Wait For Me

     Juvia, Gray thought as he and the other Fairy Tail members on Tenrou Island made their way back to base camp. Everyone was accounted for except for the water mage, and for some reason, Gray found himself unable to convince himself that she was most likely fine and making her way back at that very moment. Wendy had asked for all of the injured to go to her to be helped, but Gray ignored her and everyone else, instead walking straight into the forest without a second thought. He wouldn't stop wondering until he saw her for himself. Though, perhaps he should have tried to tend to his wounds just a little bit because damn, he was in pain. However, he tried to put the pain in the back of his mind and focus only on finding Juvia.

     After walking for what may have been half an hour, Gray began to wonder if he should just head back to camp. Who knows, Juvia could be there already, anyway. But he only went forward and wouldn't turn around. He was determined to find her. Zeref was gone, too, and Gray had sent Juvia to find him earlier. The guy was unconscious, but if he woke up, Ultear made it sound like he could do awful harm to someone. What if he had done something to Juvia? Gray would never have forgiven himself for sending her after him if she ended up hurt, or worse.

     No, he wouldn't allow himself to think like that. Juvia was fine. He would find her.

     He was treading through a swampy area when, amidst all the brown and green, he spotted blue out of the corner of his eye. Sure enough, there Juvia was, sitting against a large tree, her eyes closed and a pained expression on her face.

     "Juvia!" he shouted, running as fast as he could towards her without tripping through the water. He fell to his knees with a splash right before her and he saw her turn her head and force her eyes open. Those blue irises, despite the pain they held, sent relief coursing through his veins. "Juvia, it's me, Gray. Are you all right?" he asked when he saw that she looked unfocused. He pressed his hand to her jaw to hold her head up so that she wouldn't have to put in as much effort to do so herself. Finally, a small smile graced her lips.

     "Gray, my darling. You came for me," she whispered.

     "I didn't see you with everyone else and nobody said they saw you anywhere. Zeref is missing as well, so I-"

     "Juvia's sorry, Gray... I couldn't catch up with them. He got away. I let them slip through my fingers," she said with a frown.

     "Shh, hey, it's okay. We'll find Zeref, don't worry. Right now I just want to make sure you're okay." She looked unsure for a moment, knowing that Zeref was her one request from Gray and she had let him go. And yet, Gray wasn't upset.

     "Juvia should be fine. When I couldn't chase them any longer, I sat here and have been resting since." Juvia moved to stand, but hissed in pain and fell back against the tree, gripping her left thigh in her hands. Gray saw this and moved her hands away, revealing a large bruise covering her Fairy Tail emblem. It looked painful, and even more so at the blood that seemed to have been rushing from the wound earlier that was now slowly ebbing away and drying against her skin.

     "What happened?"

     "Juvia had to hurt herself... to save you," she said through clenched teeth, no doubt in immense pain. Gray's eyes widened.

     "Huh? What are you talking about?"

     "Earlier... Juvia was fighting Meredy. She had bound you and I together, and then she to you as well. Should one of us have died in that battle, you would have died as well. She was about to kill herself to ensure that you died as well, but I stopped her," she said, having to pause at times as the pain came back to her. "I used my magic on myself to hurt the myself, which in turned hurt you, then her. It stopped her just in time... I'm so sorry for making you go through that pain," she said, looking up at him.

     "That was you? That's what that thing on my wrist was?" That explains why he was feeling the things he had, as well as the agonizing pain he had felt in his leg. "Don't apologize. You saved my life, Juvia. Thank you." Juvia's eyes widened and glistened with unshed tears. She smiled softly, grateful. "How hard did you hit yourself? I know it hurt like hell, but your leg looks awful."

     "Juvia had to hit as hard as she could. She had to distract Meredy. If that meant possibly breaking my own leg, then so be it." Gray didn't know what to say. He had always seen her as someone who was far too obsessed with him for his liking, but she was still a part of Fairy Tail, and she was still a friend. She had sacrificed her own well being to save him, though, and he was at a loss for words. 

     So, instead of speaking, he cupped her jaw in his hands once more and leaned in, seeing her eyes widen before he closed his own and pressed his lips to hers. He felt her hesitate, most likely from shock, before she wrapped her arms around his neck to return the kiss.

     When they broke apart, Gray kept his eyes closed.

     "Thank you, Juvia," he whispered against her lips. He then lowered his head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't do this to you. I don't know my feelings. My future with relationships is uncertain to me right now. I don't know what I want and there are other things I need to focus on. I don't want to give you the wrong idea... You deserve better than that," he said softly. He felt small hands lift his head and he opened his eyes to find himself staring into Juvia's own warm blue ones.

     "You won't give me the wrong idea, Gray. While that kiss is certainly something I will dream about for years to come, I understand what you're saying," she said with a soft laugh before sobering, stroking his cheek with her thumb. "But I will wait for you, if that's what it takes. I do not want to press you. I understand my feelings are one sided, but right now... I'm okay with that," she said, and Gray nodded lightly. She pulled him into her arms in a tight embrace, and he returned the affection. They stayed like that for an undetermined amount of time before Gray finally pulled away.

     "We should get back to base camp. We need our wounds wrapped up, especially your leg," he said, moving to crouch in front of her. "I'll carry you. Get on my back," he said, helping her up. Once she was secure, he stood and they made their way back to everyone else.

     "Gray?" She began softly, "I should thank you, as well... You saved me from Ultear."

     "Consider it repayment for you saving me," he said, turning his head to smile lightly at her. Juvia flushed softly and wrapped her arms around him more tightly, resting her head on his shoulder.