Gray looks at her, his heart starting to race as fear reflects in the beautiful blue orbs. She holds herself with her own two hands, mumbling strings of words that break his heart. She's comforting herself, telling herself to be brave, telling herself to be strong. The scene is just heartbreaking.

"Gajeel, Natsu! You guys go back to your room, I'll handle things from here."

"Are you sure, Ice Princess?" Natsu looks at him with concern.

"I know what to do. Just go back to your room."

Gajeel cast the bluenette a sad look before grabbing the pink hair man by his collar and walk back to their room. He trusts the ice mage, knowing that the man can handle the situation better than him and everyone else in the room. Seeing Juvia like that just breaks his heart, it's like she falls into her own dark, depressing world and tries to ease her pain by telling herself to be stronger, braver. The dark past is haunting her, taunting her, threatening to take away her happiness. The iron dragon slayer thought he can protect his friend, he'll be there to shield her from the darkness that's starting to corrupt her colorful and beautiful world, but no... He realizes that he's not strong enough, not understand her enough. He doesn't even know about her short life expectancy. What kind of best friend he is when he doesn't know that she's going to die very soon?

Natsu is not in any better state than Gajeel. Hearing the news shocked him to his core, one of his family is going to die and nothing can change that? Juvia may not be close to him but she's his comrade, his family, his family. He can't let this happen to her, fate or not, he and everyone will fight for her life just like Gray had said to her mentors.

With Natsu and the others out of the way, Gray slowly walks to Juvia. She tenses, ready to give him another blow for stepping into her comfort zone but he holds still. The ice devil slayer needs to make himself look like he's not a threat, he needs to make her comfortable. The bluenette still trembling on her bed, eyes never avert from him.

"Juvia, it's me, Gray..."

"Gray?"

"Yes, your 'Gray-sama', remember?"

"Juvia's 'Gray-sama'?"

Open his arm widely, giving her small smiles to reassure that he's here for her. She is still in the denial stage, but her eyes have softened a little bit, a cue for him to move forward.

"I'm here now, I'm here for you." he said as Juvia stares at him, blue orbs begin to regain her conscious "You don't have to be afraid. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going to leave you alone, not anymore, Juvia."

She tears up, recognizing the familiar figure in front of her, her darling is here. She holds out her arms, eyes begging to be embraced and without any hesitation, Gray hugs her, crushing the fragile girl against him. Feeling the coolness of his body, she begins to cry and hold onto him for dear life, afraid that if she lets go, he'll leave her again. Gray gently rubs her back, combing the blue locks as he let her cries out her pain and sorrow.

He holds her close, allows her hands to spread out on his chest, allows her to listen to his heartbeat, letting her know that he is right here with her. It's unbearable to see how fragile and vulnerable the water mage is, she holds onto him like he's her only reason to live and cries even louder when she doesn't feel his hand on her body. What is it that turns her into this mess? Gray has never seen this side of her, so small, so broken, blue orbs full of raw emotions that even he can't detect them.

Eventually, the cries subside, leaving Juvia whimpers in his touch as she tries to calm herself down. The bluenette bits her lips, knowing that her beloved is probably annoyed by this weak side of her. Gray is a man of logic and reasons, calm and collected, comforting someone was never his strong point, let alone dealing with a mental breakdown Juvia. She moves back a little bit, afraid that her clinginess will push him away again but to her surprise, Gray tightens his arm. He pulls her close, lets her head rest on his shoulder and enjoys the warmth of her body against his.

"G-Gray-sama..."

"I'm here."

"Ju-Juvia is sorry for bo-bothering you."

"Why do you even think like that?" he asks, knowing what kind of answer she's going to give "I told you already, right? Let yourself be selfish for once, Juvia."

"She just afraid that she will push you away if Gray-sama sees her in this state..."

"Who said I'm going to leave even if you push me away?" her breath hitched as she listens "I'm going to be here, right next to you. I'll never let you go. I'll never leave you alone. I'm not going anywhere else even if you push me away."

"B-but..."

"No buts, Juvia..."

She is pushed onto the bed with Gray hover on top of her. His face is close, so close that she can feel him breathing against her skin. Juvia blushes, it's the first time she got herself in this kind of intimate situation, she doesn't know how to react. Juvia closes her eyes, feeling the gentle touch on her skin as he strokes her cheek, eyes glint with so much emotion: care, concern, worried and love...

