gruvia week 2023 day four: delirium

~right in your arms, i'm home (where i'm safe and sound)~

“It couldn’t be you… She told Juvia you’re dead… She told Juvia that I’m the one who  killed you…”

A ghost.

That was the most probable thing the apparition was.

The vengeful ghost of her beloved had come for her to take her soul.

And she’d willingly give it to him, to end this suffering. After all, she didn’t want to live a life without Gray in this world.

“Gray-sama… be Juvia’s executioner. I have no right to live after killing you.”

Juvia closed her eyes, submitting to her fate. The world became dark and quiet, and she’s all alone. All alone, just like the old days. She let the tears fall.

This was her punishment.

                                                          ~0~

Blinded by rage, Gray went to every neighboring town Juvia was last seen. He didn’t take the news of Juvia’s disappearance lightly and began his own rescue mission to find her.

It was in the middle of the night during their trip back home when they got a call from the guild. Their panicked expressions made Gray and the others instantly awake. Everything was quiet except for the crickets outside of their inn. And it was then when the master dropped the news like a bomb.

Even when he didn’t exactly know the details of Juvia’s disappearance, Gray got up and put his clothes on swiftly. He  headed for the door without a word. His friends called out to him, but he continued to move forward. They reasoned out that they needed to go together and it’s better to go in the morning, but all their words fell on deaf ears. It was still six hours before sunrise and they’re asking him to wait? A lot can happen in a minute, heck, even a second, and he’s supposed to start to search for Juvia after six hours? No way.

“Either you go with me or you come right after me. I don’t care what you’ll do, but I’m gonna start to search for Juvia now.”

His team stood up and got ready to follow his lead.

                                                         ~0~

Looking for her was easier said than done.

Nobody saw Juvia after she got her reward in the town hall five months ago. The mayor said they offered her to stay for free for a vacation after she succeeded in her job but Juvia declined. That was the last time the townspeople saw her.

Five months… It was already a really long time. What if?

What if…

Gray shook his head and covered his face with his hands. No, it wouldn’t help him find Juvia if he thought of the worst possibilities. He was already restless with her disappearance. He didn’t need anymore stress by thinking of that happening.

While walking near another town where she was last seen, Gray noticed a young boy looking at him. He followed the line of sight of the boy and concluded he was looking at his chest. Over the years, people had stared at him because of his lack of clothing, but he didn’t care about that anymore. However, the stare of the boy fixated on his chest. It looked like he’s trying to remember something, and it made Gray ask him if needed something from him.

“Is that a guildmark, sir?”

Gray just nodded and continued his walk, because the priority right now was finding Juvia. The priority was finding her and bringing her safely back home.

“I saw someone with the same mark on her thigh. Are you perhaps related?

Gray stopped in his tracks and faced the boy.

That description… could it be?

“Where is she? Is she alright? Is she… alive?” Gray’s voice cracked a little when he asked the questions. Cold sweat formed on his forehead as he waited for the boy to answer.

The weight of the world on his shoulders got lifted when the boy answered him.

“My mama’s taking care of the lady. But she’s out of it every time she wakes up.”  The young boy led Gray to his hut. “I think the lady needs to see someone she knows when she wakes up. Let’s go!”

Gray followed the boy with only one thing in mind.

He’s gonna see Juvia after a long time.

                                                         ~0~

The young boy’s mother led Gray to a room where Juvia was sleeping. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw how thinner and paler she became.

“What… what happened to her exactly?”

Placing the basin full of warm water near the bed, the mother began to wash Juvia’s body gently. “We don’t know entirely, but my husband found her near the foot of the mountains nearby. No one from the village sets foot there. It’s said to give you the worst of your nightmares in mere minutes.”

“It’s good if you stay with her for a while. I’ll prepare dinner, please look after her.” Gray nodded as she closed the door of the room, never letting go of Juvia’s hands.

Gray’s grip tightened on her hands. Heaven knew what she saw while she was there. He knew Juvia was strong, but to relive the worst of her nightmares… even he wouldn’t be able to handle that head on.

A groan from the sleeping Juvia brought him back to his senses.

“Juvia,” he whispered as he saw her open her eyes. She groaned again, and tried to focus her eyes on the owner of the voice.

