The story lives?! It has been so long ha ha ha. I apologise and I hope you will continue to support this story! Really love this chapter's quote.

Memories of You and I – chapter nine

"I do not trust people who don't love themselves and yet tell me, 'I love you.' There is an African saying which is: Be careful when a naked person offers you a shirt."
―Maya Angelou

Juvia was holding up the passage of sea which separated the cave and the beach. She laughed as she walked Gray timidly walk through it, glancing to his side and wincing.

"Don't drop this thing." He yelled, quickening his pace.

"Why does everyone think Juvia will drop it?" She muttered to herself.

The two mages had just entered the cage and Juvia had shown Gray the cell. It was equally eerie inside this time as it was last time and both of them didn't want to stick around. The two didn't say much apart from their discussion on the cage and the mission.

Gray had told Juvia that would come back later that night with Natsu to get a full look at the cell and everything in the cave itself. Juvia sighed and agreed, assuring that he leave a foolproof trail.

"Why didn't I freeze the passage?" Gray whispered to himself and sighed when he reached the opposite side.

When he didn't hear Juvia behind him he turned around and looked at her questionably when she didn't make a move from the cave.

"Oi Juvia!" Gray shouted, "What are you doing?"

On the other side of the passage Juvia was glancing up at the mountain before her. It was about twenty feet tall and a thought occurred to her. Gajeel and Levy weren't at that mountain, they were on the one on the complete opposite side of the beach.

"Gray-san! Come here quickly!"

Heartbeat quickening, Gray ran through the passage that Juvia was weakly holding up. She was distracted by something and the water looked like it would drop at any moment, which Gray prayed it did not.

"What is it?" He huffed when he reached her and he grabbed her arms and put them down, earning her attention.

Red faced she puffed her cheeks out, "Juvia-sama has made a discovery!"

Gray rose his eyebrow, "Juvia-sama?"

"Look up there! When you think about it how did the cell get there? It would of have to have been transported from somewhere and boats are illegal in these waters. So, unless they defied the law and took it here on a boat, which is quite possible, it could have come from there."

"From the mountain? They lowered it down maybe?" Gray thought, equally interested as the bluenette.

"That's what Juvia thinks. Perhaps they left a trace behind? Shall we go walk up?" She said, readying her water passage once again.

Gray took her hand and shook his head, "It's not too tall. We'll just take the steps."

Juvia frowned at him, "Huh? What steps-"

And her questioned was answered as Gray performed ice make: steps, creating a flawless and shining stair case leading up to the mountain top. He smiled down at her shocked face and began to walk up his creation.

"Just be careful, it's slippery."

On top of the mountain Juvia gasped at the view of the sea. The staircase was shining against the sun and she smiled out at the image. Turning her head she met Gray's eyes. He was staring at her and she shifted uncomfortably in her spot.

"Juvia, tell me something." Gray spoke, intently looking at her as she crinkled her nose.

"Hm?" She weakly said, tempted to reserve back down the steps.

"Why don't you like Lyon?" He cringed at his next words, "Romantic-wise? Even before… all this? I mean even… if you do now. Why not before?" He knew. He knew very well. But he just desperately wanted her to say it herself.

Juvia frowned and shrugged, stepping away from his stare. She didn't even bother pretending that 'all this' didn't exist. She thought it would be better to just accept that something had happened and was happening, so they could move on from it and work it out. She wanted closure and accepting was the first step.

"Juvia guesses," She pondered, scrunching her eyebrows in thought and unknowingly seeming cute to her fellow ice mage, "It's because she had you."

"'Had me'," He frowned at the use of past tense.

"Yeah. Juvia thought she had you and now looking back we both know Juvia never once had you. You are your own person and it took her a long time to realise that. Juvia didn't pay attention to anyone else because she thought she owned you. But she doesn't, just like you don't own Juvia. Which took her the longest time to accept."

Juvia looked back and over her shoulder at the frowning Gray, "But this is pretty heavy stuff to talk about. Why don't we focus on the mission? It probably isn't much better but… well, to be honest Juvia doesn't want to talk about herself."

Gray grabbed her shoulder, stunned at her last comment, "Why not?"

The water mage shook out of his grasp and huffed her cheeks, half yelling, "Because! I want to move on from what I have been! I need to grow! As a person! I need to keep going and I need I really need to get over things that are holding me back!"

Gray's eyes widened and he felt a pain in his chest as he watched the girl before him glare in his direction. Juvia wiggled in her spot, completely awkward from her outburst.

"Gray-san, please don't grab Juvia so freely when she is trying her hardest."

Trying her hardest, he thought, sighing.

"Yeah I get it. I know and I am sorry." He bowed his head and turned back to walk down the stairs, neglecting the mission in favour of the idea of a swim.

Juvia stared after him as he left. Her eyes were stinging and she left out a huge sigh. Crouching down into a ball she cursed herself for starting yet another fight between them.

"I'm sorry Gray-sama," She whispered to herself, pulling her hair away from her face, "But the Juvia you took for granted, will never come back to life."

And it was in this moment, hunched down into the ground, that her blue eyes caught glimpse of something. Something silver and small. Wiping her eyes, which had become puffy and red from her silent tears, she crawled over to the object.

Frowning in confusion she picked up the object. It was a silver charm and it looked like it had belong to a bracelet and had fell off. It was in the shape of a bear and was carefully carved. Juvia gasped at its beauty and clenched it in her hand.

Deciding that her fighting with Gray came second to finding the missing people, she stood up and ran over to the mountain. Gray had, subconsciously, taken down the ice staircase, leaving a very annoyed Juvia stranded on the mountain.

And she could see him in the ocean, swimming along without a worry for her. She sighed, he didn't need to worry about her. They had just fought and besides, Juvia was strong.

"Gray-sama, the mission comes first!" She screeched, earning the full attention of the sama. He looked up from his place in the water and cursed at the loss of the staircase. Not failing to notice the honorific, he decided to make his way back to shore.

But before he could move, she jumped off the cliff.

And Gray's stomach flipped as he screamed and watched her dive into the ocean. Frantically swimming toward her, his heart beating in his chest, he almost screamed when she appeared before him.

Completely soaked and red in the face, she shoved the charm into his vision.

"Gray Fullbuster. There people missing. People in danger. You and I, we can't keep having our stupid little fights. We have to talk it out, sure. But let's talk it out after we kick some asses and save some mages."

This chapter was completely improvised and I was going to leave it all dramatic but I thought, Juvia needs to grow as she said. I hope you enjoyed and I promise to update the next chapter sooner!