"Gray-sama..."

"I'll be here, I've promised you right?" plant a kiss on her forehead, he smiles lovingly "As long as I still live, I'll never leave you. As long as I still live, I'll never let you go."

Tears threaten to fall as Juvia nods, happiness and relief wash over her heart as she feels another kiss on her knuckle. Her darling is so kind...

Gray secures his hold around her, feeling the softness of her hair tickles his chin. She is still awake, playing with the guild mark on his chest as she draws her delicate finger around it. He asked her about the prophecy, one that he swears to change. The ice mage has lost many of his loved ones: his parents, Ur and Ultear, he's not going to let the same thing happen to the water mage, never.

"Why do you have to hide it from me?"

"Juvia is...she doesn't want Gray-sama to worried." she smiles "If you know about it, you will take responsibility for something that it's not your fault..."

He strokes her hair, inhaling the lavender scent. Such a selfless girl...

"Besides..." she sits up and smiles genuinely as the moonlight illuminating her smooth pale skin, "Juvia thinks that instead of mopping around, she should live her life the best she can. She believes that it can never be changed. That's why Juvia wants to welcome every day in her life with a smile, she wants to create the best memories she can with everyone."

Before meeting Gray, Juvia Lockser was a gloomy Rain Woman with no hopes and dreams, a depressed mage with brute attitudes, one that will destroy her enemy with a blink of an eye. But now, she is Juvia Lockser, the mage of Fairy Tail. She's a sweet and funny woman who always greets everyone with a lovely smile. A selfless woman with a heart of gold, a gentle soul that understands the importance of friendship and bonding. A woman that knows how to love...

"Juvia is grateful, for she has a chance to meet and become friends with you. Gray-sama had shown her the clear blue sky, something that no one has ever done before. You showed Juvia the joy of loving someone with all her heart, the true meaning of friendship and family." The bluenette turns to him, smiles sweetly as she intertwines their fingers together "She is and will always be grateful."

******************************************************************************

They were back at the guild the next day after Juvia bid her goodbye with her mentors. She was as dramatic as ever, crying and clinging on Neptune, promised to join their wedding in a few months later.

Sipping his beer, Gray remembers the conversation he had with the blondie Uranus and still very surprised that it went smoothly, without any cursing, taunting or fighting. Just a conversation between two men.

"I told you already, there's nothing you can do to change her fate." Uranus smirks "You're a mage, not a god. There are things that you can never change."

"And what makes you think I can't?" he looks at the blonde, eyes full with determination "My fate starts when my family died in the hands of a demon, my master had the same fate as them, my friend sacrifice everything in exchange for my life and others. People said that I was going to have the same fate as them, but here I am, crushing through those 'fate' and survive."

"That's your fate, you weren't supposed to die, not yet. Juvia is different, the prophecy said th-?!"

"I don't care what the prophecy said. Juvia is going to live. She's going to have a happy life with me, her friends, her family and those that she loves. Her fate is going to change, I swear under the name of Fullbuster that I will be the one who changes it."

Uranus looks at him, cyan eyes widen as he listens to the promises that he made. A smile form on his lips, never had he heard anyone said that they going to rewrite their fate and this man, with determination and voice full of confident, stated that HE will change the bluenette's fate is amusing...

"You...you really love her, right?"

"..." Gray looks away, 'love' is still a heavy word for him but he can't deny that the water mage has held a special place in his heart.

"Juvia is a beautiful girl who doesn't have a future, but..." Uranus sighs in defeat "I guess I should start believing that her fate can be changed by her beloved..."

Juvia is sitting next to him, still being the cheerful girl who follows him, confessing her love for him to the whole world. Guess Juvia really means it when she said that she wants every day in her life to be the happiest day. The war against the Alvarez Empire is getting closer, with all the preparation and everything, he feels like the pressure of defeating E.N.D and keeping Juvia alive is getting bigger and bigger, not to mention that he needs to keep her life expectancy a secret.

Master Makarov has begun his talk with First Master Mavis about the secret of Fairy Heart, the light of Fairy Tail, the most powerful weapon of the guild. He needs his children to understand the importance of Lumen Histoire and how dangerous it would be if the Spriggan 12 or Zeref get a hold of it. They establish many strategies, try to cover up as many aspects as possible. With the power of the Spriggan 12, it's hard to tell whether or not Fairy Tail can win one of them, let alone all twelve members.

