● BLACK ▪ BLUE● ¤Gruvia¤

•5•

The Twisted Game
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Marina's long, pale hands couldn't seem to stop touching Juvia. They were cupping her face, massaging her scalp, booping her nose, hugging her.

She couldn't seem to stop crying, either.

Juvia herself began to cry, burying herself into her grandmother's chest. The servants, the meadows, the gardens, the big house began to fade, leaving only Juvia and her warm, warm grandmother, with her scent of salt and ink, with her soft hands buried in her hair, with the silk of her dress brushing against Juvia's legs.

She was so happy.

Marina pulled back, removing a hand from Juvia to wipe a tear away from her eye. "Oh, I wasn't ready for this. I'm a mess, look at me!" She forced a laugh and fanned herself with a hand. Letting go of Juvia fully, she studied her. "There's a bit of color in your face! Look at that. Oh, dew drop, what in the world happened?"

"Well, where do I start?" Juvia laughed, then dissolved into tears again. Her grandmother looked wonderful under the sunlight. "Can we go inside? I'm really tired from the walk."

"It is amazing," Juvia said, nodding her head and clasping her hands. "So amazing."

"Well, I can't wait to hear it." Marina sat down in a chair in the same room that Juvia had brought Gajeel to upon his first visit. "I want to know exactly what made the rain go away."

Juvia waited until the last servant left, waving a farewell to them, then picked up a piece of toast. "I fell in love."

Marina nearly spilled her tea. She stared at her granddaughter, eyes as wide as her tea saucer. "What?" When Juvia repeated it, she began laughing. "Oh. Oh, gracious, I thought that you went on some long journey for some old spell that took it away, but this... This is better!" Marina wiped her eyes free of tears, then put her elbows on her knees. "What's his name?"

"Gray. Gray Fulbuster." Juvia blushed and put her hands against her cheeks, blushing vividly. "Gray-sama is so amazing! We fought back when Phantom was attacking Fairy Tail, and he just stopped the rain!"

"... With a spell?"

"With love, Gran." Juvia hugged herself, squeaking. "Ah! He took the rain away with the power of love."

Gran chuckled into her hand. "Okay, you're very excited. I think I've read about Gray Fullbuster in Sorcerer Weekly. He's an Ice Make mage, isn't he?"

Juvia nodded. "Oh, yes. His magic is beautiful!" She sighed into her hands."Just like him."

"Yes, you are veeerrryy excited." Juvia's grandmother took a bite of toast, loaded with clotted cream. "What else is new, besides the haircut?"

"I joined Fairy Tail, actually. Me and Gajeel-kun."

Juvia described the guild in detail, about all the events that had happened since her encounter with them. She explained about Erza and the Tower of Heaven, about entering the guild hall alone, about pleading for Gajeel to enter. She told Gran about the Fighting Festival, how Gray had invited her to be on his float with him.

Marina looked troubled. "G-go back to the part about the Tower of Heaven and your friend, Ella?"

"Erza. Erza Scarlet." Juvia tilted her head. "What do you mean 'go back?''

She waved a hand, irritated. "The part that she told you about, the lacrima and how it almost absorbed her. What did the Tower of Heaven look like?"

Juvia thought. "Well, it looked like a huge tower of crystal. It was actually very pretty. And Erza-san said that the lacrima that Jellal was going to sacrifice her to absorbed her into it." Juvia shuddered. "Creepy."