Waking Dreams (A Gruvia fanfiction)

Chapter 16: Reunion

     Juvia did not hit the ground as hard as she expected to. In fact, she didn't expect to hit solid ground at all.
     She slowly opened her ocean-blue eyes to take in the scenery around her, finding that the place she had landed was full of beauty. She had fallen into the most wonderful meadow of spring flowers, with a few trees in the distance.
A gentle breeze made the soft grass dance while the flowers showed off their beauteous petals in full bloom. It seemed magical here, almost like there were floating lights in the surrounding area. The sky was a gentle blue, with few clouds. It was a perfect example of serenity, and Juvia wished she could stay there forever.
But then something happened that shattered the illusion of safety that she had been enjoying. A dark-haired woman with horns adorning her head walked just in the corner of Juvia's peripheral vision. With a gentle gasp, Juvia realized that she had seen her before, in Nightmare's castle. She had seemed to be an illusion, but in that place one could never be sure. Occasionally Juvia had seen her walking the halls, or standing close to Nightmare. There seemed to be an aura of sadness surrounding her.
Juvia sat up hurriedly, trying to get a better glimpse of the mysterious woman. Sure enough, it was as she had suspected. Juvia had seen her, or a vision of her, before. The woman walked through the field of grass with her head down, yet she seemed to be walking with a purpose. After a few more steps, she stopped and crouched down. She seemed to be talking to somebody. Juvia wondered if she was dangerous, or if it would be safe to call out to her. Though uncertain, Juvia stood, hoping that the woman wouldn't attack her.
However, as she stood, Juvia noticed indents in the grass, as if people were laying in it. Curious, she went to inspect the one nearest to her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cana awoke to a familiar voice calling her name.
     "Cana-san! Cana-san!" It sounded a bit like she was underwater. As Cana opened her eyes, she realized that she was not, in fact, underwater, but in a field of grass, which didn't make any sense because the last thing she remembered was...falling off of a cliff in the labyrinth. She shot up from where she was laying, taking in her surroundings.
     "Oof! Cana-san, you're awake!" There was the voice again. Cana turned toward it to find a familiar, stunned face.
     "Juvia! You're here! Where is here? Oh, you look terrible..."
     Juvia wasn't bothered by the last comment, replying, "Juvia knows she looks horrible. She's been through a lot. She doesn't know where we are though..."
     Cana took in Juvia's words, going over everything in her mind. If she and Juvia were here...perhaps the rest of the group was here?! Maybe even...possibly...she couldn't bring herself to think of it. It was simply too much to hope for.
     "Maybe," Cana began, "If we are both here, the others are here too?"
     Juvia's eyes lit up. "You mean Gray is here too?"
     Cana have a small smile at the sense of familiarity. "Maybe. I guess we should look for the others?"
     Juvia nodded and smiled, though to Cana something about her friend didn't seem quite right. They walked for a while, searching the grass for their friends, and Cana continued to observe her friend's strange new behavior. At times Juvia would giggle at something out of nowhere, or talk to things Cana couldn't see. At one point she said, "The shadows here are much nicer than the others." Cana made a mental note to ask Gray about it if they ever found him.
     After a while, the two eventually came across another indentation in the plush greenery. After exchanging a glance, the two rushed over to it, looking for their friends.
     They crouched down to find a certain rosy-haired dragon slayer. "Natsu!" Cana yelled, shaking her sleeping friend lightly.
     He stirred a little, a sleepy smile coming onto his face. "...Luce?" He murmured, rolling over.
     A pained look came across Juvia and Cana's faces at the mention of Lucy. "No, Natsu, it's me. Cana. And Juvia," Cana said gently, "Come on, wake up."
     Natsu slowly opened his eyes, looking at his two guild mates who crouched next to him. Upon seeing Juvia, he sat up quickly and embraced her, seeming to have recovered more of his cheerful personality. "Juvia!" He shouted happily, "You're here, and safe! Gray will be so relived."
     Juvia's eyes widened in shock. "Gray was worried about Juvia?"
     Natsu let her go and smiled a bit sadly at her. "Oh, you bet. We all were."
     The three wandered some more, eventually coming across Levy and Gajeel, who the others were relived to find alive. After some more searching, they also discovered Lisanna and Gray.
     Upon seeing Gray, Juvia's eyes filled with tears and she dropped down next to him immediately. "Gray! Gray, it's Juvia! Please wake up, I'm here!"
      Perhaps she was too dramatic for the event, but what else should she do? She was finally reunited with her beloved.
     When he woke, she received a hug from him too. "Juvia," he sighed, "You're okay. You're alive!"
     A few stray tears rode down Juvia's cheek. "Yes, Gray. Juvia is here. She's sorry for keeping you waiting for so long."
     It seemed like Gray was about to say something else, but Natsu interrupted, exclaiming, "Dude, are you crying?"
     The ice-wizard immediately sniffled unconvincingly, denying it.
     The group sat in content silence for a while, until they heard Levy softly gasp and and say quietly while pointing into the distance, "Isn't that Nozomi?"
     Everybody looked to where she was pointing, seeing two figures in the distance. The one with horns protruding from their head was obviously Nozomi.
     "Who's the guy next to her, though?" Gajeel asked, confused.
     Juvia gasped and began to shiver. "No...No..." she whispered.
     Gray put his arm around her, holding her close. "What is it, Juvia?"
      Through her trembling, Juvia whispered one word, "Nightmare..."

A/N:
Hello! Here's another chapter. This will be ending in two chapters or so and there might be an epilogue, but I'm not sure. Also, there will be a sequel! It will be Nalu! Yaaaay!!(I can neither confirm nor deny Lucy's wellbeing, though.)
So, please look forward to that and don't forget to vote, comment, and share! Thanks so much!
Byeeeeee!
~Kinichi