmed with the urge to kiss the exact decor he'd held so much contempt for not even an hour ago.

A soft thud beside him announced Juvia's safe return, and while Gray was busy scrambling back onto his feet, he heard the window snick shut behind them.

He was still rattled, but he'd composed himself enough to understand it probably wasn't the safest place to be, right out there in the hall, so he grabbed her wrist, running flat out to the nearest door, all the while ignoring the audible squelch his slippers made with each step and praying there was no one else around to hear it.

Inside was a long metal bench. Gray collapsed onto it, with Juvia landing beside him. He was working to control his breathing, shake off some of the shock, not only from the storm, but from nearly being caught as well.

Beside him, he heard rustling.

Juvia was fumbling with the ties of the food bag. Either the rain had made it more difficult to pull apart, or the darkness of the room was making her clumsy after being out in the hall. Whatever it was Gray took it from her, working the knot fairly easily, and passing it back.

They were seated close enough for him to feel her shaking, and her distress only seemed to mount as Juvia pulled everything out.

The bluenette held up a scrunched up bag, the bottom dripping heavily onto the floor, and let out a soft moan. She pulled it to her chest like it was something precious, while Gray stared at her, thoroughly disconcerted.

She looked like she was about to cry, "The almonds are ruined…" She gasped.

He understood they'd both been through a shock, but she was taking this a lot harder than he would have expected. Gray had already stood up, intent on listening at the door in case anyone else was moseying around outside, when her voice started to break.

"There's was barely anything, as it was– And Juvia– It's all ruined…"

"Hey, there's–" Normally he didn't want to be alone with a crying girl because he didn't know how to respond – and he still didn't – but this time, he just didn't want to see Juvia so upset, "Its– I'm sure the bru– uh, Gajeel, could get you some more tomorrow–"

"There is no tomorrow," Juvia sniffled.

Her hands went to her throat then, but there was nothing there. The ice mage spun in place quickly, looking to see if she may have dropped her talisman, while a sinking feeling told him it had probably been lost in the storm, swept away, just like her hat.

By the time he'd given up his search, Juvia's forehead was in her lap. He could hear her breathing deeply, every other inhale seeming to end in a small whimper until the sound had him moving without thought, to sit next to her again.

It was a stupid question, but still he asked, "Are you alright?"

"Juvia didn't mean to– she kn– you don't like being wet, but it was an emergency–"

"I'm not mad," Gray assured her, in a voice that almost made it seem like even suggesting he could ever be, was ridiculous in and of itself.

He didn't mention that he had been, if only for a moment, after she'd thrown him out the window.

She tipped her head back, looking to the ceiling but it didn't stop the tears from rolling down, while she pulled in a deep, wet breath, her cheeks flushed.

"If it had been anyone else Juvia wouldn't have done that," She went on apologetically, "but Monsieur Sol is– he's the last person we want to run into, aside from Jose-sama."

"I thought Aria was the one we were avoiding." After what he'd done to Gramps, Gray had his own personal issues with the guy that he'd be happy to resolve in a fight, but he understood Juvia's desire to avoid him. In a single move he'd taken down Makarov, that made sense. The other guy hadn't even crossed his mind, "What can he do?"

She didn't answer immediately, instead she wiped at her cheeks roughly, letting the bag of almonds slide to the floor between their feet.

"Sol-sama," She began quietly, placing a hand on top of Gray's head, he was startled for only a moment before he remembered that Juvia could dry them this way, "is an Earth mage, and the halls, the stones Phantom Lord's guildhall is made out of… it makes this whole building his playground. He can feel everything and anyone once he gets within a certain proximity, and if he found us sneaking around, together, he wouldn't just raise the alarm. He'd interrogate us first…"

She opened the little window just behind Gray's shoulder, tossing the water she'd gathered from his head and chest outside, before closing it and moving onto his clothes, "Actually, it's a little bit worse than that. He wouldn't outright ask us anything, not at first. Monsieur Sol… He enjoys the game, playing around with his food after it's been cornered. He would take his time, crawling around inside our heads, forcing us to relive our worst moments, no matter how private or buried or forgotten… Until he's satisfied. Or we broke. Whichever came first. Then he'd interrogate us."

Gray watched her face, the panes of her forehead and cheeks cast in deep shadow, hiding her eyes, while she patted him down for any spots she may have missed, opening the window again and tossing the second ball of water out of it.

It was only after she'd begun wringing out her hair that he spoke up, "But…"

Her eyes shuttered. "But what?"

This was probably the most exhausted and impatient he'd ever seen the water maiden and it left him feeling, not annoyed, but deeply concerned.

It took Gray a moment to figure out how to order his thoughts into a question. "Ok, yeah, if he caught me, there would be trouble, but if he saw you alone–"

"At this time? He'd be suspicious."