“Gray-sama?” No, it couldn’t be him…

“It couldn’t be you… She told Juvia you’re dead… She told Juvia that I’m the one who killed you…”

His heart ached with the suffering she’s in. The tears in her eyes, the pain in her voice… He shared it all with her. Gray felt her suffering. Gray should feel her suffering, because he didn’t want her to suffer alone.

“Gray-sama… be Juvia’s executioner. I have no right to live after killing you.”

“Don’t say that!” He wrapped his arms around her. “Don’t say that, please, Juvia.” Gray sighed and rubbed Juvia’s back to ease the sobbing of the woman.

“Let’s live long together. Please.”

                                                         ~0~

Juvia's whole body ached.

For a moment, she didn’t register where she was. All she knew was that she’s in a dark, warm room with a stranger sitting next to her.

She blinked, and suddenly the memory of the nightmare began to fill her mind again. Images of how Gray died during the dragon attack, because he pushed her away. Of how he died again when he stabbed himself to get themselves out of the ice lock. She remembered the wounds, the pools of blood, the cold body without any sign of breathing.

Her chest tightened as she tried to push the nightmares away. She pushed herself up to sit on the bed and let her tears fall.

The warm feeling of a hand rubbing her back calmed her down.

“Juvia, it’s me.”

But Juvia didn’t want to look. What if it’s another trick her mind was playing on her? She couldn't handle anymore nightmares.

“Juvia, it’s me, Gray.” He repeated. “I’m alive and breathing and you didn’t kill me, okay?” Gray caressed her hair then massaged her scalp after to calm her down.

“So please, please, go home with me. I’ll do my best to keep you safe from everything.”

After one last sigh, Juvia gathered up the courage to look at him.

“Gray-sama…” Tears pooled at the corner of Juvia’s eyes.

She hugged him so tight like her life depended on it. And Gray just let her. He was so relieved she was okay. The whole five months was a scare but he was glad she’s safe from the effects of the extended nightmares. But she still needed to restore her energy back. Hopefully, she’d let him restore her to health for a brief time before going back. He was thinking they could stay in their cabin first before they went back to Fairy Tail. Fresh air from the woods would be good for her.

“Gray-sama,” Her whisper snapped him out of reverie.

“Yeah?”

“Sorry for worrying you and the others.”

“Don’t think about that too much. I already contacted them and let them know you’re already safe with me.”

They stayed hugging each other for some time. Juvia’s eyes were drooping. She was still tired and needed a lot of rest. Gray noticed her slipping arms and laid her on the bed.

“Gray-sama?”

“Hm?”

“You know you’re my home right? Whenever I’m with you, I am home.”

A small smile graced Gray’s lips.

“Rest up. You can spend time with your home when you have your energy back.”

Juvia closed her eyes and let her body rest. The wonderful scenery where she and Gray were lounging in their old cabin filled her mind.

gruvia week 2023 day two: whisper

~epiphany~

During the drive to the bar, Gray felt something shift in the air.

Juvia talked about that great ice cream shop her peers were raving about. She wanted to try them, and Gray immediately offered his company to her.

And he looked at her a little longer than usual, and saw her sweet smile get bigger with his offer. At that moment, everything slowed down around them. But his mind was on fast-forward when he imagined their time together in the ice cream shop.

Truth be told, Gray and Juvia’s relationship was still in the limbo. Both liked each other, and they knew that they liked each other. But both knew that sooner or later they had to take the next big step.

Juvia was already one step forward (maybe she was ahead by a mile even), and was just waiting for Gray to join her. Gray, who walked slowly and carefully, like the path he chose was a hanging bridge, wasn’t there yet. And he really wanted to join her in that path of flowers she was already in.

So what’s stopping you, Gray?

The fear of hurting her?

The fear of not working out together?

The fear of never being good enough?

These were all the things that scared Gray off, the things that were holding him back.

And yet, Juvia proved every time that there wasn’t a need to be afraid of anything.

Because Juvia was a strong woman. A woman, who, when hurt, would voice out her feelings and try to understand why he was doing that.

Because Juvia was a hardworking woman. A hardworking woman, who would do her best to work out a relationship with stubborn Gray.

Because Juvia was a woman who sees Gray in his best, and would always bring out the best in him.

