No.

This couldn't be happening.

He refused to let this happen.

He wasn't going to lose yet another person that meant so much in his life. This battle was proving to be the worst he's ever experienced.

Of course, Natsu of all people just had to be END, the demon that Gray swore he would defeat. Of course, he had to fight him. And, of course, Juvia had to jump in front of him to protect him from an attack that could end a life in an instant, an attack that he wouldn't have been able to dodge himself.

"Juvia!" he yelled, running up to her fallen body. Worry was clear on his face.

Gray sat there in the middle of the battlefield, fights broken out all around him. He didn't know what happened to Natsu - not Natsu, he reminded himself, END - but seeing as he wasn't being attacked, it seemed he had left. Juvia laid in his arms, bleeding profusely from the wound on her stomach.

Tears stung at his eyes.

He absolutely refused to let this happen. He had to get pressure on the wound. He had to stop the bleeding.

"Juvia, I'm sorry, this is going to hurt," he spoke, pressing his hands over her stomach.

"Gray-sama," Juvia's meek voice, strained through the pain.

He shushed her. She couldn't speak. If she did, it meant she had already given up - that she wouldn't make it. That she would die. She couldn't speak.

Blood caked his hands. Her blood. Oh God, why was she still bleeding?

"Gray-sama... thank you... for showing Juvia the sun."

No, she couldn't say her good-byes. She could still live, she could still be with him, she still had a chance. He looked at her, desperate for her to stop. Yet, she was smiling, tears in her beautiful blue eyes, but a sad smile on her face nonetheless. How could she be smiling?

"Thank you... for letting Juvia... be by your side."

How could she be looking at him with the same love and adoration she always did when he failed to protect her?

Her small, pale hand raised to his face, cradling his cheek. It was too cold, even to him.

No.

This couldn't be happening.

"Thank you..."

No.

"For letting Juvia love you..."

"No!" his voice rang out, he could see that he startled her.

Her hand fell away from his face, and he could see confusion in her eyes.

"No," he said, this time a bit softer, but still as stern as before, "you can't die."

She stuttered out a small, questioning "Gray-sama".

"You can't, because I haven't given you my answer yet," his voice cracked, a tear rolled down his cheek without permission.

"But Gray-sama..." she whispered, her hand took its place back on his cheek, and, this time, he pressed into it, "Juvia already knows your answer."

Gray knew she knew, but he still had to say it. He wanted to say. She deserved to hear it.

His eyes drifted from her beautiful face - yes, it was still beautiful even in this situation - down to where his red hands covered her stomach.

Suddenly, realization struck him as he remembered what he had done to himself on Tenrou Island in his fight against Ultear. The circumstances had been different, but it had stopped the bleeding.

This was how he'd stop it from happening again.

"Juvia, do you trust me?" he asked, even though he knew the answer.

She looked at him, questioningly, her blue eyes somewhat glazed over. She nodded.

Damn it, he was losing time asking such a question. Deciding not to waste anymore, his hand began to glow. The mist of his Ice Make magic, swirled in the air. Carefully, so not to hurt her, he froze the wound on her stomach, effectively stopping the bleeding.

Letting out a breath of relief, he looked back up to her face as he spoke. "That should do for now, but I'm going to take you to find Wendy-" He was cut off when he saw that her eyes were closed.

He panicked, immediately checking for signs of life, and was relieved to find that she still had a pulse.

She was still alive.

Juvia was still alive.

And, Gray couldn't be happier.

A/N: Guess who's back? This girl! :D Man, I've been gone too long! Btw, I wrote this a few months ago, I just didn't post it because I'm too lazy. Hey, at least this one-shot isn't total crap, right? Yeah, it's a sappy ending, but what can I say, I didn't want to kill her. I love Juvia too much. Anyway, I might be more frequent on here because I'm now officially on summer vacation, but no promises. Hope you enjoyed, and make sure to favorite and review!