"Regardless, you two are on the same team, power-wise you're on equal footing, he can't just…"

Whatever he was going to say, got lost on his tongue when a flash of light from outside suddenly illuminated her face.

Juvia's voice was toneless when she replied, "That has never stopped him before."

Silence settled between them then, while she worked to dry off. The thunder, though muted in the room compared to actually being out in the storm, seemed to echo some of the chaos he felt within.

Because he had nothing of real value to add, and her expression was beginning to haunt him, he asked a pointless question, hoping it would distract her, "What floor are we on?" He cleared his throat, "I– I mean, from above ground."

"Fifth."

Ah, that explained why he felt like he'd been hovering only a few feet away the moon, when he'd been on that disc. For whatever reason, he'd assumed earlier they were only on the second floor.

He looked around again, determined to pull her from her bad mood. "So do you want to keep moving, or…?"

She seemed so fragile just then, even with her tears long dried and brushed away, he was afraid any sudden movements or startling lights would break her. Somehow it reminded him of that day when Jose came to the dungeons, the first time, that careful emptiness.

He was about to suggest they just sit there, maybe open the cheese – it wouldn't hurt for her to eat something – when she stood, sweeping a firm hand down her front, "There's no need, we're here."

Gray looked around at the dimly lit, rather unremarkable space around them, trying to understand what they could possibly need from here. The room was narrow and rather long, with one window just large enough to cast enough heavily diffused light to see by. Even more than Juvia's kitchen, this room was small, he doubted three people could stand side by side without one having to stand halfway through the door. And apart from the bench, there was nothing else in there.

But Juvia walked around him with clear purpose, and it was only when she stopped that he realized what he hadn't noticed before. The walls were made up of lockers, on both sides. They were only about the size of his torso, but they went all the way to the ceiling. With the bench and lockers in such close quarters, it reminded him suddenly of the showers, down in the dungeons, just on a micro scale.

He watched when her hand glowed, just like when they'd left the dungeons, then she pulled something out, shutting the door quickly and quietly, before rejoining him.

He was more than a little baffled when she deposited everything in his lap. Even more so when she crouched down in front of him, picking up something he didn't recognize.

"Captive-san, listen closely, because the last part hinges entirely on you."

He stared at her blankly, as if he couldn't understand her words.

"This is Juvia's whallet, there's exactly fifty–"

"I'm sorry," Gray shook his head, absolutely positive he wasn't understanding her words, "Did you say whallet?"

"Yes. And there's fifty-th–"

"What the fuck is a whallet?" He hoped he didn't sound rude, it's just he was suddenly overwhelmed with feeling that he had no idea what the hell was going on. And also, he couldn't see what she was holding in the near dark.

"It's a whale shaped wallet," she mumbled with a baffling expression of guilt, as if he'd caught her finishing his cake before his birthday party, "Juvia thought… it was a fun play… on words."

"…Right." Gray felt bad, he really did, especially when he noticed how much wind he seemed to have taken out of her sails, but he didn't know how to repair it.

She continued on, "Anyway, there's J50,000 in Juvia's whallet, a little more than enough for two tickets. Even after taxes, you should be able to pick up some drinks to go with– well, not the almonds anymore, but still cheese and tea go well together."

Was there a convenience store nearby that Gray didn't know about? He remembered her asking Black Steel to go to the store and the dragon slayer adamantly refusing her. He never would have guessed she wanted Gray to go in his place…

But that still didn't make any sense. Why would she want him to bring cheese and almonds and everything else to the grocery store? And tickets…?

He felt like he was right back at square one, thoroughly outside of whatever conversation she thought they was having.

"As for what you're wearing, you may want to fix the arms of those sleeves properly," She gestured to the jumpsuit, and the arms he kept tied around his waist, leaving his chest bare, "Juvia understands it doesn't fit as well as you'd like, but don't change out of it until you've cleared the clouds, otherwise you'll just end up ruining two sets."

She was already moving on, pulling the lacrima back out of her pocket, but Gray's attention was directed at his own lap, and what was laying there.

He shook out the bundle curiously.

They were his clothes.

His original clothes, the ones he'd arrived in.

"They're a little stiff," she explained, giving the door behind him a few nervous glances, while he watched her, still a little dumbfounded, "since Juvia had to use baking soda and vinegar, rather than washing powder. And air-drying may not have helped the situation either, but they're plenty clean."

"Wait," He looked over everything in his hands. Then his eyes bounced over to the food, the money, while his mind began retracing all their steps and the secrecy she'd insisted upon from the start, her unvarnished fear at being caught and interrogated by Sol, before settling on the water maiden herself, and whispered with clear disbelief, "Are–? Are we leaving?"

Juvia nodded.

