● BLACK ▪ BLUE● ¤Gruvia¤

•15•

Fairy Tail Guild
"Been feelin' lonely without our lovely water mage?" Cana teased Gray, nudging him. He glared at her and she sobered up. "I wonder how she's doing. I mean, she left because she felt like her mental state was pretty unstable. I'm worried about her..."

"If she feels like being back at home will make her feel better, I'm sure she's doing just fine," Gray said, slamming down his shot glass. He couldn't hide the bitterness in his voice.

"Gray, I know you're worried," Lucy said. "You're worried that Juvia doesn't have you around to help her, and-"

"I ain't worried!" he shouted. "She can take care of herself without me, without anyone. She's strong."

Lucy's lips twisted in irritation. That he was not worried was a clear lie. "It's okay to be worried. She doesn't have anyone around to protect her while she's gone. It's not right for her to have to take care of herself on her own..."

"Didn't Juvia say that her grandmother was one of the Ten Wizard Saints?" Warren asked, resting his cheek in his hand. "I'd say that's plenty of protection."

"Almost," corrected Lucy. "Marina-sama retired before they officially gave her the position, so she could raise her family and help her business. But yeah, I guess that's quite a bit of protection."

Gray's grip tightened around the next shot glass Kinana had set down. He glared into the red liquid, feeling angry. After all that time they spent together, she just up and left? She just left out of the blue, with only a brief warning. Why hadn't she told him earlier, during one of their other outings?

Well, maybe he shouldn't blame her. He'd never told her much, anyway. He'd never told her about his family, about Ur and Lyon, or about Ultear. Gray had never told her about his early days in Fairy Tail, his relationship with Erza and Natsu, or that he couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when he started to feel something for her.

But Juvia had told him everything. Juvia told him, eventually, about most of her family. He still didn't know much about her immediate family, her parents and siblings, but she told him plenty about her grandmother and the people in the city around her. Juvia had told him of the loneliness the rain brought, she'd told him about Phantom and Totomaru and Gajeel. Juvia had trusted him enough to tell him about Jose and her family and the burden she carried inside of her.

Perhaps Gray just didn't deserve to be told anything by her. He didn't deserve to hear "I love you," he didn't deserve to hear "Gray-sama," he didn't deserve anything of the sort. It was sobering for him to think.

"How did those little outings with Juvia go, by the way?" Laki asked, coming to stand next to Lucy.

"Fine." Gray took a quick drink. "They went fine."

"Were they dates?" the Wood Maker teased.

He coughed and ran a hand through his hair. "Dates? No, no they weren't dates. They were just... activities."

Jet ran down from the upstairs before Laki and Lucy could respond. "Hey, big news!" Jet always seemed to be the herald of big news.

Elfman turned his gaze away from Lisanna and Wakaba to look at Jet. "What's the big news?"

"I just got a call on the lacrima from Bickslow!" This caught everyone's attention. There was news from the Raijinshuu? "They found something that they suspect has to do with Jose and the dragon. They're coming home so Evergreen and Levy can try to puzzle it out."