Chasing Shadows

Drowning In Fire

-Drowning in Fire

Juvia walked out of Dr. Jellal's office feeling tired.

They talked about the possibility that deep inside Juvia didn't want to forget about the past, that the dreams was her mind's way of saying that she still wanted to remember. This confused her so much, her head started to throb. It sounded so absurd to her ears that she was almost offended by the idea yet Juvia didn't deny that there was a chance, even a minuscule chance that all this was because she still had lingering feelings about her time with Gray.

Dr. Jellal assured her that this was just one of the many explanations to her dreams, he said it was too early to tell and they'd have to observe more accurately to rule out other options. He just wanted to explain to her that this was also one of their options out of many that he hoped they'd crossed out as time progressed and they knew more about this condition of hers. He understood that the idea was alien to her because he'd witnessed the effects they had on Juvia, yet he wasn't so sure about her sub conscience. Juvia thanked him and stepped out. She started her appointments a month ago, when she'd have sleepless nights that she thought was only insomnia, treated with a few meds and counselling, a week later, she could sleep again.

Then the dreams came.

It felt like nightmares to her, not in the scary horror movie kind of way but in the sense that she didn't want to see these memories, to see his face. She tried so hard to put them behind her, yet they threaten her every time she closed her eyes. They came uninvited and aggressive and ended abruptly leaving her in the misery of another night of remembering. It felt like she was drowning, drowning in the endless barrage of images of black hair and blue eyes. It was like drowning in fire.

Today, she asked herself if she was the one bringing these dreams, subconsciously longing to remember them again. If that was the case then Juvia didn't understand herself, as crazy as that sounded. For years she told herself that although the past was full of good times it was still painful because of their separation, every memory hurt ever since she'd ran out of that dark room on that stormy day.

Her phone rang in her jean pocket. The name Jordan Ultear displayed on the screen.

Jordan was Juvia's best friend. She was a chemistry student at the University of Magnolia and surprisingly the lead singer of the rock band Sedation. A band she started earlier this year with other classmates after she claimed that rock music made her high, and that was where their band name originated. Jordan was a year younger than Juvia with fuchsia highlights in her black hair and a voice that could sing anything from Celine Dion to Aerosmith. Pale, with periwinkle blue eyes that always held laughter, and tangerine lipstick she was the most uniquely creative person Juvia knew. And her last name was Breck.

Juvia remembered the first time she'd met Jordan Ultear Breck, or at least been formally introduced.

Gray took her to his house after another rain shower caught them unprepared, rain seemed to come every afternoon these past few weeks. It had been 2 days since Gray revealed to her the terrible news of his father's death. Now she wanted to visit his mom to offer her condolences. They ran fast. Gray's arm was over her shoulder as he held up his jacket over them. They ran along the sidewalk, crossed the street and turned into an alley, just a little further till they were in his neighborhood. Finally his house was in sight. It was two-stories high, painted blue and white, simple and easy on the eyes, without any fancy decorations except for their exceptional yard that Mrs. Ul Fullbuster Breck tended to passionately. The grass was perfectly mowed, the bushes and hedges were trimmed and flowers were blooming.

He led her to the door and knocked, running his other hand through his wet hair and looking over to Juvia, his eyes asking if she was okay. Juvia smiled to reassure him and took off her wet cardigan. She shivered. Noticing, Gray moved in front of her and took both her hands in his, bringing them to his mouth. He breathed on her cold fingers, rubbing his palms against her hands to create friction. Gray stared at her as he did this and Juvia's hands warmed up but her face was probably hotter, she could feel herself blushing from the contact.