"What the fuck–?" Gray hopped up from the bench, his own excitement overwhelming his good sense when he shoved everything back in her arms, running his hands wildly through his hair while he paced, "This is really–" He spun in place to look her over again, "Why didn't you say that from the start?"

She tilted her head, still crouched where he'd left her, "Juvia thought it was obvious."

Oh, well, excuse him for being a dumbass.

"No, it wasn't. At least not to me. But I don't care. I really don't care. We're leaving!" It was probably the four square meals a day speech that convinced her, food had a certain hold on people, especially the hungry, "Ok, ok. Wow. Alright, um, do you have a plan?"

"Clearly." She stated, raising his clothes and other items for his viewing pleasure, "we were right in the middle–"

"Oh, right, I'm sorry, I think the whole whallet thing threw me off, please continue." He sat back down quickly, hands folded neatly in his lap while he awaited her instructions.

A small smile was curling her lips when she handed over Gray's stuff, once again, "Juvia understands you don't like being wet, but it is unavoidable." The bluenette remarked, focus returned to the lacrima, "The thunderclouds have a circumference of around 250 feet in any given direction of the guild hall, however," She brushed her fingers across the orb, and an image popped up of a dark sky and clear moon, "once we clear that distance it's about 70 and only partially cloudy. No chance of rain, so we should be fine."

Could Jose be anymore of a dramatic nuisance? In all his life, Gray had never heard of a super villain bringing his own traveling thunderstorm. Why'd he even do it? Certainly not for sake of subtlety, to go around undetected, it more than likely just for the striking visual effects.

He was still shaking head when Juvia continued, "You will change out of those clothes," She gestured to the Phantom merch he was wearing, from jumpsuit to slippers, "back into your own, then continue west, through the forest. Juvia already pre-saved the map to the nearest train station, it's about four hours from her–"

"Where exactly are we?"

"Just outside Woods Worthsea."

That meant they were in the northern tip of Fiore, almost directly across the country from Magnolia. The train ride would probably last 12 hours at least – 14 if there wasn't a direct line to get them back.

"Alright, then what?"

"The nearest station is about a four hour walk from here. It's best we leave now, before the sun rises, so we can get as much distance between us and the guildhall; the train station is the most obvious place to look once they discover you're missing, but Juvia can muddy the trail a bit, make it harder for them realize before we've boarded the train."

"When's the next one?"

"8:15."

He turned the lacrima to see the time, it was just past 3:30. "So we have a four hour and forty-five minute window to get there."

She nodded, "Hopefully the train will arrive on time."

"Yeah." So far out in the country, they could be a little touch-and-go with keeping to the schedule.

Juvia tucked the lacrima into the now dried cloth, replacing everything that had been inside, while Gray ticked everything they had off on his fingers, "Ok, so clothes, map, money– All that I get, but what's with the food?"

"What do you mean?"

He gestured wildly, not understanding how she didn't catch on to concerns, "You packed all that– For what? It's bulky and completely unnecessary!"

"Unnecessary? Walking can leave one ravenous."

"Yeah, but not 100 pounds of cheese hungry, you could beat someone to death with that thing!"

"You're violent impulses keep Juvia awake at night, Captive-san," she sighed, standing from her crouch with the food in tow.

Funny, most people agreed it was part of his charm. "What do you want me to do with these?" He jerked his chin towards the almonds, still sitting in its own puddle, only to regret it a moment later when Juvia's bottom lip began to wobble.

She really loved almonds.

"Listen, when all this is over, I'll buy your weight in almonds, ok?"

He felt no small amount of relief when she let out a tiny, watery laugh, picking up the burlap bag and bringing it towards the window. She shook out all the nuts, and Gray was a little startled to see the wind carrying them away, rather than just dropping to the ground.

Then she folded the bag, tucked it into her locker and looked at him expectantly, "Let's get you out of here."

xGx

This time the trek through the halls felt different.

Maybe because he knew this was the last time he'd ever have to walk these hallowed halls, maybe because he knew freedom was about fifteen minutes away, or maybe because Juvia's stride had changed, no longer cautious and wary, not running for her life, instead she moved with purpose, with a finality.

They made their way out of the main corridor, down grand steps, bypassing a set of large double doors for a hallway off to the side that led to another set of stairs.

Honestly, it was a little dizzying. He'd made the joke before that he'd need a directory to get around this place without her, but there was more truth in that than he'd initially realized. There was no way he could get away on his own, the layout of this place made no sense to him mentally. The hallways went on too long, the ceiling was taller than he felt any multi-floor building could have. When he looked out the window and managed to see past the fog, he caught sight of a pair of towers looming out in darkness, and he had no idea what they had to do with guildhall, were they just accessories to the main building?

He didn't know.

