After All This Time || A Fairy Tail Fanfiction

Chapter 20

  "JUVIA!" Gray yelled, pushing his way through the burning building. "WENDY! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

  He turned into the bathing area, checking all the shower stalls before freezing in front of the last one. He carefully picked up the bottle of shampoo, recognizing the brand to be Wendy's favorite.

  "Dammit," he coughed. "Wendy! Juvia!"

  He ran past the broken mirrors and through the rows of lockers, hacking from the ash that stuck to his throat.

  "Answer me! Are you girls in here?" He cried, dodging more flames. Sweat drops ran down his forehead from the intense heat, the lack of oxygen making him light headed.

  "—ay!" A faint voice came.

  Gray's eyes widened, pausing to listened more carefully as the voice came a second time, "—ray? Gray!?"

  "Yeah it's me!" He called back. "Where are you guys!"

  "GRAY!" two voices said simultaneously.

  "WE'RE IN THE BATHROOMS!"

  "GRAY, THANK MAVIS!"

  "Guys I'm coming," he yelled, jumping over the rubble and sprinting to the stalls, abruptly turning the corner with his eyes alert. "Keep talking, guys!"

  "Please hurry! The ceiling's about to cave!"

  "I'm coming, don't worry!" He said hurriedly.

  "Are you hurt?"

  "No, I'm absolutely fine," Gray replied not sure if Juvia or Wendy had asked that.

  He brought his hand up to his face, covering his mouth from the soot-filled air. It was becoming increasingly hard to breathe.

  "Gray!" This time the voice sounded clear, even more so the arms that wrapped around him and pushed him to the ground.

  "Juvia!" Gray hugged her, burying his face into her blue hair. "Thank Mavis—"

  "Thank you so much," Wendy ran up to him, Gray never being so happy to so the little girl.

  "Hey don't cry," he said softly. "I'm here. I'll get you both out of here, I promise."

  "Where's Natsu?" She questioned. "AND CARLA! Do you know where Carla is??"

  "Your cat's safe," he said. "Natsu, on the other hand, got his ankles crushed in his noble attempt to save you. He's waiting outside with Lucy—" he added quickly when he saw her mortified expression.

  "Oh my darling," Juvia cried. "You aren't hurt, right?"

  He looked into her big blue eyes, sighing, "I've been better. Now let's go—" he grunted as he helped the bluenette up and grabbed Wendy's arm, tugging them both through the smoke filled room.

  Juvia whimpered beside him, clutching her stomach in pain.

  "What's wrong?" Gray asked immediately.

  "A stall door landed on her—" Wendy said shakily. "She was trying to protect me and—and—"

  "Wendy, sweetheart," said Juiva. "It's not your fault, I promise."

  "The doctor's will fix you up—all of us—but we have to keep moving."  Gray said through clenched teeth.

  He was supporting both Juvia's and Wendy's weight, as well as himself's. It was not comfortable. They all trudged through the room, stiffening up whenever the support beams creaked or the flames got too close. They kept going though, until they all reached a literal wall of burning wood. Burning wood that was blocking their path.