TRISTFUL. GRUVIA

XXIII. I LOVE YOU

g.f —

Debris hovered over us, smoke uprising into the air, the thick exhaust smearing across our skin. Our breaths were heavy, the remaining strength we had so little as we could barely withstand the grapple. Worry crossed our minds, death foisted as a likely possibility.

We were practically failing.

Failing, like we had done so a month ago.

It was all just the same.

"Ahh!" Juvia whimpered. She was too frail to stand, her body only laying on the ground several feet in front of me. Trickles of blood drizzled down her skin, her lids squeezed shut while she moaned in pain.

My attention exchanged to the slimy creature, who was preparing for another blow that would not get past the water mage's survival rate. A few moments passed by in a blink of an eye, and the next thing I knew, a crystallized stream of magic could be seen, dashing towards Juvia.

My lips quivered in fear, my legs unable to move, culpability washing over me. I was now stuck in place, watching the girl that I had once known, yet the girl that I had destroyed, be pushed in the direction of a turmoil fate, and for the second time now.  Eyes widening, realization hit me like a bolt of lightning had just struck.

"Deep inside of Juvia is her old self..it's still in there, somewhere. You just have to help her find it. You want her to be happy, right? She'll only be restored to her own joy if her memory returns."

The pain that she had prolonged.. the pain that I had prolonged.. It was still there, and it was due to the lies that I had built up, all of the lies that I had committed guilty of.

I had always longed for things to return to normal, ever since that unfortunate event had taken place, but I had never really done anything about it in order to ensure my hopes of turning it into a reality.

I had always longed for Juvia to remember everyone, to remember me, but I had never put any effort, and I ultimately ended up doing the opposite, driving he farther from wearing a genuine smile, a genuine smile that she had once given me.

My selfish thoughts had clouded my thoughts, directing all of the foolish decisions that I had made.If I weren't so afraid to be upfront with her about my mistakes, if I had listened to my heart instead of my mind, then maybe we would've no longer been attached to this jumbled mess.

It was all of my fault..that she still was lost in agony and confusion.

Thus why, saving her was my first priority, no matter what the risk may be. It was my responsibility to owe up to my debts, to owe up to the duty in which I had mentally promised to fulfill, to pay back in return for the crimes I had done.

I helplessly watched Juvia as her eyes widened in horror, pain entering her body from every direction, a look that I would never forget on her face..

My footsteps sped up, my hand reaching out towards the water mage. I could make it, I would be the one that would protect her..

She screamed in agony, trying to withstand the suffering. Her struggle made my eyes burn, my stomach beginning to quench, knowing that this was all of my fault that this had happened to her.

My determination, my will, to keep the woman I cared for alive, was felt strongly. I had to beat the light that could critically injure.. There was no way that I could let her die, there was no way in hell that I would be the reason that she had to suffer once more.

She locked eyes with me, the scars clearly evident on the inside, and the out. "Juvia is sorry t-that she had failed to p-protect you, Gray-sama. I promised..but I still couldn't."

My attempt so close to a fail, I jumped in front of the blunette, shielding her from the beams of a bright, yellow, streak, that now overtook my body. Immense pain ripped out of my skin, a soft moan escaping from my lips.

She faintly smiled at me for the last time,

Shock and heartbreak reflected through her orbs, her pupils filled of affliction, filled of forlorn. Feelings of guilt was expressed through her face, her mouth partially parted open, a small whisper being made out. "G-Gray-sama.."

and then collapsed to the ground, after receiving a bitter beating.

I weakly smiled at Juvia, delighted that the last thing I would remember would be her finally recognizing my true identity. My eyes fluttering, I tried to remind myself that she would be alive, that she would be able to have everything that I was not able to give to her before, because of what I had done, in dire need to prevent the urge to shed a tear in front of her.

My voice almost inaudible, with the minimized moments we had left to share, I croaked out the words that I had always wanted to say for the longest time now.

"Juvia, I love you."

And the darkness blinded me.