Shaking his head, because puzzling all this together was becoming pointless, he caught up to Juvia and muttered, "Look, I was just teasing earlier, I like the whallet, it's… unique."

"It's fine."

He gave her a look, probing for more information on her dismissive tone, and she sighed, "It wasn't her first choice."

"Why?" He would assume, water plus whales, the two went hand-in-hand, she would feel a sense of completion when she bought it, "Was there something better?"

She nodded, "Juvia actually wanted the sea otter. It was so cute. Fluffy brown fur for the little arm part, and big dark eyes. Juvia fell in love at first sight. Unfortunately, another woman fell just as hard. There was only one left, and while she was willing and ready to fight for it, right there in the market, Juvia was not. The whale was a last minute compromise, she couldn't walk around with coins in her boot any longer."

"But you're an S-Class, you could have beat her ass no problem."

Her brows scrunched, looking strangely offended, "Juvia does not fight when the situation doesn't call for it."

The ice mage scoffed, mystified by her defeatist attitude, "If I were S-Class I wouldn't have just beat the woman, I would find all her lovers, past and present, and kick their ass, too. I would find a seer to get a heads up on her future lovers and guess what, nothing but uppercuts! Then I'd look into her descendants, and I think you know where I'm going with this."

"Yes, well, Juvia is beginning to understand why you haven't been promoted…"

"I think it's pragmatic."

"You're clearly irresponsible with even a shred of power tossed your way."

" Irresponsible–? What?"

"It's just as Juvia was saying before: you have penchant for violence–"

"I would use my rank responsibly 99% of the time–"

"Captive-san just insinuated he'd smack a baby–!"

"I never said anything about babies, I said descendants. Adults can absolutely be someone's descendant, and I'm very patient, I'd be more than willing to wait until they can drive or whatever, before knocking them a new one."

He could have sworn he heard her mutter, " Does he even hear himself?"

When they stepped out of the stairwell, the hallway here looked nothing like the ones they'd walked through before.

It was shorter, paneled in dark wood, with the ceiling sitting way lower, only about seven feet high. Juvia moved swiftly, her gaze fixed on the door at the end of the hall.

When they reached it, Gray couldn't help feeling mildly let down. It looked like a spare room, or at least a room that people tended to forget about. There was nothing more remarkable in here than any of the other rooms they'd visited or bypassed.

It felt a bit like a den, on one side of the room was a fireplace, small bright embers the only sign that it was in use, as the space felt cold and neglected. They were a few armchairs, one of which was on its side, a threadbare rug, oil lamps, a wardrobe with the doors wide open as if it had been ransacked–

Gray's heart dropped.

Sitting in one of the chairs closest to the fire was Black Steel.

For a moment Gray tried to run through his mind when he'd last seen the dragon slayer, and realized with a start that he hadn't been there when they'd left the dungeons. The ice mage hadn't even thought to question his absence, and now, of all places, here he was.

A trickle of fear danced down his spine, until a soft rumble caught his ear.

Snoring.

Snoring, he was– Black Steel was asleep. He had no idea they'd come in here, which meant they still had time to back the fuck out and get aw–

Juvia didn't share his hesitation, "That's where we're leaving, out that window."

He gave the bluenette a double-take, hoping he'd misheard, but her gaze was steady.

Gray followed where she was pointing, to the other end of the room, where large windows, nearly floor-to-ceiling, were.

He nodded, steeling his spine. "We just have to get by him and we're home free." Seemed easy enough, the room was large. They could put a wide berth between themselves and the sleeping man; even with his enhanced dragon hearing so long as they stayed light footed, they should be able to get by him, no problem.

While he wasn't too sure what made these windows so special compared to every other set they'd passed, she knew this place better than the maker mage ever could.

Digging his nails more firmly into the cloth sack with their supplies, to keep his sweaty palms from interfering, Gray sprinted to the other side of the room, only allowing himself to exhale when his hands landed on the windowsill.

He ran his fingers along the bottom blindly, looking for the latch that would unlock them. After three tries with no luck, he turned to ask Juvia if she knew how to get the damn thing open, when he realized she wasn't by his side anymore.

In fact, she was making a beeline for–

Gray ran, flat out, and grabbed her around the middle, hauling her back to the doorway, before she accidentally made the world's stupidest mistake.

" What are you doing?"

She was blinking up at him, clearly shocked, but he suspected that had more to do with him carrying her away, rather than his question, "Waking Gajeel-kun."

Yeah, he saw that part, " Why?"

Her expression was odd, because it looked like she thought she was explaining the obvious, "So that he can escape."

His jaw had dropped long before any words managed to touch his tongue, "Woah, so wait– He's coming?"

"Yes."

The ice mage froze while his mind tried to imagine the trio slipping through the woods, working stealthily in something akin to a three-man squad, slinking between shadows and bushes, keeping an eye out for each other's backs as they made the four hour trek to Woods Worthsea Station.