And he would always thank the heavens for bringing Juvia to be his best match in this world.

Gray parked the car in the parking lot of the small bar where they would meet their friends for the night. A little celebration was in place for Levy’s acceptance in college. Juvia greeted them all once she saw them and sat with her friends, with Gray following suit. The atmosphere was cozy and friendly. The band on the stage who was in the middle of performing  a song requested by one of the patrons added charm to the place.

“I’ll get us some drinks,” Gray said, getting up and going to the counter. “Any particular drink you like to have?”

Juvia looked up at him, eyes trying to focus in the dim light of the place. “Whatever you are having, Gray-sama.” She smiled sweetly.

There it was again, the slowing down of the scene and the fast forward of the date he promised. He nodded to her and went to get the drinks. He smiled to himself as he walked.

Gray was really smitten.

And he really needed to work on that so that he and Juvia can be on the same page now.

                                                        ~0~

He settled next to her again when he came back, 2 glasses of drinks in hand. Juvia thanked him, but with the loud music he needed to lean in and hear her. This never failed to make the woman blush and immediately focused on sipping her drink.

At this point, Gray couldn’t concentrate on the music and the conversations around him. And it's because of her cute mannerisms. He didn’t have much to say either, so he just tried to focus on Juvia, because it’s the only task that seemed natural to him now.

He scooted closer, their arms touching, and Juvia looked at him again and he just offered her smile. To this, she relaxed, and leaned on him as well.

This didn’t go unnoticed by their friends of course, and Gray knew that they were going to tease them later. But like he thought about earlier, all he could think about tonight is Juvia. And he was willing to go through the teasing if that meant that she would be by his side all throughout the night.

The band was playing a mellow song, a song familiar to Gray. It was an old song he heard before, played at one of the musical festivals he attended with his friends. Back then it wasn’t something that held meaning for him. But now that he was willing to put work with the something he had for Juvia, everything made sense.

Everything made sense like puzzle pieces creating a masterpiece as you assemble them.

This time I’m sure of what I’m looking for,

And that’s what I want you to know,

And I won’t ever let you go

Let you go…

Dear heavens, he was really in love with Juvia Lockser.

And he’s way too deep to deny it anymore.

As the music played, he looked at her, eyes focused on her beautiful face. Even in the dark she glowed so much brighter than the stars.

She put down her glass and started to bob her head to the song and tapped her fingers on the table, following the rhythm.

Gray’s gaze was solely on her amidst the busy and noisy bar. He scooted his chair even closer to her. Juvia noticed the movement. Once again, she looked up and smiled at him. He would never get tired of the smile.

And he wanted to see that smiling face next to him as he woke up every day for the rest of his life.

Slowly, he moved his arm and rested it on her. Juvia leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder.

Gray whispered the song to her ear and made Juvia’s heart thump rapidly.

I’m learning,

I’m learning you now

Stars fading

Free falling into you

This time I’m sure of what I’m looking for,

And that’s what I want you to know,

And I won’t ever let you go

Let you go…

They locked eyes as the song played. The next words Gray whispered while looking at her made her tears flow and her heart jump in joy.

And I’m ready for you now

Be ready for me now

Show me love…

Juvia leaned in and let their noses touch, and let out a giggle.

“Juvia’s always ready for you, Gray-sama. Juvia is always ready to give you all the love she could give.”

He looked at her lips that he so desperately wanted to kiss. “Sorry it took a while, but I hope you’re really ready to receive all my feelings for you.”

Gray caught the look she gave on his lips and dove right in for a kiss.

There were cheers around them, but he couldn’t care less.

Gray was thankful that his whispers led him to a beautiful night, with the most beautiful woman in his arms.

A beautiful woman who he could call his partner in life.

gruvia week 2023 day one - reflection

~colors~

For an aspiring artist like him, it was hard for Gray to work on a piece without seeing any color.

He wanted to see colors too, but he wasn’t fortunate enough to have met his soulmate unlike his friends. Thankfully, his friends were still supportive of his chosen field, and were proud of his works.

For his future works, he wanted to use colors. And he’s going to find a way to use them, with or without someone’s help. With or without a soulmate.

“What are the colors of these leaves?” He asked his friend, Erza, when they were out hiking for the weekend, together with the others. Erza saw colors since she was little. His friend was lucky enough to be friends with her soulmate since childhood.

