● BLACK ▪ BLUE● ¤Gruvia¤

•9•

The Element Two
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JOSE'S THRONE ROOM
"So." Jose grimaced, tugging at his moustache. "Totomaru, my trusted Totomaru, has gone against me. Hmm. No matter." He waved a hand dismissively. "They have no hope of beating Sol and Aria."
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JOSE'S CASTLE
"What's the plan?" Lily asked, flying alongside them up the stairs.

Toto looked back. "We'll have to fight Aria and Sol! I think we should try to convince them that Jose's plan will result in the destruction of their families. If they don't believe us, well-" Totomaru looked ahead, deep in thought. "We'll just have to beat them up."

"Gihi! You and I were always on the same page when it came to beating people up, buddy!" Gajeel grinned. "You know where they are?"

He closed his eyes and sensed around. He had always been good at that. The four stopped at a fork in the hall.

"Sol, it feels like he's this way." Totomaru pointed down the right hall. "And Aria is down this way. So they decided to split up. Alright! That'll work for us! Now, who's going-"

"Juvia will take Sol! She wants Toto and Gajeel-kun to go face Aria." She looked down her path, determined. "Aria was always very strong. It'll take two to beat him."

"Juvia, hey-" Gajeel tried to stop her as she ran down the hall.

"Gajeel, Juvia is strong." Toto grabbed his friend's arm. "She can handle Sol alone. And she's right, taking down Aria will need two."

Strangely serious, especially for before a fight, Gajeel looked at him. "What about Jose? How will we beat him? They might have kicked him out of the Wizard Saints, but he's still got the power."

Toto breathed deeply. "Like I tell my students: Just pray for the best."
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FAIRY TAIL GUILD HALL
"Gray, calm down!" Lucy grabbed his shoulders, shaking him. "What's going on?"

He buried his head in his hands, shaking his head. "Something-some-something with Juvia. She-she's in trouble, and-"

Cana opened her eyes, drawing all the attention to her. She was wobbly on her feet, and Evergreen and Bisca supported her. Full-on premonitions weren't her thing, but she was willing to do it for Gray and Juvia's sake.

"A castle. Yeah, that's what I saw. A castle. Lots of ice... Blood. There was someone there, too, someone familiar." Cana squinted above Gray's head, like she was trying to see something. She gasped, clutching Evergreen and Bisca. "Jose. Jose has Juvia.
Gray froze.
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JOSE'S CASTLE, WEST WING
The ground below Juvia exploded into a sandstorm. She spiraled away, ricocheting off the wall and into Sol's wiry form. He coughed up a bit of blood and stumbled back. Juvia reformed into her body.

"Sol-san, please!" She dodged a pillar of rock. "Your sister. If Jose's plan goes through, your little sister will die. Everyone will!"

Sol looked incredibly conflicted, gritting his teeth. Sweat poured down his face. "H-how do I know that mademoiselle is not lying? Y-you could simply be trying to get my beloved Lueur killed!"

"Sol-san, why would Juvia want that?" But she knew that he was too scared, too far gone to let Juvia try and change his mind.