His imagination wasn't up for the task.

"But–?" Was he crazy or was the math off there? "You said there was only enough money for two train tickets?"

"Yes."

"Does Black Steel have enough money for himself?"

She glanced quickly over her shoulder, then shrugged, "Not that Juvia is aware, he hasn't worked since the guild wars started."

"Then how the hell are we gonna get on the train?" If she thought she was going to manage hopping the turnstile, she obviously hadn't been around a station in a while. They had guards that looked more like bulldogs, whose sole purpose was to stop people skipping the tolls.

He couldn't deny though, a lesser part of him would get a savage kick out of watching Gajeel give it a try, but that was pushed aside quickly, while his questions took priority, "How the hell are we gonna pay for the three of us?"

"It's simple: we're not. Juvia has no intention of going with you."

He felt like she'd dropped the floor out from under him, "What? No, no, woah woah, wait. That's not what we agreed to do."

"Yes, it is, " She nodded, expression infuriatingly calm, "Juvia has prepared food, money, and a map with the intentions of helping Gajeel-kun and Captive-san escape."

"You said we were leaving. You are part of that we."

"No, no. Juvia meant it in the fourth-person, we as in you and he."

What the fuck was she even saying? "That's not–? There's no such thing as a fourth person perspective."

"Yes, there is, in fact it's quite common. You know, breaking the fourth wall. In plays and stories, when the view chang–"

"That's not how that works and that doesn't apply whatsoever to the situation we are currently in." He'd be better off talking to a can opener! He grabbed her hand, "Listen, forget him and let's go, it's way past 3:30, we need to get some distance between us before the sun comes–"

"There is no forgetting Gajeel-kun," She cut in hotly, wrenching her arm from his hold, "Juvia planned all this with him in mind, the pair of you will leave. Now."

Was she on something? "Juvia, we couldn't make it past that window without killing each other, you think we could navigate a dark, unknown forest–?"

"That's why she prepared the map!"

"The map–?! The map is irrelevant! Stop being stubborn and let's go."

"Juvia isn't going anywhere, she belongs here, with Phantom Lord."

They were sparring in whispers but that didn't mean their fight was any less spirited. Juvia was staring daggers at him as if he'd just kicked her kitten while Gray was busy trying to weigh her with his eyes; if he could manage to haul her over his shoulder they'd be out of here in five minutes flat whether she liked it or not.

Juvia whirled around in place, clearly frustrated, before her face landed in her hands, "What exactly is your objection to Gajeel-kun?" She hissed between her fingers.

"You want me to list them all?" He asked, feigning intrigue at her incredulity, "Here, we can walk and talk on our way to the train station. I'll give you a play-by-play of Team Shadow Gear v. Redfox, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at where your loyalties will land by the end of it." He made a move to pull her back towards the window, but the bluenette shook him off.

"We are not negotiating right now–"

"Yeah, I know, because your terms are ridiculous and you don't have a leg to stand on, I'm not going anywhere with that bastard!"

"We aren't negotiating because the plan has already been set, you will leave, with Gajeel-kun in tow, and neither of you will ever set foot on Phantom Lord's grounds again!"

He stepped back a little, huffing out hot air through his nose before he grunted, "Is this because I grabbed your boobs?"

"What?"

"Don't play dumb, this serious," Gray asserted, with a pointed finger at her face, "I already explained to you, there's no need to be afraid, it won't happen again. Besides, it only takes four hours max to get to the train station, you said so yourself. I wouldn't have time to do it a third time!"

"Firstly, that's plenty of time and secondly, no, Juvia hadn't thought of that, it has nothing to do with anything."

It was his turn to start pacing, as his agitation began to mount, "Y'know, I'm really curious how you managed to convince Black Steel to go along with all this. How did you sell it to him, Juvia? What am I not seeing?"

Suddenly, all her irritation melted away, replaced by bald guilt.

Gray froze.

"You didn't tell him anything, did you? He doesn't know about this? You mean to tell me," he laughed, actually laughed, because it was the only way to keep from screaming, "this is our one chance at escape and you thought it was a good idea to spring this on Jose's most loyal, violent lackey on a whim? Based on what? He's gonna turn us over to Jose, you know he will!"

Juvia was shaking her head, but her denial was only fueling his disbelief.

"I can't believe you would do this! It's just–! It's not just crazy, it's stupid. You think he's a good person or something? Juvia, what are you even thinking? Sending us away together, leaving you behind–?"

She stepped up to him then, placing a hand on his chest, her expression grave and tone heavy when she whispered, "There is no other way, Pinky-sama."

Gray took a startled step back, well and truly convinced she was just fucking with him at this point.

