Drip. Drip. Drop.

Gray slowly turned the faucet on, pulling his hand out as quickly as it had come in. The water splashed down onto the marble shower floor. He shakily unzipped his pants, wincing at all the noise the shower made.

The raven set his left foot in first to maintain balance, something he'd learned from her. It was something important to him, remembering all those details. That was all he had left.

Drip. Drip. Drop.

Gray closed his eyes tightly, feeling every drop of water fall onto his face. Then his neck, and later his chest. It all felt like her soft fingers tracing his body lines. Everything was familiar, way too familiar. He pushed himself back against the wall, soft sobs coming out of his lips. Tears mixed with the hot water, but that was okay.

//flashback//

"Gray-sama! Juvia is excited about her job!" a grinning water mage exclaimed. She skipped towards Gray, interwining their fingers.

Gray didn't shake her hand off. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," she beamed. "Do you have your...powers controlled?"

"Yeah, don't worry about them. They won't bother us anymore."

Lucy popped up beside them, resting her hand on her hip. "Where are you two going?"

"A small town is asking for help, claiming there are ghosts. We're just going to make sure they're not enchanted with a dementia spell," Juvia explained.

Natsu appeared behind them, resting his arm on Gray's shoulder. "I hear the fish there's good, make sure to bring us some!"

//end of flashback//

Gray looked down to his hands, stretching them in front of him. He unconsciously clenched his fists. Visions of dark and dead-looking skin flashed by his eyes.

Drip. Drip. Drop.

"I'm sorry," Gray sobbed. "I'm so, so sorry."

He stared at the water sliding down the glass door. A small gasp escaped his lips.

//flashback//

Juvia raised her hand, smiling mischeviously at Gray. The raven only sighed and held his hand out.

"Now close your eyes, Gray-sama!"

Obliging, Gray relaxed on the train seat. "What are you~oh...that feels nice."

Juvia liquified, sliding her arm down Gray's. He involuntarily shivered, the strange feeling relaxing him.

"Open your eyes now!" Juvia squealed.

Gray cracked his eyes open, tilting his head at the sight. He simply shrugged and laid back down, letting Juvia do what she pleased with his arm.

"Gray-sama," she observed. "Your arm is dripping with my love!"

//end of flashback//

He looked at his arm, placing his fingers lightly on it. His shaggy hair covered his face, sticking to his neck. Gray knew Juvia would like that sight, he should've showed her before. The raven knew he should've valued her more.

"Juvia, it did. I want it to drip again, drip on me," he gasped between sobs.

The soap on his body bubbled up, so he played. Lyon and he used to do warm bubble baths when Ur was not home. He'd told Juvia that story, and she loved it. She loved everything about him.

But he didn't realize their feelings were mutual, until it was too late.

//flashback//

"Gray-sama, stop it!"

Juvia's scream resonated all around the storm, but Gray couldn't hear. He was changing, his body was changing. Dark throughts swirled around his head, but he couldn't stop it. He couldn't control it.

He could only laugh menacingly. "Shut up you clingy piece of trash."

"No," Juvia's eyes watered. "You don't mean it, Juvia knows it!"

Her body was frail and weak, sprawled on the floor. She was in the middle of a storm, an ice storm.

But even with barely any power left, she stood up. With a trembling sigh, she stood straight and liquified. The ice was threatening to freeze her up, but she managed to hold on.

Juvia engulfed Gray in water, washing out his darkness. A new trick she had learned just for him.

Her body slowly started to freeze up, yet she smiled with tears sliding down her face. "I hope you learn to control it, Gray-sama!"

Suddenly all that could be heard was a deafening whistle, and then something breaking. Gray hit his head on pavement, and then everything was black.

The next time he woke up, everything was foggy. There was barely anything visible.

"Damn, it's cold," he groaned.

When he stood up, he heard the sound of shattered glass. As he looked down, his stomach dropped. Gray wished he was blind at that moment.

"Juvia...," he whispered. Her shattered body lay on the floor. Gray could only find one half of her face, but he noticed she'd been smiling. His chest hurt and everything felt numb.

"Juvia!"

//end of flashback//

Gray forcefully turned the water off, stepping outside and drying himself at an abnormal speed. His vision was still blurry. Nose puffy and red eyes.

"I look like a mess."

Gray felt three drops slide down his arm. Before he could dry the familiar feeling, they hit the floor.

Drip. Drip. Drop.

And that was the last straw. Gray punched the bathroom mirror, biting his lip as the pain shocked him.

He walked out of the bathroom and layed down on his bed, with only his towel on.

"Juvia," he whispered. "Come back to me. Please."

But he knew it was no use. He'd never see her again. He'd never enjoy her annoying yet cute ticks. Gray would never be able to tell her how he actually felt. He had killed her, and now she was gone.

Gray covered his ears as he remembered the sound the glass made when he held her face. Three tears slid down the frozen cheek, reminding Gray of the first time they'd met. The same sound, from the same girl.

The only difference was that she was now gone forever, until the end of time.

Drip. Drip. Drop.