Erza touched the leaves on the ground. “It’s autumn now, so the colors of these leaves range from deep orange to light yellow.” 

Gray nodded in understanding, and jotted down the colors in his journal. He planned on purchasing some new materials for his next art project. His desire to use colors was greater than ever.

“I’ll stay here for a while, you can go with the others, I’ll just catch up. Needed to do some rough sketches.”

“You can take a photo of the scenery and use that as a reference, Gray.”

“It has a different feel when I do it real-time.” He countered.

Erza hesitated for a moment but decided she should let her friend do his thing. “Okay, but catch up with us as soon as you finish!”

“Yeah, yeah…” Gray sat down and leaned his back on a tree trunk and sketched away.

But with Gray, working on a sketch meant that he wasn’t aware of the time. When he looked at his watch after finishing, he got surprised that it was already afternoon. He needed to catch up with his friends before it got dark..

He got up and walked briskly, moving forward to the direction where he last saw his friends. This proved to be difficult when the trail lead to two different pathways. “Damn it,” He whispered to himself as he took out his phone from his pocket. No service.

Today was his unlucky day.

Gray was reaching for his compass in his bag when he saw the movement near the stream. For a moment, he panicked, but tried to calm himself down. Worrying was not best in this situation. He inched closer to the body of water and checked out if there would be movement again.

The ripples of the stream intrigued him. He thought something was trying to call him to look into the body of water. Scared, Gray backed out for a moment, before feeling the gentle breeze of the wind. The soft gust whispered that it was safe to come near the stream. Like it was promising only good things to happen.

And so, Gray slowly looked into the body of water, so clear that he saw a reflection.

Only, the reflection he saw was not his.

Gray shouted, surprised with what he saw. A woman. In the water. Smiling at him.

In color.

He didn't expect to meet his soulmate today. And he didn’t expect to meet his soulmate this way.

Was it even possible that his soulmate is a non-human? A sprite?

A water fairy?

He tried to calm his loudly beating heart, taking note that he was being judgmental with this woman. Maybe she was taking breathing lessons underwater. Or just taking a dip in the stream since the weather was humid today. There were hundreds of possibilities.

But Gray knew deep down that the woman was one of the nature spirits in the forest.

Taking deep breaths, he crawled to where he saw her, and looked at the reflection again.

And there she was, smiling at him from the water, her beautiful hair sprawled to frame her sweet face.

Gray wondered what color it was.

Her beauty was other-worldy.

She placed her palms on the surface of the water below. It was as if the water was something that encased her and trapped her there for so long.

He reached for her too. He wanted to ask so many questions. But when their hands touched, Gray heard the shouts of his friends, looking for him.

The cool feeling of her palm was gone the moment he turned to her again, and so was she.

“Gray! What the hell? You told me you were gonna catch up? We were panicking when you didn’t join us!”

“Sorry, sorry!” He patted his jeans as he got up and looked at his friend, taking fancy at the color of her hair.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Your hair looks disheveled.” He tried to conceal that he could see colors now. But it came with different consequences.

This earned him a smack to his head.

“Haha! You deserve that, punk!” Shouted his friend, Natsu, who looked even more ridiculous once he saw his hair color.

“You look more like a moron with that kind of hair.”  He walked past him and joined the others.

“You wanna go here, punk?!”

“Shut up, Natsu, do not disturb the peaceful nature around us.”

Natsu got restrained by his friends so that a fight would not break out.

                                                         ~0~

He learned, as soon as he bought paint for his next project, that the color he saw was a specific type of blue. He also learned that it was rare to find the color in nature.

Gray mixed his paint to create the type of blue he saw on her. After a course of months, he could not forget about her. Her sweet smile, her bright eyes, her cool hands– they were all engraved in his mind.

He memorized her whole existence in his head that he created a painting of her. Gray knew his friends who saw colors were a little puzzled with how he did the colors on his painting. Months ago, he was asking for help with them to create his projects.

There were two main questions swirling in their minds. Is the lady in his portrait his soulmate? When did they meet?

To this, Gray remained silent and kept creating. The piece he was currently working on was a tribute to her.  He could finally see colors, and could finally create his art in a different way than he used to. This painting was a small token of gratitude for her.