At first he felt insulted, which was the correct emotion to feel in that moment, until he took in her earnest expression which only left him with an overwhelming sense of bafflement because clearly she thought she'd just said something not only profound, but personally moving to him, as well.

Then he remembered how he'd told her 'in confidence' that he'd abandoned his own name, to stand in solidarity with Natsu, who didn't have a name of his own and had instead been temporarily dubbed Pinky, which was just one of many unnervingly fruity suggestions he'd been given by the guild, since he never had parents of his own to name him properly.

Gray had been on quite the spree that day, even going so far as claiming the pinkette had been knighted, his moniker switching to Dame Pinky whenever the mood struck him.

It was strange how the most random lies could come back to bite one in the ass when they least expected it…

Trying his hardest not to laugh and ruin what she thought was a pivotal moment in her arguments, he removed her hand and said, "As far as I'm concerned, Pinky-sama doesn't give a fuck about that oaf either. Now let's stop wasting ti–"

"It isn't a waste of time, Juvia must rescue Gajeel-kun, just as much as Captive-san, she owes it to him–"

"What even makes you think he wants to go?" Gray asked, throwing up his hands, "He's got everything he needs here, hostile infrastructure, incredibly loose moral values, an intimidating decor aesthetic. Where else is he gonna find all that–?"

"Gajeel-kun will not stay, because he cannot stay. This place is not good, not for him. He must go. With you. He will join your gui–"

He would have been less alarmed if she'd started speaking in tongues, "Are you enchanted? Juvia, look at me, how many fingers am I holding up?"

She slapped his hand away, "You will not change her mind, Juvia is waking him up!"

"Don't bother."

They had become so absorbed in their own argument that neither seemed to have noticed when they stopped whispering, their voices echoing and bouncing along the walls, loud enough to rouse anyone from their sleep.

Certainly loud enough to alert man with magically enhanced hearing.

Gajeel Redfox stood just behind Juvia, his deep garnet eyes sparkling in the dying firelight as he took in the pair, his face entirely wooden.

Gray didn't even have it in him to truly feel his own fear when he muttered to Juvia, "It was three fingers, by the way…"

xJx

For one horribly selfish moment, Juvia felt incredibly satisfied at the look of terror on Captive-san's face while Gajeel loomed behind her.

But her conscience caught up quickly and cut it short, "Relax," she hummed, patting his shoulder while color continued to leach from his skin at an unhealthy rate, "Gajeel-kun is Captive-san's polar opposite when he's tired."

"Meaning what?" He breathed, back pressed to the door.

"Meaning…" She looked over her shoulder a second, peering into the dragon slayer's face, "He's a sweetie-pie."

The ice mage released a sound caught between a cough and a sob, while he shook his head, "This is a bad dream."

"No, really, watch." She latched onto Gajeel's side, his long arms hanging limp while she buried her face in his chest, "This is the only time of day Juvia can get a hug out of him. Juvia calls it The Teddy Bear Hour, that special time when he's between sleeping and waking. Here," She reached for the maker mage's arm, but he dodged her hand, "you can give it a try, too."

"I would rather be anally fucked by a cactus, Juvia," He deadpanned, "Honestly."

"So vulgar," she muttered, releasing Gajeel from her hold, "Anyway, now that he's up, let's get him to the window."

"I haven't changed my mind just because the brute apparently gives huggly-wugglies at 3:30 every morning–!"

"Well, we don't see each other every mor–"

" My point is," Captive-san exclaimed – at least, as much he could in a renewed whisper, "I haven't changed my mind! I'm not going anywhere with him."

"You are being unreasonable," She huffed, "You were perfectly happy going along with this plan when you thought it was Juvia going with you, what difference does it make if it's Gajeel-kun? We're both Phantom Lord mages."

Captive-san, unprovoked, began doing a remarkable impression of a fish just pulled out of water, before he chuckled.

"You're right. No, you're totally right. There's no difference. There's no difference between the sun and the moon. There's no difference between a bird and a bee. In the topsy-turvy world you live in, everything is apparently the same. Yeah, ok, lemme just swap you for Black Steel, sure why not? Go ahead."

"Very good. The window unlatches from the left," she began, dragging Gajeel along with her, while he wiped sleep from glazed over eyes, "we're on the first floor now, so Juvia will get out with you and then lower each of you onto the forest floor in a Water Loc– Why are you still by the door?"

He was just standing there, doing his impressions again. He had such terrible timing for these things…

"Juvia," he hissed, " I was being sarcastic."

"She asked you not to do that!"

"Oh, mother of Mavis." He threw his hands up. "I– I can't do this."

"What do you mean?" They were almost out. All of her planning had come to fruition, they were at the finish line and he wanted to quit? "

"In fact," He stalked over to the window, snatched up the pile he'd left on the sill, then placed it firmly in her arms, "I'm going back to my cell."

