Silence

4

A week has passed since I had returned to the guild. For some odd reason, Juvia and Lucy seemed closer than ever. Wherever Lucy went, Juvia went. Wherever Lucy sat, Juvia sat. Whenever Lucy left, Juvia left. And whenever Lucy arrived to the guild hall, Juvia followed in right after. Gray had said Juvia stopped walking him to the guild hall every morning, which got everyone curious. Juvia was always clingy with Gray. A year ago, she would claim that Gray was the "love of her life." Now, she was so distant that it seemed like her feelings for him have vanished into thin air.

Then I got curious.

I know, I know. I'm going to sound like a stalker. But I decided to follow them one day. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be since the two of them were walking out in the open during a busier time of the day. There were people everywhere, so I tried to keep as close to them as possible. Lucy and Juvia began talking about the guild. They were laughing about funny memories, some of which I missed. I couldn't lie that some of them were hilarious, and it made me contemplate on what it would have been like if I came back to the guild earlier. It took a while. Eventually, the crowd grew smaller until it was no more. I was starting to grow impatient, but the two girls came to a stop at a river. My river.

It was dry like the last time I saw it. The ground was covered in dirt and pebbles. It felt like centuries ago when Gray and I fought here. We had so many memories together on this exact river bank. I was so used to the loud, roaring water. No, it's just quiet.

Lucy and Juvia walked over to the dry river. The celestial mage looked at the water mage and nodded at her. Juvia nodded back. She held out her hands, and a bright blue aura, somewhat similar to her water magic, began flowing towards the empty river.

A flash of blue light made my eyes go wide as a small spout of water bursted out of the ground pouring quickly over the dirt and pebbles. It started to spread, and little puddles began to appear. Soon, the water hole turned into a tiny stream. It almost immediately grew into a river, and the two girls squealed and high fived each other. I, on the other hand, sat there with my mouth wide open. They were able to bring the water back just like that!

"This would be a great surprise for both Natsu and Gray!" Juvia cheered as she squeezed Lucy. "Thank you so much for showing me that spell!" Lucy laughed. Their voices became faint in my mind as I thought about all the possible things that could happen to me if I got found out. I felt bad because I let my curiosity get the best of me, and I ruined their surprise for me. I couldn't ruin this for Gray. I had to run. Quickly! I backed away from the bushes and sprinted away from the river. Farther from the two cheering girls. Away from all of it. I didn't want them to know I was there at all!

I never ran so fast in my life. Maybe they saw me, maybe they didn't. I could just say that I went on a run or something! They might believe me, but then again I was near the river if they saw me. It's nerve wracking because I don't even know what they are thinking. I bursted through the guild hall and shut the doors. I leaned against it, panting heavily. I searched the guild hall, and spotted Erza, who found out I came back only three days ago.

I ran and sat down beside her way too fast for her liking.

"N-Natsu!"

"Shhh! Don't tell Lucy and Juvia I followed them!" I quivered. Erza looked at me like I was a psychopath. She scratched her head confusedly and smiled. "Why in the world would you follow Lucy and Juvia?" I shook my head at her question. I didn't want to tell her exactly why I was following them, but then again it wouldn't hurt to tell the truth. Besides, Erza would probably bash me in my head if she knew I was lying. I was so paranoid that, for some odd reason, I felt like Lucy and Juvia were right behind me. I looked over my shoulder and only found a grunting Gajeel reading a picture book. All clear. I looked back at Erza. "I was curious!" I whispered.