And he wondered what her name was. Do fairies have names? He wanted to name his painting after her.

And he wanted her to see his creation some day.

Hopefully it might be sooner than later.

                                                        ~0~

“Gray?”

“Hm?”

“I’d like to buy your painting. You know, the one with the blue-hair–”

“Not for sale.”

“Please?”

“Sorry,” Gray dipped his bread in the hot chocolate drink he had bought from Cana’s cafe. “Not for sale.”

Can slouched behind the counter of the cafe. “I was thinking of having a make-over for the cafe, and I think it’s the perfect piece.”

“You could commission me one if you’d like.”

“But that painting is magical, Gray! It has a magical feel.” Cana paused and straightened her posture. “It pulls you to look at it and admire it and it feels like good things are gonna happen when you stare at the painting.”

Over the months, after exhibiting the painting in different places, Gray got offered a lot of money for it. Some would say he’s dumb for not taking the offers because it was big money, but he couldn’t let go of it. It’s like his charm in his life. And if it felt like that for the others too, then he couldn’t blame them.

Plus the subject of the painting is his soulmate, so it was hard to let go of it.

“Then, could I at least rent it for the reopening day? You never know, the woman might stumble upon this cafe and see that painting of hers.” Cana had a mischievous tone when she declared that.

“Haha.” Gray answered, sarcasm enveloping his voice. He took a deep breath. Cana was right. He wanted at least a small chance of her seeing this painting, and she would not see it if it’s just in the safety of his house.

“Okay,” He slapped the table lightly and looked at his friend. “You can rent it for the first week of the reopening day.”

Cana smiled. “Let’s talk about the prices later.”

                                                        ~0~

The reopening of Cana’s cafe proved to be a success. The drinks, the food, the atmosphere, together with Gray's painting made the place cozy. Gray received many compliments for his work and he even scored potential clients.

He sat in the corner, chilling as the hours went by. Gray watched people coming and going with satisfied smiles on their faces. Killing the time, he pulled out his sketchbook out of his bag and decided to draw the scenery in front of him. Focused on his work, he nearly missed the bell of the door when someone went in before the shop closed.

“Can Juvia have a cup of hot chocolate with one vanilla sponge cake please?” She asked the worker behind the counter. When she went to find a space to sit down, Gray caught a glimpse of her.  He did a double take as she stared at the painting in the middle of the cafe. That blue hair... no doubt it was her.

She stared at it, admiring the work of art. Smiling, she felt her heart beat faster as she sensed someone standing beside her.

“Hello!”

“Hey,” Gray felt like a fool talking to the woman beside her. For months, he kept thinking about her, but now that his muse was here, he didn’t know what to say. “Do you remember me? In the woods, the stream?

A nod from her was all it took to boost Gray’s confidence in talking. She was really that person. “Do you see the colors now, too?”

“Well, Juvia being one from nature, she could see colors all her life. She heard it’s different for humans. Do you see colors now?"

And she… Juvia… really was his soulmate.

And he didn’t care if she was human or not.

She reached for his hand and the painting moved like a scene from a movie. It surprised Gray that he was there in the painting, hand-in-hand with her. Smiling to each other, as nature bears witness to their union.

“If you like it, that may be our future. Would that be okay with you?” Her voice, laced with the sweetness of honey and the promise of forever appealed to Gray so much. He was willing to be one with her, right then and there.

“Although I heard humans have this thing called dating before getting married.” The sound of her giggles were like the anthem of his future life.

“What’s your name? I heard earlier, but I want you to introduce yourself to me.” For a moment, Gray thought that sounded ridiculous. She's not from here, so he wanted to start this with an introduction.

She giggled and interlaced their palms together to shake his hands. “I’m Juvia. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Gray mirrored her expression, like the reflection they had of each other in the woods. “I’m Gray Fullbuster. Thank you for bringing colors to my life.”

“So, what do you call this painting, Gray-sama? It’s really wonderful.”

And true to his word that he dedicated this to her, Gray responded with all the pride in him. “It’s called, Juvia, The Water Maiden.”

She giggled again, and blushed with the dedication. “Is this for sale? I would like to buy it.”

A small grin graced Gray’s feature. “You own that painting the moment I made it.”