Juvia untangled herself from under Gajeel, dropping everything the Fairy Tail mage had given her to run and block his path, "You can't!"

"And yet, here I go."

She missed when he was injured, she missed when he couldn't even lift his own head, let alone her entire body. For the second time, he pulled her directly off the ground, and this time placed her out of his way.

"No, no, no! Everything has changed! You must listen to Juvia, you don't have another chance. If you don't leave now Juvia cannot guarantee your safety–"

"Well, that sucks," He muttered, stroking his chin thoughtfully, "but so do a lot of things, so…"

He wretched open the door, and stalked out, Juvia hot on his heels.

"Please, you must explain, why are you being so stubborn?"

"I'm not," He shrugged, opening the first door he came across – a broom closet – before shutting it and continuing forward, "The second you wanna leave, you let me know and I'll turn right back around. Until then–" He side-stepped her neatly.

She grabbed his arm, stopping him again, then sighed, her voice coming out like an apology, "Juvia cannot go with you."

"Then I'm going back to the dungeons," The maker mage repeated, brushing her off while he continued down the hall, with a parting wave, "Later."

She didn't understand him, not even an hour ago he'd called her his enemy, then he was literally jumping for joy at the idea of leaving; why was he so unwilling to part ways now?

He couldn't possibly be so stubborn as to deny himself escape simply because she'd suggested the way out, could he?

She stared after him, at the clueless way he was walking around, poking his head into every doorway his passed, rather than just ask her for directions back–

It hit Juvia then that Captive-san truly was a man, and there was more than just a small possibility of him sabotaging his own freedom to get back at her!

He would never make it to the dungeons, he had no idea where anything was, any opening every door he came across was guaranteed to get him caught; he'd be hung up by his fingernails by dawn if this kept up. She ran after him.

"I feel like we're having the same conversation over and over again," he replied dully, "are you coming wit–"

"Divorce yourself of that notion, and seize the opportunity in front of you!"

Her words may as well have been directed at a rubber wall, they bounced right off him, while he seized another random doorknob.

This passage contained the stairwell that lead back to the main entrance hall, a place that was sure to be buzzing with activity now that it was almost 4:00 AM; the early-bird trainers would be doing laps in there, which meant they'd be able to tell her Master of her betrayal twice as fast as anyone else in the guild.

She rushed in front of him, slamming the door quickly and cried, "Juvia will take you there! Back to the dungeons."

He gave her steady look, then shook his head, "No, I don't think you will, now that I'm on the right track, you–"

"Juvia swears," Though she had to wonder seriously if her word meant anything at all anymore, given how she'd planned to betray those closest to her, "If–" She felt like crying again. In all her planning she'd never imagined this was how it would go, "If you must do this, your way, then Juvia will take you back–"

"It doesn't have to be my way," Captive-san argued softly, folding his arms while he looked her over, "But you never said anything about– Waking that br– your Gajeel-kun, without even knowing if he wants to go, you may as well march me back to the cell, that's where I'd end up anyway. You'd probably end up right next to me, once Jose finds out." He shook his head, "This wasn't what we agreed on."

She dropped her arms, along with her eyes, a feeling of defeat beginning to press in, "So, that's it?"

He sighed, "It doesn't have to be, if you'd just leave all this behind," The maker mage gestured around them, before adding in an undertone, "If you weren't so damn stubborn…"

"Juvia cannot go."

Even if she wanted to, and maybe she did, there was no place for her outside these walls, with the only people who'd ever treated her like a person, like someone with purpose.

They'd given her a reason to live.

Even as awful as Jose's plans were for the others, as much as it turned her stomach, and left her afraid for the future, it was better than hanging onto hope.

Of a life he couldn't deliver for her, because he didn't actually know her. And she'd seen on his face, one hour before, just how much he resented what she could do, how he hated her rain and couldn't wait to be free of it, just like the walls of his cell.

It would never work.

"Please, leave."

Perhaps pairing the two men together was the mistake, she'd find another way to get Gajeel out, once the Fairy Tail mage was long gone, she'd think of something.

Juvia pushed his chest, determined to get him back into the room, but he stood firm.

She wished her hat hadn't been swept away, that her teru-teru bozu hadn't abandoned her for the wind. She wished the man standing in front of her would walk away, back where he belonged and never look back.

None of her wishes came true.

"Come," she whispered, turning away from him, to a door further down the hall that would take them down to showers, and by extension the cells in the dungeons, "Juvia will take you back."

xGx

There was silence between them again, but this time it felt unnerving, heavy and weighted.

On Gray's side, he knew he was doing the right thing, and he told himself so, over and over.