"Gray-sama?" she askes, eyes full of concern "Are you feeling well?"

"I'm good, don't worry about it." the ice mage replies with his signature cold tone "I'm gonna go out and get some fresh air, you wanna come with me?"

"Oh yes. Juvia'd lo-?!"

"Excuse me..." Erza cuts in and looks at the couple "Hate to interrupt but is it possible for me to have a small talk with Juvia?"

Gray looks at Erza then averts his eyes to Juvia, who is a bit tense when hearing the request. The knight gives her a reassuring smile, sensing the uncomfortable atmosphere between them as Juvia isn't ready to have a one-on-one talk with her. The bluenette bits her lips, knowing his concerned gaze is fixing on her and she doesn't want to make Gray worried. Sooner or later, she will eventually need to have this conversation and Juvia knows that she has been avoiding this situation for too long now. Let out a sigh, the water mage nods when the devil slayer gives her a squeeze on the shoulder, silently askes if she's ready or not.

"Gray-sama can go first, Juvia will follow you after she's done talking with Erza-san." she smiles as her hand touches his "It won't be long."

"Okay, if you insist..."

Looking at both women one last time, Gray takes his leave, knowing that the conversation they're going to have will benefit both of them.

Erza leads her to another room where they can have a private talk. It's been a while since they last have a normal chat, let alone a heart-to-heart discussion. The knight understands the consequences of her action, forcing Gray to keep the secret from Juvia was her decision and it has damaged their relationship. Juvia has always looked up to her as a friend and a sister, the bluenette cherishes their bond, so much so that she thinks of Erza as her big sister. The incident had a huge effect on their relationship as a whole and the red-haired woman wants to fix it, she misses having Juvia around rambling about her relationship with Gray and asking for advice from her.

"Juvia, how have you been?"

"Juvia is good, thank you for your concern."

"Was the last mission difficult? I heard from Gajeel that you were asked to officiate a blessing ceremony, is that true?"

"Yes, it was quite enjoyable. The clients were very nice to her."

There's an awkward silence between them as Erza tries to figure out how to address the situation, the red-haired woman fumbles on her word, looking for the right word to say as well as fiddling her fingers. Erza Scarlet was the type of person who addresses things in the most straightforward way, seeing her so nervous like this is quite amusing to say the least.

"Juvia, I...uhm...the mission...well...I..."

"It's okay, Erza-san. Juvia understands that you only want the best for her. It's her fault for being selfish and unreasonable."

"No, that's not it. I'm sorry for putting you through a hard time. I understand how important Gray is to you yet I took him away, forcing you to deal with everything yourself." she exclaims while grabbing onto the bluenette's shoulder "I should have told you about the mission but I didn't. For that, I deeply apologize."

"It's okay, Erza-san. Juvia knows that you only want to protect her and everyone else. You have always been that kind of person."

"Juvia..."

"Juvia was angry at first, she never thought that you and Gray-sama would do such a thing to her. She was once a member of Phantom Lord, she understands how these dark guilds work. She had thought that if you could just inform her about the situation, she might be able to help you guys." Juvia sighs "What upsets her the most was that you both don't have fate in Juvia. She was angry, upset about it for months but then she realized one thing..."

Erza gulps, is this where Juvia is going to cut all ties to her? It can't be, right? The bluenette has a big heart that Erza knows she will never deal with a situation in such a negative way.

"She realized that being angry and upset didn't change anything. She didn't want to chase you guys away because Juvia loves both of you very much. It was worthed for her to be selfish because, in the end, she knows that you both only want the best for Juvia."

The knight bits her lips as she slowly pulls her into a tight embrace, tears of relieving flow like a river as Erza keeps on apologizing for everything she has done to her. Juvia smiles, loving the warm she is receiving as she returns the hug, lightly pat on her back and whispers comforted words into the woman's ear.

They are in the middle of preparation for the war against the Alvarez Empire, the deadly battle that even Mavis herself can claim that everyone would survive after this. For that, Juvia wants to stay on good terms with everyone, she doesn't have much time left and wasting her time for something so stupid is not how she wants to live. If she's going to die in this war, Juvia wants to keep the best and happiest memories from everyone, including those that have hurt her the most.