● BLACK ▪ BLUE● ¤Gruvia¤

°8°

The Dragon's Companions
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Fire. There was still fire, though the water should have quenched it. The dark monster still screamed, still raged, still spewed the lava water everywhere. A storm, as forceful as a hurricane, shook Earthland.

"Freedom, freedom!" she shrieked.
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UNKNOWN AREA

"Gajeel-kun!"

She woke up screaming his name, yanking her wrists against the chains. Shocked, Juvia looked left and right, tugging at the restrainments. "Gajeel-kun, Gajeel-kun!"

"Juvia." A figure put his hand against the bars of her cell, shushing her gently. "Juvia, listen-"

Her eyes went wild. She hadn't felt this way since she'd fought Meredy. "You. You! Totomaru!"

She began kicking, desperate to get out of the chains. In her frenzy, she forgot that she could simply melt out of them. But all she wanted was to reach her old friend, strangle him, demand he return Gajeel-kun to her. "Give me back Gajeel-kun!"

"Juvia, you misunderstand, we didn't take Gajeel away from you." He leaned forward, pressing his lips against the cage. Toto looked older, a vague trace of stubble on his jaw, his tattoo fully connected across his face. "We took you away from Gajeel. Now, listen-"

"What do you want?" she shouted, lunging. "What!?"

"Juvia, shh…"

"GET AWAY. GO AWAY, GET AWAY FROM ME! I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS!"

"Juvia, I am-"

"Friends don't capture other friends! Now, GO!"

Totomaru flinched back and retreated, bowing slightly to her as he went. Juvia collapsed against her restrains, breathing heavily. Five minutes later, she'd calmed down enough to melt out of them, reforming her wrists and rubbing them.

Where was she?
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BEACH

Gajeel!"

…

"Gajeel, you must wake up!"

…

"Gajeel, where's Miss Juvia? Gajeel!"

?!

"Juvia!" Gajeel sat up, gulping in air. "Where-what-"

Lily, in his larger form, gripped Gajeel's shoulder. "Gajeel."

"Lily?" Gajeel groaned and pulled at his face with one hand. "Whend'you get 'ere?"

"I had a bad feeling. So did Carla and Miss Cana. I flew over as soon as possible. Now, what happened?" Lily helped Gajeel onto his feet, steadying him as he wobbled.

"The Element Four, er, Three!" Gajeel said. "Remember my Phantom days that I told you about. That elite team Juvia was apart of? They came."

"Sl-slow down, they what?"

"They came here, they attacked us out of nowhere! Aria almost choked me to death, then they just vanished with Via!" He snapped his fingers. "Like that!"

"We should call the guild for backup," Lily said, sprouting his wings. "I'll go back, and-"

"No!" Gajeel growled. "That'll take too long. I'll go get Juvia on my own."

"We don't even know where they are!" Lily snapped.

"That magic, that-that-that thing that made them disappear, but I don't think it took them too far." Gajeel took a big whiff of the air. "I can smell their magic traces. That shadow-y thing took them down to the port over. They probably took a boat. From there, I can track 'em." Gajeel waved Lily along, and they headed down the beach.