For Juvia's part, her silence seemed less headstrong and more miserable, like she'd warned a village of an oncoming storm, but rather than heed her words, they'd laughed her off, kicked her out, and she was left on mountain nearby, watching as everyone below drowned–

Suddenly, Gray didn't appreciate his own analogy.

All of their things, his clothes, the food, her whallet, were still back in that room, abandoned with Gajeel. A small part of him felt unnerved by the heap of evidence they'd just left out in the open, but he quieted that part, convinced that before long, Juvia would see the error in her ways, realize he was right, and the pair could turn right back around, picking everything up with them, as they ran away into the new morning light.

This vision began to feel less and less likely, when he passed the bathing rooms, then halls Gray remembered from a few days ago, with their piles of tarp and random broken wooden pallets.

When his cell came into view down the hall, he threw her a look, as if to say, ' Ha-ha, very convincing but there's no way I'm bucking first.'

Unfortunately she missed it, her hair was hiding her face, the thick, loose curls creating an impenetrable curtain around her head.

Fine.

This was fine.

If anything her pitiful mood only convinced him further that she needed to abandon this place, because he could say with 99% certainy if anyone else here gave a flying fuck about his well being, they would have launched him straight out the nearest window, not giving his reservations over who his travel buddy was, a second thought.

She was only digging herself into a deeper hole as far as he was concerned.

She wanted him to leave with Gajeel. Ridiculous!

She'd always planned for it to be two of them. Was she crazy?

She meant we in the fourth person perspective. Grammatically impossible!

When he crossed the line back into the cell, Gray was more than a little heated. He plopped onto his cot like it was an old friend who'd done him wrong, and glared at the bluenette, while she gazed at him steadily.

Then she shook her head, turning away.

"Um, excuse me, aren't you forgetting something?" He gestured before himself, implying the missing rune wall.

"Juvia will not be reinstating it," She informed him grimly, "whenever you decide to leave, the first opportunity you feel is right, Juvia wants you to take it, without hesitation. A barrier would hinder that. As far as Juvia is concerned, you are free to go."

"Well, that's just great."

She nodded, lips thin, and removed her boots.

Being angry did him no good, and trying to get a straightforward argument across to Juvia was pointless, so Gray decided he'd try to find the humor in all this, and it wasn't hard.

Last week he'd been throwing things in a fruitless attempt to get out of here, this week he was volunteering to sit in a jail cell with no door.

It was actually hilarious.

He cupped his chin, batting his eyelashes prettily, while he waited for her to give in to his demands.

Instead, she piped up, "Juvia cannot tell you anything in detail, but things will not be the same today, or going forward. The goals of our guild…" She trailed off, "Juvia wishes you'd left when you had the chance."

"We still have that chance." He reassured her, "I don't care if Jose, the Element Four, or whatever third thing keeps you up at night, find out that we're leaving in broad daylight, I'll beat them all. I will fight my way out of here, any time. And yeah, I guess that's more violent than you're used to, but if you understood how terrible this place was for you, you'd feel just as fired up."

It was a strange thing, using Natsu's catchphrase, but nothing else could have summed up his feelings in that moment.

"When you say the word, I'll break us out of here. You can beat as many of those bastards who hurt you, on your way out," With her by his side, he may not even break a sweat. "Or I'll do, by myself if you don't want to hurt them, but you have to come with me. I'm not leaving you here."

She was looking at her hands, voice shaking, but not with conviction, when she said, "Juvia is proud to be a Phantom Lord mage."

"Hn."

"Yes, hn." She whispered sharply, settling on her cot.

Her back was to him now, but he wasn't so willing to let up, just yet.

He slid closer, his tone lightening a bit when he asked, "Do you know anything about the River Vulcan? Twelve feet tall, genetically cross-eyed, arms as thick as tree trunks, with all the active brain power of a thrice stepped on beetle?"

She gave him the courtesy of looking over her shoulder when she replied, "No, but Juvia will be sure to seek them out during Phantom's annual zoo retreat."

He clocked her eye roll. She seemed more inclined to do it these days.

"Oh, you won't find them there." He informed her lightly, "They aren't allowed in confined public spaces like that, they're said to be too unseemly. Probably because they're known to eat their own shit."

She cast him a withering look.

"As well as their own children."

She looked away, then, and he pulled back, satisfied.

"Just something to think about."

A/N

In case you're wondering why Juvia was so distressed over a bag of nuts, it's because the brand was called Sunrise Almonds. It felt like a very pointed sign, that no matter what she does, her rain will always ruin sunlight for others.

Anyway, we have only three chapters left of this story! I can't believe I'm actually going to finish something, but here we are.

I'm not sure when the next update will be, but it will be soon, so I hope to see you there.

Thank you for reading, and I hope I kept you thoroughly entertained!

Oh, and P.S. look up ' sea otter wallet', you will not be disappointed.

Mwah!